What's New on "Bright Knight"

FK Recommendation December 2009

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:05:11 GMT

What's Good? For 2009's last recommendation-of-the-month, I'm pleased and proud to get to spotlight Mary Ch.'s "Black Ice" (2000, PG-13) today. Pleased, because it's a satisfying, layered, episode-like novella with something for everyone (well, second-season's "everyone," anyway). Proud, because I've almost re-synchronized my calendar at last! ;-)

For those seeking/avoiding certain strains at this time of year, let me note that "Black Ice" unfolds in the deep midwinter, with the teaser on Christmas Eve, the body over New Year's, and the tag at Epiphany, as I read it.

He was too late. The daylight had advanced too far. He made a desperate lunge for the door, hoping against hope that he could reach it before the burning forced him to retreat, but in his weakened state the light was too strong and the distance too great. He staggered back to the wall, the skin on his face and hands blistered and smoking.

What's New? In November, fkfic-l saw one new story by one author: "The Relapse" by pj1228 (5 posts, 89KB).

FK on Crack-Van

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:30:54 GMT

abby82 rocks, you know? She has brought FK to crack_van! For any who don't know, this community is Multifandom Fanfiction Recommendations Grand Central Station. I've rarely dropped by there myself because, well, FK hadn't been featured. But batdina emailed me the Saint Nicholas Day treat of news to Go. Look. Now.

abby82 posted an exciting, extensive FK Fandom Overview on 12/03. It's great fun to read, even if you already know the facts. And then on 12/06, she launched FK recommendations on the community with my short story "A Little Salsa Picante" (2006). Wow! Thank you so much, abby82! I'm flattered and touched and delighted. And I'm so much looking forward to your future FK recommendations there! I cannot overstress how strongly I am in favor of people recommending great FK stories for me to read. ;-)

A month of crack_van recommendations: what a wonderful holiday gift to FKdom. Thank you!

Two Non-Exchange Fanfic Fests

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:50:56 GMT

wiliqueen has kept her eye on medie's gift to fandom, fandom_stocking, and let us know that it's up and running with sign-ups. This is a hidden-until-reveal gifting fest, with no claiming and no assignments, no minimums or maximums, just prompts and good will. (So far, three of this year's posted stockings, including Wiliqueen's and Amilyn's, include FK on their mini-wishlists. Eight include HL. None YB, or my other fandoms that make FK look crowded by comparison. ~g~ Not that all my hobby time is not already pledged to oldschoolfic this month! ~g~)

Reading wiliqueen's "stockings," last year's as well as this year's, was a highlight of my day. She wrote them wittily and pithily, of course, but I also got a happy charge out of feeling, on several specific points, "Yes! That's exactly what I would have said -- if only I were that witty and pithy, and, of course, participating in this!" :-) Across many fandoms, I really don't much care whether characters are girls or boys, and I usually care very little who they do or don't sleep with; what I care about, as she put it, is "friendship and/or family running as deep as any 'ship... pieces of people's lives we've never seen but which make perfect sense... tests or explorations of faith, in whatever flavor is appropriate to a character... thoughtful sensuality" and "emotional consequences (especially of canon events)."

Conversely, I also agree with her aversion to "endless detailed sex scenes... the very concept of soulmates... importing vampire rules, social structures and/or vocabulary from another universe, or inventing complicated original ones without a logical basis in canon," "grownup professionals shagging in supply closets" and "for the love of all that's holy, no vampire miracle babies!"

Okay, okay, I'll buy a "Serena's Cure" baby, yes, when I must -- makes more sense than three out of four other explanations of "The Human Factor" -- and also a hard-won-through-the-years, built-not-born, "soulmating," but . . . you know what's meant, right? To each her own without prejudice, but getting to feel in accord for a bit just made me smile a lot. :-) It was a treat.

Okay, all done. We return now to...

merfilly has proposed a "Gen in January" ficathon. It will be prompt-claiming style, rather than assignment driven. Minimum 500 words, gen only, any fandom, any characters -- including, of course, FK. (Gen, as recently discussed, is defined as every kind of plot and theme in human experience except romance and sex.)

FK Recommendation November 2009

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:17:00 GMT

It's still November where I am, honest!

What's Good? November's recommendation was "Soaring" (2005) by Kristen F., a canon-careful N&N friendship interlude, and a broad-brush illustration of the storytelling efficacy of the right perspective.

Natalie blushed, her heart rate increased, and she dropped her eyes before she gave him an evasive, "Oh, just meeting up with a friend." She started shuffling papers, refusing to meet his eyes.
Nick frowned...

What's New? In October, fkfic-l saw three new stories by three different authors:

"Jump" by Walt D. (1 post, 9KB)
"the five facets of a metro homicide detective" by abby82 (1 Post, 32KB)
"That Time of the Month" by gnosticdiva (1 Post, 14KB)

Sekrit Message to tv_elf: A year already. Miss you.

What You Guys Have Been Up To

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:05:16 GMT

Recently in FK on my LJ Friends List and DW Reading Page:

On the Air!

On 11/22, abby82 alerted us to Chiller's exciting US Thanksgiving marathon events, in which Geraint Wyn Davies will host "his favorite episodes" of FK! These air 11/24-11/25 and again 11/28-11/29! And what are GWD's favorite episodes? Season one: 5. Season two: 11. Season three: 0. [I expected BM, which he directed, but I was surprised to see BMV on his list. Interesting!]

In the News!

On 11/24, abby82 shared her Google News alert that the New York Times mentioned the Chiller FK marathon as something all those Twilight and True Blood fans should clue into.
On 11/06, gnosticdiva transcribed an article titled "Nick Knight, Vampire Cop" from the book Vampires (Fangoria, 1998).

Cast and Crew!

On 11/23, abby82 pointed out another new interview with GWD, this time on Chiller's blog. Among other fun things, there's currently a bulletin-board graphic with the text of a Ribena label on it.
On 11/23, abby82 let us know that Sci-Fi TV Zone has a twelve-minute audio interview with Geraint Wyn Davies, in which he talks about the Chiller marathon, his current one-man play in New York, and other fun, current things.
On 11/19, pj1228 created a collage in honor of Nigel Bennett's birthday, and is running a contest for us: win the original collage file by naming all the non-FK roles shown.

Fanfiction!

On 11/25, pj1228 announced that she has cleaned up "PJ's Forever Knight FanFiction Archive" after the move to Google Sites. If you've re-linked since the move from GooglePages, the URL is still the same. If, like me, you're still catching up... [Note to self: Update links!]
On 11/15, Leela-cat announced that she has begun posting her long-unavailable-online old FK stories on her Archive Of Our Own account. [She's right; she made me very happy. :-)] [Update: She has finished posting all her FK work, except one unfinished novel, and including "Broken Promises" -- last seen online in 1996.]
On 11/12, pj1228 posted her well-conceived UF story "The Relapse," which I had the privilege of beta-reading. Even if you're not inclined to the UF, she has a new approach to a specific canonical moment.
On 11/06, gnosticdiva posted a piece called "The Letter," Nick to Natalie.
On 11/05, elycia offered: "For every $5 you contribute to Fiver's Team (ALS Association of Georgia), I will write you 500 words of fiction, with the characters of your choice, on the topic of your choice," including in FK.
On 11/03, ithildyn reposted her 1998 Lacroix story "In His Image."

Fests and Ficathons!

On 11/07, abby82 noted that it was the last day of nominations for festivids, a vid exchange inspired by Yuletide for small and rarely vidded fandoms. FK is nominated.
On 11/03, oldschoolfic opened sign-ups for the December event. Assignments went out on 11/17. [I got an FK prompt!]
On 11/02, gen_ficathon posted their round one master list, including two FK stories previously mentioned here when they released.

Miscellaneous

On 11/08, pj1228 discussed her FK site's issues with the GoogleSites move, and her FK projects in progress.
On 11/07, abby82 detailed lowered prices for the FK DVDs at many retailers.
On 11/03, gnosticdiva mused on her NaNoWriMo project, based on a long-ago unfinished FK fanfic.

What is a prompt?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:35:29 GMT

My apologies to anyone I confused with my previous post! I do plan a "Ficathons 101" for fkficfest; please consider this an installment on that future orientation.

What is a ficathon? A ficathon (or fest) is a game in which people write stories, usually with some common element (e.g. fandom). The two main types of which I know are "exchange" (in which each player writes and receives a story, with prompts assigned), and "claiming" (in which players pick a prompt from a list and write a story to match; they may or may not receive a story). fkficfest will be an exchange game, in which players submit (and receive) three prompts, and submit (and receive) one story.

What is a prompt? A prompt is a seed for a story. It is the request that the writer fulfills. Four examples:

Two prompts submitted by me, for which other people wrote FK stories:

Characters: Nick
Prompt: Comforted Characters: Nick Knight, Rebecca
Prompt: On a much-needed vacation that he had to be persuaded to take, Nick runs into Rebecca from "Dying for Fame" in her new life.

Story: "A Strange Comfort" by leela_cat Story: "the fall rolled in on the back of summer" by abby82

Two prompts submitted by other people, for which I wrote FK stories:

Characters: Fleur de Brabant
Prompt: "I love thee, I love but thee, / With a love that shall not die, / Till the sun grows cold, / And the stars are old..." -- Bayard Taylor, "Bedouin Song," 1854 Characters: Natalie Lambert
Prompt: We know practically nothing about Natalie's past except it's loss after loss, which she faces with compartmentalization, humor, perfectionism, self-blame and avoidance.
Story: "Starwort" by Me
(Prompt by falcon_horus) Story: "A Delicate Balance" by Me
(Prompt by amilyn)

On Defining "Gen" and its Counterpart for FKficfest

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:19:07 GMT

The rules of play for fkficfest will be very similar to those used successfully in the femme_fic and oldschoolfic fanfiction story exchange events. However, there's one big difference. Those are multifandom; this will be FK-only. Similarly, we can't quite parallel the rules for the single-fandom Harry Potter games that leela_cat plays, because those are single-genre -- even single character -- and we'll be playing across all factions.

For fkficfest, players will submit three FK prompts. We need to differentiate them somehow to provide some diversity of choices to the writer and aid in matching. My co-mod and I talked about the possibilities for that, the different available categories, and we settled on: gen, ship, other. This should, we hope, help us get compatible prompts into everyone's hands.

But do you see the challenge? Definitions! What should be the definition of "gen"? Is "ship" the best collective term for that which is not "gen"? How about "romance"? (I have trouble accepting that we need to say "het or slash or femmeslash" every time we mean "that which is not gen.") We need, if we can get them, definitions that help spread contentment, not contentiousness.

My working definitions presently, for this event, are:

A "gen" story spotlights any plot or theme except romantic encounters/relationships. This does not mean that mentions of Don and Myra's marriage are banned, or that Nick can't kiss Janette, or that Lacroix doesn't have designs on Nick. It just means that the main focus must be elsewhere than on romantic/sexual encounters/relationships. Mystery, action, adventure, horror, philosophy, science, friendship, humor... The episode "Father Figure" is gen.
A "ship" story spotlights romantic/sexual encounters and/or relationships. This does not mean that cop plots and existential angst are banned. It just means that the main focus should be on romantic encounters/relationships. (Obviously, it may be m/f, m/m or f/f, as called for.) Erotica is a subset of this genre. The episode "Be My Valentine" is ship.
An "other" prompt, in the game, could be another gen or ship scenario, or it could be something category-busting or completely different. This would be the place for a wild AU, perhaps. The episode "Curiouser and Curiouser" is other.

What are your better definitions of these labels, or your better labels for these same definitions?

For example, is "Partners of the Month," as a whole episode, a gen story or a ship story? What if it is divided up, and the scenes examined as individual units? Is the scene with Nick and the lawyer gen, and the scene with Nick and Janette in the Raven ship, and what does that mean to the ability to classify the episode as a whole? And what about the conversation between Schanke and Janette, which is clearly all about their respective romantic relationships with other people -- is it in itself gen, or not?

For another example, take "Dance by the Light of the Moon." The flashbacks must fall under romance/erotica, but in the present-day story, Nick seems to be falling for Anne Foley, but is not; does that undercover revelation make it gen? What about "Last Act"? Or "Night in Question"?

FK canon does not fit these categories easily or snugly. It is all things, all the time. I love it that way.

In the past year or so, I've encountered a few fans -- not in FK, actually; elsewhere -- expressing bitterness and even hostility toward the genre that is not their own favorite. I don't want to mess with that hornets' nest. I like FK in every genre. But I cannot think of a better way to match readers and writers within FK (except by faction, and that has its own challenges -- numbers being the first).

How do you define these categories today? How useful are they to you in FK (which is not necessarily like other fandoms)?

And what kind of set of prompts would you most like to receive to work with as a writer, if you're considering playing in fkficfest?

By genre? Gen; Ship; Other
By plot? Cop shop; Vampire fantasy/sci-fi; Interpersonal
By season? Pre-DK, first season or hiatus; Second season; Third season or post-LK
By angle? Dark; Light; Shades of Gray
By character? Nick, Lacroix or Janette; Natalie, Schanke, Stonetree, Cohen, or Reese; Tracy, Vachon, Urs, or Screed
By type? Keyword; Quotation; Scenario
Other?

Oldschoolfic Sign-Ups Due 11/15

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:10:22 GMT

So I've signed up for oldschoolfic's December exchange (rules/sign-ups; sign-up deadline is November 15; minimum 500 words). As usual, I asked for Forever Knight, Highlander or Young Blades. I offered those plus Rurouni Kenshin, Monarch of the Glen and Original Battlestar Galactica. I didn't offer any Buffyverse, Trek or other things this time; I hope my very short list doesn't make it difficult for the mod... but I would have restricted it to just FK, HL and YB, if that hadn't seemed very much too greedy.

I hope that all of you who are playing Yuletide are receiving inspiring prompts this weekend, and that those of you running with NaNoWriMo are surpassing all your goals! Good luck and great fun, all around.

Forwarding Addresses

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:43:22 GMT

To those with FK fansites and fanfic archives: please consider posting your new URL to your blog as well as to forkni-l whenever you relocate. I want to know, and I bet many others do, too. Please help us follow you around the Web!

Seriously and sincerely. Thank you!

Yuletide is Open. Me, I'm Playing Oldschoolfic.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:58:36 GMT

Yuletide sign-ups are open (this is the annual ficathon exchange for obscure fandoms). At this time, six people have requested FK stories, and twelve people have offered to write FK stories. Sign-ups must be submitted by 11/12; stories are due on 12/21. This is the biggest fanfiction game of which I know, and this is its seventh year. I know some of you are playing it; please include FK, yeah?

I will not be playing Yuletide myself, but I will be playing oldschoolfic (for canceled fandoms). Sign-ups are due by 11/15; stories are due on 12/25. I need to work out what stories to request and which fandoms to offer (as I can't under the rules say "FK or HL only" ~g~).

Separately, gen_ficathon is taking a poll about holding a second round. In my opinion, when considering future participation, it is relevant to note that the first round of this exchange ficathon had some challenges, including four writers who never received stories, and three months to release the stories that were submitted. I would personally like to see a plan to address these issues before committing to another round.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:29:12 GMT

Happy birthday, tv_elf. I miss you.

Oldschoolfic Decemberfest Ficathon

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:23:13 GMT

Tuesday morning, oldschoolfic (the ficathon for canceled series) announced a December story-exchange event. FK is eligible! (So is HL.) Sign-ups are open here now through Sunday, November 15. Stories are due no later than Friday, December 25.

(On that schedule, I likely shouldn't play. I don't get many hours outside work; something due after the two three-day weekends at the end of the year would be much better for me -- know of any? But I admit I'm thinking about it.)

Addendum 11/05: Yeah, yeah... I'm definitely going to play in the oldschoolfic event. It's only a question of which prompts to submit and in which fandoms to volunteer.

What You Guys Have Been Up To

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:38:22 GMT

Recently on my LJ Friends List:

Memes and Miscellaneous

On 10/19, endaewen's copy of the second-season DVD set arrived. :-)
On 10/18, gnosticdiva vented a pet peeve in fanficrants, about fanfiction spelling of FK characters' names in general, and in Janette's dialogue in particular.
On 10/12, cousinmary played the episode title meme with FK.

Ficathons

On 10/24, abby82 clued us in about oxoniensis's second "Fall Fandom Free-For-All." There is one FK request so far, for Nick/Janette (that's "Immortal Beloved" or "IB," for anyone who doesn't know).
On 10/23, havocthecat very kindly promoted the fkficfest (about which you will hear more; oh yes...).
On 10/16, oldschoolfic opened a poll to gage interest in a "December Carnival" all-holiday exchange ficathon. (This is the periodic ficathon celebrating out-of-production fandoms like FK.)

Fanfiction

On 10/31, ithildyn counted her Divia-flashback story "Shattered" as a Halloween story for its overall creepiness.
On 10/25, abby82 posted a character study in the form of a five-scene story titled "five facets of a metro homicide detective," starring Tracy and Nick, which I was privilaged to beta-read.
On 10/23, gnosticdiva posted a short piece titled "That Time of the Month," starring Natalie and Nick.
On 09/10, merfilly posted a near-drabble titled "An Earthquake," starring Lacroix. (I missed this one back when it was first posted.)

Should I say?

On 10/30, under lock, someone reminisced about the long-gone days of long journeys to celebrate FK with each other.
On 10/22, under lock, someone used FK as a theoretical example to illustrate optimal fanfiction recommendations.
On 10/16, under lock, someone posted at length about potential FK stories she has in mind to write.

FK Recommendation October 2009

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:44:30 GMT

What's Good? The poetically constrained "Lest We Forget" (just 273 words) by endaewen is October's recommendation-of-the-month. At a Remembrance Day (Veterans' Day, Armistice Day) observation, Nick's memories pull him through time.

A poppy. Red and black. This one pinned on Natalie's shoulder. In his mind, the one became many. Fields of the flower, growing where death had lain heavy. After both wars, he had seen them silvered by the moonlight, like drops of blood.

What's New? In September, fkfic-l saw one story, "Reconstruction" by Walt D. (1 post, 42 KB). However, in October so far, we've seen three stories by three authors on list.

In Ficathon News

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:36:20 GMT

The story written for one of my prompts in gen_ficathon turned up this week (the author generously picked it up as a pinch-hitter after someone else defaulted). This is the ficathon for celebrating fanfiction beyond romance. Titled "Hero," by alexajohnson, it's for my Star Trek '09 prompt. The other prompts I submitted in that event were Forever Knight (of course), Highlander, Young Blades, and Star Trek: The Next Generation -- highest number of prompts requested/allowed in any ficathon I've played in yet.

Speaking of ficathons, oldschoolfic is running a poll about holding a "December Carnival" all-holiday exchange event. This is the ficathon for celebrating out-of-production fandoms. They're guaging interest, dates, and preferred minimum length, to start. If you're interested, please drop by. (If FK is eligible this time, and if I think I have good odds of getting an FK or HL asignment, and if Real Life keeps itself to itself, I plan to play. A lot of "if"s, I know -- but three Buffyverse assignments in a row this year! I'm fond of the Buffyverse, but I've got to come home to my own fandoms to recharge my hobby.)

Still speaking of ficathons, fkficfest is up. It's not quite ready for members, insofar as we have some testing yet to do with posting from different accounts, and holding and releasing a queue -- I've never modded a community before -- and you don't need to live through that on your Friends List/Reading Page. But if you're interested in taking a look, please let me (or co-mod amilyn) know what you think. We plan for sign-ups to begin in February, and stories to release in May.

I've been out of touch. I'll catch up this weekend!

What You Guys Have Been Up To

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:30:47 GMT

Recently on my LJ Friends List:

Airings

On 10/09, abby82, reminded us that Chiller has scheduled two more FK marathons: Saturday 10/10 ("Dark Knight" through "Cherry Blossoms"), and Thursday 10/15 ("I Will Repay" through "Only the Lonely"), both 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Likely these will be the CBS cuts, as in FK's first Chiller outing.
On 09/08, abby82 uploaded the three promos for Chiller's Labor Day FK marathon. ("Before Edward. Before Angel. There was Nick. The original vampire with a heart is back. The cult hit that drew first blood and proves that you can't have twilight without the Knight.") And she teased those of us who do not get the Chiller channel with the observation that "Chiller edits made completely new scenes!" (Turns out, it was the original CBS cuts, which, yep, had their own special versions of several scenes.)

Discussing Writing

On 09/20, abby82 recapped her summer FK writing, of two short stories and an in-progress scifibigbang novella or novel -- an AU, perhaps interestingly, as I know some of you love AUs best, and FK fandom doesn't often do them.
On 09/15, ithildyn offered to write about Lacroix/Triona (an original character) and Methos/Lacroix/Triona in the "Couples" meme.

Fanfiction

On 10/01, cousinmary reposted her "Yellow Jonquil," a Tracy story for a "medieval floral codes" challenge.
On 09/21, genficathon released another batch of stories, including an FK one: "When Your Blood is Gone, How Will You Survive?" by abby82, which stars Nick and Lacroix through several flashbacks.

Miscellaneous

On 10/04, endaewen noted that Amazon has dropped the price on FK's second season, and that she's ordered a set at last.
On 09/27, abby82 shared many Lisa Ryder screenshots from her four-episode run on The Newsroom in 1996, following FK's cancellation. Very PhotoShop-able into Tracy.
On 09/23, abby82 uploaded a snippet to share from her DVDs of season two of The Border, a funny anecdote by Catherine Disher. She also posted a still screenshot of CD.

Report on Chiller's Labor Day Marathon

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:30:59 GMT

I don't get the Chiller channel, so everything I've learned about their Labor Day FK marathon has been second-hand, mostly from abby82. However, I've learned some very interesting things, and I've been longing to share!

First up, the promos. One went: "Before Edward... before Angel... there was Nick. The original vampire with a heart is back. The cult hit that drew first blood and proves that you can't have twilight without the Knight." This makes me laugh with amused delight. Yes, okay, lots to quibble with, but it's just fun for the show to be acknowledged with some perspective. (When they were promoting Moonlight at cons, CBS representatives said they had never heard of FK.) abby82 uploaded all three commercials for those of us beyond the channel's reach.

Next, the sequel. Chiller will air FK again in October! Their schedule is a bit hard to read, with the dates crimped between lines on my screen, but it looks like they're planning 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday 10/10 and Thursday 10/15.

Finally, and most excitingly, the version. They aired the original CBS US cuts. abby82 describes them in detail, and though I haven't seen them, I'm confident that's what they are. In brief, all opened with the CBS surround-sound logo (like DK does on the DVDs), and they had the key scenes known to be characteristic of the original US airing. This means that the CBS cuts survived! If only they will release a nice new, DVD "slim set" with the differences packaged as extras, I can finally get rid of the last VHS tapes in the closet...

For those who don't know, the first airing of first-season in the US on CBS was notoriously short to fit the peculiar "Crimetime after Primetime" late-night time-slot. (This is a first-season issue only.) But CBS didn't just lop scenes off the Canadian cuts (as the SciFi Channel later did). CBS removed scenes, absolutely, but it -- or very probably the original crew for it -- also re-edited other scenes to compact them or to smooth over the breaks, nudging some dialogue into voiceover over other scenes and the like. Later, given the branching tape-trees by which so many of us saw the show, this occasionally led to puzzled debates on forkni-l, with people not realizing that the other person was in fact actually watching a very slightly different scene. Favorite examples:

The first time I personally bumped into this was with "Last Act" (the comprehensive version is on the DVDs, no worries). I saw a fanvid with the scene with Erica in the caddy, a scene which didn't exist on my VHS copy, and rushed to the list to beg enlightenment. Curiously, the way this one seemed to spin out is that the US got the caddy-in-the-rain scene but not the sands-of-Jerusalem-in-the-blood scene on the first run, and vice versa in Canada on the second run, but that Canada got both on the first run, which is why they're both on the DVD now.
The most recent time I ran into this was with "False Witness." You may remember last year, when wiliqueen helped confirm that some key dialogue from the US version of the flashback ("Why do you think that is, Nicholas? Is it because they have souls?" / "And you do not." / "We do not.") did not make it onto the DVDs, because it wasn't in the Canadian version of the flashback. This is unusual. Few bits are missing from the Canadian cuts (and therefore from the DVDs, thank goodness) but there are a few.
My favorite story about the abridged US first-season cuts is batdina's, also referencing "False Witness," about the first time she, a Raven, ever saw the scene in which Nick tells Janette that Lacroix is dead. The US fans didn't know that Janette knew! CBS didn't air that scene. batdina was hanging out with fellow fans who had brought VHS tapes of the Canadian airing. She leaped to her feet...

I'm grateful for the DVDs we have. For so long, it looked like there would be none. And goodness knows that we'd all rather have the longer Canadian cuts than the abridged US first-run cuts, if we may have only one. But now that I know the original CBS cuts survived and are in the hands of TPTB, it's possible that we may someday have both. I will dream of a re-release of the DVDs, with the differences as extras -- or perhaps even of every bit stitched back together in a directors' cuts extravaganza. Mmmmmm, more canon. :-)

And while I'm dreaming: Mmmmmm, the German cuts... ;-) (No, seriously, I've seen the German first-season episodes on VHS, and they have the most footage of all. It's not the famous risque bits that were apparently left on the cutting-room floor, but in almost every episode, a few seconds here and a minute there are quite genuinely unique to the German airings. Mostly, they're establishing shots, often of buildings, sometimes of people -- lots of Schanke walking here or looking there. But I adore the seconds in which Nick picks up a book as part of his first-season puttering around the loft.)

FK Recommendation September 2009

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:46:50 GMT

I actually posted September's recommendation-of-the-month to my site days ago, so it's not quite as late as it looks from here. :-)

What's Good? Sweet-by-bittersweet, Mary Co.'s "Last Things" runs happily-ever-after all the way into heaven. It's unapologetically sentimental, and exemplifies a distinct and popular subgenre of N&N romance that, intriguingly, is almost never applied to any other FK characters.

Any illusions that they might keep the change in their relationship a secret were quickly shattered. It took Don Schanke exactly seventy-two hours to figure it out, and he confided to Nick that if Myra hadn't been off at a Skin Pretty convention, and therefore unavailable for consultation, he would probably have tumbled to it sooner. So they gave up the pretense and she moved -- lock, stock and Sidney -- into the loft.

What's New? In August, fkfic-l saw three new stories by two authors:

"No Strings Attached" by Mary Ch. (3 posts, 59KB, a humor crossover with Airwolf)
"Emancipation" by Walt D. (2 posts, 62KB)
"Self-Control" by Walt D. (1 post, 5KB, a filk)

On the Hiatus

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:00:25 GMT

Natalie:	Six years ago, April 14.
Nick:	What's that?
Natalie:	Day they brought you in.
	-- "Last Knight"

When "Last Knight" first aired in May 1996, the exchange above was controversial for the date. The night they wheeled Nick into the morgue in the flashbacks of "Only the Lonely" was Natalie's twenty-eighth birthday, of course, as the present was her thirtieth, and people like amilyn had worked long and hard to determine Natalie's birthday from the prop calendars on the morgue wall, the weather in the episode, the air date and, for some, astrology. The date on which they had painstakingly settled was not April 14. In the years since, we've mostly shrugged our shoulders and accepted the date Natalie said aloud in LK, presuming that she knows her own birthday.

Today, this same exchange presents a new controversy of sorts. hearts_blood reminded me recently that people who discover the show after cancellation naturally have no memory of the hiatus. They logically plunge straight from season one to season two to befuddlement when they finally reach this line buried in the finale at the end of season three. What's the math?

FK was canceled after season one. Filming ended, sets were stuck, "Love You to Death" aired in May 1993, GWD did a guest shot on Highlander, and many wonderful fans -- special wave to wiliqueen among you all -- wrote letters upon letters to convince TPTB to revive the series. Honor and glory to those who wrote those letters, because TPTB relented and the series returned with "Killer Instinct" sixteen months after first season ended. That's Natalie's "six years ago:" the year of the flashbacks of "Only the Lonely" (1990-1991), another year (1991-1992), season one (1992-1993), the hiatus (1993-1994), season two (1994-1995), season three (1995-1996).

But wait! you say. May 1996 - April 1991 = 5 years 1 month. Isn't Natalie's math wrong? ~sigh~ Technically, she's known Nick for five years and one month (aired order be darned), and she's counting that one month as year six. I suspect this is because "Only the Lonely" was filmed in 1992, not 1993, and they were thinking of [OtL-2] for when it all began.

Some stories these days are written as if the hiatus never happened, as if the transfer from Stonetree to Cohen's command and the renovation of the Raven happened over a single summer, not two in a row. But the hiatus is canonical, per LK. It didn't happen only out here in the real world. And I love that, because I love the stories written and set during the hiatus. I love the energy and creativity of that very special, precious time, when the fans knew Lacroix might be back, but Nick did not, and all the characters were beautifully established, but still mysterious and so open to adventures that were never dared quite the same way again after second season began answering so many questions. I also love stories written later and set in that period, partaking of all the rich possibilities that flowed so strongly then, power bursting through later canon. Old or new, hiatus stories rock.

Strangely, perhaps, it's my favorite time in FK: the year we shared, but didn't see.

Some Potential Slash Pairings in FK

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:59:10 GMT

I like to tell myself -- and sometimes other people, so stop me if you've heard this one -- that what I'm looking for in fanfiction is a good story. Not necessarily gen or romance, straight or slash, just good storytelling however it comes. Of course it's more complicated than that. I'm a canon junkie, for starters. (Mmmmmm, canon.) I prefer G and PG tales to R and NC-17 ones. I fall all over accurate historical fiction. (Mmmmmm, history.) I won't touch RPF with a twenty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole. And then let's define "good," never forget. ;-) But generally? A good story in any genre.

Other people, wonderful people I know and love, must have one particular subgenre or another to fully engage their fannish hearts. And yes, they're correct that FK doesn't overwhelm with canonical possibilities those who love slash best, but who are not UFers. I submit that FK is not a wasteland for them, either, though. Bring your own scenarios. Elisabeth, this is for you:

M/M Vampire/Human	M/M Vampire/Vampire	M/M Human/Human
Nick/Bernhardt Toeffler Nick/Nicholas Toeffler [Surname] (Lily's son) Nick/Matthew (no...) Nick/Lionel Nick/Gordon Barrington (before Katherine) Nick/Charles duChamps Nick/Leonardo Davinci Nick/Leo (OtLi flashback) Lacroix/Adult!Andre	Nick/Lacroix Nick/Feliks Nick/Larry Merlin Lacroix/Vamps he set on Sylvaine and Nick Nick/Miklos Lacroix/Thomas Lacroix/Tran Nick/Vachon Lacroix/Vachon Miklos/Vachon Vachon/Bourbon Inca/Vachon Aristotle? Screed? Spark?	The CRCH guest stars? Nick between Brabant and Wales? Between Wales and Paris? Cal? Adult!Patrick McDonough?
F/F Vampire/Human	F/F Vampire/Vampire	F/F Human/Human
Janette/Natalie Erica/Natalie Janette/Mai Chung Janette/Rebecca Erica/Rebecca Janette/Sofia Janette/Bernice Sofia/Bernice (or Agnes or Norma) Janette/Emily Janette/Helen Ruskin-Slater	Janette/Sofia Janette/Erica Janette/Francesca Janette/Alyce Janette/Elizabeth Janette/Serena Sofia/Serena Erica/Serena Janette/Urs Sofia/Urs Serena/Urs Angel/Urs (dreamscape or something) Urs/Jacqueline et. al. Janette/Jacqueline et. al. Brianna? Alma? Alexandra? Divia? (ick, no)	Marilyn Siegel/Doctor Cole Natalie/Denise Ford Natalie/Alix Logan Natalie/Rebecca Rebecca/Alix Logan Natalie/Tawny Teller Monica Howard/Angie W. Kiki/Norma Katherine Barrington/Madelyn Pinchot Janette/Anna Tracy/Jody Natalie/Tracy (no) Natalie/Lora Haynes Grace? Adult!Jenny Schanke? Adult!Lisa Cooper? Fleur?

Ficathons Update

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:06:45 GMT

The Fall 2009 oldschoolfic fest (the one for canceled series) released this weekend, with a total of eight stories in six fandoms. One of them, "The Fall Rolled in on the Back of Summer" by abby82, is FK! Written for a prompt by me! (My entry, "What Remains has Always Been," was written for a BtVS request.)

The inaugural gen_ficathon fest (the one for other-than-romance) is still waiting for the final entries to be submitted. They've released twenty-two (about half of their total) in fifteen fandoms so far. One of them, "The Code of Friendship" by foxy11814, is FK! (My entry, "From Now On," as previously mentioned, was written for a BtVS request.)

With my co-moderator, I am planning to soon begin setting up that little FK-only event, with stories to be due May 18 (the LK anniversary). I'm figuring we'll want about two months to write, so assignments would be distributed no later than March 23 (hopefully sooner), sign-ups due by March 18, sign-ups open on February 18. Sound about right?

What You Guys Have Been Up To

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:40:52 GMT

What I've been up to is: work eats my life and health and I would like a different job. What you all have been up to is the following lovely FK-ness on my LJ Friends List:

Labor Day Marathon on Chiller!
On 09/04, abby82 shared the great news that the Chiller channel is marathoning the first fifteen FK episodes (that's "Dark Knight" through "Dying for Fame") on Monday 09/07. There may be a better way to observe the Labor Day holiday than with our favorite civil servants, club owner and temporarily dead DJ... but I'm giddy that FK is on TV in the US again!

Vids and Graphics.

On 08/24, pj1228 marked Lacroix's 1930th Conversion Day with a collage.
On 08/20, abby82 shared her Nick Knight 20th Anniversary fanvid (that's right, the original Rick Springfield vehicle from which sprang the FK we know and love).

Cast and Crew.

On 08/25, the Gemini Nominations were announced, and abby82 let us know that Catherine Disher is nominated for The Border!
On 08/16, abby82 noted the twentieth anniversary of Nick Knight is August 20.

Fanfiction.

On 09/05, the oldschoolfic fest released "The Fall Rolled in on the Back of Summer" by abby82, set the summer after first season and featuring Nick and Rebecca (from "Dying for Fame").
On 08/24, falcon_horus asked for recommendations of stories starring Fleur (she's already read all of mine). If you recommend any to her, please clue me in, too!
On 08/24, the gen_ficathon released "The Code of Friendship" by foxy11814, set after second season's "The Code" and featuring Nick, Natalie and Schanke.

Nick Knight Turns Twenty

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:05:46 GMT

Last week was the twentieth anniversary of the original broadcast airing of Nick Knight, the pilot starring Rick Springfield that did not get picked up, but provided the basis for "Dark Knight" and "Dark Knight, the Second Chapter" when Forever Knight got its turn a few years later. Those of you who watched the made-for-TV-movie incarnation that very first time: care to share any memories?

My Nick Knight moments came later. My favorite may always be a passage from FKFic-L War 8 ("Cinderella's War"), in which a N&NPacker hesitantly explains to a baffled time-and-reality-displaced Nick Knight Nick that: "In your world, we would be Nick&JackPackers..." Still makes me laugh. (Sorry that I can't remember who wrote it!) Another memory is the first time I read a zine that mixed NK and FK stories; I didn't at first understand which were which. They do look so alike on the page, until you bump into Jack or Natalie, or call for "Jean-Pierre" instead of "Nicholas."

abby82 made a fun anniversary vid to the song "Los Angeles" by Sugarcult. Inspired by her, I got out my Nick Knight DVD and actually watched it all the way through for the first time (the last time I watched NK, it was on VHS, and on a smaller screen). It's long been my opinion that NK's Alyce "Junk Food" Hunter is superior to FK's Alyce "Hold Me" Hunter, as NK's Janette and Lacroix cannot hold candles to FK's Janette and Lacroix, and that the NK Schanke is not just a younger incarnation, but actually a completely different character, from FK's Schanke, and those haven't changed. But several elements caught my attention for new-to-me comparisons:

Sound effects. The NK version of the heartbeat sound effect is wetter than the FK version. The tissues squish and the blood flows through the NK sound. Slightly ickier, slightly more appropriate? It's not the beat; it's the blood.
Culture. Many things change between Los Angeles and Toronto, but I was struck this time by the explicit statement in NK that the press didn't care about the murders until an employed, middle-class citizen was murdered, and then suddenly they're all over it. In DK, the press has been in a frenzy all along, and the third murder is the last straw, not the first spark. This has two main implications. First, the NK Lacroix is knowingly escalating the situation by killing the guard, while the DK Lacroix is knowingly hiding the guard's death in the pattern already reported in the press. Second, Nick's concern for the homeless in NK is shared by no one, neither human nor vampire, while in DK, the larger culture does to some degree reflect Nick's care, and it is only other vampires (and human murderers) who do not. (Side note: In NK, the murderer knows/says Jeannie and Topper's names. In DK, he doesn't say them; they are anonymous to him.)
The Mystery. Several little lines, given in NK to Alyce and in DK to others, seem to strengthen the exposition of the connection between the theft of the cup and a madman murdering people for their blood. A good example of this is "do you know what they used that cup for" coming earlier and with greater connection in NK. On the other hand, the cutting of the break line is so much better in DK that it looks like a foul-up in NK by comparison; Nick in the trunk hearing the keys makes all the difference in assembling clues logically and progressively. And yet... the implication that the villain blames himself for his mother's death is a terrible loss between the two. That realization in NK -- that he is, bizarrely, murdering to make up for something he did, as he perceives it -- should have been a wonderful accent to Nick's own guilt and reparations in DK!
Music. FK could never have afforded those songs, and I wouldn't trade Mr. Mollin's music. But aren't the overt song connections fun in NK? "Only Human," etc.
Losing Control. The order of events and the overblown confrontation at the swimming pool in NK seem more logically to lead to Nick almost killing Alyce as a consequence. Somehow, the order of the scenes in DK just isn't as direct, and doesn't make the same beeline connection between vamping out, getting perforated with bullets, and almost being unable to resist chomping on Alyce -- or even just why he flew, rather than walked, into the museum at that point.
Love. Both NK and DK end with a conversation adjacent to the memorial for Alyce, in which Nick mentions "never being able to love" as something he endures as a vampire. In FK, discussions periodically crop up about exactly what Nick means there -- in light of later canon, and because the statement seems to come out of nowhere in DK. NK, unlike DK, has specific lines earlier in the story foreshadowing and backing up this final remark. Most prominently, there is a wistful comment to Schanke about the wonders of waking up next to the same woman every day, and there is a despairing line to Jack about never being able to love a woman properly because of the blood. Neither of those lines made it into DK. The absence of the latter is the more conspicuous, because that entire conversation stayed, except that one sentence. Jack hears it; Natalie doesn't. Do both Nicks think it, but only one says it aloud? Is it because Natalie is a woman? The consequence of not saying it is that FK is not bound by that categorical rule (which unboundedness eventually leads to sipping, which eventually leads to HF and LK, but that's another discussion). But was it left out with the goal of opening up canon, or simply because the listener is a different sex in each incarnation? Or something else entirely?
Living Space. A loft over an elaborate, vintage, abandoned theater with "It's a Wonderful Life" endlessly advertised on the defunct marquee. Heh.

FK Recommendation August 2009

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:53:12 GMT

What's Good? Thanks to hearts_blood, I did get August's recommendation-of-the-month up this past Tuesday, setting a new lateness record. (Sorry! My blunder!) So what do I think is so much worth the time in the little bit of August left? Her Vachon character sketch "Nocturnal Pleasure" (2003).

Which meant that if he skipped town, Nick would kill him, and if he brought Tracy across, Nick would kill him, and if he didn't bring Tracy across, the Enforcers would kill them both.

What's New? In July, fkfic-l saw two authors posting three new stories.

"Conversations (Continued)" (being "Out, Out, Damned Lacroix," "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker") by Walt D. (3 posts, 43KB)
"The Macedonian Vampire in India" by dj_clawson (15 posts, 488KB)
"Slavery" (being "New Blood," "Conventional Wisdom" and "Masterspiece") by Walt D. (3 posts, 80KB)

AtS/BtVS Fanfic by Me: "From Now On"

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:50:31 GMT

The first ten stories in the gen_ficathon queue have been released. None are FK so far, but one happens to be my AtS/BtVS story "From Now On," starring Faith and Wesley, written to tielan's prompt. (Thanks to leela_cat and much_madness for beta-reading!)

This is my second Buffyverse story. My first was "Fortune Prove" (written for femme_fic), and my third comes due on September 1 for oldschoolfic. It's a Buffyverse year! :-)

Next year, we're having that FK event. ;-)

Characters: Fleur de Brabant Prompt: "I love thee, I love but thee, / With a love that shall not die, / Till the sun grows cold, / And the stars are old..." -- Bayard Taylor, "Bedouin Song," 1854	Characters: Natalie Lambert Prompt: We know practically nothing about Natalie's past except it's loss after loss, which she faces with compartmentalization, humor, perfectionism, self-blame and avoidance.
Story: "Starwort" by Me (Prompt by falcon_horus)	Story: "A Delicate Balance" by Me (Prompt by amilyn)

Characters: Nick Prompt: Comforted	Characters: Nick Knight, Rebecca Prompt: On a much-needed vacation that he had to be persuaded to take, Nick runs into Rebecca from "Dying for Fame" in her new life.
Story: "A Strange Comfort" by leela_cat	Story: "the fall rolled in on the back of summer" by abby82