I'm three weeks behind on reading blogs.  (I've been working severely excessive hours, and it had to give.)  I will do my best to thoroughly catch up.  In the meantime, if there's something I should not miss, let me know, and I'll rush it to the top of the stack!

LiveJournal sent a birthday heads-up for susanmgarrett this morning.  This made me grin, because in addition to generally wishing her well and many more when her day comes, her birthday is properly a late-summer prompt to fill fkfic-l with stories!  :-)  The "Susan's Birthday Challenge" was a good tradition.

And speaking of fkfic-l, did you notice that Mary Ch. is back and posting?  [insert Abby's Snoopy Dance icon here]  Although she is sorely plagued by =20 disease this time out, and is working on fixing that with Hotmail standing in her way.  You must hard-wrap story posts to get through the listserv clean with all recipients.  I use 60 characters these days because of listmembers who use Yahoo Mail, which wraps even more severely than the listserv.  I know how to get Eudora to hard-wrap for me at a chosen character count; do you know other tips and tricks for other email and wordprocessing applications that we could share?

I taped the two-hour premiere of Mr. Parriot's (and Ms. Cox's) new series, Defying Gravity, last Sunday, but have not yet watched it.  The next episode is tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern/Pacific on ABC in the US (and those parts of Canada that get US broadcast stations).

So we're definitely doing an FK-only fest/ficathon game!  Yes!  Details remain to be worked out, but as the current date suggestion is May 2010, we've got plenty of time.

What's good?  I've wanted to spotlight Scottie's "Flowers in the Night" (1993) in the recommendations project for years, and this month I get to!  This short story vividly displays first-season Nick and Janette, when Lacroix is dead and possibilities cluster so thick and unimagined that they hardly know where to begin.

"The club was almost deserted, I was bored, and I thought perhaps two old friends could enjoy a talk and a bottle of wine."  He didn't respond.  She raised the glasses... "It's wine, Nicholah.  Just wine.  Nothing else -- nothing that could contaminate you."

-----
What's new?  In February, fkfic-l saw nine stories by three authors.  In the order posting completed:

• "Heartfelt" by Walt D. (1 post)
  
• "Rock-y Horrors" by Walt D. (1 post)
  
• "The Life and Times of a Macedonian Vampire" by dj_clawson (14 posts)
  
• "Illusions of Mortality" by abby82 (1 post) (adult)
  
• "Pshrink" by Walt D. (3 posts)
  
• "The Life of a Macedonian Vampire and His Son Alexander" by dj_clawson (16 posts)
  
• "Hurt" by Walt D. (2 posts)
  
• "Chess" by Walt D. (1 post) (adult)
  
• "Complaint" by Walt D. (1 post)
  

Busy month! :-)

I have typed "Nanette" (Natalie/Janette or Natalie&Janette affiliation, you know) three times this morning. This may be the first time in years I've used the word, and suddenly it's everywhere. :-)

I have a few little questions that have cropped up recently, but I've been too busy to catch up and take them home to forkni-l, where I'm sure the answers are known, so:

• Do you remember whether anyone ever seriously named an Aristotle affiliation?  dj_clawson wondered.  I thought one had been named, but I could so easily be confused -- of course the fancy that Susan's unforgettable Dorian has a faction called the "Archivists" could help confuse me on that (as if the confusion needs assistance).
  
  
• You remember the "Center Stage Challenge," yes?  The '95ish fkfic-l challenge in which stories were written from the perspectives of the minor characters, such as Elisabeth's Feliks and Miklos stories?  Well, I would like to track down the Grace story, but I can't remember either the author or title.  I seem to remember it making Grace a fully-rounded character, with a complete set of connections and obligations beyond Natalie and the morgue, including a date and community involvement.  Can you place it?
  
  
• And while we're on the "Center Stage Challenge," what other minor characters were written specifically for it?  I was a newbie on the lists then, and I remember only Elisabeth's stories and the Grace one.
  
  
• Finally, does anyone remember the collective term for Nick, Schanke and Natalie that is the equal and opposite of "Fang Gang" for Nick, Lacroix and Janette?

Thanks!

When our much-appreciated List Gardener released the fkfic-l rules this morning, they included this striking preface: Please note a slight rule change for FKFIC-L -- the line limit per message has been raised from 500 lines to 1,000 lines.

Wow.  That's good, no question, but it throws me a little.  It's been a decade or so since post-size was unconstrained by the point at which AOL tucks the post into an attachment.  My mental scale of story-size on list is askew.

(I remember when someone gently chided me for the chapter numbers in my novel not matching the post numbers on list.  But the chapters were just longer than 500 lines each!  Perhaps they thought I should have edited more; I can see that. ~g~)

I should doubtless peek inside a forkni-l digest for the first time in several months and learn what sparked this.

What's good?  I'm running late on the recommendations project this month; my apologies.  Now that we're here, I am so pleased to get to highlight the energetic, enthusiastic, insightful, 1995 novel "Protect and Serve" by butterflykiki!  This unique angle on the Enforcers focuses on the human characters.

Natalie:	"Do you ever think that our lives would be a lot simpler if we just gave up on the secrecy and published the truth in the Enquirer, Nick?"
Nick:	"I don't need my life simplified that much."

What's new?  In October, fkfic-l saw one new story, a one-parter titled "Hallowe'en" by Walt D.  (Yea, Walt!)  November, by comparison, has gotten off to a sprinter's start, with three stories by three authors already!

Just for reference -- there have been no changes -- here are the current list rules.  As you know, I personally feel that the two main email lists are still the heart of Forever Knight fandom, and they still feel like my own fannish home, even though I don't visit nearly as much as I used to.  If we transplant the fandom's heart someday, I'll deal.  Until then, the fact that the lists still exist at all makes me happy.  (There were 273 recipients of my last fkfic-l post, the acknowledgement said.) 

The rules are numbered more-or-less in the order they accumulated.

( Introduction: The Listowners )

( Rules for ForKni-L: The Discussion List )

( Rules for FKFic-L: The Fiction List )

What's good?  Seeking a frightening Halloween read this October?  The recommendation-of-the-month project spotlights Nancy K.'s disturbing, insightful, character exploration, "Anno Mirabilis, Anno Horribilis" (2006).  (A word of caution: while executed with restraint, this Lacroix and Divia horror story nevertheless includes violence and a range of psychological triggers.)

What's new?  In September, we unfortunately had no new stories on fkfic-l.  But in a brighter outlook for October, both FK stories in the latest oldschoolfic event are promised to appear on list in due time.

What's good?  This September, the recommendations project features a crossover that handles the sharp edges of third-season Forever Knight through the gloves of first-season Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Did you know that Joyce Summers was Natalie's cousin?  Well...

"Then, one night, they brought me a bag of body parts that decided to put themselves back together, get up from the table, slurp down a bag of blood, and push the boundaries of my universe beyond anything I ever expected."
            -- Natalie to Buffy, "Spring Break, Slayer Style," by wiliqueen, 1998

What's new?  In August, we had a new story on fkfic-l!  "Soliloquy, The One Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-eighth" by Walt D. (one post).  Three cheers for Walt!

I began posting my oldschoolfic ficathon story to fkfic-l today.  I'm grateful to amilyn for the ficathon prompt, and her enthusiastic reception of the story!  And I'm obliged to my generous beta-readers (see the story's end note) as always.  This is the longest piece I've yet written solely from Natalie's perspective.

	•	Title:	"A Delicate Balance"
	•	Length:	~9,900 words
	•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L July 27-29, 2008
	•	Rating:	PG
	•	Summary:	Natalie takes a break from a murder investigation to attend an unusual memorial for her brother, while considering a new approach to Nick's condition.
	•	Setting:	After "1966."  Flashbacks to Natalie's childhood.
	•	Characters:	Natalie, Nick, Schanke, Richard, Sara, Nana, Janette, Grace, Stonetree, Tracy and others.
	•	Quotation:	"The mesmerism-enforced lie that had covered Richie's vampirism curdled on Natalie's tongue."

Addendum:  By the way, the fkfic-l "ACK" states that the posts are reaching 279 recipients.  (I presume that is "mail" and "digest," not "nomail," but I don't know for sure.)  Those of you who have FK fanfic you've posted on LJ but not the list, please do consider sharing with the biggest FK audience still assembled.  We miss you.

What's good?  For June in the recommendations project, I'm pleased to get to spotlight Ell's "Keeping it Together" (2008).  This tiny song-challenge ficlet concisely captures Tracy in that period after Lacroix takes her memories of "Ashes to Ashes."  (Interestingly, however, not only does the vignette leave Lacroix's involvement unhinted, it appears to leave Tracy's knowledge of Vachon's vampirism intact, which imparts a certain extra spin.)

(Anyone who's presently subscribed to fkfic-l and feels shortchanged by a recommendation of something she just read on list in April ... speak up, and I'll privately email you a link to a never-yet-recommended story worth reading.  Consider it your prize for having emailed Ell with a comment already. ~g~)

What's new?  In May, fkfic-l saw two new stories posted, both originally written for Medie's comment-fic-fest:

• "Clearing the Air" (1 Part), that Tracy and Natalie drabble by me
• "Cutthroat Business" (1 Part), Janette's purchase of the Raven by abby82

What's good?  The May recommendation-of-the-month went up Monday night, featuring Amanda's "Legacy" (2003), a worthy spin on the convention of Nick meeting a descendant of Natalie in an alternate future.  In this twist, the descendant learned about Nick at Natalie's knee, so she's the one with secrets, not him.  (The story reminds me just a little of "The Last Act" -- not the episode "Last Act," but Erica's final play.)

What's new?  In April, fkfic-l saw two new stories posted:

• "Keeping it Together" (1 Part) by Ell H.
• "Starwort" (6 Parts) by me

In passing, I note that this May is the ninth anniversary of the recommendations project.  It is also, of course, twelve years since the first airing of "Last Knight."

I posted two contributions to medie's week-long "Because We're Awesome"/"About the Girls" comment-fic fete today:

• "La Ville-lumière," a graphic for the prompt "Janette : Paris"
• "Clearing the Air," a traditional drabble (100 words) for the prompt "Natalie and Tracy : Talk"

I spent all my spare moments this week chewing over the MBIAV drabble; by contrast, the Paris graphic came smoothly and quickly on Friday night.  I'm not sure whether I should send the drabble to fkfic-l, or compile a cycle of drabbles or something else to make it worth the list's time.

There are two hours yet to midnight Saturday (the end of the event) here in the Pacific time zone, and more yet in Alaska, and Hawaii, and west to the dateline.  So more FK contributions may appear.  At the moment, however, it seems that abby82's "Cutthroat Business" (for the prompt "Janette : Business") is the only other FK posting.

I've begun posting "Starwort" to fkfic-l, which means it's really, truly done.  The list is still Broadway. ;-)  This incarnation of Fleur has made me think about those versions of the character that I've written so far, and those I have yet to try.  Of course references to Nick's sister pop up in most of my fanfiction, but in these pieces, she's present in her own voice:

2008	"Starwort"	Human Fleur
2001	"Grievances"	Meta Fleur
1998	"Fireweed"	Vampire Fleur
1998	"Whence the Truce"	Ghost Fleur
1996	"Billets Doux"	Epistolary Fleur

So what's next?  Not that my next story will necessarily feature Fleur, but I think I will not go seven years between again, either.  I have a small idea for a story with Ghost Fleur and Alyssa.  And I have ideas bursting out my ears for a parallel Vampire Fleur universe (not the same as in "Fireweed"), one of which I had the first glimpse in '96, but which never went anywhere past the first few chapters, because I thought of it as a novel I could never get all the way around (the murder mystery scenario is the hang-up).  I've recently come to think of it as a universe instead, and it has exploded like a seed pod.  I still need a solid cop-plot for the central present-day structure of the original story, though.

[04/20/08 6:04 PM: Edited to add links, by request.]

wiliqueen revived the "DVD Commentary" meme, and shared commentaries on her classic Forever Knight fanfiction "Color of the Night" (pure story / commented-upon) (second-ever entry in the recommendations project, by the way), and on a stirring portion of her recent Blood Ties fanfiction "Five Times Coreen Fennel Did Not Kiss Henry Fitzroy..." (pure story / commented-upon), and has generously promised me comments on one more FK scene to be named later, to boot.

Honoring the meme exchange, I hereby make a similar offer: pick any of my fanfiction (list), and I'll repost it with a "DVD commentary."  (However, I must add a caveat; if you choose a larger story -- especially one so big that I divided it into chapters or sections -- please choose just a scene, not the whole thing.  This is a little meme, not a giant project to consume the next several months, right? ~g~)

In other news, my last beta reader kindly came in on "Starwort," and I will make her adjustments -- she recommends a specific small new scene in the middle of the long conversation scene, among a few other tweaks -- and then start preparing the story for fkfic-l posting (that is, dividing it into <500-line ASCII posts wrapped at <60 characters-per-line and counting them; I love the list dearly and devotedly, but optimal list posting is both an art and a chore).

What's good?  With April Fools in mind, the FK recommendation-of-the-month project features McLisa's caper, "To Each Hiss Own" (1994), a response to the "Put down the snake and we'll talk" challenge.  One of the things I enjoy about this little lark is considering it in light of when it was written: the summer before second season, as the long hiatus following the original cancellation wound down to the happy close of renewal, when rumors about a new captain and precinct were blister-your-fingers hot.

What's new?  In March 2008, these new stories graced fkfic-l:

• "Embodiment of Faith" (4 Parts) by volta1228
  
• "Pro Terra Sancta" (1 Part) by me
  
• "Lamb Chop" (1 Part) by hearts_blood (AF: I did look on your site for a linkable copy...?)

It is good to see new fiction on the list!  Even when I'm behind in reading, I am so happy to see it post.

I'm two weeks behind on reading forkni-l digests.  This is ordinary, and nothing at all compared to how far behind I am on fkfic-l.  The thing is, I've finally learned that I don't need to reply on forkni-l; I can lurk.  (No, really, I can! This isn't fkspoilr days. ~g~)  But on fkfic-l, I feel very responsible to offer some sort of minimum feedback on every piece I read, no matter what, so I put off reading until I know I can make time for feedback as well.  It's a vicious circle, spiraling nastily from an attempt to create a virtuous circle.  Letters-of-comment can be infinitely frustrating to write in ways acceptable to fandom, but they're also the indispensable fuel for the fire of more stories in an out-of-production fandom.  If you don't tell someone you're reading her stories, she may not know anyone is reading her stories, and she may therefore not write any more stories.

And we must have more stories.

I began the first draft of this story from Nick's perspective, and then started over again from Natalie's to find it worked better, though entirely differently.  The coda from Lacroix's perspective wasn't on my outline; it just appeared, as Lacroixian things sometimes do.

If this weren't a retrospective, I wouldn't have identified the voices like that, because my hope was for the reader to speculate, for the first few paragraphs, that it is Janette.  But of course the character list below shows that Janette isn't here.  I'm wary of detailed headers for that very reason (spoilers) and I'm glad fkfic-l still does not require them.  That preference seems to be my old-fashioned oddity, though, doubtless because there is ever so much more fanfiction than there used to be -- which is a good thing; don't get me wrong! -- and people in more active fandoms need more ways of sorting through it all.

	•	Title:	"Last Minutes"
	•	Length:	~3,100 words
	•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L October 24, 2007
	•	Rating:	PG
	•	Summary:	At a wedding reception, Natalie ensures Nick's secret is kept.
	•	Setting:	c.2011
	•	Characters:	Natalie, Nick, Lacroix, Urs, Serena, Lily Toeffler, Catherine Barrington, Others
	•	Quotation:	"If most vampires persist in thinking of psychokinetic hypnotism as a magic spell, it's no wonder they don't use it to its full potential."

What's good?  For March, the FK recommendation-of-the-month project features Dorothy's novel "Evidence" (1998), set shortly after "Trophy Girl."  The Reese subplot (in and around a serial-killer cop plot, Renaissance flashbacks and some Natalie psychology) makes me think again that as Dorothy is most often publicly praised for her N&N romance content, her spot-on rendering of Reese is perhaps an underappreciated gift to the fandom.

What's new?  In February 2008, fkfic-l happily saw these two new stories posted.

• "What Would Happen" (an FK/Smallville crossover, adult) (1 Part) by abby82
  
• "Steamer Trunk Space" (a Janette vignette) (1 Part) by me

At least, I presume it was happily.  I was happy at the advent of new fiction, even though one of the stories was my own.  I would be happier if there were more, always.  Fandom does not live by discussion alone.

What's good?  For February, the recommendation-of-the-month project features tv_elf's inventive, amusing "Things Unsaid" (2007), set circa 2011, in a reality unlike any other I've ever seen trying to cope with the aftermath of third season.

(For those playing along at home, this is not the story I originally requested for February, with no slight to either author, as I would be happy to recommend either story in any month.  I was simply unable to reach the other author, and by the project rules in force since 1999, recommendations are by permission only.  Thus, late recommending this month.  Apologies all around!)

What's new?  In January 2008, fkfic-l unfortunately did not see any stories posted.

[7:18 PM: Now crossposted to forkni-l.]

Natpacker havocthecat is one of the moderators running the new femme_fic LiveJournal community, which they are inaugurating with a multi-fandom "women are awesome" ficathon -- that is, centering on the female characters in a positive manner, whether the story be gen or romance or whatever.  (A "ficathon," by the way, is a lot like a fiction list challenge, except 1) there is a hard deadline, 2) there is no kick-off/sample story by the challenger, and 3) you submit multiple prompts of your own, and you receive multiple prompts submitted by your fellow writers, so you pick one to write from those you're given, and someone else picks one to write from those you give, so you "get a story in return" for the one you write.)

Unfortunately, FK is not one of the official fandoms for the ficathon (they held a vote; we didn't win).  So although there is a "wildcard" slot for unlisted fandoms like FK, there's no telling whether you'll really get the opportunity to write FK.  Of course, the more who sign up with FK as their wildcard, the better the FK odds ... which is why I'm posting here, of course!  :-)  If anyone wants to play in this ficathon, please consider bestowing your wildcard slot on FK?  ( Read more... )

What's good?  Happy new year!  To kick off the recommendation-of-the-month project for 2008, hearts_blood generously let me feature her uplifting "Carpe Noctem" (2003), a first-season, flying, friendship, movie-night, N&N, song-challenge story.

What's new?  In December 2007 on fkfic-l, we received a bounty of new fanfiction the like of which the good old list has not seen in a single month in years.  Seven new stories (including one ongoing work-in-progress) posted.

• "Revenge" (1 Part) by Ell H.
• "Car-Sin-Ogenic" (1 Part) by Walt D.
• "Victorian Christmas with Lacroix" (1 Part) by Laurie of the Isles
• "Catch-22" (1 Part) by abby82
• "A Christmas Eve Conversation" (1 Part) by Walt D.
• "Singing Up the Sun" (3 Parts) by Nancy K.
• "To Light the Darkness" (WIP 6+) by Kristen F.

What a windfall of fanfiction!

Very unusually, possibly bending all laws of time, space and reality, I posted to forkni-l twice on Sunday, both times in reply to a post from a digest only ten days old.  Omitting the quoted remarks that belong to someone else, here's my text for those of you who have wandered off into the wilderness of not being on list ;-) but may yet be interested.  (In this particular case, havocthecat and tv_elf, this means you; see post one below.)

( Upcoming New FK Fanfic -- Chat )
( Forever Net Before Christmas Zine -- Recommendations )

A new story has just posted to FKFic-L!  And by "just," I mean moments ago, so naturally I have not read it yet and may not for a bit, with my backlog.  You never know.  But it's been almost two months since the last story by anyone posted -- and that was, um, by me -- and I worry about the health of the list when we go quiet that long.  So, a new story!  Go us!

It is "Revenge" by Ell H., 13KB off the listserv.