THURSDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 10/29/98
[Previous report was for 10/25/98]

Hi guys,

A personal note here to begin - I've fallen a bit behind in answering my e-mail this week so if you've written me lately and haven't gotten a response please give me the weekend to try to do that.

There's a new XWP fanfic site now available - HERBARD AND JETTNITE'S FAN FICTION PAGE featuring ALTERNATIVE FICTION. Check out the site at: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7915/

GENERAL FICTION:

THE PENDULUM OF LIFE by Bel-wah
A beautifully written story reflecting all the themes around which this TV series was originally constructed. Set sometime after the third season, the story has Gabrielle reflecting on her travels with Xena, recalling the time, in the aftermath of a slaughter, when she first witnessed the murderous gleam in her partner's eyes. Remembering as well her first glimpses of the tenderness and compassion also present in that warrior heart. More than three years later, the warrior and bard come full circle as an elusive prey falls within reach and an ex-warlord remembers the sins of the past. Presented from Gabrielle's viewpoint, the story is extraordinarily effective, revealing both the bard's devotion and the warrior's redeeming nobility. There's a terrific sense of love and commitment in Bel-wah's interpretation of this partnership. A MUST READ! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [Note: This is the second installment in the GABRIELLE'S SCROLLS SERIES started by Tim Wellman] - 10 pgs.
http://www.timwellman.ramlink.net/xena/altfic/bel-pendulum.html

THE TALE OF FLOPSY COTTONTAIL by Chris M.
A dark, scary Halloween tale about a...wabbit? Well, yeah - but trust me - this ain't no Bugs Bunny we're talking about here! This is the story of an innocent little rabbit named Flopsy and how she decides on a diet change after an encounter with a rather tasty young bard ;-) Cute! - 4 pgs.
http://whoosh.org/katrina/STO/brose/flopsie.html

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

THE LOST TRIBE OF THE KAPRU KALE by Baermer
One of my favorite writers returns with a follow-up of sorts to her tale MANTIC which explored Gabrielle's powers of prophecy. This new story opens with the bard experiencing another of her debilitating visions - this one warning of danger for the Amazons...and herself. Soon as they're able to, she and Xena head for Amazonia - arriving there to find that fate has already put into play a series of events they cannot ignore...and may not be able to escape from. This is a terrific hurt/comfort piece built around a suspenseful plot with strong supporting characters and a nicely satisfying depiction of the Xena/Gab relationship. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [unfinished - note: review is based on a reading of the completed story] - 17 pgs.
https://ausxip.com/fanfiction/k/kapru1.html

WIND by Draven
Poetic vignette about two soulmates discovering one another. [Note: This is the third installment in the GABRIELLE'S SCROLLS SERIES started by Tim Wellman] - 1 pg.
http://www.timwellman.ramlink.net/xena/altfic/da-wind.html

OF DRAG KINGS AND A WARRIOR PRINCESS by Susan Smith
Chapters 9-10 are now available. This talented writer tries her hand at uber fiction this time around, producing a very different, very original contemporary story. Rosalind Olchawski considers herself a fairly ordinary college professor leading a fairly ordinary life - a life so ordinary and so bland, in fact, that recently Rosalind has started to wonder whether she's even capable of feeling that passion others seem to feel. It is a concern that is answered one evening when she accompanies a friend to a club and discovers in the startling blue eyes of a drag king the destiny she had been waiting for. In these latest sections the professor and drag king look forward to their first date. Very well written, with characterizations that are sensitively done and an intriguing storyline this one should keep you hitting that page down button. [unfinished] - 8 pgs.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Field/8093/Drag.html

THE AMAZONS OF DAHOMEY by Susan Smith
Chapters 16-17 are now available. A sequel to Susan's outstanding THE CHARIOTEER, this story continues where that one left off, following Xena and Gabrielle as they join a caravan on their way out of the Kingdom of Har back toward Greece. The two are reveling in the new freedom of their relationship unaware that fate is about to interfere once again throwing Gabrielle and a young Amazon initiate into the midst of deadly power play and leaving a desperate Xena looking for her soulmate in a land full of strangers all with agendas of their own. In these latest chapters Gabrielle is reunited with her warrior as Xena prepares to prove herself to the Amazons. This once again displays Susan's impressive ability to develop suspenseful, engrossing plots around an equally well-crafted Xena/Gab relationship. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [unfinished] - 6 pgs.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Field/8093/Dahomey.html

OKTOBERFEST by Redhawk
Part six is now available. This sequel to Redhawk's fantastic HIGHLANDER/XWP crossover tale, ONLY ONE begins on a plane bound for Europe on the first leg of a vacation Xena hopes will further aid in the recuperation of her young lover Rickie Gardner. Still suffering from horrific nightmares, Rickie is nevertheless flourishing in the warrior's company - starting to remember a life from very long ago and looking forward to a second chance with her soulmate. Unbeknownst to them, however, others are watching and waiting...knowing the life of an immortal will not be peaceful for long. In this latest section a desperate Rickie searches for her missing partner while Xena gets a chilling introduction to the predator that's been hunting them. Picking up where ONLY ONE left off, this story features a riveting, suspenseful plot and a strengthening of the Xena/Rickie connection. Definitely one for the MUST READ list. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [unfinished] - 21 pgs.
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/2385/Oktoberfest/Oktoberfest1.html

TROPICAL STORM by Melissa Good
Part nine is now being posted. Time for uber-Xena fans to rejoice as the incredibly talented Missy Good extends her gift of storytelling into the contemporary uber realm. Missy's latest is a departure from everything she's done before - a story set in modern-day Miami, centering on the lives of two strangers whose destinies bring them together amidst the turmoil of a hostile corporate takeover. Wealthy, brilliant and deadly, Dar Roberts has cultivated a well-earned reputation as one of the most efficient corporate raiders in the Information Technologies business. To her bosses she is a formidable weapon to be used in the never-ending struggle for power, control and profit. To the people employed by the companies she assimilates - the executive is a predator - cold and merciless. It is a reputation she is living up to as she prepares to decimate the work force of a recent acquisition. In charge of that work force is Kerry Stuart - a smart, young manager whose life had been going well until the recent turn of events. With dogged determination, Kerry has escaped the pressures of family to make her own way in the world - establishing a career and rising quickly within a small company - only to now have to face the prospect of those efforts being for naught as a disconcertingly beautiful blue-eyed shark strolls into her office. In this latest section, those hormones kick in >:) With rich descriptions that engage your every sense - multi-layered characterizations that draw you into the psyche of the characters and a story very much grounded in human emotions, human frailties and strengths along with the raw vulnerabilities that ultimately make us all seek the comfort of another soul, this is a story guaranteed to make you into an uber fan if you aren't yet. Working in the the Information Technologies industry herself and a fellow Miamian, Missy also imbues the story with a very realistic feel. This one will keep you glued to that monitor. It gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! - [unfinished] - 17 pgs.
http://www.merwolf.com/tropical1.html

FANFIC ART:

"Dar" by Barbara Maclay
Inspired by the story TROPICAL STORM by Melissa Good.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/2591/#Tropical

"Zina and Gab" by Barbara Maclay
Inspired by the stories LOVE AND DEATH IN THE TRAILER PARK and WAYS TO BE WICKED both written by Vivian Darkbloom.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/2591/#Zina

For those of you reading this post who are not familiar with the term alternative (alt.), it refers to ADULT stories that add a romantic element to the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, depicting them as more than just friends.

Happy reading!

Lunacy 8-)