WEDNESDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 3/4/98
[Previous report was for 3/2/98]

Hi guys, Them bards have been BUSY!! Lots of new stuff tonight!

GENERAL FICTION:

CRY WOLF by Mary Morgan
A poignant new offering from this gifted storyteller set around the mysterious events which take place at a village after a young woman is captured and imprisoned there. Only the village blacksmith is moved by the girl's quiet suffering as she endures an d struggles to fulfill some unmentioned purpose as if her very life depended on it. I continue to be amazed at how this bard can tell a story more by implying things than saying them straight out. In mastering this economy of words technique, Mary gives us stories that are meaningful and deeply moving. Moreover, she tends to develop the characterizations of Xena and Gabrielle through the eyes of others which in turns makes characters like the blacksmith in this story fascinating players in their own ri ght. A wonderful effort you should not miss. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
http://kazon.cardiff-net.co.uk/XenaNet/fiction/crywolf.html

THE LONG ROAD BACK by Eimajj
Set after the events in THE DEBT and Eimajj's own excellent story THE HUNS, this is a long, emotional hurt/comfort piece that begins with Gabrielle on her way back from the Kingdom of Chin with an ill but still ve ry stubborn Warrior Princess who insists on helping a group of village girls captured by slavers. It is a decision that will deliver Xena into the hands of people whose lives she once destroyed and who very much want vengeance. Still struggling with the guilt from her actions in Chin, a desperate Gabrielle must then try to get Xena to overcome the past and fight for her life before it's too late. Eimajj offers a much more in depth treatment of those initial events from the rift than we saw in the TV se ries. The story is poignant, engrossing and very nicely written.
https://ausxip.com/fanfic2/longroad1.html

FOUR DAYS IN APRIL by Del_kaidin
An uber Xena story set on a fateful few days in April 1912, which has a melancholy socialite named Catherine Grey and her new maid Erin O'Rilley sailing for America onboard a grand new ship called...Titanic. Still unfinished this story is timely and has good potential.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2521/day1.htm

HERCULEAN INSTINCTS: AN ALTERNATIVE TO "BITTER SUITE" by Atara
A short story set after the events in MATERNAL INSTINCTS which has a grief-striken Xena immersed in her pain and hatred when a friend comes along to help her deal with these. This little tale is indeed a surprisingly effective alternative to the way the rift played out on TV.
http://xwp-altfic.simplenet.com/herculean.txt

RETALIATION by Barry Marshall
Intriguing new story that has the Warrior Princess racing against time to try to save her loved ones from an old enemy. Suspenseful and promising, this story is not yet finished.
http://members.aol.com/xxlbadboy/retali8.htm

FROM THE DARKNESS CAME by Raistlyn
Chapter 5-7 of this story are now available. This is a very eerie new story that finds Xena and Gabrielle trying to help two kingdoms sign a pace treaty after years of war between them only someone seems intent on stopping that treaty and is willing to m urder to do so. In this latest part, Gabrielle gets visitors in the night.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/7473/fromdarkness.html

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

LOVE BURNS BRIGHT by StarWarrior (Rie)
Actually in this story love doesn't just burn bright - it's more like a five-alarm fire! Stock up on that Amazon ice before tackling this one and while you're out picking that up stop by the convenience store and buy some energy bars...you're gonna need them! ;-) Rie's new one is based on a very simple premise - the warrior and bard have a little altercation. Then they decide to make up...and they make up...and make up...and make up...and just when you think they've made up - for good measure...they ma ke up AGAIN! >:) No doubt about our girls' stamina after this...or flexibility for that matter :) Seriously though - a wonderfully passionate, tender, beautiful romantic piece, tiring too but I digress ;-) MUCH better than that big bad rift. A new cha llenge for those of you who like to be daring at work! NOT TO BE MISSED! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/burns.htm

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Chrysippa
An exciting adventure that has the granddaughters of Mel Pappas and Janice Covington digging in the ruins of an ancient city when they find a mysterious mirror which opens a window to the past, revealing what happened during the last days of that city. T he ancient story begins with Xena and her bard responding to a distress call from an old friend of the Warrior Princess - a beautiful queen whose kingdom is on the verge of destruction both from natural forces and human greed. Undaunted, Xena and Gabriel le put into play a desperate plan to try to save the inhabitants and themselves before it's too late. All the while, the two are struggling with lingering insecurities and old wounds, loving each other and yet doubting they are worthy of that love. Well -written and origial, this is a fun read.
http://xwp-altfic.simplenet.com/ThroughtheLookingGlass.txt

MY FONDEST MEMORIES by Alex
A very nice vignette that has the bard remembering a wonderful moment of truth between her and the Warrior Princess.
http://xwp-altfic.simplenet.com/my-fondness-memories.txt

MY HEART'S DESIRE by Leapr
A vignette about longing set on a quiet night.
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/desire.htm

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RIFT by RavensTale
Part 7 of this story is now available. Set after the events in THE DEBT, this is a clever, nicely written tale that has Ares offering Xena the chance to go back in time and change some of the horrific experiences she and Gabrielle have recently endured. It is a chance the Warrior Princess will take never considering the many twists of fate she could soon be experiencing. In this latest part, Gabrielle arrives in Brittania, unaware of the dark forces that are gathering around her. Still unfinished but with a solid premise, RavensTale story is great entertainment.
https://ausxip.com/fanfic2/differentkind.html

DARKNESS FALLS by Melissa Good
Part two of this story is now available. This is THE story every fanfic aficionado out there has been waiting for - Missy tackles "the rift", and folks it already looks like it's going to be yet another incredible experience courtesy of one of the most c onsistent talents in our Xenaverse. This tale is particularly intense in that while set after the episode BITTER SUITE, it also CONTINUES the storyline Missy has been following throughout her novels. Indeed DARKNESS FALLS takes place after REFLECTIONS FROM THE PAST which Missy is writing concurrently. Given the incredible love, tenderness and commitment which has increasingly characterized the relationship between warrior and bard throughout Missy 's novels, it is especially heart-wrenching to see that relationship in pieces at the beginning of this latest story as Xena and Gabrielle struggle to try to deal with what has happened to them and what they've done to one another. In this latest part, t he warrior and bard start on their path back to one another as they plan the trip back home. Missy changes the events which we saw on TV just a bit but other than that she plunges headlong into the trauma of the rift chronicling a much more realistic emo tional journey for Xena and Gabrielle as they start on the path back to one another. This story is on the surface very different from what we're used to from this bard but beneath that surface and making its way to the top is the same magic, the same sen se of gentle passion and fierce love that in Xena fanfic is classic Melissa Good. With the first seven chapters now available, this story gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
http://www.ginger.com/goodff/darkbeta.htm

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 Gabby, depicting them as more than just friends.

Happy reading!

Lunacy 8-)