FRIDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 6/6/97
[Previous Report was for 6/5/97]

Hey guys!

Tonight we have a WONDERFUL new addition to the growing collection
of Xena sites online as our beloved bard and master parodist
Tendre (also known as Lizzy, also known as N10DRE2) debuts her
new Web site called TENDRE'S TABLET. For those of you who've
never heard of Tendre, COME OUT OF THAT CAVE YOU'VE BEEN LIVING
IN FOR A WHILE NOW AND *RUN* to this new fan fiction archive
for the experience of a lifetime!! With dramatic pieces like
"ASUNDER" (reviewed below), Tendre has proven herself more than
capable of penning those longer, epic stories, but is her parodies
that this bard is best known for. The goddess herself, Ms.
Lucy "Flawless", recently commented in an interview that one
of her favorite pieces of fan fiction has Xena performing some
"cosmetic" surgery on Cindy Crawford - said piece being none
other than Tendre's own "XTV'S HOUSE OF STYLE".

TENDRE'S TABLET includes all of Tendre's fiction to date including
several new parodies. I recommend you read EVERYTHING at this
site but in particular check out the new parodies "XENA AND GABRIELLE'S
HIGH SCHOOL REUNION" and "THE 25,000 DINAR PYRAMID". From the older
pieces, "LL AND ROC'S POWERLUNCH" is a particular favorite of mine
I suspect will leave you in stitches!! Tendre's new site is located
at: http://www.rio.com/~crazymax/tendre.html

One other VERY important announcement tonight. In case you guys
haven't noticed yet, I am delighted to point out that the first-ever
winner of the Silver Lath Award for Alternative Fan Fiction
is Bat Morda "for her masterpiece" - "IS THERE A DOCTOR ON THE DIG".
With such works as "BROKEN ARROW" and "MINOR ADJUSTMENTS" under her
belt prior to the release of ITADOTD, Bat was already recognized
as one of the premier bards in the Xenaverse even before the writing
of this award-winning story. ITADOTD marked a very special moment
in XWP fan fiction, however, as it was the first publicly available
story featuring Janice Covington and Mel Pappas as the leads. With
this tale, the spunky archeologist and the Southern aristocrat from
the episode XENA SCROLLS suddenly came to life in a way that even
surpassed what we saw in the TV series, sparking an interest in
Mel/Janice fan fiction and creating its own mythology for these
decendants of the Warrior Princess and bard.

I invite you ALL to join me in a BIG ELECTRONIC round of applause
for Bat and a heartfelt THANKS for sharing her talent with us. To
read about the award, what other fans have to say about Bat winning
and some words from the author herself, check out this URL at
DAX'S OBSESSION site: http://members.aol.com/ToyGoddess/lath/Winner.htm
Now that Bat has won for May 1997, we need a winner for June 1997
so also remember to VOTE for your favorite alt. story while you're
at Dax's site. The page for voting is at:

http://members.aol.com/BardicFic/fanfic/lath.htm

In honor of Bat's win and for those of you who have not yet read
"IS THERE A DOCTOR ON THE DIG", I am including my review of the story
originally posted when it was first released. Some FANTASTIC news
I can now share with you also is that Bat is currently hard at work
on the sequel to this wonderful story so get ready for more from
Mel and Janice sometime later this year.

Below are the reviews for tonight - REALLY GREAT STUFF guys! Tendre's
story is available in BOTH general fiction and alternative versions
so it is listed by itself.

ASUNDER by Tendre
Asunder's masterpiece finally comes to and end with the posting of
chapters 12-33!! A unique mixture of drama and the crazy humor
Tendre is known for, this FANTASTIC story has the Warrior Princess
agreeing to become a general in the army of Phillip, King of Macedon,
as he prepares to go to war against the Persians. Xena's hope in
taking the position is to be able to offer Gabrielle some stability
in their lives but the bard is not as certain about the decision.
Gabrielle is immediately suspect of the way in which bards are being
used to spread Phillip's propaganda and most importantly, she soon
starts to fear the change taking place within Xena as the Warrior
Princess once again finds herself in her element, at the head of a
great army, preparing for war. In these final installments, Xena
and Gabrielle part as the warrior goes off to fight Phillip's ill-
fated war, while the bard remains behind in Athens to fight a battle
of her own against enemies who in the king's absence plan to take
over the city. Separated from her bard, Xena finally comes to realize
just how much Gabrielle means to her but as danger envelopes them both,
it is a revelation she may never be able to share with the girl from
Potidaea. Written in a semi-script style, this is unlike anything
you have ever read before - filled with equal parts hilarious comedy
and poignant drama - a story of EPIC proportions that I VERY HIGHLY
RECOMMEND!! [NOTE: ASUNDER is available in both general fiction and
alternative versions.]
http://www.rio.com/~crazymax/asunder.html

GENERAL FICTION:

SEASON OF CHANGE by Hobbes
Since first appearing on the NetForum some months ago, Hobbes has
consistently been delivering excellent fan fiction that just seems
to get better and better. This new story may possibly turn out
to be her best. Set soon after the events shown in the episode THE
PRICE, this tale has Xena and Gabrielle struggling with the emotional
aftermath of their encounter with the Horde. Xena is dismayed at
how easily she reverted to the warlord of old and at her cruel
treatment of the bard, while Gabrielle is troubled by the fear she
felt seeing Xena in her element - a fear that remains deep inside
the young woman. There is a distance between them both want to
close but which fate may soon make it difficult to do so as events
spiral out of their control plunging the two into a horror even
more traumatic than what they experience with the Horde. Chapter
one of this story is now at Lynka's site but additional chapters
have been posted on the NetForum. Below are the URL's for all the
chapters released so far. NOTE: This story DOES include violence.
Please read the author's disclaimer on this.
Pt. 1 - http://www.swlink.net/~lynka/fanfict.htm
Pt. 2:
http://netforum.universalstudios.com/netforum/read/mca.tv.xena/5mg9f0$9hi@www1.mca.com

Pt. 3:
http://netforum.universalstudios.com/netforum/read/mca.tv.xena/5n2nlc$la1@www5.mca.com

Pt. 4:
http://netforum.universalstudios.com/netforum/read/mca.tv.xena/5n2nur$mjm@www5.mca.com

THE LANGUAGE OF POTEIDAIA by Erika Bwo
Beautiful tale by a new bard which reveals a shocking secret from
Gabrielle's past - a secret which brings back memories of treasured
loved ones, childhood games, and innocence destroyed by the mindless
cruelty of a savage time. Very nicely written.
http://xenafan.com/fiction/

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

**IS THERE A DOCTOR ON THE DIG by Bat Morda
Absolutely delightful story which reunites our favorite archeologist
and her Southern Belle of a companion, Janice and Mel from the
XENA SCROLLS episode - this time in an alt. story (it's WILD what
can I say!). Bat's latest has everything - adventure, suspense,
COMEDY, romance, wild, passionate...uh...er - well, you know ;-)
Not to worry, Xena and Gab DO make an appearance and the passages
about them happen to be some of the loveliest and most moving I've
ever read in XWP fiction. This is NOT TO BE MISSED!
http://members.aol.com/tuxiebear/XR2/XR2.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-)
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Reports and individual reviews archived at MaryD's XWP
INFORMATION PAGE https://lunacyreviews.ausxip.com/index.html

Reports posted regularly on the Xena NetForum:
http://www.universalstudios.com/tv/netforum/topics/mca.tv.xena
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