THURSDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 6/18/98
[Previous report was for 6/15/98]

Hi guys,

Something a little different tonight :) In addition to more of those XWP stories we all love, recently I've discovered some other fanfic I just have to recommend - based on the popular TV series STAR TREK VOYAGER and written by one of our very own Xenite bards soooooo you're getting a SPECIAL SECTION at the end of this report talking about a couple of those stories. Enjoy!

Now, first, those XWP stories.

GENERAL FICTION:

MORTAL GAMES: THE AMULETS OF WAR by Raistlyn
This is a follow-up of sorts to the story MEMORIES IN DARKNESS written by Dancyer McCoy. The tale has Xena and the bard joining with several of their friends on a quest to try to retrieve four very powerful amulets before these fall into the wrong hands. Lots of action in this and a nice depiction of the Xena/Gab friendship. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/7473/amuletsofwar.html

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

FOR THE LOVE OF CLICHES by WordWarior
Would you guys believe this is so TERRIFIC precisely because it's so BAD!!! ;-) Yeap, the multi-talented Wordee sets out in this little offering to include just about every fan fiction cliche out there and she succeeds in creating a tale that is going to leave you in stitches! :) VERY funny folks. A literary endeavor that should be suspiciously familiar to all fanfic readers and which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! https://ausxip.com/fanfic3/cliches.html

UBERMADNESS: THE BATTLE FOR THE THIRD AGE by Bat Morda
Part 2 is now available. The very talented Bat Morda returns with the long-awaited sequel to THE SEARCH FOR AMPHIPOLIS. Set one hundred years after that story, it chronicles the continuing struggle of Xena and Gabrielle's descendants against the God of War...only this time around those descendants may in fact be more than just descendants. The story begins with hacker extraordinaire Xero, deadly, beautiful and not keen on trusting people, narrowly escaping an assassination attempt. Soon she is joining forces with Rielle, a beautiful, green-eyed blonde who claims to know what is happening - but as a syscop, also happens to be a hackers worst enemy. All the while the skeptical Xero is learning more about a certain warrior of legend - and learning more about herself in the process. In this latest part Ares makes his presence known while Xero gets a guided tour of the ancient past. Bat does a wonderful job here of creating a futuristic world filled with personalities that should be familiar to many of you in the Xenaverse. Her Xero is a gritty, no-nonsense type very reminiscent of warlord Xena while Rielle embodies the best of Gabrielle - intelligent, determined, and very much ruled by her heart. Still unfinished, this story is not to be missed! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! https://ausxip.com/fanfic3/ubermadness.html

SPECIAL SECTION - STAR TREK VOYAGER ALTERNATIVE FAN FICTION

I've watched STAR TREK VOYAGER on and off since the series began a couple of years ago. Like the other STAR TREK spin- offs, it's always been a strong show but this past year with the inclusion of a new character named "7-of-9" the series really seems to have improved tremendously. Seven is a young human female who was captured by the Borg (alien species which assimilates others into their culture by turning them into half-machine beings with no sense of individuality) as a child and raised in the Borg collective as one of them. The Voyager crew, led by their captain, Kathryn Janeway, kidnapped Seven away from the Borg earlier this year allowing her to start rediscovering her humanity again. It isn't an easy road considering that Seven still has in her body many of the Borg implants that make her half-machine and more significantly, still is very much ruled in her own mind by the no-nonsense logic and ruthless practicality of the Borg. Her personal struggle though, to learn to live once again among humans, and the struggle of the Voyager crew to learn to understand and accept her, has really added a great new dimension to the show.

XENA and VOYAGER now share a couple of things. They are both featuring some terrific female characters...and they are both inspiring some fantastic alternative fan fiction - which brings me to the real subject of this special section - a couple of stories I just discovered based on a Seven/Janeway pairing and written by one of my favorite Xenite bards - Gina L. Dartt, author of among other tales, the unforgettable ENEMY MINE and its sequel ENEMY OURS. Just as she did an OUTSTANDING job in both those stories depicting our beloved warrior and bard, Gina is now writing about Seven and Janeway with an incredible sensitivity that will hook you right away. Following is a review of two Seven/Janeway stories by Gina I just read and which I urge anyone who likes XWP alt. fiction to try - even if you don't regularly watch VOYAGER - and if you don't, you should. I tend to be real slow and real dense but even I'm beginning to pick up on some subtext there :)

JUST BETWEEN US by G.L. Dartt
A delightfully charming, romantic, and poignant first-time story that has Captain Janeway struggling with feelings for Seven of Nine and finally giving in to these only to embark on an emotional journey with the young Borg many times more challenging than anything she's ever experienced before. Painfully inexperienced not only in matters of intimacy but in human relationships and Starfleet protocol as well, Seven struggles to please as she opens a vulnerable heart to the Captain - never suspecting how fear and uncertainty can some- times make humans deny what their souls crave the most. Gina's characterizations in this story are beyond OUTSTANDING. If you watch the TV series these characters will be immediately recognizable, and if you don't they'll just as easily be immediately endearing. Janeway is a Starfleet Captain in every sense of the word - committed to her ship and her crew - a no-nonsense professional whose austere demeanor hides a passionate woman tired of being alone. Seven is a young woman caught between two worlds - no longer Borg and yet not fully human either - with a brilliant mind still very much ruled by Borg logic and practicality - but a human heart very much in need of love and acceptance. The supporting cast are just as masterfully depicted, easily recalling the TV personalities and fitting wonderfully into the plot Gina creates. There are moments in this story that will have you crying from laughing so much, and then there are moments that will just have you crying <:) A truly fantastic read that will stir all those emotions and should thoroughly hook you on this engaging new subtext couple. The story receives my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! https://ausxip.com/trek/justbetweenus.html

JUST BETWEEN THEM by G.L. Dartt
In this sequel to JUST BETWEEN US (reviewed above), Janeway and Seven continue exploring their relationship as the Captain becomes aware of just how difficult loving a member of her crew can be and Seven starts to experience some of the other emotions that sometimes come with a relationship. Meanwhile, Voyager encounters a friendly alien ship with a very self-assured commander who immediately takes a special interest in the beautiful Borg among the humans. Gina once again combines humor, drama, romance and raw passion into a winning formula that will immediately make this story a favorite. Her characterizations are once again solid - very much true to the TV characters. Impressive as well is her ability to capture the futuristic elements of the world of Star Trek. As Janeway and Seven are falling more in love with each other, you'll be falling in love with them and with this new fan fiction. I'm hooked! :) VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! https://ausxip.com/trek/justbetweenthem.html

In closing let me add that the dynamics of the Janeway/Seven relationship are somewhat different from those traditionally present in the Xena/Gab pairing. There are things that will seem familiar and things that will be refreshingly new but both partnerships are strong, incredibly intriguing and increasingly supported by that subtext :) If you've never given STAR TREK fanfic a try I urge you now to boldly go where you've never gone before >:)

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-)