WEDNESDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 8/5/98
[Previous report was for 8/2/98]

Hi folks,

Back in late 1996 Xena fanfic had begun to emerge from its infancy as more and more bards started appearing and the quality of the stories began to steadily improve. Perhaps no other event was as significant during this early stage in the genre as the sudden appearance on the scene of a fanfic tale called ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - a story that would immediately revolutionize XWP fanfic and influence many of the great bards writing today. The very talented lady responsible for that story, Rebekah, went on to write other wonderful stories, including the exceptional NO DOUBT posted in January of this year but it is as the writer of ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT that she really changed the face of XWP fanfic - legitimizing it for many bards as a serious literary pursuit and elevating it to the level which marks it today as one of the highest quality fanfic available on the Net. Rebekah is the featured bard this week at THE PALACE'S ACADEMY OF BARDS where she will be chatting away with us about ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT and her other fiction. Do not miss this opportunity to chat with a legend in XWP fanfic. She will be at THE PALACE this Friday, August 7 at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific time. THE PALACE does require special software in order to participate in the chat so do stop by a day or two ahead of time to download the software and become familiar with it. The software and all the information about THE PALACE is available at http://whoosh.org/palace/index.html

By the way - for those of you who have been using THE PALACE software as a "guest", membership is now FREE so make sure to register.

Felioness has opened an Uber-Xena fanfic site called TALES FROM THE CHILDREN OF XENA AND GABRIELLE featuring both uber stories and FANFIC ART. Visit the site at: http://www.geocities.com/~felioness/uberxena/uberxena.html

Over at THE BLUE QUILL, Ella Quince has added some excellent new sections on point-of-view for those of you interested in improving your fanfic. Check out Ella's growing collection of essays, tips and advice on writing at http://www.gabwhacker.com/xwp/bluequill/

As most of you know Tom Simpson's hugely popular XWP site is now thankfully back online. However, Joe Murphy, his fanfic editor is retiring from the position (THANKS for all the hard work while you were there Joe!) so Tom needs a new Fan Fiction Editor. According to Tom himself "The reponsibilities include coding the stories from email messages, attachments, etc, uploading them to the site, maintaining the indicies of the stories and then emailing me with the new additions. To do this position you MUST know some basic HTML. You don't need to know anything fancy, but need some solid basics to work from. You also need to be familiar with FTP." Tom will need to see at least one URL of a website you've created yourself or coded for someone else, preferably 2 or 3 pages to look at. If you're interested, have a commitment to XWP fanfic and would like to make a contribution to the Xenaverse this is a terrific way of doing so folks! Tom's site is at http://www.xenafan.com and you can contact him about the position at thomas@utah-inter.net.

Finally, I've been adding more volunteers to the X:WP BETA READERS DIRECTORY - we now have over 50 Xenites listed! I've also been getting some nice feedback from bards who've used the directory and ended up locating beta readers they're VERY happy with so bards - if you'd like some feedback on those stories or just need another pair of eyes to catch those typos - do stop by and check out those volunteers at: https://lunacyreviews.ausxip.com/beta.htm

Couple of new ones, couple of updates tonight :)

GENERAL FICTION:

IN MY LIFE by WarriorNutcase
Inspired by the Lennon/McCartney song which gives this story its title, WarriorNutcase writes about the moments immediately following the events in SACRIFICE II, presenting us with a poignant picture of a very heart-broken Warrior Princess. The story has the feel of a music video :) [See also the sequel A PLACE IN THE WORLD reviewed below]
http://www.xenafan.com/fiction/content3/mylifenutcase.html

A PLACE IN THE WORLD by WarriorNutcase
Inspired this time by the M. Chapin-Carpenter song, WarriorNutcase follows Xena's journey into the Underworld on a desperate rescue mission - only getting her bard back might just be a tad more complicated than Xena had anticipated... This story relies on a simple premise that makes sense and is nicely executed. [Continues the story begun in IN MY LIFE reviewed above].
http://www.xenafan.com/fiction/content3/aplacenutcase.html

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

AFTERMATH: THE TREE OF LIFE by XWP Fanatic
Part two of this story is now available. Set in the world of Xena the Conqueror we first met in the HERCULES episode ARMAGEDDON NOW, this VERY promising new story has the ruthless empress holding a contest to try to determine what "truth" is...with dire consequences for the losers. Undaunted and despite having first-hand knowledge of the woman's cruelty, Gabrielle chooses to participate, driven by this stubborn need to somehow reach the ice cold heart no one else seems capable of breaching. It marks the beginning of a difficult journey for both of them as the Conqueror finds herself intrigued by the young upstart and Gabrielle finds herself suddenly a part of the empress' life - forced to join her on a campaign against the very enemy that helped to make her into the dreaded Destroyer of Nations. In this latest part Gabrielle settles into life as the Conqueror's new attendant and begins to show the courage that will either get her killed...or earn her the respect of her new liege. Very well written, with a fascinating premise and great characterizations of the Xena and Gabrielle from that alternate world, this one has all the signs of a terrific story in the making. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [unfinished]
https://ausxip.com/bards2.html#xwpfan

SEVEN DAYS IN POMPEII by DJWP
Chapters 6-7 are now available. One of the most popular talents in XWP fanfic returns to once again help us deal with XWS as she did exactly one year ago with the release of the much loved classic A BARD DAY'S NIGHT . Set after the end of season three, DJ's latest finds Xena on a lonely stretch of beach, dazed after the loss of her soulmate, turning to the one place where she knows she'll feel the bard's spirit most of all - in Gabrielle's scrolls. Alone with Argo she begins reading those scrolls and reminiscing back to one of the last adventures they shared while on a fateful visit to a city named...Pompeii. With their relationship still not fully healed from the horror of the rift, this was a time full of insecurities and worries for them but also filled with a renewed sense of hope amidst the infectious joviality of a city preparing for one of its grandest festivals. They are even further drawn into the Pompeiian's excitement when they happen across an old friend well-versed in the art of FUN - the incomparable Sappho who we first me in A BARD DAY'S NIGHT and who is soon once again doing what she does best - getting them all into TROUBLE! DJ's Sappho is one of the greatest creations in fanfic while her treatment of the Xena/Gab partnership remains heartfelt and wonderfully compelling, made even more so this time around by the poignancy of seeing the warrior remember a time when they were both so stubbornly holding on to the love between them. As an added bonus, DJ is including some nice pictures and maps of Pompeii to give the story that added flavor. With part one now available, this story already promises to be one fantastic read. DO NOT MISS!! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! [Note: review is based on a little more of the story than what is actually now available] [unfinished].
https://ausxip.com/bards.html#djwp

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-)