WEDNESDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 9/30/98
[Previous report was for 9/29/98]

Hi all,

One VERY good night for XWP fanfic! First of all - the much anticipated Second Anniversary Issue of WHOOSH - the online XWP journal - is FINALLY here and it is a fanfic reader's dream! The entire issue is devoted to fan fiction guys! Articles and how-to guides and essays by several of our most popular bards and Xenaverse personalities. In-depth interviews with 27 bards (and one reviewer <:) Fascinating stuff! An outstanding issue I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Check it out at http://whoosh.org/index.html

While on the subject - on this second anniversary let me also extend a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to the entire WHOOSH staff not only for their latest effort but for the totality of their contribution to the Xenaverse which over the course of the last two years has been truly extraordinary. All together now! <APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!! WHISTLE! WHISTLE!! WOORF!! WOORF!!>

We have a new site for XWP alternative fanfic now online, INDIGO'S ONE WARRIOR - ONE BARD XWP SUBTEXT SITE. Stop by at http://members.wbs.net/homepages/1/w/a/1warrior1bard/INDEX.HTML

To all of you feeling dejected because Missy Good just finished FESTIVAL - well, after another of those lengthy breaks of hers (I think she might have hit 20 hrs. this time ;-) Missy is back with a brand new and VERY different story. We also have a brand new one by A.L. Dunham and a certain update many of us have been looking forward to. Fanfic readers...ATTACK!!! >:)

GENERAL FICTION:

A BAD DAY by A.L. Dunham
Sweet little story about one of those days when things just aren't going right and everyone is cranky. Feels very much like a pre- third season tale. Nicely written. - 4 pgs.
http://www.geocities.com/~rensnce/badday.txt

ALTERNATIVE FICTION:

TROPICAL STORM by Melissa Good
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. Missy's many strengths are quickly in evidence throughout the first parts of this story - 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. 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 us glued to those monitors in the coming weeks folks. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! - [unfinished] - 18 pgs.
http://www.merwolf.com/tropical1.html

HOLY WAR by ProudWarrioress
Chapter 17 - AWAKENING - is now available. ProudWarrioress' tale is a novel which inspired by THE PRICE goes way beyond the episode in terms of scope, creating a story of such magnitude and such impact that it can only be described as a saga of epic proportions - a blockbuster of XWP fan fiction. Set after the events in THE PRICE, this novel begins ominously with the thoughts of a warrior as he prepares to go to war - not an ordinary warrior but a leader among men - a warrior getting ready to unleash the greatest terror Greece has ever known as he leads his army on a holy crusade to recover the Chosen One promised long ago to his people - a prophesy Telmark, Supreme Commander of the Horde, is determined to see fulfilled at any cost. It is this new and deadly threat which Xena and Gabrielle find themselves facing when they join the massive army of several allied Greek City states preparing to do battle with the Horde. At the head of the army is Marmax, the commander from the episode IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE who thanks to Xena and the bard found peace for his own people but now must fight a battle for the very survival of Greece. Despite their mounting fears, Xena and Gabrielle agree to help the allied force and soon find themselves in a familiar situation - heavily outnumbered, facing savage Horde warriors - with little hope of survival. For Xena the solution is to start awakening the darkness within herself and to try to make sure Gabrielle is safe but what the Warrior Princess never suspects is that once again she is spending too much time trying to fight the Horde without considering what their motivations could be - what they want...or whom? In this latest chapter a desperate Xena searches for a way to help her bard. The story has the feel of great film epics like SPARTACUS or the more contemporary BRAVEHEART. ProudWarrioress' depiction of the Xena/Gab relationship, as in her other stories, is one of deep friendship, loyalty, sacrifice and unquestionable commitment. She uses a shifting point-of-view technique that gives us a very thorough insight into the minds of both our heroines and their enemy. This story is an experience you will not soon forget. A MUST READ for every Xenite, it carries my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!! - [unfinished] - 5 pgs.
http://members.tripod.com/~ProudWarrioress/fanfic/fanfic.html

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-)