Volume 2, Issue 2, 2001
===========================================
Today's issue includes:
1. Feature Articles -- A Gab Fest "Unconditional," "Gabrielle: An Appreciation"
2. Xena quote/Xena Joke
3. Featured FanFic and Short Review -- The "Queen" series by LJ Maas, "Xena Quest" by Ogami
4. Xena News -- Xena Night - Chicago, Xena on Oxygen
5. Featured Xena Links -- "Guerrera y Barda," "LJ's X:WP Alt FF and Original Fiction"
6. Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide -- "Is There a Doctor in the House?" "Orphan of War"
7. Special Event: Ubermania
8. Feedback
9. PRIVACY/NO SPAM POLICY!
10. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
11. Credits
12. Archives
===========================================
This issue dedicated with love to the Battling Bard.
===========================================
Shameless Advertising CDs Original TV Soundtrack
"Xena: Warrior Princess - Lyre, Lyre..." -- This item was released on June 6, 2000.
{And we wonder anew just why X&G's duet of "We Can Work it Out" was axed. It rocks! (In fact, it's one of the best numbers recorded for this anarchic ep.)}
Buy it here! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T9VK/thexenaexine
===========================================
1) Featured Articles - A Gab Fest
"Unconditional"
by Bacchae2, Feb. 2001
What do you say about a kid who went from farmer's daughter to savvy traveling companion of an ex-warlord? About the woman who evolved to sacrifice herself for the one she loved more than life and be reborn as a constantly self-recreating dynamo with a questing, questioning spirit that never stops? This is a subject upon which I can barely claim an ounce of objectivity. Gabrielle's heart and soul were two of the most precious and passionate items ever offered for our delectation on the small screen. Xena's amanuensis, her source and inspiration, the other half of her soul is one of the all-time great character creations. There exists no more startling vision of character growth and personal journey in the history of the medium. I can think of no other actress/character who has been on quite such a remarkable sojourn, both physically and metaphysically.
The little green-eyed girl from Potedaia was deceptively comical and childlike at the start, but she has never ceased to surprise us--and Xena. Whether through her sheer stubborn tenacity in keeping up with the Warrior Princess or the shocking jealous betrayal of an adult woman scorned. From the young girl with long red-gold hair who promised, "You're not alone" to the full-blooded companion chastened by dangerous living who is forced to decide if she is now more fighter than writer. The many faceted, always alluring Gabrielle--waif, woman, warrior; bard, bosom buddy, berserker. We and she, could never have imagined where her life with Xena would lead. To watch these episodes now on a daily basis, to chart the alteration of her wardrobe along with the cut of her character (in both senses of the word) is to receive a splendid lesson in change, growth, the art of living itself.
The images that come most immediately to mind: the brave young girl standing forward, offering herself to slavers to save her sister; the fearless youth flinging herself over the body of a downed amazon as arrows fly; the devoted friend, badly wounded in the leg who will drag her dying warrior up a mountain in a blizzard; the beyond angry bard taking out her grief by beating her staff against a tree; the shining, poised amazon queen, filled with emotion as she receives an other worldly, paradigm shifting kiss from her beloved warrior who will do whatever it takes to come back to her place in the rare prize of those emerald eyes... The not to be denied lover who reclaims her warrior with the admonition to "Never leave me again!" in that truly remarkable retelling of The Ring Cycle. So many more moments over the years, too numerous to enumerate and attempt to capture here, ephemeral as beautiful butterflies flitting through our blessed memories.
It's been a fascinating evolution, though I will always prefer the young woman who wore her heart on her metaphorical sleeve, chronicled her adventures in that precious cache of scrolls and fought any violent impulses, proficient enough with her defensive weapon, the staff. The Gabrielle that Melissa Good captures to absolute perfection, giving us the best of the character of the first three seasons. Never forgetting that the partners are each other's "Way" and nothing, no one will rend them asunder. Change, though somewhat inevitable, is not always Good. Or for the better (the greater good?). Still we must remain breathlessly admiring of the sheer gamut of emotions and resounding depth of character development portrayed--from Adorable to Zestful or from Alphawolf cub to Omegastar. If Xena, as portrayed by Lucy Lawless, is proof positive of the presence of the goddess on earth then Renee O'Conner's Gabrielle is all the evidence we need that angels walk among us.
My Renee O'Conner tribute page: Bacchae to Bacchae
http://community.webtv.net/bacchae2/BACCHAETOBACCHAE
Gabrielle, An Appreciation
by Cir5or, Feb. 2001
A few thoughts about her development as a character. Is it too obvious to track the changes through A) the evolution of her wardrobe (or more accurately the DEvolvement of it) or B) the props she has used on the show? I think that maybe A) has been developed as a theme by others. B) seems to me to be ripe with possibilities. Not only have the obvious personal possessions changed but there are other noteworthy alterations.
She first came to Xena empty handed, raw clay of a girl without so much as a bedroll to call her own. Her clothes were modest - literally covering her from neck to ankles. Her own identity was so larval that she needed both empty hands to hold onto Xena when she climbed up behind her in the saddle to begin their life together. By the time she acquired her quill she had also begun to emerge from the cocoon. While still wet behind the wings she showed signs of the beautiful bard she would become. Like all young 'uns she even thought she was ready for prime time and ventured from the safety of Xena's side in pursuit of her chosen vocation. When she meets up with the Amazons we see the most dramatic change in both attitude and wardrobe. It is a symbolic coming of age when she accepts her rite of caste. Even though she rules in name only and it is her champion who must weather the more serious turbulences, we do see for the first time two traits that have come to distinguish Gabrielle: spunk and a serious acceptance of the importance of doing the right thing.
Ironically it is the latter that both earns her her most important prop (her staff which she accepts along with the mantle of Amazon leadership) and takes that same weapon from her when she accepts just as conscientiously the call of Eli to follow the way of love. The clothing changes between these two milestones could stand alone as testament to Gab's personal growth and process of maturing. From the Amazon leathers to the BGSB (with all it's shrinking incarnations) to the styles prompted by her travels east complete with mendhi tattooing and ever more elaborate makeup and jewelry. When the way of love turns out to be a door with no knob, her accoutrements are once again amended to reflect the new persona which emerges from that growth experience.
She now wears abbreviated leathers...lots of exposed skin...reflecting her confidence...and new weapons...sais...a symbol for her new ability to defend both herself and her then preggers soulmate...weapons she is not at all loathe to employ. For better or worse. In sickness and in hell, heaven and back.
===========================================
2) Xena Quote/Xena Joke
Xena Quote
Ares: "You're with her now. I handled you all wrong, I know that. She knew what you needed - unconditional and unselfish love, and I couldn't give that to you. But I appreciated you in ways that she never could. Your rage, your violence, your beauty. When you sacrificed yourself for others you were hers, but when you kicked-ass you were mine."
{Ed.'s aside: oh, we think Gab appreciates her beauty alright.}
Ares to the "dead" again (and about to be quick frozen and laid to a Van Winkle-esque rest beside her beloved bard) Xena in "Looking Death in the Eye."
Xena Joke
From Kevin Wald: Alternate Xena Openings:
Few people realize that that wonderful opening sequence -- Xena suiting up, the "In a time of ancient gods . . ." speech, the Bulgarian chorus singing in the background -- was but one of several possible ways the opening could have gone. Here's an alternate opening to the show:
----------------------------------------------
[We see Xena smiling and walking through various picturesque locations in Amphipolis, Amphisota. Someone offscreen starts singing:]
Who can take the world on with her sword?
Who can take a string of trout,
And use it to fight off a zealot horde?
Well, it's you, girl, and you should know it
(Backed up, as always, by that cute little poet)
Shlubs are all around, so let's get cracking;
Isn't whomping thugs more fun than sacking?
[Xena jubilantly tosses her chakram into the air.]
You're gonna make it after -- AAAAAAAAAUUUGH!
[Xena looks up, sees where the chakram has ended up, gives an "oops" shrug, and walks off.]
===========================================
3) Featured Fan Fiction
Bacchae's Fanfic Review
The Queen series by LJ Maas http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/Alt_FanFic.html
These interconnected adventures read rather like an homage to Mistress Good, but with the addition of a copious amount of really hot sex. In fact, there's a truly fascinating dominance/submission dynamic that X&G pass back and forth between them. The girls marry in an amazon ceremony as Queen and Consort and even conceive a child. (Who will carry the baby this time?) I found these stories a welcome alternative antidote to Season Five. And in two shorter tales (and a wonderful twist on the First Time story) this bard even provides our heroines with a method of being each other's first love. The beginning of another projected series, the Conqueror story, "Journey's End," is one of the best I've read of that subgenre, showing us a mature Xena, speaking to us first person, and beginning her tale with the introduction to her life of a gentle and very skilled concubine named Gabrielle...
WARNING: Graphic depiction of lesbian sex; some playful (and very erotic) bondage.
I give The Queen Series (and first part of The Conqueror Series) ***** Five Stars!
Star Rating
*****A must read for any Hardcore Nutball
****It's well worth your while to read
***It's better than getting pinched by Xena
**Maybe being pinched by Xena isn't such a bad idea
*Just shoot me...shoot me now! I'll take a chakram to the skull.
===========================================
Guest Critic Brian Davis' Fanfic Review
"Xena Quest" by Ogami
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~jeb66038/xquest.htm#TOP
The first piece of Xena fanfic by this talented bard is a fast-paced, comedic entertainment satirizing the genre of Xena stories where the author plays a major role within the story him- or herself. It's also a satire on the whole "are they or aren't they" subtext debate that still goes on among on-line Xena fans. As the story begins, Ogami himself pops in on the world of Xena and Gabrielle via time machine, on a mission to find out if they are lovers or just friends. Though Ogami has chosen to give himself Japanese videogame fighting skills, he finds that in every other way he is totally unprepared for the reality of coming face to face with Xena and Gabrielle. Perhaps not surprisingly, he finds he has a lot in common with Joxer. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit during this silly romp, and whether you like Joxer or hate him, it's hard not to be amused by his ultimate fate in this story. Ogami does go a bit overboard in working heaps of feminist therorizing into the conclusion of his story, but overall it's a fun read.
I give Xena Quest **** stars.
*****Truly superior in every way; a fanfic classic
****Excellent; fine writing and characterization
***Good entertaining read
**About as good as watching Ulysses
*About as good as "Married with Fishsticks"
===========================================
4) Xena News
Chicago's Xenites Triumph Over Cash
By Sue Winter, 2/18/01
If money really is the root of all evil, then Chicago area Xenites are feeling the double bite of that evil lately. Not only has our favorite show, Xena: Warrior Princess been cancelled due to the bottom line, but now we've lost our sponsor, Lesbigay Radio, for our monthly Xena Nights. Due to low turn out the past few months Lesbigay Radio has come to the decision that it no longer makes monetary sense for them to continue sponsorship at this time. They may resume sponsorship in the spring, their thinking, apparently, is that warmer weather may bring out a larger audience. Not only have we lost our sponsor, but we've also lost our MC, Amy Matheney, a DJ at the station, as well. Amy played Gabrielle in the play "Xena Live" and was also its producer. She brought great fun and energy to Xena Nights and will be sorely missed. Being a Xena Night regular myself, I will admit that attendance has been down lately. There have been extenuating circumstances explaining the low turn out however. The last well attended Xena Night was in October. In November the heat was out at the bar, Stargaze, hosting the event sending many home, there was no Xena Night in December because of the holidays and January's Xena Night was held only a week or so after New Year's when most people preferred to stay home. Unfortunately, as reasonable as these explanations are for the low turnout, they weren't compelling enough for Lesbigay Radio to continue with the event. But there is hope for Chicago area Nutballs! Di Bauden, fanfic author dsbauden, has agreed to MC the event until Amy and Lesbigay Radio agree to return. Also, Stargaze has agreed to continue hosting the event. On February 13, the fist sponsor less Xena Night was held and a wonderful evening was had by all. Many episodes with "We Love Lucy" as the Valentine's theme were shown as well as many videos and some clips from Lucy's recent E! interview. Without a doubt the evening went off without a hitch with Di at the helm. Thankfully Xena Nights will continue for the foreseeable future with Di as our fearless leader. To read more about Chicago's Xena Nights and to view pictures of past events, click below to go to Di's Chicago Xena Night site: http://dsbauden.home.att.net/chicago/index.html
Xena on Oxygen
{Ed.:This is more in the nature of an assumptive observation than an actual news item.}
Hmmm.... No sooner had we given a sigh of relief to see X:WP reruns safely ensconced once more on a regular daily basis on SciFi then that channel gave up the girls to the fledgling Oxygen (O is for Oprah) network on an exclusive basis. It would seem the only reason for this would be a canny (they hope) and calculated move by the programmer at that channel to provoke interest in an undersubscribed neo-network. In other words, they want us to do their dirty work for 'em. Figuring, and rightfully so, upon an intensely dedicated group of Xenites (if we're still with the show after Season "Dive" we're hard core nutball hangers-on indeed), a cult following and fandom that will lobby our respective cable providers to give us, ahem, Oxygen! That would be a fairly safe bet too...if we all didn't have the entire series safely, reverently copied to tape, if vcrs did not exist and this were the only way we could see the show and therefore have that necessary outlet for our daily fix. I don't think one wildly popular series starring a strong female role model (or two strong female role models in this case) can save an entire "women's" network by building on that singlular strength. Though if anyone could do it single-handedly it would be the WP. If anyone has any further insight on this issue we would like to hear some feedback, especially from anyone that actually has this cable service and can fill us in on how they are handling their programming, especially where our favorite series is concerned.
===========================================
5) Featured Links
Brian Davis' site recommendation:
Guerrera y Barda (Warrior and Bard)
http://www.guerreraybarda.50megs.com
A very impressive Xena site for the Spanish-speaking fan, from webmaster Gabgal, also known as Jessica, a diehard Xena fan based in Chile. Fan fiction, montages, sounds, a chat room, a special Amazon section, and much more. Even if you don't speak the language, there are some impressive images here, as well as audio, that any Xenite will enjoy; if you are literate in Spanish, this site is a MUST to visit.
Bacchae2's site recommendation:
LJ's X:WP Alt FF and Original Fiction
http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/Alt_FanFic.html
This prolific bard gives us a fine, interconnected X&G saga (reviewed above) in the grand Missy tradition, but with the addition of a graphic depiction of their rather adventurous sex life; a superb Conqueror story (and its sequel, "The Petal of the Rose," now in progress); a couple of exquisite ubers including an absolutely charming one for kids! (see the Ubermania section this issue); as well as ubers by several other bards. Once you start reading you won't be able to stop...I couldn't. Call me Insomnia.
===========================================
6) Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide by Bacchae2
"Is There A Doctor in the House?"
Do we love this ep, or what? This was the one, the ep that all but enshrined the intensity of the depth of feeling at the heart of that relationship. A very fitting coda to that first fine season. A meaningful ep (remember when they still did those unashamedly?), the powerful sense memory of which can still bring tears to Lucy's eyes as well as ours. And we learn that Xena taught Galen and Hippocrates all they know about medicine--and invents CPR to boot. In pure frantic desperation to save Gabrielle. Xena is almost naked in revealing the true depths of her feelings for the young bard. If ever LL deserved an Emmy, it was for this scene. A better resuscitation scene I've never seen played on any doctor show, though usually such a cliché, this one was, and remains, riveting. So pale and frail and fragile and vulnerable is Gabrielle and Xena so ruefully brought to tears, "so sorry," the strong warrior brought to her knees by the girl's side, blaming herself for her companion's fatal wounding. But, with the heart and determination to drag her back from the other side and never let go. Gab's insightful storytelling to the general (excellently played), is heartfelt, beautifully delivered. You can see the old soldier's heart melt. This was the series at its best. A direction and accomplishment of which they should never have lost sight.
Subtext Rating: You'll never know if you don't know now. Watch Xena's raw, unguarded interplay with the safely catatonic bard, her increasing unwillingness to let go of her young friend, the hurt disbelief and anguish that this gift could be taken from her, and the sheer bloody determination to reach inside, to breathe her own life-force into the silenced bard, the transcendent elation and joy when Gabrielle is returned to her. It can indeed move mountains.
"Orphan of War"
Solon. Palpable tension between X&G at first. Why didn't you tell me? You had a son. A poignant ep. ("I could sing for you," the warrior suggests sorrowfully with little hope that she can ever be free to just play mommy and me.) The villain Dagnon (though painfully, that's gotta hurt, impaled), the Ixion Stone, Motherhood (with a capital M) will all come back to haunt us (and them). A melancholy, sad and serious ep to begin a new season. The tragic seeds are emplanted for a series long arc of passionate misunderstandings and painful denouements.
Subtext Rating: The sub also rises..."I pride myself on being your friend...I'm here for you." "Always." They put so much into a glance, the way they look and smile at each other. It's an intimacy they share with no one else. The outward evidence of the chemistry that got them into this thing in the first place.
********************************************
7) Xena Special Event
UBERMANIA
{A few choice uber recommendations. Some we've made before, but they bear repeating. For mature audiences, unless otherwise noted.}
THE SPEED OF THE BEAT OF MY HEART
http://www.clinched.net/gmta/speed1.html
This one is a must read for all lesbians with a bent for the super exotic erotic. It left me panting. Of Dickensian proportions, and it's still not completed. VERY well written, highly erotic, makes s&m very very sexy; it's a long, ultra descriptive, almost picaresque, modern, character-driven novel. Keep with it and by the time you get to chapt. 7 you won't be sorry. One of the hottest things I've ever read. Great character development, fabulous insight, torturous angst, genuine humor, an inside look at the tatoo milieu (say that fast five times). Set in that apparent gay hot spot...Pittsburgh?! This is the 'Queer as Folk' series I'd like to see. The tatoo artist with the dark past takes on a willing pupil in submission when she meets a local university professor and poet. If you read one lesbian novel this year...make it this delicious confection!
THE NANOVERSE SERIES
(Equilibrium-Newton's First Law, etc.)
https://members.tripod.com/jules_mills/private/n1p1.html
After a hiatus, we were very happy to see the continuation of this fine series with "Illumination" (to be continued) posted at The Bard's Corner:
http://ausxip.com/fanfic12/illumination1.html
Another very hot, sexy story, also extremely well written and highly intelligent. The uber novels I've read online are better than most 'literary' lesbian novels I've ever read, and as interesting as anything on the bestseller list. This one is special, set in the near future, about nanotechnology. It's better than professional science fiction writer Melissa Scott's (also a lesbian) cyberpunk novel "Trouble and her Friends." I hugely enjoyed this. Also some great humor and quirky observations and fine erotica. The requisite asocial ex-con loner with the dark past is really harboring a genius for cybertech and her fall from grace is heartwrenchingly portrayed and reversed when she meets a doctor and research scientist fittingly named Grace.
LUCIFER RISING
http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/l/lucifer.html
This one is a classic. Also has been published as a 'real' book you can find in a bookstore and should be turned into a film. This is the hot lesbian novel I wish I'd had to read as a young woman. I love this book. Erotic high stakes. Someone could get killed. This one also closely parallels the passionate ups and downs of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship in modern idiom. Dealing with The Betrayal and Rift and taking us right up through "Fallen Angel" in a most prescient fashion. The Xena figure is a darkly compelling ex drug lord and Miami nightclub proprietor who was an undercover narc and the Gab character, the young undercover newspaper reporter who becomes obsessed with her and sets out to discover her secrets. This novel creates a moment of intense passionate bravado that is SO positively Gab it brought me to tears and then had me cheering her on. Along with some of the single most erotic scenes and emotions I've ever read. I was so into it that my significant other (who I met through Melissa Good's fanfic! I will always sing her pwaises) bought me the book from amazon.com and I immediately reread the whole thing all over again! That may've been a first for me. This would make the most absolutely unprecedented passionate erotic lesbian love story film of all time. And it reads as a great fast-paced, beautifully written and realized 'straight' (in the non-pejorative sense) detective/spy thriller. A must read!
{Also while you're at Bard's Corner check out the author's (Sharon Bowers) X&G goth stories. It's a shame she hasn't continued them. They are cross-fertilized with Anne Rice and postulate Xena as the immortal daughter of Ares and Gabrielle as an immortal bacchae. Very darkly erotic.}
SURFACING
http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/s/Surfacing.html
Another extremely well written entry containing great humor. Maybe a little more Femme Nikita with its 'programmed' female spy, but some pithy dialogue and exciting situations. Lots of good tough spy thriller stuff with great topical references sprinkled liberally throughout. I hugely enjoyed it. Tall, dark, deadly gorgeous cop (or is she?) has a run-in with destiny in the form of a petite blonde lawyer. This is the one that inspired the authors of "Speed of the Beat" to write their freewheeling uber tale.
PERSISTANCE OF MEMORY
http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/m/memory1.html
That rarity...a good sequel! (Sequel to "Surfacing"). Even more trenchant than it's predecessor. I was sorry to see it end. Of course, with some of these ubers, it is great fun, in a thoroughly resonant and ofttimes poignant way, though not imperative, to know the backstory of the Xena mythos as they try to parallel it more or less closely. This one does a good job of it too. But the following series is often the piece de resistance in that category.
TROPICAL HIGH
http://www.merwolf.com/high1.html
Not that Ms. Good needs a plug at this stage, but you can't speak about uber without mentioning the queen of the genre. Missy's fourth foray into Dar and Kerry land is, alas, at an end. Can we persuade her to keep our fix supplied? What torment it is to attempt getting through a day without the trusty update. Melissa Good achieved the ultimate payback, a fan's fantasy dream come true by being asked to actually write three real Xena scripts for this season--but I'm not promoting her Xena fanfic at the moment, though they are all delightful and stirring interconnected novel length tales. And if you haven't read them, shame on you. Missy's computer savvy work ethic serves as the backdrop for this romantic (not graphic, but I find it sweetly erotic as well) lesbian quartet of novels set in Miami with their charming tropical weather related titles. And they have been and are being published as actual books one can find in bookstores. Also being turned into a film or tv series at some point we hear (if that's still a go; it should be; two more endearing characters would be hard to find.) Amazing online success story. It makes us all proud. Anyway, she taught me some computer stuff in these stories as well as entertained me. And the Romance of it all is simply unbeatable. Big contented sigh. Rated PG-13, and young people should be encouraged to read them!
{And let me take this opportunity to thank Missy for her truly wonderful Xmas eve gift of a sweetly special vignette of X&G's first Solstice Eve together. That was a magical bit of serendipity to happen upon on the very eve itself. I could not have asked for a dearer Xmas present.}
{Ed.s note: Missy has assured us at the end of this story we will have a Dar and Kerry sequel and meanwhile she has begun to give us a new Xena tale.}
TUMBLEWEED FEVER
http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/Tumbleweed.html
One of a handful of western ubers. Ex outlaw turned cowpoke tumbles spurs over stetson for the purdy little widow rancher who needs a firm but gentle hand. Seems this lady homesteader is a nascent bard who ties her wayward poetry to the tumblin' tumbleweeds to be plucked from the wind by her destiny's hand. A study in yearning. This is a largely very sweet romantic adventure story with a PG rating. This rather slight novel and its sequel "Prairie Fire" (not available online) are published books by R.A.P. as are the other two LJ Maas uber novels which follow.
NONE SO BLIND
http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/Blind.html
A superb uber, very accessible to a general readership (meaning more of us will identify--even if we secretly fancy ourselves as cops or spies or cowgirls) with a believable storyline. College roommates, one gay, one ostensibly straight, harbor an unspoken passion for each other for many years until the novelist's daughter (a child they both parented in the beginning) brings her mother together once again with the artist and unrequited (she thought) love of her youth. You'll nod in recognition as you fight to clear the lump in your throat.
MERIDIO'S DAUGHTER
http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/Meridio.html
Maas' writing really began to take free flight and soar on these last two ubers. This is the most exciting, thrilling, erotic read I've had since "Lucifer Rising." I couldn't turn off my monitor till well into the wee hours several nights in a row until I'd, sadly, finished this one. I hope the bard will grace us with a sequel. Set in Greece, the young daughter of a mafia type returns after growing up in America. She is an archeologist, but doesn't get much digging done as she comes under the spell of a tall, dark, lethally beautiful creature who works as her father's right hand woman. The dangerously alluring Nikki tries to fight her intense attraction to the delicious, innocent Cassandra, her boss' daughter, but the best laid schemes... What happens between them is, of course, inevitable, and in the most passionate, quiveringly erotic fashion. No power on earth could impede the fate that brings them together once set in motion. But the not-to-be-denied liaison could well lead to their violent demise.
{Ed.s note: LJ Maas tells me she has the outline for a sequel mapped out}
JUST LIKE XENA
http://www.art-with-attitude.com/artist/like_xena.html
Maas' truly delightful short story and children's uber! The first of a projected series which will take them into the future and adulthood. Any little tomboy fans of the Warrior Princess should be encouraged to read this. In fact it would make a super published children's book. Don't be put off by the G rating, little Charlie and Katie (who has two mommies, who also reflect uber characteristics) are bewitching junior uber representations and soulmates in waiting. They are grade schoolers, best friends at first sight, and big Xena fans who delight in playing warrior and sidekick at recess. We all need role models and sheros.
The above stories are brought to you courtesy of the genre 'uber' as opposed to the subtext found on the series, which gives us such outright memorable characters based on the attributes of that original dynamic, but set in a modern day (mostly) milieu.
==========================================
8) Feedback
Pithy comment from a Chipup re a pertinent issue: "We were discussing {at Xena Nite with Di, Amy, the "Xena Live!" Gab et.al.} this sort of thing last night. Why in the world does all of this make the world at large so ghastly uncomfortable? Why have Xena and Gab NEVER really kissed? Why when they finally do kiss is it shadowed? And even then, it's still plot driven and not purely to show their love. Why is it okay for them to kiss, but only when it's Xena in a man's body? The Quest and Deja Vu. Why is it ok to show HUNDREDS of people die in some episodes and no one bats an eye over the pure wrongness of that? Why is it amusing to see Discords head go flying thru the air in Motherhood...but completely shocking when they talk of being soulmates? Why is it okay to show Xena being a slut but not being in love with a woman? It's all symptomatic of the CRAP we live with, and PUT UP with on a daily basis. It seems hard to complain when we allow ourselves to be complacent."
--Sue Winter
{Ed.'s note: as Xena herself so succinctly stated, "Just Kiss The Girl!"}
=========
Hey Love Connection Editors,
Enjoyed the Love Issue quite a bit; it was a genuinely surprising and effectively personal issue.
I didn't realize so *many* familiar names associated with the Xine and XST had made romantic connections through the online Xena community. Most extraordinary is the fact that all the couples mentioned are still together. The odds of that happening through *any* conduit of meeting are slim to say the least - it really does say something about the extraordinary community of online Xena subtexters, and about how it truly is a community of substance. I'm sure you would not find anywhere near those sort of results if you interviewed people who frequented typical singles chat rooms and BB's. I'm sure it has something to do with the sort of people in whom the show, the fanfic, and the community inspire real devotion, and most likely also something to do with the extraordinary story of soulmates that is at the heart of XWP that inspires like minded people.
Bacchae, I enjoyed, as always, your subtext reviews of season one Xena eps. "Callisto" certainly has some truly tender and touching Xena/Gabrielle moments to rival any of the very best such moments--and I agree that this episode introduced one of the series' greatest villain characters to the show, and also agree about the S/M touches to the Xena/Callisto relationship--there always was an enjoyably kinky undertone to all of Xena and Callisto's encounters.
Thank you, by the way, for including my fanfic review of Katelin's "Best Friend" story--it really is a favorite of mine. And on behalf of my soulmate, The Countess She Fluffster, thank you for publishing her wonderful Xena poems--I'm sure she will be thrilled when I show her the issue.
Anyway, a worthy and inspiring issue from all involved. Blessings of Aphrodite to you and all your readers.
Brian (fluffsterbrian@yahoo.com)
If you have any comments, suggestions for content, or articles to submit to this Xine, then please contact Lady Adrell at exine@exine.tvheaven.com (We are accepting submissions for featured articles. Send to above address.)
===========================================
9) PRIVACY/NO SPAM POLICY! NO SPAMMING OR LIST SHARING! You can rest assured that your subscription email address will be kept in the strictest confidence. We do not divulge, nor make available to any third party, our subscription list. Your privacy is paramount to us! Therefore, it receives the respect it deserves! ===========================================
10) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information If this Xine was forwarded to you and you would like to receive your own free weekly copy; you can subscribe at http://exine.tvheaven.com or send a blank email to: xenaexine@listbot.com PLEASE NOTE: You are receiving The Xena E-Xine because you subscribed at http://exine.tvheaven.com, or you requested to be added to our subscriber list. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to xenaexine-unsubscribe@listbot.com
===========================================
11) Credits
The Xena E-Xine Staff: Chief Editor/Head
Reporter/Writer: Lady Adrell
Editor/Head Writer: Bacchae2
Assistant Editor/Research: Sue, Cindy
FanFic Critic: Staff
Website Analyst: Staff
Episode Guides: Bacchae2
===========================================
12) Archives
To read previous articles, please go to http://exine.tvheaven.com/archive.html
===========================================
DISCLAIMER
None of the bard's precious scrolls were lost, folded, spindled, made into kites, used as toilet paper or otherwise mutilated in the production of this xine.
===========================================
You have permission to forward this to other people, and by all means, please do. The contents of this E-Xine may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author's name and contact information are included, unless where otherwise stated. Example: Reproduced with permission from Lady Adrell or said author. All contents Copyright © 2001 The Xena E-Xine, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
========================================
THANKS FOR READING!
========================================
To unsubscribe, write to xenaexine
|