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in: Fan Factions, Terms

Factions

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This is the main article about factions. See the Factions Category for an alphabetical list of all the known factions related to the show.

The term Faction or Affiliation is used among Forever Knight fans to refer to an unofficial group of fans who favour a character, a relationship between characters, or a cause related to the series. The term "faction" refers only to subdivisions within the show's fandom and does not relate to televised information in the show per se.

During one point in the history of FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU, the listowner felt that the factions were so combative as to be disruptive, leading to a two-week ban of faction listings from members' signatures. As a general rule, though, the function of FK Wars is—at least in part—to defuse this sort of tension before it can fracture the fandom by channelling it into mutual cooperation and creative rivalry.

Except when taking part in a war, fans may declare membership in as many factions as they like. Many fans on FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU like to list their affiliations in their "sig" (i.e., after their name, at the very end of the e-mails they send to the list).

History[]

The First Factions[]

When the FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU list was first beginning, it was very obvious that people had favorite Forever Knight characters; but, initially, nobody really did anything about it. Eventually, though, there was discussion of preferences on list; someone took an impromptu poll; and suggestions were bandied about for nicknames for the groups of fans. In particular, John Dencoff had a running gag on FORKNI-L that Lucien LaCroix fronted a lounge act called LaCroix and the LaCroixettes—the latter being his back-up singers and dancers. So sometimes the followers of Lucien LaCroix called themselves "LaCroixettes".[1] They also claimed to be a crafty and devious lot and tended to play pranks on other list members.

One list member who was a fan of Nick, Sharon Scott of Texas, once foolishly admitted to the list that she had a phobia about frogs. On learning this, two other list members who were fans of LaCroix[2] sent Sharon a gift of some chocolate frogs in the mail. Sharon replied that the two were so cruel that they must be related. They decided that they were cousins, and LaCroix had to be their uncle. Those members claiming affiliation as "cousins" then started referring to Lucien LaCroix as "Uncle"; and within short order the nickname for his followers had shifted from "LaCroixettes" to Cousins. Thus was born the first of the Forever Knight affiliations. The terms are now so pervasive that they are frequently used without explanation on most mailing lists related to the show.

The Cousins were followed by a faction for fans of Nick Knight, and then Don Schanke, Janette and her club, and Natalie Lambert. Initially, various names were proposed for each of the groups. Indeed, faction names were still in flux in January 1994 at the time of the first Forever Knight War (a fictional round-robin story writing session posted to the FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU). Fans independently wrote themselves into the story, and aligned themselves with their favoured characters using whichever affiliation name they personally preferred. By the time War One was over, five factions had been established, though some participants refused to pick a preference.

The second war was written that summer, by which time the names of the factions had been regularized as Cousins, Knighties, FoDs, Raven/ettes, and (newly renamed) NatPackers. In addition, some of the unaffiliated had formed their own group, the Die-Hards. Mailing loops had also been established for the factions, with the result that, during War Two, they were able to organize themselves behind the scenes. New factions were, however, already being proposed for such minor characters in the show as Nick's boss, Capt. Joe Stonetree; Natalie's lab assistant, Grace; and the vampire Alma at the Raven. In particular, the FoSsils (affiliated with Natalie's cat, Sydney) had several members among the pets of the participants, who wrote them their own story arc.

More Factions[]

Factions continued to be added as the series experienced cast changes and growth in the fandom.

By the second season of the show, with the model of the first six factions before them, fans started to create additional ones. More supporting characters (Nick's new boss, Captain Cohen; Schanke's wife, Myra; and Miklos, the bartender at the Raven) got their own affiliations; and the concept was extended to the creation of "couple factions" focusing on popular relationships between the major characters: Nick/Natalie, Nick/Janette, Nick/LaCroix, and, inspired by the episode, "Be My Valentine", Natalie/LaCroix. The Mercenaries evolved their role within the FK Wars, taking on "missions" for members of other factions. There was even a faction for a character from fan fiction, Dorian the Archivist (from a series of stories by Susan M. Garrett), and a faction for fans of Nick's car.

The change in cast for the third season of Forever Knight required the creation of yet more factions. Obviously, the new principal characters, Tracy and Vachon, had their fans; but the new supporting characters (Screed and Urs) and additional popular guest characters (Divia and the Inca) were also the focus of small, ardent affiliations. In some instances, there was much discussion as to the best name to pick; and proposed names continue to linger on lists of factions.

Ever More Factions[]

With so many factions already in existence, the impulse to create more became unstoppable. Certain principles may, however, be detected.

  • Ultimately, additional supporting characters and guest characters also had faction names proposed for them—in most instances, more in the spirit of completism than anything else, and sometimes tongue-in-cheek.
  • So-called "fraction factions" were spin-offs from well-established factions, begun by fans who felt their personal focus differed somewhat from that of the majority of members of the main group. Thus there are Dark Knighties, who feel it would be better if Nick accepted his vampirism rather than search for a cure; and there are Light Cousins, who recognize a better side to LaCroix. Other spin-off factions were formed within existing factions, serving as sub-groups with particular foci. Many fractions were large enough to take separate part in Forever Knight wars, at least while the fandom was at its height.
  • With the example of couple factions based on relationships that might be seen as more or less supported by canon, fans started to explore additional permutations. These, too, were given faction names. Although some of these pairings are supported by canon, most exist purely within the realm of fan fiction, and may involve characters who never met in canon. Quite a few are tongue-in-cheek proposals of the "least-likely-pairing" variety, typically appearing in humorous stories.

Although most factions (especially those that took part in the FK Wars) were based solely on a particular interest in one or more characters from the show, there were also groups of fans who formed loops and lists with other foci; and these also tend to be referred to as "factions", if only by courtesy. These factions tended to take little part in the Forever Knight Wars.

  • There were several collectives of Forever Knight fan writers. Some of these did take part in one or more of the wars.
  • Support groups allowed Forever Knight fans to discuss personal issues, such as the Rainbow Knights for GLBT members, and the Knights in Darkness for fans with mental illness.
  • Other groups formed on religious grounds so that they might discuss the show and their beliefs in a comfortable environment.
  • There were also fans who liked to discuss their hobbies, often from a Forever Knight perpective.

Although factions could be taken quite seriously by Forever Knight fans, the concept of the faction became so far extended—and the number of factions of one sort or another became so large—that naming new factions sometimes became treated as a joke. There are a number of factions of a humorous nature, including writing collectives for humorous fiction and "least-likely" couple factions. Furthermore, many later proposals for character affiliations were never intended seriously, either because they have a preposterous basis, or because the fandom had so declined in size that new factions were no longer being created. Such factions never actually had members. Indeed, there are some "factions" that are purely jokes, such as the Oops! Faction, for people who goof when posting to FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU.

Reaction to Factions[]

For Dead of Winter Con 2 (3-5 February 1995), Susan M. Garrett and Calliope Monsoon provided the attendees with pins that had signature graphics for each of the factions, and these were proudly worn by members of the factions at the event. Laurie Salopek created a FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU t-shirt that had the first six factions on the back of the shirt, complete with checkboxes so that the wearer could mark the faction to which they belonged.

Many of the cast and crew of Forever Knight became aware of the existence of the factions, as they kept up with list traffic. At one of his convention appearances, Nigel Bennett listed most of the existing factions from the stage . . . and took note of the declared Cousins in the audience with approval. At one of the Weekend With Ger events, Geraint Wyn Davies proudly wore a Knighties pin and at another he requested a Cousins pin, explaining that Nick "was the original Cousin."

During her Forever Knight book tour in 1997, Susan M. Garrett was contacted by phone by a representative from the Sci-Fi Channel, who were trying to gather information on the fandom, and was specifically asked about the factions. Thus, when Geraint Wyn Davies hosted the first Forever Knight marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel and filmed scripted filler bits between the episodes, several of the factions were mentioned on air.

Primary vs Secondary Factions[]

It is a tenet of Forever Knight fandom that one may belong to as many factions as one chooses. All one needs to do is declare oneself a member. Having said that, though, there is one circumstance in which it is necessary for fans to choose among the various factions to which they may belong. During an FK War, one must declare one's allegiance to one (and only one) faction. Hence the existence of the "Die-Hards" as a nominal faction for those who refuse to choose a favourite character.

Fans who consistently choose to align with one faction during War will call this their primary faction or primary allegiance; and the other factions to which they belong will be referred to as their secondary factions. Fans who make such a choice only during War (and may choose differently for different Wars) will refer to their chosen faction as their primary faction "for the duration".

Some factions are consistently secondary in nature. In particular, the hobby-, religion-, and support-based factions are not really related to round-robin fan fiction, and do not participate in Wars. Members of such factions will typically have primary allegiances, and fight with those in times of War.

Factions[]

The Original Factions[]

Each of the following is one of the original six factions created slightly before and during the first fiction war noted above:

The Second Set of Factions[]

Character-Based[]

Relationship-Based[]

Other[]

Third Season Factions[]

The following are the names that became most popular:

Later Factions[]

"Fraction Factions"[]

Sub-Factions[]

Relationship-Based Factions[]

Groups[]

  • Dark Trinity - Fans of the relationship between Nick, LaCroix, and Janette
  • Unholy Alliance - Fans who see a relationship between Nick, Natalie, and Janette
  • Unholy Trinity - Fans who see a relationship between Nick, Natalie, and LaCroix

Pairs[]

  • CERK Perks - Fans who see a relationship between LaCroix and Tracy Vetter
  • Dark Hearts - Fans of the relationship between Vachon and Urs
  • Faithfuls - Fans of the relationship between LaCroix and Nick's sister, Fleur
  • Heartbreakers - Fans of the relationship between Nick Knight and Vachon (whether or not sexual in nature)
  • Les Miserables - Fans who see a relationship between Nick Knight and Urs
  • Lonely Hearts - Fans who see a relationship between Natalie Lambert and Vachon
  • Nothers - Fans who would like to see Natalie in a relationship with someone other than Nick.
  • Night Haven - Fans who see a sexual relationship between Nick Knight and Vachon
  • Night Shift or Knight Shift - Fans of the partnership of Nick Knight and Tracy Vetter
  • Rat Patrol - Fans who see a relationship between Tracy Vetter and Screed
  • Raven's Cellar - Fans who see a relationship between Tracy and Miklos
  • Roman Goddesses - Fans who see a relationship between LaCroix and Urs
  • Seducers or Immortal Seducers - Fans of the relationship between LaCroix and Janette
  • T & V Pack - Fans of the relationship between Tracy Vetter and Vachon
  • UnSuiteds - Fans who see a relationship between LaCroix and Schanke
  • Vachonettas - Fans who see a relationship between Janette and Vachon

Factions for Minor Characters[]

Factions with Bases outside Forever Knight[]

Support Groups[]

Hobby Groups[]

Groups with Religious Sympathies[]

Fan Writing Groups[]

Miscellaneous[]

  • Nevermores - fans who believe that Nick Knight didn't bring Janette back across at the end of "The Human Factor"
  • DracPack - devoted to the Forever Knight characters who were played by actors who also appeared in the short-lived television series Dracula: The Series.
  • Friends of Gillian - fans who "became" characters in the actual television series by having a namesake on the show
  • Les Enfants De Chevalier - fans under the age of twenty-one
  • Knights of Ravenblack City - fans who participate in the Ravenblack: A Dark Alleyway RPG

Factions and Fan Fiction[]

Some faction names have undergone semantic drift, so that they now refer at least as much to the object of the faction's devotion. This type of usage is particularly common with stories involving pairings and groups.

By extension, therefore, these particular faction names are also pairing names, comparable to "Spuffy" (Spike/Buffy) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom. If one refers to the "Immortal Beloveds", for example, one may mean the characters Nick and Janette (especially as they are seen to be romantically involved, whether in the past or present), and hence the pairing Nick/Janette, rather than referring to the faction of fans who are interested in such a relationship.

In this way, faction names may be employed to identify types of relationship-based fan fiction. Thus, one might speak of having read an "Immortal Beloveds" story, meaning simply that it involves the Nick/Janette pairing. This usage does not imply that the author necessarily identifies as a member of the Immortal Beloveds faction or has joined their e-mail list or Yahoo! Group. Nor is there any requirement that the story have been published on an Immortal Beloveds list or be archived on an Immortal Beloveds faction site—though, of course, it may have been.

Factions whose names are employed in this way include the following:

  • Dark Trinity - Nick/LaCroix/Janette
  • Immortal Beloveds - Nick/Janette
  • Immortal Seducers - LaCroix/Janette
  • Nanette - Natalie/Janette
  • Unholy Alliance - Nick/Natalie/Janette
  • Unholy Trinity - Nick/Natalie/LaCroix
  • UF (i.e. Unnamed Faction) - Nick/LaCroix
  • UnSuited- LaCroix/Schanke
  • Valentines - Natalie/LaCroix

External Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ This information comes from a post made by Lisa McDavid to FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU on 25 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Lisa McDavid remembers them as acting together in this, and thinks one was visiting the other at the time. (From a post made by Lisa to FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU on 25 March 2011.)
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