Faction icons XXXVI
In my post about the story, "Unattainable", I mentioned that I'd been trying a little "couple factioneering" on FORKNI-L. Indeed, I posted a Challenge-and, according to the traditional rules for Forever Knight challenges, this means that I had to come up with an example of my own. Given the story, this simply had to be a Janette/Schanke faction called the Unattainables. For which (of course!), I have made an icon.
As you can see, I tried to pick a pair of screen captures that would be appropriate to the characters. The faction symbol combines Janette's raven with a doughnut for "Donut Don". I had to tweak the raven a little so that it had an open beak to grasp the doughnut; but I think the result is in keeping with the spirit of the faction.
(Alas, no one seems to have taken up my challenge. Ah, well.)
Mind you, my notion of a round of couple factioneering was not inspired by the Unattainables, who would probably never have been named had my eye not been caught by a plot bunny. Rather, a few weeks earlier, I had discovered an old thread on FORKNI-L about creating a slash faction for Nick/Schanke.
That a gen faction for the two of them had never been created had always struck me as a pity. Not surprising, though: I have come to realize that the traditional couple factions tend to interpret their pairings romantically, even when they nominally deal with all aspects of the relationship between the two parties. However, there are certainly many stories that would be easier to describe if there were a quick shorthand faction name for "Nick & Schanke buddycop fic". So, when Brenda suggested the "PotM", it was one of the first new factions for which I made an icon (which you can see here).
However, it didn't occur to me that anyone would see a need for a Nick/Schanke slash faction. Then, I discovered a fascinating series of posts to FORKNI-L that started on 5 August 2002.
On 5 Aug 2002, ~Sierra wrote,I was at the jadfe site earlier this week and i was looking at the categories and thinking there was fiction for just about every pairing --then i realized there wasn't a nick/schanke one. I talked to someone offlist about it and she was like she noticed that too, and we discussed that it is an odd idea to have them together--but has no one wrote a story like that? I was also thinking that it'd make an interesting challenge --to write more nick/schanke slash fiction stories.
Emily Hanson promptly pointed out,Er...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Schanke married to Myra with a daughter? He'd be cheating on his wife, and I don't think that's in character for Schanke.
But Knightraven countered:hmm I dont think he would be the first man nearing middle age to become bi-curious. But i guess the question is would his and Nick's relationship be emotional enough to warrent a physical relationship? I'm not so sure it would....however if it were developed within a fic I could see Schanke meandering slightly away from his wife. But would he think it were cheating? If it were with another woman, definately. And yes technically it is cheating, but would he think so?
I think i can imagine him having a non-emotional romp with Lacroix (the whole 'come to the darkside' ploy by LC) more than Nick, who i think would be too emotionally close to as a platonic friend, but not close enough for a relationship.
Brenda then added:I remember some time ago reading a "missing scenes" story that put that sort of spin on Schanke's time at Nick's place in PotM. I don't recall the name or author, though...
And Libratsie added: If someone wanted to pair Nick and Schanke, it COULD be done and even realistically. One of my gay male friends tells me a lot of married men do occasionally stray (however, even he stresses that is NOT "most" by any men).
McLisa then told people:Nigel told a con that a scene was actually shot for PotM in which LaCroix drops in while Schanke is staying with Nick. LC pretends to think that N & S are now a couple.
Oh, how I wish we could get hold of it!
Of course, no one at that point had suggested any names. That was left to Portia Eins, who said, two days later, "Okay, don't be mad, but I'm thinking...we've got the Unnamed, the Unsuited, and I can't help but think (on my part) that this would be the Unspeakable Faction! LOL"
So here is the icon for the Unspeakables:
Unspeakables:
The icon is dominated by the huge heart-shaped sugar-sprinkled doughnut. No, I didn't make it: I found it on-line. (I think the original was a Valentine's special.) This serves primarily as a symbol for Schanke, though the heart shape applies to both of them.
The logo has been done in a font called Merkin Goo. Full size, it has a gleam that suggests tubing filled with red, red blood. Hence the drop of blood: symbolizing Nick, of course.
The two men gaze into each other's eyes. (Check.) But Schanke looks more than a bit embarrassed. (Highly believable.) We can't see Nick's face, because he's turned away-but I bet his expression would be priceless!
As you can see, I tried to pick a pair of screen captures that would be appropriate to the characters. The faction symbol combines Janette's raven with a doughnut for "Donut Don". I had to tweak the raven a little so that it had an open beak to grasp the doughnut; but I think the result is in keeping with the spirit of the faction.
(Alas, no one seems to have taken up my challenge. Ah, well.)
Mind you, my notion of a round of couple factioneering was not inspired by the Unattainables, who would probably never have been named had my eye not been caught by a plot bunny. Rather, a few weeks earlier, I had discovered an old thread on FORKNI-L about creating a slash faction for Nick/Schanke.
That a gen faction for the two of them had never been created had always struck me as a pity. Not surprising, though: I have come to realize that the traditional couple factions tend to interpret their pairings romantically, even when they nominally deal with all aspects of the relationship between the two parties. However, there are certainly many stories that would be easier to describe if there were a quick shorthand faction name for "Nick & Schanke buddycop fic". So, when Brenda suggested the "PotM", it was one of the first new factions for which I made an icon (which you can see here).
However, it didn't occur to me that anyone would see a need for a Nick/Schanke slash faction. Then, I discovered a fascinating series of posts to FORKNI-L that started on 5 August 2002.
On 5 Aug 2002, ~Sierra wrote,I was at the jadfe site earlier this week and i was looking at the categories and thinking there was fiction for just about every pairing --then i realized there wasn't a nick/schanke one. I talked to someone offlist about it and she was like she noticed that too, and we discussed that it is an odd idea to have them together--but has no one wrote a story like that? I was also thinking that it'd make an interesting challenge --to write more nick/schanke slash fiction stories.
Emily Hanson promptly pointed out,Er...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Schanke married to Myra with a daughter? He'd be cheating on his wife, and I don't think that's in character for Schanke.
But Knightraven countered:hmm I dont think he would be the first man nearing middle age to become bi-curious. But i guess the question is would his and Nick's relationship be emotional enough to warrent a physical relationship? I'm not so sure it would....however if it were developed within a fic I could see Schanke meandering slightly away from his wife. But would he think it were cheating? If it were with another woman, definately. And yes technically it is cheating, but would he think so?
I think i can imagine him having a non-emotional romp with Lacroix (the whole 'come to the darkside' ploy by LC) more than Nick, who i think would be too emotionally close to as a platonic friend, but not close enough for a relationship.
Brenda then added:I remember some time ago reading a "missing scenes" story that put that sort of spin on Schanke's time at Nick's place in PotM. I don't recall the name or author, though...
And Libratsie added: If someone wanted to pair Nick and Schanke, it COULD be done and even realistically. One of my gay male friends tells me a lot of married men do occasionally stray (however, even he stresses that is NOT "most" by any men).
McLisa then told people:Nigel told a con that a scene was actually shot for PotM in which LaCroix drops in while Schanke is staying with Nick. LC pretends to think that N & S are now a couple.
Oh, how I wish we could get hold of it!
Of course, no one at that point had suggested any names. That was left to Portia Eins, who said, two days later, "Okay, don't be mad, but I'm thinking...we've got the Unnamed, the Unsuited, and I can't help but think (on my part) that this would be the Unspeakable Faction! LOL"
So here is the icon for the Unspeakables:
Unspeakables:
The icon is dominated by the huge heart-shaped sugar-sprinkled doughnut. No, I didn't make it: I found it on-line. (I think the original was a Valentine's special.) This serves primarily as a symbol for Schanke, though the heart shape applies to both of them.
The logo has been done in a font called Merkin Goo. Full size, it has a gleam that suggests tubing filled with red, red blood. Hence the drop of blood: symbolizing Nick, of course.
The two men gaze into each other's eyes. (Check.) But Schanke looks more than a bit embarrassed. (Highly believable.) We can't see Nick's face, because he's turned away-but I bet his expression would be priceless!