Friends in Fandom
As a direct result of writing TPDoEQ and becoming part of the LXG fandom, I've met and become friends with all kinds of interesting people from around the world. These are my extraordinary friends; say hi!
The League of Extraordinary Minions
What's a minion, you may well ask, in term of fan fiction? Basically, what this means is that these people run around telling other people to read the Private Diary series. I named them the LXM because, as far as I'm concerned, they are pretty darned extraordinary!
The Grande Dame of Minions, as I call her, is my dear friend Teri. Teri is my beta reader, research assistant, and all-around good egg who helps me out of jams. She offers wonderful (sometimes evil) suggestions for the plots, helps me consider character motivation, and reads every single chapter of the series before I post it. Nothing gets released for public viewing until Teri has okayed it! She's a reigning queen mother in another fandom and has plenty of experience with this kind of thing, so I know I can always trust her judgement. She's the best!
The Un-Minion is my best friend (and "twin"), Jessica. She also reads the story before it's posted, and has a good eye for telling me when something isn't quite right. Our brains overlap, so it makes perfect sense to me that the people who live in my brain have guest houses in hers. She, too, is the best.
Minion #1 is Kathleen. She calls me the "Cassie Claire of LXG." (Cassie Claire is a well-known fanfiction writer in the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fandoms.) She's also the one who likened the growing bond between Skinner and Elizabeth to that of Ron and Hermione in Harry Potter, and thus dubbed it "the Good Ship of LXG." I am no end amused that someone else is almost as obsessed with my story as I am, and I'm grateful for her enthusiasm and her help. :)
Minion #2 is Siobhan. She draws the pretty pictures you see under "Art by Stargazer." She also nagged a friend of hers for an entire week until the friend caved and read the stories. She's a doll.
Minion #3 goes by Mazikeen. We've never met, but I had to add her to the list after she left the following review on the last chapter of volume three:
Lady Norbert, please count me into your league (har har) of minions for that was one of the most beautiful scenes I ever had the pleasure of reading. Hats off to your characterization skills and timing!
How could any writer -- of fan fiction or anything else -- fail to be moved by such a review? Minion status granted.
Minion #4 is The Lady Thief, who has been flattering me for ages and finally, in a comment on the start of volume V, requested to be a minion. Of course, I was only too glad to admit her. Would have done it sooner if I'd known she wanted the title!
If you're wondering how to become a minion, I cover that in the FAQ.
The LXG Kids
That's my private nickname for the other players at the LXG role-playing game. They're a wonderful bunch of bright, talented, creative people, and we have a lot of fun together. (The final chapter of Volume IV is dedicated to them.) Many of them also write fiction and maintain expansive websites, so please do check out their work.
- Clez -- founder of the board and co-leader of the League, who plays Tom, Mycroft Holmes, and Sebastian Collins, a psychic healer.
- Sethoz -- co-leader of the League, who plays Mina and the foundling child Kitten.
- Raven -- plays Skinner.
- Lyn -- plays Dorian Gray and Andrew Carlisle, who can communicate with animals.
- Ana -- plays Aineen McIlroy, blade master and former assassin.
- Dru -- plays Drusilla Mason, werewolf.
- Sam -- plays Gabriel Monroe, shape-shifter.
- Rob -- plays Julian Agropos, lycanthrope.
- Tatsu -- plays Yumiko Sakai, an Asian swordswoman, and her daughter Noriko.
- "Q" -- plays Sidney Sawyer, New York Times reporter and half-brother of Tom.
- Jess -- plays Dr. Jekyll and Adriana Ramirez Covas, a supernatural bounty hunter.
- Ten -- plays Lenore Allen, avian expert.
- Phoenix -- plays Maxwell Darvin, a pyrokinetic.
(For the record, I play Captain Nemo and -- would you believe it? -- Elizabeth Quatermain.)
Other Crazy People
Apart from the minions and "the kids," I've met and befriended a number of other LXG fan writers. These include, but are by no means limited, to:
- Bamfwriter -- author of one of the funniest parodies, "Just the Best Mary Sue Ever!"
- Crystal Nox -- writer of crazy and fun song fics
- Dark Mark -- a professional writer who loves to play with new ideas
- Settiai -- owner of the League of Extraordinary Fanfiction
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