On FORKNI-L recently there has been some...shall we call it "factioneering"? (We need a name.) Lest anyone imagine this is a modern amusement, let me point you to Olden Tymes, when Forever Knight was bright and shiny and new.

The first few factions appeared semi-spontaneously, though their names did not. (Go and re-read War One some time. It's quite enlightening.) By the time of the second war, however, people seem to have been tossing around ideas for names of new affiliations for minor characters. That was the era of the Scorpions, the Graces, the Myras...some of which stuck, but none of which was ever exactly large. War Two also saw some factioneering.

It opens with a charming tale in which Nick discovers that Janette is fielding fans' letters declaring their affiliations. Some of the letters are described—or is it the characteristic flavour of their faction? (A NatPack letter, for example, smells of buttered popcorn and Ivory soap.) Among the day's delivery, though, is a letter from a fan declaring affiliation with Alma.

Alma?!!!

But Alma doesn't have a faction!

Yet there it is:

[Janette] reached down to pick up an envelope that had slipped from the desk--a pattern of pink hearts intertwined with a chain ran along one edge. Realizing it had caught Nicola's attention, she said, "Alma."

In a later story, the name of Alma's faction is slipped in: the AlmaDens. Mind you, no actual AlmaDen is listed as playing in War Two. Indeed, they don't appear on even the longest faction list. There never seem to have been any members. Was someone simply trying out a new, potential faction name to see if it drew interest? Was someone...factioneering?

Well, the AlmaDens deserve an icon!



Chains and pink hearts are obviously the order of the day. The shimmery background is cut from a small piece of a screen shot in the Raven. I used a lot of hot, hot pink (and a rather lipstickery kiss). And I picked a font called Fiorex Girls, which comes adorned with flourishes and hearts—though I replaced each of the latter with a delicately orientated clipart heart, matching the hearts-on-a-chain motif at the right.




The Women Scorned:

Some time later, Calliope decided to present FK fandom with The Women Scorned, a faction for Alexandra, the barmaid Nick amused himself by killing—or trying to kill—in the flashback to "Fatal Mistake". In fact, as we all know, she was found near to death by LaCroix, who brought her across; and she subsequently turned up in Toronto, stalking Nick, intent on avenging her own murder.

The Women Scorned actually did make it on a faction list. The old Affiliations FAQ—or, more accurately, the version on Mr. Happy's Forever Knight site, which is dated 15 May 1996—lists The Women Scorned. Indeed, that is where I got this information about it. According to the FAQ, this is the official faction for Alexandra. However, the FAQ also says, quite clearly, that the faction has no members!

We know very little about Alexandra, except for her opinion of Nick. For the Women Scorned, therefore, I decided on a very simple design, setting the screen capture against a picturesque lightning strike. At this size you can't see it, but the logo has a few jagged edges of its own.




Andreivitchs:

We have hearts_blood to thank for our third example of factioneering. Along with affiliations for a number of characters and pairings from her own stories, she also created the Andreivitchs—an affiliation for Nick's nephew, André. This name has also made a few of the longer faction lists, though it was suggested purely for her own enjoyment.

For this icon I had input from the factioneer herself, who suggested a white rose bud. White for André's mother, of course; but a mere bud, because he's her boy, and rather young at that.

To complete the design, I crossed the rosebud with Nick's sword.