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Map of the Northlands: Where to now?
| Lynx, err I mean Links | Every site needs a links page. Here's my list of favourite spots on the 'Net. |
| Join the Clan | This simple form will be used to build a membership list. Be proud, join Clan Northlander! |
| Contact The Northlands | Clan Northlander Needs You!! Your input is appreciated. |
| Sign Guestbook | Be polite, sign the Guestbook. It's the Canadian think to do. |
| View Guestbook | See who's been visiting the Northlands |
Looking for something in particular? Not sure what you want to read? Stop in at the Library, browse around, enjoy. As in the real world, you don't have to go to the library to read, but it helps.
| The Highlander Rant:
I Am Immortal |
This could be considered my first piece of HL fan fiction.
I feel this truly represents my feelings as a Canadian HL fan, while also
showing my sense of humour. For those who just don't get it, The original
Rant was a beer commercial that turned into a patriotic phenomenon. "Joe
Canadian" stands alone on a stage explaining what it truly means to be
Canadian, getting more and more enthusiastic, until the final shouted "I
AM Canadian!"
Late one night, I started thinking-- HL:TS was also Canadian, Fans are at least as proud of HL as Joe is of Canada, and Duncan's powerful line: "I am Immortal." The rest is history. |
| Mid Week Challenge #1:
Pros and Cons |
This first MWC asked Forumlanders to place one or more HL characters into the Real World. Bonus if there was a duel and/or the author as a character. If you're curious, I'm Debra and Savage is my boyfriend. "Wilkin" is just a guy my friends and I love to hate. |
| Mid Week Challenge #2:
Highlander Haikus |
This was an interesting challenge: Highlander Haikus (or "High-kus" if you prefer). The limit was supposed to be 2, but, like literary popcorn, I just couldn't stop. The pictures were added later. |
| Mid Week Challenge #3:
Pack Rat |
Another unique suggestion: what if Immortals had garage sales? For this one I gave Duncan a rest and concentrated on the one Immortal best skilled at "acquiring" things: Amanda. On a whim I also included the Forum's HonorH, a fellow Northerner and one who always seemed to enjoy my work. |
| Mid Week Challenge #4:
The Truth is Out There |
Ok, so I admit I'm getting things a bit out of order
here. This was one of the earlier MWCs I participated in. At the time I
was so excited I just typed it straight into to the posting form, so I
needed to find a copy of it before I could put it here.
The idea this time was Create a K'Immie, and villainy has never been more fun. As for my K'Immie, well, you gotta know anyone who's been smoking that long has something unusual about them. |
| Mid Week Challenge #5:
In the Name of Honour |
The rules were simple: any scene,
as long as it included one good Immie, one bad Immie and one Watcher. At
least one of the three must be based on a Forumlander, but not the
author.
I decided to have, not one, but two Forumers in my tale. As a tribute to Quink's Links (one of the most thorough and well built HL references on the 'Net) I created Quink, a skilled research Watcher with a perfect memory and a bit of a rebellious streak. HonourH again got a role, this time as Harrington-- and as the villain. Remembering her complaint of not getting Wolfe to herself last time, I decided to teach her a lesson. Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. |
| Mid Week Challenge #6:
A Night at the Movies |
With all the excitement on the
Forum over Endgame and the Trailer arriving at theatres, you had to know
this idea would come up eventually--Immortals go to the movies. Any Immortal,
any movie. The three required elements were a watch, a stuffed animal and
licorice.
I knew I could have fun with this and, besides, it gave me the perfect excuse for what I had been wanting to do for a while now, namely, write a story set in West Edmonton Mall. Enjoy, Northerners! |
| Mid Week Challenge #7:
Kinsmen |
After the excitement over the Trailer, the next big discussion point on the Forum seemed to revolve around Soundtracks and musical scores. What type of music would Endgame have? Would they still use Queen? Who would compose? No one could get any reliable information, so there was only one alternative. If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. Leah set out the Challenge: write the lyrics to a song for the new movie. |
| Mid Week Challenge #8:
Shadow of a Sword |
HL meets SF was this week's challenge. Write a story
where one or more HL characters either have a Close Encounter or otherwise
interact with any other SF continuity. Well never let it be said
that the Ghost Cat doesn't think big. That's right, I took on B5.
This story is not finished, look for the extended version, coming soon. |
| Mid Week Challenge #9:
Crimestoppers |
The Challenge-- write a Public Service Announcement featuring the characters of Highlander. Since it was becoming clear that we all had our favourites, she limited our choices to the 4 Horsemen, Xavier St. Cloud, Kalas, The Kurgan or Fitzkairn. |
| Mid Week Challenge #10:
Sparring Match |
Ok, ok, I have to make a confession on this one. I wanted to write this scene since the first time I saw the X-Men movie; so much so that I actually arranged the Mid-Week Challenge. That's right, I was the one who suggested to Leah that we have a "Fight Scenes we'd like to see" edition of the MWC. |
| Mid Week Challenge #11:
Aftermath |
Here it is, the first post-Endgame Mid Week Challenge. It also qualifies as the first time both the Challenge and all the responses needed a Spoilers warning. The Challenge is deceptively simple:Write a scene that takes place after the last scene of Endgame; a denouement, a hint of the next movie, whatever you wished. No limitations as to characters, locations, or ideas. It was our chance to make a great movie a little bit better. |
| Mid Week Challenge #12:
After the War |
It seemed so deceptively simple; a story on a beach, any scene, any characters. Then Leah brought out the real challenge— the story had to include at least three items from the following list: seaweed, ice cream, a letter, the scent of Jasmine, nail polish, a laptop computer, dog tags, toy blocks and prayer. When I saw a beach, dog tags and a letter, I immediately thought D-Day at Normandy beach. And since we already knew that Duncan spent WWII with the resistance, I decided to give Connor a little exercise. |
| Mid Week Challenge #13:
The Pen is Mightier |
Once again art imitates life and life inspires art. When
People Magazine(TM) pulled its Adrian Paul article, long promised by the
APFC, forumlanders were not impressed. To give us all another focus for
our thoughts, Leah suggested writing a magazine interview with an Immortal.
Inspired by AP's own responses in chats and interviews, as well as my father's experiences with the media as first a cop, then a politician, I crafted this prime example of why you should never trust a guy who calls himself a Journalist. |
| Mid Week Challenge #14:
Folk Forever |
Even the most prolific writer needs a break every once and a while, just to catch her breath and let the brain cells cool off. So when Leah put out a challenge for Immortals in your hometown, I pulled out a story I had written during Festival season that fit the bill perfectly. So take a break on the Hill and enjoy the music as I take you to the Edmonton FolkFest. |
| Mid Week Challenge #15:
Welcome to the Game |
You've just learned that you are Immortal: what do you do? A Challenge dream come true, and one I really enjoyed working on. Come meet the real me (OK, OK, more like the ideal me, but it's the closest you're going to get until I someday meet you all at a convention). I AM Immortal!! |
| Mid Week Challenge #16:
Red in Tooth and Claw |
Another dream Challenge: "Who wants to live fur-ever?" My choice for the animal most deserving to be Immortal: The mighty Tiger! This is the REAL Ghost Cat! |
| Mid Week Challenge #17:
Hallowed Eve |
Halloween!! A night when almost anything is possible,
and when a certain young Immortal decides to let her hair down. A party
on Holy Ground turns to a night from Hell.
This story is in the same continuum as Welcome to the Game. |
| Mid Week Challenge #18:
Exit Poll |
Election fever was all over the States and so it wasn't
surprising that the Challenge was to place Immortals in the middle of an
election somehow.
Being an outsider, I decided to have a little fun. What did you expect when you put together the Florida Recount, Joe's Bar, Methos and... the Watergate Scandal? |
| Remembrance | It seemed wrong for me to be writing a political story on the day when every Canadian pauses to remember the wars we fought and the soldiers who never came back. That's where this short scene came from: a solemn, thoughtful tale. Take a moment to reflect as you read this. Lest We Forget. |
| Mid Week Challenge #19:
The Craft |
It was December, and the MWC turned to the subject of
Christmas Shopping. Of course, with Leah in charge, it would never be that
simple. The story had to include certain unusual items: a moose,
terra cotta pottery and toe-socks. A couple of people needed to be told
what toe-socks are, but after that the game was on.
Guess what happens when Duncan, Amanda, Methos and Cassandra end up together during the pre-christmas rush in, of all places, a Craft Show? |
| Mid Week Challenge #20:
That Sinking Feeling |
Eventually we got off the Christmas theme with a Challenge
to answer a long-standing HL question. Actually, it was more of a tongue
in cheek teasing of whatever members of the HL continuity team kept messing
up. The Challenge was simply this: write a story or scene which explains
in some way why Duncan's barge in Paris seemed to have more than one name.
My response shows just how frustrating being the subject of a cult TV show
can be.
This is a backstory for the Felicia DuChamp continuity, which includes Welcome to the Game, Hallowed Eve and Remembrance. |
| Mid Week Challenge #21:
Lost Child |
The MWC can be many things: funny, silly, melancholy,
thought-provoking; but this one was a Challenge to stretch a writer's skill
to the limit. Far from being easy, Leah put out the ultimate challenge—
take the HL character you despise the most, and write a story about them.
No restrictions for subject or location, but the scene must take place
from
their point of view. Not only did we have to talk about our most hated
HLer, we had to get into their head too.
This meant I had to write about *cringe* Kenny. |
| Mid Week Challenge #22:
Holiday Spirit |
Well, it finally came, the official Christmas MWC. Of course, Highlander being a fairly melancholy universe, Leah included the proviso that the story include Loneliness on some level. Many of the responses to this one were real tear-jerkers, 2 tissue box stories at least. Mine, I'm glad to say, ended on a happier note. It does deal with the serious problem of trying to get into the Holiday Spirit when you predate the holiday by a few millenia. |
| Mid Week Challenge #23:
Under Stress |
This is actually one response to two MWC's. As a Canadian, I protested the idea of writing two stories in a row about cold weather. The first challenge was a story that involves Immortals and a snowstorm/blizzard. The second was how Immortals deal with cold weather. I asked Leah for permission to take a bit longer and submit one response for both. I believe that the following tale applies. It is also a cautionary tale about what happens when Cabin Fever meets the Immortal Buzz. |
| Mid Week Challenge #24:
Solistice Child |
Another fascinating Challenge (Leah, I love ya!): write a scene with an Immortal as an infant or a young child. Now, I try to be an equal opportunity writer, but everyone knows that Duncan is my favourite. So when faced with an Immortal Babe of a different kind, my obvious choice was the story of — a Solstice Child. |
| Mid Week Challenge #25:
Awareness |
This was the week that almost didn't have a Challenge at all, and for good reason. Our favourite archivist, Annie, had just come out of surgery, and Leah was in no position to be thinking up story suggestions. Can you blame her? By Friday though, La-La Lander had provided a suggestion; giving us what became jokingly known as the End of Week Challenge. A writer needs to be able to work with all senses, so the challenge was to do a scene describing what your favourite Immie sounds like. A lot of people posted something they quickly put together that same day, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I took my time. The results, I think, speak for themselves... |
| Mid Week Challenge #26:
Watching Amanda |
The Challenge: write a scene where a familiar Immortal is being observed by a new/unknown Watcher. My little quirk? The Watcher-in-training just happens to be my real life boyfriend. So I like getting him into trouble, so what? It's fun. |
| Mid Week Challeng #27:
Misery and Monster Sightings |
Once again, I suggestion that I gave to Leah becomes
a MWC. Not exactly in it's original form, but the same concept. Over the
Christmas holiday, I had a horrible cold/flu which kept me miserable for
weeks. During that time, I couldn't sleep very well, so I ended up listening
to late night talk radio a lot, specifically Coast to Coast am, which does
a lot of paranormal stuff. One night, the guest was talking about the Loch
Ness Monster, and I started thinking about whether
there had been any sightings among the MacLeod clan. It kept me amused. After my recovery, I sent Leah an idea for a Challenge: a story that involved illness, late night radio, and the Loch Ness monster. She changed it to an Immortal having an encounter with the supernatural. I wrote this one in the format of my original suggestion, just to prove it could be done. |
| Mid Week Challenge #28:
The Favour |
A Challenge about an Immortal winning a prize in another kind of game simply screamed "TV game show". Besides, I'd been wanting to write a Millionaire story for a long time now. The whole idea of the artificial tension: the lights, the music, the pounding heartbeat; Regis Philbin. The biggest problem was how to get an HLer on that stage in the first place. That's when a little Reality Bending is required. Our favourite eternal Boy Scout gets taken advantage of again in— The Favour. |
| Mid Week Challenge #29:
Valentine's Poetry |
It's Valentine's Day, and so the Challenge was to write love poetry. This was probably a world record for me, I posted my verse less than 24 hours after I heard about the challenge. There are 2 verses here, the first is tongue-in-cheek, Amanda to Duncan; the main poem "Thief of my Heart" is more serious, a gift from Duncan to Amanda. |
| Mid Week Challenge #30:
Growing Together/Growing Apart |
MWC #30, even I'm amazed ! The Challenge was a story set in a communal garden, so immediately thought "Cassandra." It was a friend of mine who decided to throw Methos into the mix. The time is the 1960's , and the garden has more than a few surprises in it. |
| Mid Week Challenge #31:
Unbreakable |
More and more, I notice that odd coincidences in relation to the Mid Week Challenges. In this case, I had just come back from a cheap Tuesday at the discount theatre, only to discover that the MWC for the week was about movies. The Challenge was to have 2 or more HL characters expressing opposite views on the same film. What a perfect situation, the movie was still fresh in my mind, and my first reaction was ambiguous enough that I could "play" both roles. |
| Mid Week Challenge #32:
Hot Item: Bid Now |
Here's another MWC based on one of my own suggestions: A deceptively simple question: where do the Watchers get all their money? After reading this one, you will never think of eBay in quite the same way again. |
| Mid Week Challenge #33:
Music Hath Charms |
Another one of my suggestions, a bit more difficult than the last : 2 (or more) HL characters, a jukebox, and NO dialogue. Communication by song lyrics. This hopeful little tale has Methos trying to apologize to Cassandra. |
| The Top Ten Lists | These are self-explanatory, if Dave Letterman can have them, so can I. Some have been posted on the Forum, some haven't. |
| Load Forever | Nothing can stop a punster once she has an idea in her head. Sometimes not even the punster herself. I promised myself--never Queen, NEVER. Well, you can see how long that lasted. Read it if you dare, but prepare to ROFL. |
| Project Elflander:
An Azerian Were-Cat in Paris |
Also known as the never-ending fanfic, this is my own
personal pet project. It's a fantasy crossover tale where my favourite
role-play character, Felicia, gets thrown into the Higlander universe.
In a way, it's a bit like Pros and Cons in reverse, but a lot more complicated.
Magic anyone?
I'll try to keep this one updated frequently, but since it's an almost permanent work in progress, I can't guarantee anything. |
| Our Noble Hero | Images of the one and only Duncan MacLeod |
| The Man Behind the Sword | Behind the scenes and presiding over Conventions, Adrian Paul. Actor, Dancer, Director, Martial Artist and so much more. |
| The Lovely Lady | Dear, darling Amanda, from which I took partial inspiration when creating my own Lady Thief, Felicia. |
| Mix and Match | I don't have a lot of frus of the rest of the gang, so I'll have to lump them all together here. Be patient with me, my collection is still growing. |
| Desktop Decorations | What good is a nice fru if you can't decorate your computer with it? My own attempts at wallpaper can't compare to what some Forumlanders can do, but I include them here anyway. I'm a writer, not an artist. |
