Disciples of Divia
| Forever Knight Faction | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Disciples of Divia |
| Abbreviation: | DoD |
| Date(s): | ? 1999-2000 |
| Leaders: | defunct |
| Founder: | Carl Nicastro |
| Type: | fan club |
| Focus: | Divia, Kathryn Long (actress who played Divia) |
| Wars: | |
| Community: | |
| URL: | Disciples of Divia: The Kathryn Long Appreciation Society (archived) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
[1]The Disciples of Divia (or DoD) was a fan club for Kathryn Long, the young actress who played the recurring guest role of Divia in the Forever Knight episodes "A More Permanent Hell" and "Ashes to Ashes". The fan club was recognized by Long, who corresponded with the fan club president, Carl Nicastro, who posted the letters on the club's website.
The Disciples of Divia appears to have been designed to imitate the Dark Perkulators, a popular Forever Knight faction affiliated with the character Tracy Vetter.[2] The DoD were therefore provided with a fictional Gothic-styled headquarters inhabited by weird characters. Divia was referred to as a "princess", and lauded extravagantly, while ruder acronyms were created for other characters in the show.
The DoD as a Faction
On the more complete lists of faction names, both the names "Disciples of Divia" and "Diviants" appear as names for fans of Divia, with little or no distinction being made between the two groups. However, on shorter lists, the more usual name for Divia's faction is Diviants; and, by 2010, this was used almost exclusively.[3]
Nicastro headed the DoD website's FAQ page with the following statement:
DoD is the official online (and snail mail) fan faction for Divia, teen vampiress/Goth Punk Princess of FOREVER KNIGHT. We do not intend to replace the "Diviants," we merely wish to conqueor (sic) all fandom in Divia's name!"[4]
Nicastro's statement suggests that the Diviants came first, and had—like the other factions—been created spontaneously by the fans. His assertion that the DoD was the "official" faction for Divia is, in fact, at odds with the fan-based origin for factions.[5]
Website
Characteristics
The following information can be gleaned from the FAQ page on the DoD website.
Headquarters
The official (fictional) headquarters of the Disciples of Divia was "the Temple", which was "living quarters as well as house of worship".
Therein you might run into Cromwell, our creepy butler who resembles "Riff-Raff" of ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW; Winston, Divia's telepathic Basset Hound, a pooch with an attitude to match her own; and Xavier, a spirit-dragon who sounds a lot like Sean Connery! The Princess herself is liable to drop by for spot inspections and midnight services (so break out the Diet Pepsi and Vanilla Creme Pop Tarts!). - FAQ Page[6]
"Sub-Cults"
There are two types of DoD member (referred to as "sub-cults"). People in The Order of the Scythe believe that Divia should remain evil, while people in The Order of the Midnight Rose believe she should seek peace and redemption, though not a cure.[7]
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations are described as "Divia-speak":
- ATD = All Things Divia
- KBATN = Kickin' Butt and Takin' Names (what she does best!)
- BSBS = Back Stabbing Boy Scout (Nick Knight)
- PD = Princess Divia
- GP = Grand Pontifax (DoD Movement's founder)
- eDoDg = Evil Disciples of Divia grin
Faction Icon
In 2012, Greer Watson created an icon for the Disciples of Divia as part of her project to create a set of icons for all the Forever Knight factions. In lieu of a faction symbol, the design composits a screen capture of Divia with a picture of the scythe used to kill her in "Ashes to Ashes".
References
- ^ This information is largely drawn from the article "Disciples of Divia" in the Forever Knight Wiki.
- ^ In the description of the DoD on their FAQ page, Nicastro makes comparisons with the Dark Perkulators, particularly when describing their headquarters.
- ^ For example, a belated player in War 13 claimed affiliation with the Diviants, not the Disciples of Divia.
- ^ This statement is made near the top of the FAQ page on the DoD website (archived copy accessed 3 August 2011).
- ^ Although many Forever Knight actors were aware of the existence of factions and responded positively, they did not treat them as their official fan clubs. A number of the actors do have such fan clubs, which are distinct organizations.
- ^ This statement comes from the FAQ page on the DoD website (archived copy accessed 3 August 2011).
- ^ This information comes from the FAQ page on the DoD website (archived copy accessed 3 August 2011).