With Flowers
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| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | With Flowers |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Ophelia Paradise |
| Date(s): | January 1997 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | het |
| Fandom: | Forever Knight |
| Language: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
With Flowers is a het Nick/Natalie 124-page Forever Knight anthology of fiction by Ophelia Paradise (Ophelia-5) and published by Susan M. Garrett.
The art is by Johnny Bago (which may be a pseud for Jean Kluge).
This zine premiered at the Bridging the Knight convention in January 1997.
The stories were also later archived by the author on her website, Ophelia5's Page.
Summary
From the publisher:
An odd and erotic accounting of the romance between a coroner and a vampire homicide detective. A series of five stories initially posted to the JADFE Forever Knight internet erotica list that chronicle the pursuit of a physical relationship between Natalie Lambert, Toronto Coroner, and Nick Knight, vampire detective.
Fictional and Irreverent Bios
Ophelia Paradise
Ophelia-5 makes her home in Paris, where she has kept a secluded Left Bank salon since the end of the Great War. Said by some to be the child of Harry Houdini and Mata Hari, by others a Hungarian orphan purchased from a sweatshop for a few centimes by a wealthy benefactor whose identity to this day remains unknown, Ophelia has had a suitably varied and veiled career. She has written slim volumes of poetry that Gertrude Stein called “fragrant, almost poisonous in their intensity, seeped in an erotic musk that—oh, sorry, gotta go, Pablo’s here to paint my picture.” Her career as a chanteuse and exotic dancer made her the toast of Paris for much of the 1930s, a legendary performer rivaled only by Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker. She does not talk of her time as a prisoner of the Reich during the Second World War, but her quiet acceptance of the Legion d’Honneur, an accolade reserved only for the likes of Charles de Gaulle and Jerry Lewis, speaks volumes. Since the war she has spent her time writing, doing anonymous charity work, and raising her half-dozen illegitimate, brilliant children. She does not avoid the glare of the spotlight that cannot help but shine upon one such as she, but neither does she court it; she merely lives, as she always has, creating art and, more crucially, living art.
Johnny Bago
Sadly, Johnny Bago shortly after completing the illustrations for Ophelia’s story cycle. He had been field-testing a mixed drink, the now-legendary Flaming Mountie, while reading the “Plaid Pages” version of Last Knight and the mixture of comedy, alcohol, and (someone’s) prescription drugs he happened to be taking at the time proved lethal. This came as no surprise to any of his many friends, acquaintances, admirers, and substance suppliers, and proved a happy accident for owners of his artwork, which has since skyrocketed in value. Undiscovered works of the unusually prolific and prescient artist continue to surface, and have proven to be an excellent investment, um, fine addition to the rapidly-growing media-art movement adding to the increasing legitimacy of a once derided field. Johnny’s final words, as he lay choking on his own vomit, perhaps say it best: I only wish I was taking that Kluge bitch with me.
Contents
- Physical Therapy ("The adventure begins with chains, cuffs, and one very determined coroner.") (written in December 1995) (2)
- What Love Endures ("Only LaCroix stands between Nick and Natalie's happiness.") (written in January 1996) (20)
- Taking Care ("Courage is key as Natalie becomes determined to heal their relationship.") (written in March 1996) (60)
- Lead Us Not Into Temptation ("Nick is tempted to stray.") (written in October 1996) (80)
- To Err Is Human ("Can this relationship be saved?") (written in December 1996) (96)
Sample Interior
Reactions and Reviews
The zine has a distinctive layout and look. From an eBay seller: "... reduced type, printed landscape-orientation. Very, very, *very* pretty... Front cover is printed on a lovely handmade Japanese-ish paper with colored flecks in it."