~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Light Cousin FAQ Last updated March 20, 1998 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Index: 1. What are the Light Cousins? 2. What makes you different from "true" Cousins? 3. Where does "redemption" figure in? 4. Wouldn't that weaken Lacroix? 5. Do the Light Cousins have anything to do with "LC Lite"? 6. What episodes accord with Light Cousinly views? 7. How did the Light Cousins start? 8. What is the symbol of the Light Cousins? 9. What are all the affiliations related to Lacroix? 10. What is the Light Cousin List? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. What are the Light Cousins? Light Cousins are one of the character affiliations on the FORKNI-L _Forever Knight_ mailing list. Cousins are the followers of Lucien Lacroix (Nigel Bennett), the two-thousand year old vampire master of Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies). Light Cousins are a "fraction" faction, separate from "true" Cousins, and many Light Cousins consider a different faction their primary affiliation. 2. What makes you different from "true" Cousins? Like Cousins, we admire Lacroix's conviction, strength, knowledge, eloquence, persistence and style. Unlike them, however, we condemn the evil he has surely done. Light Cousins have a derivation similar to Dark Knighties, in that both affiliations wish their "leader" to embrace a side of himself he usually suppresses. Where they wish Nick to embrace his vampirism, we wish Lacroix to embrace his humanity. When Lacroix chooses to indulge it, his human side is profoundly compelling. We wish him to acknowledge the evil he has done, and reject it. We wish him to learn from Nick's quest, if not necessarily adopt it. In short, we want to redeem Lacroix. Nick would be a Light Cousin. Lacroix would be a Dark Knightie. 3. Where does "redemption" figure in? "Redemption" is a loaded term for many people, and we do not mean to promote a particular religious view (though of course we all have our own). We believe that Lacroix has done great evil in the past, and that he has a great capacity for good -- for he has, indeed, also done good in the past. We believe that he should recognize and reject the evil he has done, and choose to do good in the future. This is what is meant by "redeeming Lacroix." 4. Wouldn't that weaken Lacroix? We do not think so. No one wants to turn Lacroix into Nick. No one could. If Lacroix decided that killing was wrong, he would simply stop killing. Unlike Nick, he would not torture himself over actions that predate the decision defining them. A Lacroix who chooses to do good would do so with subtlety, style and sardonic humor -- or he wouldn't be Lacroix. In addition, it is important to recognize that the struggle between Lacroix and Nick is part of the central structure of Forever Knight. A hero is only as great as his greatest foe; Nick would be little without Lacroix to oppose him. Dramatically and artistically, it would never do to have Lacroix completely redeemed. It is the process and the goal which attract us, and we are content to celebrate Lacroix's human side as we know it. 5. Do the Light Cousins have anything to do with "LC Lite"? The term "LC Lite" refers to the Lacroix of early third-season. "LC Lite" redecorated the Raven in the worst possible taste, prowled after mortal bimbos, and voluntarily announced a "strip" with the notorious line about showing "their inner selves by getting naked!" Light Cousins have nothing whatsoever to do with that strange, strange man. Our Lacroix is eloquent, dignified and powerful. We are "Light," *not* "Lite"! There have been many attempts to explain LC Lite. Nigel Bennett once posted that he believed that Janette's departure affected Lacroix deeply, and that LC Lite's behavior was a reaction against this. Many others have posited that his softened demeanor is a deliberate ploy to lure Nick back to his side; still others believe it has to do with a budding relationship with Urs. No matter what the explanation, LC Lite was an aberration. Similarly, we have no connection with the affiliation "Nunkies Anonymous," though some of our members belong to both. Light Cousins enjoy Lacroix's buried human side; we do not deny the side that is a monster. 6. What episodes accord with Light Cousinly views? In many ways, "Ashes to Ashes" is the ultimate Light Cousin episode. Lacroix recognizes the evil in Divia, and rejects it. He recognizes the evil in himself, and despises it. He reaches out to Nick as we have never seen before, and acknowledges the "resurgent goodness" of Nick's quest. Finally, in the grip of a grief that cannot be spoken, he says that he might even say a prayer. This is the character we celebrate; this is the Lacroix of the Light. "Be My Valentine" was the standard of the Light Cousins before AtA aired. In BMV, Nick's mortal sister Fleur awakens a humanity Lacroix thought long since dead and buried. Not only does he come to love Fleur with his "cold, still heart," he comes to love her enough to give her up -- to leave her to her mortal life and soul. This is the side of himself we wish Lacroix to embrace. A scene from the "A More Permanent Hell" script would have been profound, if it had made the canon. In the midst of the frenzy awaiting the end of the world, Lacroix was to have walked into a church, looked up at the cross, and demanded, "Why?" The remaining scenes are also powerful, however. In AMPH, Lacroix admits not only the utter dependency of vampires on mortals -- for their culture, their art, their laughter, as well as their blood -- but also the existence of "a power greater than" he, asking, "But what kind of God is it, that can create such perversity?" And in the end, he damns Divia, for damning him to eternity. Those three episodes display most prominently the side of Lacroix we enjoy. But there is also much to be said for his passionate concern for the Community in "Fever," his acknowledgment of both his own evil and Nick's goodness in "Sons of Belial," his "wave of altruism" in "Night in Question," his rescue of Janette in "A Fate Worse Than Death," his response to Nick's cry for justice in "Can't Run, Can't Hide," and even his motives and behavior in "Last Knight." 7. How did the Light Cousins start? The true Cousins, of course, began once upon a time when two FORKNI-L listmembers sent a box of frog-related toy-items to a Nick-oriented fan who had an absolute phobia of frogs. She commented that they were so evil they must be related to Lacroix, and from that moment sprang all the factions, with the followers of Lacroix calling themselves "Cousins" and him "Uncle." Scotty the frog-fearing became the first Knightie. Years later, the first pre-third-season episodes Knightie Amy Rambow got to see were chosen by Cousin Lisa Prince. Responding specifically to the powerful scene in "The Fix" where Lacroix steps into the sun in order to stress his bond with Nick, Amy asked on FORKNI-L if there was room for a Light Cousin among all the many affiliations. Jamie Melody Randell, assistant listowner at the time, responded affirmatively, and Idalia Kakesako's enthusiasm for the idea quickly turned a lonely statement into a viable (if small) affiliation, whose current membership tops twenty, including Amy, Idalia, Paula, Carla, Jenn, Arletta, Nancy, Annette, Gaelin, Heidi, Stormynite, and Brandi. 8. What is the symbol of the Light Cousins? The symbol of the "true" Cousins is a black Cross of Lorraine on a white background ("cross," of course, for "la croix"). The Light Cousins have an altered version of this symbol, thanks to Cousin Lisa McDavid's original inspiration, and Ravenette Susan Garrett's elegant refinement of it. The Light Cousins have a white, equilateral cross on a black background, with wavy white lines radiating out from the cross, as if from the sun. It symbolizes our emphasis on turning Lacroix to the light. 9. What are all the affiliations related to Lacroix? Primary: Cousins (Lacroix), Light Cousins (redeeming Lacroix), Nunkies Anonymous (Lacroix addiction). Couples: Faithfuls (Lacroix/Fleur), Valentines (Lacroix/Natalie), Seducers (Lacroix/Janette), the Unnamed Faction (Lacroix/Nick). Relationships: Unsuiteds (Lacroix-Schanke), Cousins of the Knight (Lacroix-Nick), Dark Trinity (Lacroix-Janette-Nick), Unholy Alliance (Lacroix-Natalie-Nick). 10. What is the Light Cousin List? The Light Cousin affiliation maintains a low-traffic email list for discussion of relevant topics. The list has two rules: first, that fiction be posted to the appropriate fiction list, and second, that discussion of the FK novels -- or other, future, new FK -- be properly labeled with the word "SPOILER" both in the subject line and in the first line of the post. Posts to the LCL should also be labeled "LCL:" in the subject line for convenience in sorting. Be a Light Cousin! You get to admire Uncle AND condemn him! :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments to: Keeper of the Light Cousin FAQ: The Light Cousins