Last Update: 15 October 2002

Yes, you guessed it, it's the group FAQ!!!! (Fried Aardvark Quesadillas [wait a minute ... isn't it Fanatic About Q? {Actually, it's the Fuzzy Animal Quotient, but who's asking? -Will you three be quiet and let me get on with this?-}])

1 - What is BONC?

Good question. I'm glad you asked. (Sure you are. [Oh be still and let the woman ramble.]) BONC stands for Bev ON jean-luC. We're a private mailing list dedicated to just one thing: getting our favorite two Star Trek characters together in as many ways, shapes, forms and lifetimes as humanly possible. {Speciesist!}

1a. - Where did you guys get the name?

[This is known as a "plug question."] Actually, it's a nice story which I'm sure you'll enjoy. {Right. You just want to talk so that you don't have to finish that term paper, don't you?} Back in the long-ago year of 1992, the television stations in the DC area, in their infinite wisdom, decided to only show TNG once a week. This meant that all the Trekkers at Hood College (Where Missy happened to go at the time) descended on one tv on Saturday nights. This brought me into contact with one Amy de Kanter {You mean there are*more*? [AUGH!!!! -Will you *please* be still?-]} who would grow most perturbed whenever Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher appeared onscreen together. She would chant "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" until they cut to commercial. As I was just as interested in seeing such an event, we began to hang out together watching Trek. "Kiss! Kiss!" became "Bonk! Bonk!", especially during "Attached."

Cut to the Fall of 1995. I posted a little bit of nothing to the Patrick Stewart Estrogen Brigade about fixing TGBO (The Great Bald One) up with Doctor Beverly. Almost immediately, I received a response from someone by the name of Sandra {Whom she accidentally called "Susan" at one point, to which the offended replied "That's S-a-n-d-r-a."} asking whether I was interested in getting those two together. This started a lovely correspondence during which we decided that we definitely needed a group. Meanwhile, Amy had graduated and moved to DC, visiting only occasionally. One weekend, she brought the first chapter of a little story she called "The Cure." Within one posting [By Christine Faltz --- don't forget the names.] and two weeks, Amy had fan mail out the wazoo. One of these letters was written by someone at Brandeis {Ms. M's alma mater} named Jessica Levine, who also turned out to be interested in The Couple (Isn't that like saying the Vermin isn't a nice guy? - TAG). It was time to start a group, if only for the three of us. Sandra and I had tossed around names (The best still being alt.fan.rabid.gates.mcfadden) for months. Then Sandra suggested BONC. And that, children, is the story of chicken soup.

2 - So what do you do?

Anything we want, within reason. We seem to be split between being a writing group and a discussion group, and therefore do both. BONCers can write stories and post them to the gang for approval/questions/comments/critiques. We also find stories, songs, poems, quotations, and the occasional picture from various sources with BONCy themes and post them for everyone's enjoyment. We also do a great deal of discussion. We review episodes of TNG, "Marker", "Mad About You", and anything else we can get our hands on (like... -Don't even say it!-). We also talk about our lives and the little things that make them grand or sad. We laugh a lot and we share our troubles. We talk about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Dixon Hill and mail filters and scooters and we have fun doing it.

3 - Where can I get my hands on some of these stories?

A good place to start is the P/C Story Index.

Barring that, you can usually ask the author for a copy. Also, a large number of the stories are available through the alt.startrek.creative (http://archive.nu/) and alt.startrek.creative.erotica archive site (http://archive.nu/adult.html). Just one thing: kindly do not post a long list of "I wants" to the group. Write to each author and ask her/him. Most of us would talk about and pass around our own stories till the Cardassians came home. :)

3a. - Are there any rules about the stories?

Just common sense ones. Any stories can be posted, but we'd especially appreciate any featuring You Know Who. However, all other stories will be just as welcome. The only rule I'd say we have about story content is that if there's explicit material, warn us! [We'll want to read them when we're alone. *grin* (What? You're not going to mention how a Jesuit priest once walked into Sandra's office while she was reading...) No I'm not.] Also, it never hurts to put a disclaimer stating that Paramount owns the stories lock, stock and plastic storage container {ever notice how those things always seem to fall at the worst possible times?}.

4 - Speaking of rules, what are the rules of behavior on the group?

Again, common sense (Okay, so they probably shouldn't be in the same sentence together, but hey!) rules the day. Here in the sandbox, there should be no kicking, biting, gouging, pulling of hair or bodily dismemberment (this is especially for the kids in BONC3). Translation: no flamewars on the group. If you disagree with someone, by all means tell her/him. However, be relatively diplomatic about it. If you can't say something nice, tell it to the person you have a problem with in private email. We've seen other groups have major catastrophes over minor misunderstandings. We don't want that to happen here, if possible.

Notice: friendly teasing is not only permitted, but usually encouraged, and actively participated in by the management. {That would be Sandra, MM and Bug on BONClassic, and the various listmommies on BONCs 2-Jr} (Oh, Jessica ... ) *grin*

5 - So who's allowed to play in the sandbox?

If you're interested in the Great One and the Goddess (two of our probably far too many nicknames for Them), you've come to the right place.

However, due to the sheer volume of members in the BONContinuum, we have decided it would be best to close membership at this time. However, with the advent of Yahoo Groups and other e-groups it is much easier to find those folks out there with like minds. Good luck!

6 - What's in it for me?

A trip to Hawaii. Seriously, {Uh huh} BONC is only what we put into it. You want stories? Write stories! You want a discussion on the nightgown Bev wore in "Sub Rosa"? Start one! Don't be afraid to ask questions about plots, stories, ideas, or anything else that you want to know. Heck, you can ask about Sweden's exports of iron ore last year. [Now that was a blatant Animaniacs reference if ever I heard one.] Someone might even know. We've uncovered group affinities for Sting, Reba McIntyre, the Barenaked Ladies, the Star Wars novels, and toast. (October Project! The band that's so P/C they're run by PC Management Group - TAG) You never know.

7 - What if I don't like Star Trek?

You wouldn't have joined the group.

- Oh.

8 - What are these "challenge" things?

Basically, they go like this... Someone in a list challenges the people in their list (and often, this is passed along to the other sandboxes) to write a story/poem/whatever about something in particular. If the challenge is met by someone, then the person who issued the challenge must then write a response to the challenge themselves. This usually begins in one sandbox and then is passed along to the others, as previously mentioned. It's great fun and truly gets the creative <ahem> juices flowing.



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The Bare FAQs:

The BONClassic group currently is served by a single address, which then spools mail to its members. So are the two Junior groups. (Sez Rae: We're cooler.) The adult spin-off groups as yet are handled by individual mailing lists, meaning, when you send your message, you have to send to each person yourself. Hopefully, this can be remedied soon.

Please warn about potential spoilers. Some of us haven't seen all the episodes of TNG, and some shows have weird broadcasting times. If you think it could be a plot spoiler, say so! This also goes for the novels, the other Trek series (what other Trek series?) the movies, whatever.

Just one more thing. Don't be too alarmed at the following:

• frequent mentions of toast and eggs
• the woman with the whip
• the apparent insanity of the management [it's just an act. Really]
• scooter references

And in the Juniors:

• Cheez Whiz
• BONCer-eating dryers
• giant wooden beavers
• mint frosting

These things are normal. For us.

Well, that's been your tour of the sandbox. I hope that you enjoy playing here with us. Could you pass me that blue bucket? It's time to start on the sand castle.

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