Here I've included some web links that might be
of interest to Forte members. If you can think of any I've
missed, just E-mail me and I'll update the list right away.
S E A T T L E L
I N K S
For those of us far from home, here's
a few sites to keep you up on what's happening back in
Seattle--or just give you a little taste of the old town.
Earthcam: Seattle http://www.earthcam.com/usa/washington/seattle/ Sure, you can use the Base Systems page to view cam
shots of our copter hanger, but in case that's not your
idea of fun, here's a bunch of cam shots in and around Seattle.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/ Yes, Dr. Jackal actually did stop making bad albums
and got a real job editing a major Seattle newspaper.
Here's the P.I.'s official site.
Seattle Weather
Page http://www.weatherpages.com/seattle/ Wondering what the weather's like in Seattle?
Just click here and find out anytime. Please note
that a certain Mr. Greenspire is a major investor in Weatherpages.com,
so be sure to visit this site often.
Sea-Tac Site http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ Got plans to travel to Seattle, and not under your own
power (or Nightsable's)? Check out the airport site
first.
Puget Sound
Traffic Conditions http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/ You know you've been living away from Seattle too long
if you actually miss the traffic. If you do, check
in here to see how bad traffic is right now. Ah, the
memories.
103.7 FM The
Mountain KMTT http://www.kmtt.com/ Want some of the sounds of home? Log onto to
The Mountain's official site and listen to some Seattle
radio.
Spaceneedle.com http://www.spaceneedle.com/ Hmm. This might be a bad one for Dr. Jackal to
visit. But for the rest of you, it might be a nice
and less painful trip down memory lane. See what's
up at the old Space Noodle.
F O R T E - R E L A T
E D L I N K S
And here are a list of links specific
to Forte. As I find interesting ones along the way, I'll
be sure to add them. Plenty of great chances here to either
get a swelled head or get a handy dose of humility.
The Forte Web Ring http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/7744/fortering.html I could list a whole bunch of our team fan sites,
but this is a good place to find them just as easy.
Many of the best ones are here. Personal favorites
of mine are "Forte Forever" and "The Unofficial
Forte Web Collective", both of which are very detailed,
very professional-looking fan sites. The first one
has some very moving virtual tributes to fallen Forte
members. Please avoid the site "My Forte Universe"
at all costs. Just trust me.
The Forte Fan
Fiction Archive http://www.heroesgate.com/forte/fanfic If you're up for a little reading, and you haven't been
here yet, you really must go. You'll laugh, you'll
puzzle, you'll run screaming. Some are actually very
good fictional works. Some...well, are not, but the
fan love is there, at least. Oh, and the "adult"
section is...well, I leave that up to you. Let us
just say there are a lot of vivid imaginations out there
on the web.
The Girls of
Forte http://members.home.net/psiren001/girlsofforte.htm Well, this is the internet, after all. This particular
site focuses, quite obsessively, on the female members of
the team. There are photos here you probably never
even knew you were in. And there's a whole section
of photos that you weren't ever in...but your head has been
edited onto. I'll leave it at that.
The Chill and
Eclipse Girl Power Page http://www.ba.k12.ok.us/outreach/chilleclipse I'm a big fan of this one. This one came up during
C&E's national school tour. Really great inspirational
stuff for young girls, lots of links to programs they can
get involved in, lots of games, just lots of...well, very
teen girly stuff. Lots of bio info on Chill and Eclipse,
and on other "girl heroes", too. A nice
addition is that many of the "girl heroes" are
soccer players, exceptional students, and the like.
A very positive site, and a fine testament to all the work
Chill and Eclipse did for young people.
The Forte Museum http://www.fortemuseum.org The official site of the Museum, recently redesigned.
Lots of fun interactive Forte things, team history, a virtual
tour (for those who can't make it all the way to Seattle),
wonderful learning opportunities. Electro Man is doing
a marvelous job with this. We couldn't have found
anyone better to run our museum. And remember, don't
forget to keep in touch with Wally and schedule those personal
appearances.
CNN
Presents: Forte http://www.cnn.com/forte Fan-run sites
are nice, but for that professional touch, you can't beat
CNN. Their site for us collects a huge news archive,
a timeline of events, profiles, lots of video clips, interviews
we've all done, photo galleries, the works. Quite
a treat to look at, and not bad for the ego, either.
Forte,
the Series - Official WB Site http://www.thewb.com/forte/index.shtml Okay, I know
you've all been watching the show anyway, but you might
want to look at the official web site for lots of great
production info. Very entertaining. And in
case you want more info on the actor playing you (assuming
your "character" has made it onto the show yet...),
there's some good background info on those nice folk.
I think we all owe this Joss Whedon a nice Christmas card,
don't you?
AfricaOnline.com
- Armature http://www.africaonline.com/site/armature Really wonderful page about Armature and all he's doing
now that he's back in Africa. You thought he was popular
here. Check out this site to see what he's up to and
what Africa thinks of their favorite hero.
Our Friend Tommy http://www.mosquitonet.com/~tomarssuk/ Absolutely priceless page, created by big fans of our
polar pal Tomarssuk. It's mostly about his current
adventures up in Alaska, but a good amount of Forte background,
too. A big part of this site seems to involve polar
bear obsession, too. Lots of photos, clip art, animations
and such of that particular breed. They really love
him up there in Anchorage. Hey, can you blame them?
The Official
S.M.A.S.H. Site http://members.aol.com/smashmoms/smash.htm Couldn't resist, had to add this one for Sydney.
The organization--Seattle Mothers Against Stupid Heroines--is
gone, but for some reason, no one ever took down the web
page. Just in case these other sites are getting us
a little TOO full of ourselves, there's always one like
this out there to keep us humble.
The Forte Conspiracy
Page http://www.forte-conspiracies.com And you call ME paranoid? Just about every weird conspiracy
theory you can imagine about us seems to find its way here,
from Knightsabre's extraterrestrial (?) origins to my being
Elvis (not entirely implausible...) to our spearheading
an alternate Earth invasion of this world. I'm not sure
what frightens me more...the number of theories that are
so insane, or the ones that are remarkably close to the
mark...
Import's Export
- The Dr. Jackal Interview http://www.importsexport.com/archive/070805.htm Here's a link to the now-famous interview Import did
with Jack on her internet radio show. In case you missed
it, you can listen to the audio or read the transcript.
Excellent interview, Jack. Nicely done. Except for the bachelor
party part...
Real Forte Stories http://www.emeraldcitylife.com/discussion/fortestories Now this is a fun read. This message board contains
allegedly true tales of Seattle residents' encounters with
us over the years. Witnesses to combats, people saved by
Forte heroes, people we met at autograph signings or other
appearances, etc. How many of them are true, you'll have
to be the judge (unless your memory is fading fast like
Phantasm's and you can't recall clearly). And I'm sure many
of them are quite exaggerated. But entertaining, nonetheless,
and often touching. Be prepared to find lots of photos in
their gallery of you posing with fans. Well worth your time.
HeroicCity.Net http://www.heroiccity.net This is the Forte fan site run by Dyna Girl's friend
David Trent (who started the site before they'd met, back
when he was just a slightly obsessive fan), and mostly centered
around the new Forte team (but the rest of us get some attention,
don't worry). Mostly populated by the younger generation,
the site contains a regular blog by Mr. Trent, message boards
with Forte discussion, a photo gallery, and, best of all,
a lot of great promotion of Forte charities. He's a very
good and well-meaning young man with a lot of genuine respect
for the team, and it's refreshing to read at least some
of the oft-jaded youth of Seattle still believe in heroes.
DynaFans.com http://www.dynafans.com Ah, but if you don't want to bother with all those "other"
new Forte heroes, you can just get all Dyna Girl, all the
time, at Holly's official site. In all seriousness, this
is a wonderful site, started up by Dyna Girl's fans during
her Armor Security days and quickly endorsed by Holly herself.
She uses the site to update her fans on her life through
her regular blog, and chats with them on the always-jammed
message boards. All the Dyna info is here, including hundreds
(if not thousands) of photos in the gallery...actual and
tasteful ones, without the Photoshop wizardry. Unlike many
heroine sites, this is populated mostly by female fans,
and Dyna has picked up where Chill and Eclipse left off
with their inspiration of young girls world-wide. It's a
fitting and well-earned tribute to the fantastic role-model
that Holly has become.
O T H E R H E R
O L I N K S
What, you mean we're not the only
hero team in the country? Say it isn't so! Here are some
links involving some of our contemporaries, and other
hero-related links.
The New Paragons Official Site http://www.cleveland.com/paragons Our friends in Cleveland have left their official
site up to the city, and the city's done an amazing job.
A very detailed history is there of both the original
and new Paragons teams, a huge news archive, a ridiculous
amount of photos, video clips, member profiles...pretty
much more than you ever needed to know about the team.
This city does love their team, and this site shows it.
It's almost as impressive as their Indians page...
The Justice
Squadron Web HQ http://www.justicesquadronwebhq.com I don't think the Squadron ever got around to thinking
about a web site of their own, so this really great and
professional fan site did the job for them. Looks
like the Squadron warmed up to them, as there are several
exclusive interviews. Nice arrangement.
The Angel Flight
Aviary http://www.angelflight.com/main Okay, don't mean to toot my own horn, but I did design
this one for the team myself, with a lot of input from Chill.
Since this Forte site you're currently at isn't open to
the public, it's a lot less graphically sophisticated than
the Angel Flight one, so try to curb your envy. Let
me know what you think of the site, would you?
Northguard Online http://www.northguard.ca The heroes from (way) up North left their official site
in the hands of a very talented Canadian marketing firm
(who I understand does the site pro-bono for both patriotic
and promotional reasons), and it's quite a site to behold.
Read through it for a while and you'll start feeling the
urge to play hockey and say "aboot".
The Four Aces,
Pride of Portland http://www.travelportland.com/fouraces.html True to form, our old friends south of the (state) border
still don't appear to have their own official web site (in
an age where even navel lint has its own web site). While
there are plenty of loving fan sites for them down there,
I was most amused at their page on, of all things, the city's
travel site. Come to Portland! Get a friendly greeting from
Ghost Girl (whap)!
The
Protectors Online http://www.protectorsonline.com If you've been planning to take that trip back in time
to the '70s, here's your chance. Nice
to see someone remembers the heroes that came before.
And here you can find a lot of the very dated older photos
Electro Man probably doesn't want us to see. And a
lot of nice ones of Maelstrom's mother, Windstorm, as well.
Great place to bone up on your hero history, and learn more
about the heroes who paved the way for us...while listening
to John Denver and telling villains to "keep on truckin'".
Enforcers
Central http://www.theenforcers.com Everything you
ever wanted to know about Detroit's hero team can be found
here. A very city-oriented team makes for a very-city
oriented site. You'll not only get daily news on the
team, plus lots of history and plenty of fan opinions on
the message boards, but you'll learn lots about Detroit,
too.
Armor
Security http://www.armorsecurity.com The official
corporate home page of Armor Security. In case you
ever need to hire your own hero, this is the place to go.
Very slick operation our old friends have here. Perhaps
we're all in the wrong business. Wait...is it supposed to
be a business?
Forge Online http://www.forgeonline.com VERY impressive site for our teammates who felt the
need to run off and form their OWN new team. I understand
Max did all the coding, with a design assist from Nightsable
(who apparently remains unbitter that her old teammate ran
out on them...), and, I'm certain, constant guidance from
Mist. Well done, folks. The site is stylish enough to appeal
to the San Franciscans they protect (you know, those ones
who protest them so often?) while frankly addressing community
issues and citizen concerns. They've made themselves quite
available to the city through this site, and I know it's
helped. A model for how hero team public sites should be
run.
Aerie
- For Queen and Country http://www.aerieonline.co.uk Outlawed
they may be in the United Kingdom, but Britain's heroes
have found enormous popular support on the web. This
is the best one I've found. Great section on the anti-hero
laws and the movement to have them repealed, with detailed
information on how the average Brit can make their opinion
heard.
Captain
Comet Away! http://www.captaincomet.com Sacramento
has just the one hero, but they certainly know how to treat
him right. A very fitting tribute, and a surprisingly
wide selection of Captain Comet merchandise. I even
ordered a key ring, myself.
Captain
Compass - Sentinel of the Seas http://members.w-link.net/~garvin/captaincompass.htm How about
that? Our favorite mariner even has a following on the web.
This site collects news articles showing all the Captain's
exploits and heroic deeds. The message board is a
great read, filled with tales of people that he's helped.
Well done, Captain.
The MidKnights Tribute Page http://www.deltafan.questech.com/midknights.htm One very dedicated fan
of the old '80s team has created probably the best page
out there for the midwest's former guardians. Learn all
about the likes of Rising Son, Starglider, Delta Fox and
Slayzer, and join their fans in remembering who kept the
region safe after the first Paragons team ended.
The Speed of
Light - The Slayzer Fan Page http://www.angelfire.com/bennyg88/slayzerpage.htm Speaking of Slayzer--the owner of what is still the
worst hero name in the business, twenty years later--he's
still taking care of business in and around Cincinnati,
and has quite a few dedicated fans, like this man. A man
who also maintains fan pages for the band Dokken and the
television show "The A-Team"...
Heroes From
Beyond http://www.heroesfrombeyond.com Ever since the existence of alternate Earths became
public knowledge, the world has become enthralled with them.
But more to the point, the world became very enamored with
our costumed friends from those worlds. This site obsesses
with every detail available on heroes like Wingboy, Vice
Grip, Hologram (particularly) and Quiver. You'll find, on
the message boards, that Import is a regular contributor
there, feeding the fans with insider information. Note that
this information actually comes through me, and through
an arrangement I have with her. She kindly checks with me
first before posting any info, making sure none of the info
is of a sensitive nature, etc. It's a good arrangement for
everyone. It's good public relations for the members of
the 4-Worlds Alliance, it makes their growing fan base happy,
and I get to make sure that the details released are responsible
ones. Be sure to browse their large section on the science
of alternate timelines, which contains academic works and
discussion from leading scholars in the field, something
unexpected for such a pop-culture-centric site.
Capefear.com http://www.capefear.com In case you didn't know it, super-heroes are power-hungry,
fascist, dangerous, horde scientific and technological advances
and keep them from the world, seek to control the normal
human world around them, and are the greatest threat to
humanity in its history. At least according to the delightfully
paranoid contributors to this site. If you suffer from low
blood pressure, a little reading at this site will certainly
cure that problem for you. Please also note that some of
their points are, on occasion, disturbingly valid.
O T H E R L I N
K S
A selection of links to other sites
of interest to Forte members
Questar.com http://www.questar.com Remember, use the communications center if you actually
need to talk to someone there (here you'd be getting in
line with people looking for non-hero customer service),
but if you want to know everything there is to know about
Johnny's company, and science, and robots, and space/time,
and flying cars, look no further. Be sure to kid
Johnny about the wonderfully adventurous bio of the CEO.
The Tiburon
Roja Home Page http://www.tiburonroja.com Okay, so we've all got our own table at Cinco's restaurant
whenever we want, but in case you're too far off and want
a reminder of what's on the menu, pop in here and let her
famous chef dazzle you with Brazilian delights. Or
make reservations online. Or see photos of many a
fancy party thrown there (might see yourselves in a few
of those pictures). Nice page, Miranda..
The Unusual
Bookstore Online http://www.forte.com/vanguard/unusualtracker You know already, don't you? That's right, the
online version of our favorite weird information (and unique
gift) dealer isn't any easier to find than the real life
one. Well, for you lucky Forte folks, it is.
Though it's at a different web address every time you look
for it, the handy tracking software I cooked up will find
it for you. About 80% of the time. I'm working
on it. Just use the link above.
The Lucifer
D'Arque Newsgroup alt.org.darqueones Don't mean to put a damper on things, but this is something
I've been monitoring for some time, and something we all
may want to keep an eye on. Thanks to the internet,
it appears D'Arque, even in death, has a following.
A rather cult-like following. Don't feel the need
to check it hourly or anything. I'm on it. But
just for your information. Freedom of speech is a
wonderful thing, isn't it?
The Invasion
Repository http://www.theinvasion.com Still maintained and ever growing, this is still the
best place for information on the Saoshyant invasion (yes,
you'll learn things even YOU didn't know). The virtual
memorial is lovingly detailed and very moving. Hours
of video, endless photos, articles from worldwide sources.
The essays here, by some of the best writers of our time
(not to mention some from a certain Seattle newspaper editor),
give great perspective to the event that changed our world.
Please take an evening and delve into the message boards.
The stories you'll find there will remind you how
little a costume or powers mean to true heroism.
Nightwatch Solutions http://www.nightwatchsolutions.com Need your business (or embassy, or mansion) broken into
to test your security against modern threats? Look no further
than Nightwatch Solutions, the corporation founded by our
own Nightshift. Harry's company is doing fantastic business
world-wide, and her staff of...questionable peronnel...are
some of the best at what they do. What they do, of course,
is break in and steal things. But at least they're doing
it legally now, right? Congratulations on all your success,
Harry.
