Well, well...curiosity has grabbed you by the leathers and you want to know ALL about me eh? Hmmmm, well read on then!.....
Let's see, where do I start? I am a single lesbian (not by choice i might add), 39 years old (Pisces), I live in Chicago, IL. I am 5' 6" tall, 120 lbs, blue eyes and reddish-blonde hair. (Ok...auburn this month...) Hobbies u ask? LOL Well look at my page and if u can't tell, man I feel bad for u! I also enjoy softball, football, pool, reading, chess, and any kind of board or puter games. Professionally speaking...I am a musician and studio engineer, and am in retail management. (which never allows me enuff time to keep up these pages!)
Personal Thoughts on the Show
My meandering thru Xena's world began all the way back in Season 1....my guy friends kept saying..."Rach, why don't u watch this show? It has a dark-haired babe kicking butt with a sword!" Now me...being the feminist I think I am took one look at the previews and stated that i would 'NEVER watch a show that exploited women like that'. You see, i was against it because they ran Xena around in a short skirt, and in my honest opinion, back then armor like that "held no actual real protection", and I was turned off by the "fake-ness" of it all. But one of the guys got me to watch the episode Sins of the Past....and from then on I was hooked!
I still watch these days because of the wonderful (yet still insinuated) love story between Xena and Gabrielle, to see two strong female lead characters willing to die for each other just really pulls at my heartstrings, ya know? So I decided to dedicate a website to all of our collective imaginations, in order to try to keep that love sacred and here for everyone to read for as long as I have my AOL account...hehe.
I have everything Xena....posters, comics (YES even the XXX ones hehe), card games, magazines, books, pics, dolls....(my bedroom looks like a shrine) I even have an autographed Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) card from the Xena card game! Met her at GENCON in WI last year ;) WOW did u know she has short hair and tattoos that go around both her biceps? That's why they have those armband thingies on her costume, i guess they figure the goddess of love shouldn't be wandering around with tattoos hehe! (FYI...In the episode "If The Shoe Fits", during Aphrodite's scene with the male dancers, you can see the tattoos) No, I'm not a wierdo, or even one of those obsessed fan-types...I just like the show, and writing my own versions of things and keeping these pages going is my hobby, much as you might like gardening.
Speaking of Dite, I somehow got the job of writing the Aphrodite parts for the story "Liaisons Ridiculeuse". Don't ask me how...maybe it's because I was alive and conscious during the "valley-girl" days and actually remember the lingo. But the funniest part about this is that when we decide we need Aphrodite to pop into the story, Lexi always goes..."Ok Rach...time to channel Dite!" (laughing at this) So now I can add "Exalted Channeler of Aphrodite" to my list of many skills...hehe! ;)
You know, the coolest moment in my life will be someday when i finally get to meet Lucy. With my luck tho, it'll probably be 20 years from now in a grocery store in Auckland while she is shopping for personal items. How do u approach someone then? "Excuse me, but are u Lucy Lawless? Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt your perusal of the PMS relief items....I'll catch u later." EGADS!! That would be terrible! (not to mention embarassing!) But one day i will get to sit down and just talk with her...she is a great actress, and I have many things to ask her about. I also know she sings, and boy what I wouldnt give for her to record one of MY songs! LOLOL
But I digress...I still find myself watching the show every week religiously, no matter what happens. I will watch in hopes that on the very last episode we will FINALLY get to see Xena and Gabrielle have that loooooooooooong awaited, more than an innuendo, kiss that will knock everyone's socks off. THAT will be something! :)
Thoughts On The Characters
Ephiny: Above and beyond any other character on X:WP, Ephiny is my all time favorite. Played by Danielle Cormack, the Amazon Regent exudes grace, style, composure, leadership, brains, compassion, charisma...gods I could probably go on all day! She's beautiful and intelligent, and doesn't take any shit from anyone...even Xena, as we saw in Hooves and Harlots. Ya gotta respect her strength of character as well. Unfortunately, Ephiny is no longer with us...but does that really mean anything anymore? hehe.
Alti: An evil shamaness intent on revenge, and seeker of ultimate power. Played by Claire Stansfield, we are now (in Season 5) beginning to see possibly a different side of Alti. I personally love this character, and would like to see her back again. With the redemption of Callisto, we were left with a gap for an antagonist...let's face it, N'Jara, Mavican..etc didn't quite do the job. I want to know what makes Alti tick...I want to see why she is the way she is. Some backround possibly...hmmm, could be extremely interesting!
Xena: Warrior Princess...The main character of the show. Played by Lucy Lawless, I absolutley love her ability to convey emotions through her facial expressions. That eyebrow thing...hehe...so cool. And the warcry? Face it, I know you ALL have tried it when no one was around! (For best results, do it outside, about 2am, after you have left the bar and are pleasantly sloshed. Also great to get attention at a loud X-Mas party for work) Xena's road to redemtion, and her love for the bard Gabrielle humanize her, and helps the fans of the show identify with her struggle. We all have our own demons to face, and Xena helps to give us the courage to do so.
Gabrielle: Amazon Queen, Bard, Best friend...Played by Renee O'Connor, our beloved Gabrielle has come into her own as of late. Her interaction with Xena is what makes this show so very appealing, and so very wonderful. She is a comic, a poet, she is patient and thoughtful, but she also can be angered...as we have seen when she defended Xena from the Romans at the prison. When I watched Ides, and that scene played itself out, I sat there with my mouth hanging open. Here was Gabrielle, wielding a sword, hacking Romans to pieces...something I never thought I would see. Defending her best friend...lover (call it what you will) I cried for her pain when she realized what she had done. Can you imagine going against everything you ever believed in to save your friend? Don't know about you, but under the circumstances I would have done the same. Now she has become a force to reckon with, and Renee plays it perfectly...a combination of grace, quiet power and deadly skills. Hmmm, I'm likin Season 5! :)
Amarice: WOW! Who woulda thunk Amarice wasn't what she claimed to be? Interesting indeed! Ok, OK DAN...maybe you were a little right...hehe! Jennifer Sky's acting talents in her first couple appearances left me majorly dissappointed in the Amarice character. Yes, adorable, sexy, looks great in leather...but i thought she overacted. With the onset of Season 5, I am seeing more subdued facial expressions (those big-eyed ones in season 4 made me hurl) and she seems to have become more into her character. Now I like her...seeing the humiliation at being found out she was not really an amazon made the character more believable to me. It hurt her. We find out she isn't that big tough gal she claimed to be, in some ways anyhow, but rather a young girl with dreams of becoming "Someone". Reminds you a bit of a certain bard we all know and love, don't it? I hope to see more of Amarice.
Callisto: Goddess...angel? Oh brother! I have a hard time swallowing that one. Hudson Leick played the perfect villain, and now that is in the history books. Man, I was really upset about that...I loved to hate Callisto, but didn't we all? Her rage and hate for Xena made for awesome scenes..whether talking or fighting. And the best thing about her is you NEVER knew what she was going to pull next. I miss that, and I miss Hudson. Angel? Gimme a break.
Joxer: Only have one word for this character played by Ted Raimi....USELESS. We don't need him on the show. Can't tell you how loudly I cheered when Xena axed him in Been There, Done That. Comic relief is what they say...I say Rene and Lucy do just fine on their own. No offense to you Joxer fans...everyone has their own opinions :)
Well well! I just saw the ep where ol Joxer gets run through by Eve.....all i can say is FINALLY! hehe Now maybe we can concentrate on the important characters in the show for a change, instead of being constantly sidetracked with useless Joxer scenes. Sorry all u Joxer fans...as stated above, i never was into the character.
So I hope u have been at least mildly entertained by my rantings here, and I hope u got a good laff from my pics hehe. Thanks again for visiting my site!