Rich TypesandPatterns

In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Each day this week I’ll have more to say about the scope of this project, then in the coming weeks, I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of what went into my thinking behind this effort, decades in the making. Content warning: I may talk your ears off about #Xena !
11/11

01:38 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

A #Xena revival is also a possibility; I’ll talk about that too, & in some ways, this project is my attempt to visualize what a “Xena: The Next Generation” would look like. Of course, I consider Eve a key part of that next generation!
10/11

01:37 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Like many fans at that time, I speculated what that show could’ve looked like, how it would’ve been structured, & how it would’ve kept the world of #Xena alive. An Eve spin-off is still a possibility imo, & I’ll talk more about my ideas on that in the weeks to come.
9/11

01:37 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

In fact, an Eve spin-off was in the works, at that time, & came very, very close to happening; everyone was on board, but it fell through for the kind of trivial, logistical want-of-a-nail reasons that we are all too familiar with these days.
8/11

01:37 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

My belief is that eventually there’d be a musical featuring Eve, had the show lasted long enough. And if I’m wrong, then there should’ve been, let’s just say. I first had this idea shortly after the show ended, in 2001, when there was still realistic talk of a sequel.
7/11

01:36 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Because the actor, Adrienne Wilkinson, is a singer/dancer, I felt a musical comedy the best way to go to really stretch the possibilities of the character. Much of the cast can also sing, & there’s been several musicals during the show’s run.
6/11

01:36 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

My goal is to tell a #Xena story that’s as close to canon as I can get, but more than that, I want to expand on Eve’s character in a way that feels authentic and consistent with the show. I’m hoping to present a clearer yet credible picture of her story arc.
5/11

01:35 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

I love a challenge, however, and I particularly love Eve as a story subject, whose arc has always fascinated me. I’ll talk more specifically about the challenges involved, in a few weeks, & why I think Salmoneus is a good fit for this subject.
4/11

01:35 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Of course, Eve is quite popular among fans in her former self: the evil Roman commander Livia. It’s her redeemed version, Eve, that’s less accessible to fans, mostly because she involves difficult concepts that didn’t have time to flourish in season 6’s hectic pace.
3/11

01:34 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

It features #Xena’s daughter, Eve, her mothers, & a host of other characters, including Salmoneus, a Hercules regular. Both characters are unusual choices for fan fiction, as they are difficult to depict. At least, they tend not to fit well with the usual fan fiction topics.
2/11

01:33 AM - Jun 19, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

1. Why am I doing this? What does this project entail?
2. What does “canon” mean in XWP?
3. Challenges in writing for Eve
4. Who are the Elijians? Aren’t they just Christians with the serial #s filed off?
5. My background, qualifications, etc.

See you next week. Excelsior!
2/2

11:53 PM - Jun 14, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

I have all this on Scrivener, & can create a doc for this, but I want something physical to look at, so it’s one less thing I have to log in for. I’ve filled in 2 ch. titles already: the 1st & the last (not including epilogues).
2/7

12:13 AM - May 16, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

The promise of a rebirth of the Star Wars’ franchise’s original promise, harkening back to its greatest episode, The Empire Strikes Back, featuring Grogu’s beloved kinsman, Yoda. We don’t need to know anything more about him than this.
Next week, it’s all about Eve!
11/11

01:30 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

They make a good team: the Mandalorian has no face, while Grogu is nearly all face. The Mandalorian has a voice without inflection, while Grogu is nothing but inflections. It’s not clear to us what the Way of the Mandalorian is, but we all know what Grogu represents…
10/11

01:29 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Luke & R2D2, Han & Chewie: a human character translating for a puppet making noises, providing plot exposition in a non-traditional way. The Mandalorian seems to follow this tradition, but it borrows from Willow by making the puppet a Baby of Destiny as well.
9/11

01:28 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Of course, the Baby of Destiny is not new to Lucasfilm. The original film centered on this, & its breakthrough streaming series, The Mandalorian, uses the same concept. At first, the relationship of the 2 main characters, Din & Grogu, recalls the Star Wars films…
8/11

01:28 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

We see something like this in Willow, centered around a fellowship thrown together hastily in the 1st episode. Elora, the Baby of Destiny, is left out, & manages to stumble her way into becoming it raison d’etre. Friendship is often like that: the product of dumb luck.
7/11

01:27 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

However, Eve & Eli share a common attribute with Hercules: they are both beneficiaries & practitioners of the idea of unconditional friendship, which represents a new order that distinguishes them from their heavenly counterparts.
6/11

01:27 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Eve is no demigoddess, but she might as well be: she has the backing of the new heavenly order behind her. She & Eli represent the ascendancy of humans to an elevated state of divinity, one which Hercules had repeatedly been offered by Zeus.
5/11

01:26 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

He’ll appear in Hercules’ final episode. Hercules himself has no children because that’s the defining characteristic of Herc: his children were killed, & he becomes a father figure (or elder brother) for the whole human race instead.
4/11

01:26 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

On Xena, this arc doesn’t begin in earnest until season 5, with the birth of Eve, & is the focus if much of the rest of the series. We get a truncated version of this in Xena’s companion show, Hercules. Around the same time we meet Eve, we meet Evander, Ares’ demigod son.
3/11

01:25 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

But there’s a running motif of babies as figures of destiny, & the idea of the most famous baby of the New Testament appearing is teased throughout Xena. In Willow, we’re shown the birth of such a baby in the 1st scene.
2/11

01:25 AM - Apr 10, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

That kind of experience you can’t just leave on the shelf & expect it to be there any time you want. Disney has another classic on its hands, & it should see it through while it has the creative team available. I’ll be making this same point about Xena, this coming year.
43/43

12:06 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

The tv series’ lessons aren’t just standard fantasy fare, however, & this is another benefit of having a cast that’s been through it the 1st time around. When Willow says you own your failures & your successes, that sounds like earned wisdom, not just clever writing.
42/43

12:05 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Kit’s the *only* one who believes in Elora, despite her jealousy. Her cynicism shaken, a bond develops between the 2. With her relationship with Jade now declared, she can accept Elora, and the show ends with Kit as her dashing and valiant knight. It’s a beautiful arc.
41/43

12:05 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

My impression is that Kit’s heart opens after this, & this affects her view of Elora, who encourages her relationship. Suddenly, Kit realizes a great irony: no one, including Elora herself, believes Elora can live up to her destiny. Kit is actually the exception.
40/43

12:04 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

Her father tells her she’s destined to be Elora’s knight, which sickens her. Then Jade tells her she only pretended to train her: Kit isn’t the warrior she thinks she is. This should devastate Kit, but when she learns it was done out of love, she changes.
39/43

12:03 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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In response to Rich TypesandPatterns.

She refuses to be like her mother, Queen Sorsha, who used to be her mother’s knight, & insists Kit marries a man she doesn’t (& can’t) love to unite 2 kingdoms. She despises Elora Danon, the center of her father’s quests. 2 things disrupt her self-image:
38/43

12:03 AM - Apr 09, 2023

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