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Links may no longer function for old news archives
At least not through cafepress.com anyway. You know, it'd be one thing if Creation or someone else with a license was making Livia shirts, or a Joxer shirt, or whatever. But they're not. And some of us would like shirts and posters with these characters. And hell, I'd even be happy to have all the proceeds go to whoever they were supposed to go to. I just wanted to make unique stuff for the fun of it. But whatever. My friend Julie just recently got a bunch of Livia merchandise from my store. The Livia shirt looked pretty wicked too. I sure woulda liked one. But today I got a letter from cafepress.com explaining that the Livia images and some of the Xena Memorial images were now being marked as potentially infringing. Well, they are most definitely infringing, so that's the end of that experiment. I'm not really surprised. Just very disappointed. I was looking forward to making all these cool designs with characters that are usually left out. If someone felt compelled to report me, then congratulations. It worked. But you better keep tabs on me. Because... I might still try to do some much more arted-up work, however. Maybe if I make stuff look more intentionally fan-made. Cause the idea of giving up completely is just too depressing... I'll be removing all of the Livia stuff, and some of the Xena memorial stuff. But not today. I just finished putting the damn shop together.
No more bouncing e-mail. I'm still getting spam and I give up. I'm just gonna have to shell out for some anti-spam software. New shirts and stickers in the shop! I've also altered the Livia graphic a touch. My bud Julie got a shirt and she said it looks awesome (I haven't seen it yet) but that the writing on the sign wasn't quite standing out as much as it should. So, I've reddened the text and upped the contrast between it and the wood. As soon as I can I'll get a photo up of the shirt. I can't wait to see it :) I still need to buy a coupla Joxer pics before I can finish the Joxer stuff I'm working on. And ditto for some Livia pictures. And I'm working on a Xena/Gab fighting pic, only a small one, suitable for a mousepad probably. Maybe a sticker. I've sorta finished my trading card page update with Xena Beauty & Brawn trading cards and more. I'm still working on the story update. And I'm still selling some Xena lithos on eBay, cause nobody bought 'em.
Anyone been catching 'Cold Case' with Kathryn Morris? I've watched a couple and I'm willing to watch a few more. It's basically a glossy, updated version of the mystery cop show, with the added bonus of strong female leads and the 'cold case' spin. Apparently it's also a rip-off of a Canadian show that's already been on for two years. The stories are a little too 'cop show' contrived for my taste, but Kathryn Morris holds your attention. She's real good. It'd be cool to see Lucy or Renee doing a guest spot on the show. The score on 'Cold Case' is pretty slick too. Christ, anything would be better than frikkin' Tarzan. I'm sorry, but sometimes I wonder about Lucy's taste. Some stuff is cool, but... I'm leery to hear about what the 2004 Fox show is gonna be about. At least there's the Warrior series to look forward to. I love Lucy, really I do, I'm just whining. So, no hate mail please ;)
Woohoo. I finally finished my first Livia shirt, made for my bud Jules. And cafepress is having a sale all through September. Mousepads, tank tops and golf shirts are all $2.00 off (just click on the pictures to see the sale prices) and if you have an order over $40, you get $2.00 off of mugs (coupon code: SHAMELESS). And I used the Livia graphic to make a mug, a mousepad and a poster, so... Although I would have preferred working on a black background for the Livia graphic, I'm fairly happy with it. I do plan on making a black-background Livia graphic for a poster, but I need to get ahold of a coupla other Livia pics first. And I did find out that I can't use the name 'Xena,' so I'm only using the archive name and/or other text on stuff. Lots more merchandise coming. I'm working on something Joxer right now. Poor guy hardly has any merch. Need more pics of him too. And thanks to Michael Quick for permission to use his nice, big episode scans - for graphics and merchandise! Much appreciated. And I'm selling some stuff on eBay again, including some Xena lithos and Xena card sets if anyone's interested.
Okay, my Ashera@asherasarchive.com address is actually working right now, but it won't look like it is. You'll get a bounced message, even though I will receive the e-mail. Why? Trying to get deleted off of some spam lists (cause I'm just about at the end of my rope with this shit). Sorry for the inconvenience. If you want to avoid this, just send stuff to my strigah@hotmail.com address. I've also deleted Sara's e-mail address, as I haven't heard from her in some time. I'll be updating the new authors, contact and submission pages soon. I'd also disabled the submissions e-mail address some time ago (and actually forgot about that. oopsies), but I've re-enabled it (submissions@asherasarchive.com). This address won't bounce. So, send your stories in! As I'm currently working on a story update - and hoping to get everything out of the queue - it's a good time to submit stuff. Grab me while you can ;)
It hadn't even occurred to me that I ought to go and check the sara@asherasarchive.com e-mail address, but something made me think of it. What, you say? Oh boy. *sigh* You see, I was hoping and praying that something would be there. I, uh... lost a few interviews. I've hunted all over my computer, on floppies and zip disks, but I can't find 'em. Not all of the interviews sent to me were lost, however (thank god), but at least 4 as far as I can tell. I know that I had them at some point because they're checked off as received on an author list. I think what happened was that when I had some computer problems in the beginning of the year I neglected to back up all of my mail attachments before going in to get my computer serviced. I backed up all of my folders, but I just forgot about all the received files hidden away in the mail attachment folder. Guess I should redirect where they go really. So, I messed up. Plus, when my mail went all gimpy, I lost a bunch of e-mail as well. I sure hope that the people who sent their interviews kept copies themselves. Or are willing to write them again. And I sure hope that I'm able to contact everyone. To make matters worse, I've probably lost a few stories too, but at least those will have been saved by the authors. I hope :/ Anyway, I'll be checking for stories later. Here are the interviews that I presently have:
I'm going to send out e-mails to those people who still have working e-mail addresses, but to everyone else, if you think that you have been overlooked, please e-mail me at strigah@hotmail.com. Or just go ahead and resend in your answers. And if anyone can help with e-mail addies for H.T & Shaun Huffman, please help! My humblest apologies for being a schmuck. :( I've given a permanent home to the current author questionnaire. You'll find it here. Feel free to grab a copy and fill it out if you're a new author, or a return one. And back it up, just in case :P
I really am getting into the nitty gritty of a new story update, one made difficult by my own negligence, but nonetheless, I'm madly trying to organize things. But it's still gonna take me awhile. It's gonna be a big update.
Remembering to check out Mars?
I hope everyone is having a nice summer. Catch some summer flicks? I was taken to Seabiscuit awhile back (by my parents...yes, I have no life). I'm in love with Tobey Maguire, so that was good (even with the mondo-creepy hair). Film as a whole was too much of a mess, though I'd still recommend it just for the racing scenes. Gotta see those on the big screen. The second half of the film was stronger than the first, so don't fall asleep at the beginning. It really just needed a good editor. Was more than a little heavy on the schmaltz at times, and how many times do they need to drive the point home? Supposedly there's an Oscar buzz around the film, which isn't really surprising. The Academy has a long history of making safe choices, and they often seem to be dazzled by pomp. I guess after being pretty gutsy last year they have to make a very patriotic choice this year. Oh well. And I went to see Tomb Raider 2 with a buddy and a 2-for-1 deal. Sweet. It was silly fun. I enjoyed it. I haven't seen a movie in a theatre in so long.
I've been laid off (I was filling in for a one year maternity leave position). So, until I'm able to find a new job - which will hopefully be pretty soon - I'll have some time on my hands. I'll be working on a story update, but it'll take me awhile to get into the swing of things. Thank the gods that Ilene dutifully continued work while I disappeared into la-la land. Still, lots left to do, so no promises on when it'll get done. I feel guilty every time that I think of this site. I wish I could do justice to it, but it's beginning to feel like this big monster that I can't control. But I refuse to get off it's back just yet.
I was asked to remove Skkye Blue's stories by the author, so I'm going to do that sometime in the next coupla days. Better make your copies now.
Dark Revelations (Xena/Ares)
I've started making a bunch of new stuff for my store, and I've finally customized it. Just got the 'creating graphics' bug. And I felt decidedly cheeky while making some stuff, so be forewarned. And just in time, cause cafepress is having a sale until September 1st, 2003. $4 off every order over $40, as well as sale prices on some items. Coupon code: GIZMO About designs: I originally designed the Xena memorial shirt some time ago for a friend's site, but she's decided that she doesn't have the time to commit to it. I'm still going to try and convince her, however, to help me finish a cool Xena poster that'll be like nothing anyone has ever seen.... She's dying for a Livia shirt (which I've already started), so I'll try and use that to bribe her. I'm going to make some kind of Gab shirt, and I'd really like to make a nice Joxer shirt (seeing as that there's never been an official one), but I'll probably concentrate on pairings, and/or unusual themes. Pairings? Xena/Gab, Xena/Ares, and Gab/Jox to start. Open to requests (if you promise you'll at least buy one of the freakin' things). I'm not sure about how much I'll be able to get away with at cafepress, seeing as that they have stipulations about copyrighted material, but I get the feeling that they're very 'don't ask, don't tell.' In any case, I'll be trying to 'art' up most photos that I use. And I'm going to try and stay away from using the name 'Xena.' Maybe ;) We'll see. Oh! And I'm going to look into printing the Ashera's Archive fanzine through them - as a book! Might be a very cheap route to go :) I've also given up on trying to split the "proceeds" from the store between maintaining this site and charity because a) it generates next to zero dollars and b) because this site is expensive and I can't afford to run it as it is. I generally make about a buck on anything sold in the store, and sales are few and far between. If anyone has any concerns about this please e-mail me at strigah@hotmail.com (and I'll whine and complain so much you'll wish you never wrote me. Passive-aggressive. HAHA!) I'd still like to make a special Kevin/Ares shirt that would be strictly for charity, but I'm having trouble thinking of a shirt idea. Plus, it sucks that cafepress only prints on white shirts; an Ares shirt really should be black. But at the same time - considering the cause - I don't want the shirt to be inappropriately dark and violent. I mean, how do you pay tribute to the spirit of Kevin's characterization of the God of War and still recognize the horribly sad way in which this man passed? Not easy. But I was planning on making the Xena/Ares shirt kinda sad anyway, so it's easier to plan. I might make a weird mashed reality shirt where it looks as if Xena and Gab are mourning the death of Ares. In all honesty, the store is just an excuse to make shirts that I want ;)
I've decided to add the option to make donations to Ashera's Archive through PayPal. I've never wanted to ask for money, but.... Flat out, my financial situation is becoming increasingly unstable and this site is more and more difficult to support. No obligations, of course, but any help from those that can would be hugely appreciated. PayPal doesn't cost anything for those donating and all major credit cards are accepted.
Added a few calendar scans to the gallery, and also loaded up some better versions of photos already up. And I'm really close to finishing an update of my Xena card page with Beauty & Brawn cards.
Here's the lowdown from Mary D's: A message from Wordee:
My buddy Julie (Xena Torres) was mondo pissed that new Xena DVDs were being released with commentary - for episodes that had already been released on DVD. Now, for those of us who haven't been able to buy any of the North American release DVDs yet (like me), it's not going to be that painful. But if I had already bought Season One, I'd be pissed too. If Anchor Bay knew that they were going to try and get the commentaries from Lucy, Rob and Renee, then they should have waited to release Season One. Too many times films are being released on DVD, and then re-released, and then re-re-released, each time with some new feature that's supposed to make us shell out more money. No doubt that commentaries from Lucy, Rob and Renee warrant purchase, so some people are gonna get screwed. Mary D's has a bit on how Julie wrote to Anchor Bay to bring this to their attention and Mary posted the reply from the company's president. A pretty lame reply, as far as I'm concerned. Your basic suck up. Some fans will want a version of everything anyway, but at least tell us up front and give us a choice. It reminds me of my favorite 'version' comparison: Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings, they TOLD us that they would release regular versions first, and then extended versions later. Good ol George just told everyone to buy the original Star Wars trilogy because it would be the last time that it would be released, and THEN released the enhanced trilogy versions. Like he wasn't already rich enough?! He couldn't have told us that a different version would be out later so that we could choose? Many of us would have bought both anyway, but no, he had to be slimy about it. Better get it now before it's gone, and then But wait, we've got a whole new version now. Wow, who woulda thunk it? What a weasel. Have some &#^%@&# class. *calms down* Sorry about the rant. Oh well, at least we'll be getting some commentaries on some cool Xena eps. It'll definitely be cool to hear what they have to say. And at least Anchor Bay hasn't already released more than season one without commentary. Tee hee. Buh-bye!
Added another 100 photos to the gallery. I'm also going to be auctioning off some of my photos on eBay because I need some cash. I'll be adding more photos for sale there in the coming days and weeks.
Now that I've got all of this photo business out of my system (well, sorta), I'm going to start working on a story update, but it'll probably be some time before it makes an appearance. I sure hope that the plans for a Xena movie come to fruition, cause then there will be new photos to look forward to (gack), and more fodder for fan fiction. And it'll help keep me interested ;)
I have been going absolutely crazy lately with spam, most of it my own fault, but nevertheless... I can't afford to buy any software right now, so I'm going to temporarily disable a number of my e-mail aliases. If you want to reach me for the next while, please mail me at strigah@hotmail.com. But please don't send any stories to the hotmail address. Just hoping that I'll be deleted off of some spammer lists. Never register for anything! :/
Oops, I keep forgetting. A friend of mine wants copies of the last five episodes of Young Hercules. I'd also like to see the YH eps with Kevin Smith in them. Can anyone tape them for me? I'd reimburse for the tapes and shipping.
Photo update in the gallery. 120 new photos!
Sad to see that Xenarulz will be shutting down. Another one bites the dust. Still, many of the photos that SherrieB had on the site are supposed to be appearing on her other site ROCNet. Sure hope so.
 Find out which Xena girl you are.
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