MinervaFan

Did you get my email about the vids? Uploading takes megatime for me, but copying doesn't take any at all. Just let me know what you think.

I don't know if any of you have read this, but Tracy's (Jane Elliot's) return to GH made Jack Myers' Best of Broadcast in 2003 list in MediaVillage.com. Not only did she make it, but at #8, her return topped shows such as "Joan of Arcadia," "Alias," "Angel," and "The O.C." 8. Jane Elliot's Return to "General Hospital." For reasons known only to ABC Daytime, this showpiece soap opera that once revolved around the lives of doctors and police officers has been allowed to degenerate into a quagmire of violent, misogynistic, anti-climactic stories about tempertantrum-tossing, murderous mobsters and the self-centered sluts who adore them. But just a few weeks ago, in a move of atypical brilliance, the show's producers returned the much-missed character of Tracy Quartermaine to their canvas, and "General Hospital" suddenly became vital again, at least some of the time. Jane Elliot's mercurial performance as Tracy hasn't lost any of the emotional complexity that won her an Emmy for this role more than 20 years ago. And here's a lesson for bamboozled daytime executives who are constantly trying to figure out how to attract young viewers to their soaps: The return of the fifty-something Elliot to "General Hospital" prompted a boost in the show's 18-49 ratings. I love our girl. I also love when she gets mainstream recognition. ETA: From the depths of Google.com, we find..... A synopsis of A Flame in the Wind, Jane's first television gig back in the 1950s. A recount of actress Leigh Taylor-Young's encounter with 20 year old Jane when they were both struggling actresses in NYC. (Doesn't paint JE in too good a light, but hey, we're archiving history here.)

Oh, that is SO wonderful. I haven't read it yet, but I will definitely do so. I am updating the tags at the Ficathon. What I'm doing is creating a tag for every multi-chaptered story, so if you want to find all chapters of "Chances Are" (for example), you'd just click the "chances are" link, and get every chapter posted to the ficathon. It's going to take a while, since some of you are 70 chapters in, but I'll get it there. Have faith in old MinervaFan...eventually, her anal-retentive nature will take charge! Mwahahahaaaa.. ETA: Dayum, ya'll are some prolific people...*looks at MsQ and 4xcrazy specifically* ETA2: Regency, I'm floored. I am so beyond floored at your newest story. You...oh, I'm so going to age myself as the Grandma Geek I am, but no other words apply here. You GROK Tracy. Complete, comprehensive, soul-level understanding of that character. I'm just...wow. Wow. Ya'll, go read this puppy. If it doesn't have you crying by the end of part one, check your tear ducts. They're clogged. Wow.

Dude, Tracy going to BROOKLYN in the first place was enough for me. She's always been (to quote He Who'd Better Get on the Ball) the "spunky" Quartermaine. She wasn't afraid to play with the mobsters in SoHo, and she wouldn't be afraid of anything Luke threw her way. In fact, I think Tracy would relish the idea of having a little danger and excitement in her life...as long as her boys weren't endangered in any way. But of course, because she's almost 60 (I should look so good at 40, or when I was 30, or even 20....), TIIC don't think anyone would enjoy an adventure with her. Personally, I'd love to see Luke and Tracy in an adventure together, possibly involving Helena and that d#mned $15 million. (She STILL hasn't gotten back at him for that, you know....) But anyway, since JANE ELLIOT'S ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY I BELIEVE I BELIEVE I BELIEVE renewing her contract, I think we have a good chance of getting a GREAT Tracy storyline. *Back away from the keyboard, ILTQ. I know you're thinking of some comment that will cut through my delusions. Just play it safe and don't go there.....*

*waves to ILTQ* I'm in the process of doing terrible things to poor Alternate Universe Tracy. The wickedness of being me.... Any chance of a TQ Friday? Nah, I didn't think so. I'm staring at MsQ's banner and thinking, wow, we need an all-Tracy, all-the-time channel. Especially with that middle picture--the one of her looking off to her left, with the white shirt on? I just love that expression. I'm rambling. Wow, she's gorgeous, isn't she?

In the Break Room for a little while--it's 11:15 eastern. ETA: Okay, since I'm all by my lonely in the chat room, thought I'd come by here and post something amusing/interesting/wasting of space. So. Since I refuse to listen to the naysayers (*glares at ILTQ and MsQ*) who speculate that JE won't be returning after November, how about a game of "what new storyline should Tracy have in 2007"? I'm thinking she and Luke should go into business together. Not the Haunted Star, but some wacky Luke-type business, the type that involves a lot of risk and adventure (and maybe Tracy pointing a gun at somebody sometime around March). There should be the potential for LOTS of profit (cuz, we're talking Luke and Tracy here) and lots of adventure and danger for them (to have them turning to each other for warmth and sex sympathy). Face it--Tracy would be a perfect accomplice for Luke, and they would make a formidable team in any endeavor they attempted, wouldn't they? So what do you want to see Luke and Tracy doing in 2007? (Yeah, Lainey, having sex is one of the options....)

No TQ today? But...but...her name's spelled right in the subject line now....surely that must count for SOMETHING...... Well, at least now I don't have to pine my way through traffic school tonight, wanting to get home and watch Tracy. Sigh.

A picture's worth a thousand words? Mmmmm....something goooooodddd!!!

It's 5:45 eastern time. Anyone for The Break Room?

It's 5:45 eastern time. Anyone for The Break Room?

Have I mentioned I love Jane/Tracy? She really does look good in that picture. Bothers me that there aren't more of her, but well--we can't have her taking away from Jason and Sam, can we? No, of course we can't. I haven't been to the SZ live post yet. Not hopeful about TQ on today, but hey--I could be wrong. Did I mention I adore Tracy? And I'm on my...um...well, let's say I'm hyperemotional (hormonally speaking) at the moment, so my love for Tracy is somewhat bittersweet and tinged with OUTRAGE that she's not being utilized more...and flavored by my need for chocolate and possible Aleve....and that I threw a fit with a flyswatter at work this morning because a certain BEYOTCH diverted all my product for her hospital AGAIN and.... Wow. My emotions are all over the map, aren't they? Please let Tracy be on today--for the safety of my coworkers and family.....

Have I mentioned I love this woman? (Ignore the jerk on the right...) (And yes, JE does still have a figure--it's there, under all that fabric! Love the red, though.) (Gawd, I love her face!) (And those eyes--man, who gets more gorgeous at 60 than they were at 30? Not fair!) (This is the "shooting daggers at Daddy" look I mentioned in the Break Room a while back, if anybody was interested.) All pics from GHHToo (9/26/06).

SPUMOR ALERT: From WUBS: GOSSIP ITEM ONE AND TWO: Who's THE DADDY re-dux? Watch for DNA to prove that a Spencer can't be a Cassadine after all. (does this mean that poor kid's name will be BACK to "John"??) And WHO'S THE MOMMY???? Yes, people, I think they are GOING TO GO THERE. Alexis will be heartbroken in the end. Did her daughter die after all? Oh. My. Gawd. You know who COULD be Sam's mommy? The one who said she had an abortion right about the time when Sam would have been born? Hmmmmm..... You know they would go there. You know they would. And I would have to smash my fist through something. Because EW. Dillon's grooming for ELQ begins. He learns how to stab people in the back and cook the books. LOL. More smashing my fists through things. I want my DILLON back. I want him back NOW. Lulu finds herself attracted to a certain PC prof. "Educating Rita" anyone? Yes, because it's perfectly normal for college professors to date incoming freshmen girls who are ENROLLED IN THEIR CLASSES. Oh, somebody just put Guza in front of me, because I really need to smash my fist through something. SOAPnet: All of November: Celebrating 25 Years of Luke and Laura!! SOAPnet presents a monthlong celebration of the 25th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding on ABC's "General Hospital," including an original special and a marathon of Luke and Laura episodes. My fists are really starting to hurt now. Could someone call 911?

Just to clarify, LaineyBev, I didn't think it was unrealistic for Laura to catch Luke and Tracy in bed. I said it was unrealistic for her to be hiking through the wilds of New York so soon after awakening from her catatonic state. (My guess is, in reality, there would be much physical therapy involved to help her strengthen the muscles she hasn't been actively using for four+ years before she could even walk unassisted through the hospital's corridors, much less hike from the hospital to the Qmansion....) Now, as to whether or not the crack writing staff at GH is going to consider this, your guess is as good as mine. Whether they're going to have Laura catch Tracy and Luke in bed or not? Yeah, I'm willing to put money on it that they'd do something like that...and play it for laughs. Because that's just the level of absurdity they can descend to. Not the scene I have in my mind about how Laura finds out....but well, I'm just a fan. What the f*ck do the fans know, right? Okay, since I've gone there--here's how I would write Laura finding out. While Laura's in the process of recovery, Tracy finally bends to the pressure from outside and inside and walks away from Luke. She's good about it--she's grown, she's matured, she's still got her pride. And though it hurts, she tries to move on with her own life. One day, she's at hospital for a charity board meeting and who does she run into, being wheeled through the hallways but Saint Laura of the Yorks? Laura is sweet and kind and happy to see her, asks what she's been up to, blah blah blah. Tracy is [!@#$%^&*]ed off until she realizes that Laura has no idea about her and Luke. She turns away and Alan (who's been summoned to do damage control) follows her. Tracy finds an empty break room and starts venting to Alan. Laura eavesdrops and hears about the marriage, then confronts Luke as to why he never told her. But that's just the way I'd play it.

I have to say, all this story posting is just inspiring me. I've started my latest prompt story (at 7 AM!). Yeah, it's another "aftermath of Tracy's kidnapping" story, but in a very, very different way. I think it's going to be a long one, though, and I can't promise not to whine while I'm writing it...... ETA: I'm a wicked, wicked girl. :nibbles lower lip bashfully: Telling Lies to Wicked Women: Tracy/Skye, written for the LJ Community Femslash100. It's less than 200 words, but I hope it delivers.

New Challenge is up on the Ficathon, if anyone is looking for inspiration/challenge. Good night, and sorry I missed the chat!

MarlandRulez, if you are going to PM me, please have the courtesy not to disable PM so I can reply to you. Since for some reason I am unable to reply to you privately, I will reply to you publicly--ONCE. You asked (and I quote) "why do they hate me so much," to which I will reply simply: You called us rabid. You espoused pitting the "rabid Tracy fans" against the "rabid Laura fans" to pave the way to reunite Luke/Skye on the show. You were rude. You were insensitive. And despite my efforts to deal with this in a mature way, you continue to harass the members of this board with your comments. I may have not been on SON as long as you, Marland, but I've been around long enough to know that this behavior is a pattern with you. You will play nice and pet Tracy and say how much you love her, then you will come on and stir the sh*t just to see how much trouble you can cause. You will then b*tch at us for biting back by claiming we are anti-Skye. Well, here's a news flash, Marland. I like Skye. She's not my favorite character (that would be, uh, well TRACY), but I like her. I don't always like her storylines, but then I don't always like Tracy's storylines. The fact is, Marland, people do not respond badly to you because you are a Skye fan. People respond badly to you because you come in here and cause trouble. This is the last response I will give you on this topic. As far as I'm concerned, it is dead in the water. In the future, if you come on here and have something of interest to say, I may respond to you. I will NOT respond to your trolling posts, I will simply report them to the administrators so fast it leaves skid marks on my monitor.

SQUEE! about your computer being functional again. I do not know the first thing about screen resolution, but I'm sure somebody somewhere can help. I'm really disgusted by the whole situation with the Tracy's daughter speculation. It really has nothing to do with Skye or Laura. It's just such a TRITE storyline, and frankly, I'm so freaking sick of Who My Daddy and Who My Mama storylines. Really, come on, guys. Show a little creativity. Besides, GH is so damned incestuous right now--Sonny's slept with pretty much everybody at this point. Can't we please keep Tracy out of that disgusting loop? She's married to him, but he was dating her long-lost daughter, who once slept with her son, blah blah balh.... Tracy did her time in that disgusting web back in the Paul Hornsby days. I think one of the perks of lasting so long on a soap should be that you can graduate out of these idiotic plot devices. Again, if TIIC's have run out of ideas, here are a few they could try: Tracy goes through menopause. Tracy becomes obsessed with leaving a legacy of her own, separate from Edward and the Qs. Tracy becomes involved in a media scandal that has the whole town rocking--what is it? And who else is involved? (*Hint: It doesn't make her look incompetent or evil.*) Led by her own feelings of loss and emptiness, Tracy adopts a child and grooms her to take over when she's gone. Tracy gets sucked back into her old mob family by a reluctant Carla Solieto. Tracy discovers a secret about the Quartermaine family tree that sends her on a wild quest for the truth. Tracy has to do community service for a minor criminal act, and winds up getting drawn into the lives of a less-fortunate family. Tracy makes the wrong decision about somebody, and it winds up costing them their lives. How does she deal with the ramifications? How does she change because of it? Tracy finds herself losing some capacity--her eyesight, her hearing, her memory--at a much more rapid pace than normal, and she suspects foul play is involved. Tracy must give up a vice (alcohol, rage, something) either for health reasons or to achieve a goal. It can be serious or played for laughs. It just has to show her struggling to gain control of a part of herself she never really thought about before. There. TEN plot ideas that have nothing to do with maternity, maternity, infidelity, or mistaken identity. (Oh, and if anybody out there wants to consider these plot bunnies, go ahead and grab them.) In fact, I think I've just found the October-November Challenge for the Ficathon!

From Soapzone--EddieQ is on today, but it looks like he's with Umily. Oy. And he's drunk. Double-Oy. Oh, did anybody check out the latest ABC Soaps InDepth magazine? I skimmed through it at the checkout and saw a pic of OUR GIRL in it. Of course, the LOSERS were perpetuating the whole "Tracy's abortion wasn't really an abortion because Erika Kane's doctor stole the fetus" rumor. Oh, yeah, and they listed Skye and Laura as possible DAUGHTERS for Tracy. Skye might...MIGHT...be believable, if of course, there were no justice in the universe. But Laura? She'd have had to give birth at fifteen, which would have had her popping Ned out at, what, three? I am so disgusted with how badly people want to destroy this character in the name of propping up other characters. (I'm having flashbacks to SoapDish--Jane as Celeste Talbert and Genie as Montana Moorehead....."Hello....Mother" in the smoker's voice.....)

You should be able to view them without logging in, unless Regency tagged them as friends-only. I know she also cross-posted them at her own LJ account (user name "regencyg"). And yeah, they are definitely worth the wait!

More with the squeeing! MsQ, I loved the new chapters of Oh, Baby. Regency, I love your avatar--VERY MUCH. Will read the new story when I get to work--I want to print it out and read it between calls. Sunday was just a great day for fics! ETA: I cannot even begin to say how amazed and thrilled I am with the fic that came out of this weekend. Keith, Chances Are just keeps getting more and more delicious with each chapter. Your encyclopedic understanding of how soaps work make me remember why I used to like these things--terrific dialogue, wonderful plot twists, and OH the agony of romantic tangles. LaineyBev, The Bomb Along the Road was pure joy, the very best of that yummy angsty stuff you write so well. It's a great start for your series, and I can't wait to see where you go with it. MsQuartermaine, you SLAY me with the wonderfulness of Oh, Baby. Just when I think you're gonna throw me a bone, just a little one, you turn the tables. It's why I'm still hooked at 70+ chapters (not an easy task for short-attention-spanned Geminis like me!) And Regency--oh, girl, I am in awe of you. It Wasn't Laura was so completely unexpected and so perfectly executed. I wonder at your mind, where it goes, and how it gets there. (That's a big compliment, if you had to ask.) And Fear Not blew me completely out of the water. I'll give you an even bigger compliment than "it made me want to give up writing altogether." Reading Fear Not made me want to write even more. It made me remember why I love stories, and why I adore storytelling. I know I say it all the time, but you guys are amazing. You're just a terrific group of people--the writers, the non-writers, the people who hang in the chat rooms, and the friends who show up here whenever they can. This place is like my home away from home, and I'm so glad Smirks pointed me here all those months ago. Now, I will end gush mode, because I'm sure I'm making a fool of myself. But you guys just amaze me!

DUDES! Four new stories today on the Ficathon. Life is good. Regency, I will read yours as soon as I get a chance. LB and Keith--YAY, you posted. Ya'll are the wind beneath my wings. I love this group.

Oh. My. GAWD. This damned fic is FINALLY done. I don't remember the last time I worked a stupid WEEK on a single fic, especially one that was only 14 pages long. But it's done, it's posted and it's chock full o'angst. Prompt 33: Danger: Casual Cruelty. My take on the whole Laura's coming out of her rutabaga stage thing. I struggled really hard with this one, trying to get the voices right and too keep from straying too far into the sappy zone. LaineyBev, Keith and my darling Fey all helped me with this, so you can blame them. Oh, and for those who are wondering--the new stuff I've beta'd for LaineyBev and Keith is MEGA good. Whine and wheedle until they post, please. ETA: Break Room, anyone?

I thought I'd use my 550th post as a public annoucement to all would-be trolls. In case you do not recognize yourself, here is the wiki definition for Internet Trolling: In the context of the Internet, a troll is a person who makes inflammatory posts or comments, which by effect or design cause disruptions in discourse, or a post made by such a person. Trolling can be described as a breaching experiment, which, because of the use of an alternate persona, allows for normal social boundaries and rules of etiquette to be tested or otherwise broken, without serious consequences. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll To translate this into plain terms, a troll is any person who posts comments designed to provoke, antagonize, upset, or otherwise disrupt the normal flow of conversation in a specific thread. In the context of this thread, a troll would be anything obviously anti-Tracy, anything that specifically plays upon the fears and doubts of the members of this group regarding Tracy, anti-Jane Elliot comments that are not constructive or within the context of a larger, primarily positive post, or anything that picks a fight with any other member of this group. This thread does not have a moderator, nor do I think it needs one. We are all different people, with different tastes and agendas, brought together here by our love and respect for Tracy (and as an extension) Jane Elliot. We do not agree on which hair is the best, or which outfit we prefer, or which romantic partner we think she should wind up with. We do not agree on what sort of roles Jane Elliot should play outside of GH, or whether or not her politics influenced her recent storylines. We do not agree on how her storylines should go, or even is she should remain on GH without a better storyline. What I believe we do agree on is that the Tracy Quartermaine Lovefest is our safe-haven, self-governed, open to lively debate, and welcoming to all fans of the Divine Ms. Q. We do agree that Tracy is an asset to the show and that Jane Elliot is a fine actress. We do agree that people have the right to express their opinions here, even those negative ones, as long as they're expressed in a positive, courteous manner. So, to all would-be trolls, this is your warning. I cannot speak for the rest of the people on this thread, but I can tell you this. I will no longer be giving trolls any quarter. ANY post I see here that is obviously trollish will be reported to the administrators of SON. This is my home away from home, and I will not hesitate to do pest control. Genie Francis's return has made us all on edge, and I know that Tracy fandom may look like a tempting, tasty morsel to trolls. Do NOT be stupid. We have not been studying Tracy Quartermaine for nothing. Trolling will not be tolerated. Pest control will be swift. Just thought I'd mention this.

Marland, I'm sure this board has rules about trolling. I would strongly suggest you find them.