|
Full Name: Grace Catherine Francis |
Tomboy, procrastinator, introvert and fantasy/sci-fi geek...
|
Full Name: Grace Catherine Francis |
Fave Hercules - the TV Series Episodes:
You can also find me at:
Howdy. My name's Grace (though I'm often known by the handle of Jurious on the web) and I'm a huge fan of Hades and the "universe" of Disney's Hercules (well, d'oh!). If you wanna find out about exactly how all this came to be, then please read on:
I went to see Disney's Hercules twice at the cinemas when it was on general release in 1997 because I loved it so much! It was witty and clever, and filled with likable characters, though my favourite by far was Hades, the hilarious Lord of the Underworld. This revisiting to a rather zany version of ancient Greek myth also set off my interest in mythology once again, and led me on to do some more research of my own in so far as the "true" myths went. This fanaticism was then revitalised in 1999 when Hercules - the TV Show finally reached the British Isles. Truth be told, I was at first hesitant to watch the show, but as soon as I heard that James Woods would be returning as the voice of Hades, I had no qualms about sitting down and seeing what it was like. I didn't regret it because it got me completely hooked - and it was funnier than ever!
In fact, I was so enthralled by the new series that I actually picked up my pen (or pencil, whichever...) and sat down and wrote some fanfiction for the show. It was always based around Hades, and my stories introduced Persephone, the Goddess of the Underworld, to the Herc' scene, a goddess who had never been included in Disney's show or film, and manufactured some funny jaunts for Hades and his mistress to go on. With some extra help from my younger sister, who was a bit of a Herc' fan herself at the time, we put together an entire saga for Hades which followed on from the movie plot and stretched far beyond.
But, alas, 1999 was also the year of The Phantom Menace, first episode in the Star Wars saga. And, if you don't know already, then I was - and to a certain extent, still am - an avid Star Wars fan. Despite the shunning that The Phantom Menace received from the merciless critics, I went to see the film and absolutely loved it, so, as one would expect, my attentions were thus re-diverted to Star Wars for a while. Things never really got back on track as far as Disney's Hercules was concerned; I still adored the film, but the fanfics and the drawings I had produced were considerably abandoned.
Until 2002...
Ironically, the year of Attack of the Clones, the second (and far weaker) Star Wars prequel would also become the year when Hercules would come storming back into my life. By sheer chance, when I was cleaning out my bedroom for a bit of re-decoration one day, I stumbled across all my old Hercules fanfics and drawings and decided to take some time out to read through them all. I was quite captivated by the stuff that I found, and I couldn't help myself getting hooked once more! The film was re-watched, the tv show was caught up with on Toon Disney, and I even ventured to find out what the internet had to offer in terms of Hercules went. And, surely enough, there were quite a few interesting Herc' tidbits online, all put together by adoring fans. The two things I found most worthy of note, though, were the "Officially Unofficial Hercules Website" (if you haven't been, then go for a browse; I guarantee it'll make you smile) plus a certain fanfic on the Fanfic.Net called "I Won't Say it" by the talented Melora Maxwell. Her story was based entirely around Hades and explored his relationship with the goddess Persephone, and it was so well written, and so very funny, that it re-ignited my fanfic-writing juices. I couldn't believe how similar it was, in some respects, to the old stories that I had written several years before. Hers was of course of a much better quality, but the parallels existed without a doubt. and, in the end, I was inspired enough to go ahead and re-write my Hades/Persephone tales.
It was then that I also made a little website on which to house all my fanfics and artwork. I called it "Tartarus".
As Fate would have it (or the Fates, maybe I should say), my Hercules fad again fell off the rails and I abandoned all things Herculean right up until this year, 2006, when a chance viewing of the film brought it all back again. Why did I leave the fandom for so long? Who knows? I confess, my life hasn't been particularly spiffy in that time, and I've had trouble with my very identity, wondering who I was and what I wanted to be. I've left university, worked in a kitchen, and moved to two other cities during the course of this time, and now feel that I might fnally be finding my feet again. I'm pursuing some kind of canine career and am currently living with a family and their Tervueren Belgian Shepherds, where I help out around the house and at the dog shows. I feel that dogs are where I want to be for the rest of my life, and since a lot of my old habits are being reformed, and I've come back to Hercules as well as other things, I presume that I am finally getting my life in order and am happy about it.
My Hades/Persephone fanfics from 2002 that I never finished are now back in the pipeline and being readied for a(nother) re-write, and since my artistic skills have perked up considerably in the past few months, I'm churning out the best quality Hadian artwork ever ATM. And then there's the plain fact that this website has managed to rise, like a phoenix, from the ashes. Let's hope that life remains good and that I do manage to write "The End" on my long-suffering fanfiction sometime before the new millennium, and keep flying my flag for Disney's most underated movie franchise. :)
This page last edited 19th June 2008..
