Section Links

01. [From the Editor's Desk]
02. [“Hudson’s Gift”]
03. [An Interview With Some Callisto’s Tales Authors]
04. ["The Warrior Queen”]
05. [Cherry Hill Convention]
06. [Cherry Hill Convention - Part 2]
07. [Interesting Info & Tidbits]
08. [“Callisto”]
09. [“Farewell (From A Goddess)”]
10. [“A Solstice Gift”]
11. [ZonCon ‘98]
12. [ZonCon - Part 2]
13. [ZonCon - Part 3]
14. [“Ten Little Warlords”]
15. [“The Best Way To Describe Hudson Leick”]
16. [The Oddity Twins Present...]
17. [“Santa Be Warned”]
18. [“Runic Myths”]
19. [“Thanks, Hudson, For The Haze”]
20. [“Death By My Hand”]
21. [What Would You Give Hudson For Christmas?]
22. [Featured Web Sites]
23. [One Last Reminder]

Greetings Everyone,

Anna Pavlova once made the following remarks regarding people who achieve success: “No one can ‘arrive’ from being talented alone. God gives talent, work transforms talent into genius.”

With that thought in mind, because of her dedication and persistent hard work, we have the exciting opportunity to watch Hudson in the process of transforming *her* talent right before our very eyes.

And work hard she has! Hudson is currently filming Warner Brothers, 40 million dollar movie “Chill Factor”. “Chill Factor” was written by Mike Cheda and Drew Gitlin and is being directed by Hugh Johnson. It stars Skeet Ulrich, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Peter Firth, David Paymer and our own Ms Hudson, who will playing a villianess/bad girl named "Vaughn".

The story follows the mission of two men (Skeet Ulrich and Cuba Gooding Jr.) transporting an extremely poisonous substance that will cause widespread contamination if it's allowed to warm higher than 50 degrees. “Chill Factor” is due to be released next summer.

A movie that Hudson filmed last year, “Denial”, will finally be making it’s tv premiere on Cinamax on Friday, December 25th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

“Denial” stars: Jason Alexander, Ryan Alosio, Patrick Dempsey, Angie Everheart, Leah Lail, Charles Shaughnessy, Jonathan Silverman, Christine Taylor and Amy Yasbeck. Hudson has a fairly small part in “Denial”, but was fortunate to work with Adam Rifkin, who wrote and directed it. “Denial” is rated R and contains nudity. It is an adult movie and not for children.

Movie description: Seinfeld's Jason Alexander heads a cast of straying couples in a lighthearted look at romantic mischief. He's a writer convinced that humans are "cheaters" by nature--and that anyone who disagrees is in denial. From the time they hear his claim at an L.A. dinner party, though, the loving twosomes in his circle do little to disprove his theory. Heavy-breathing hijinks, directed by the writer of Mouse Hunt.

I know that many of you have been wondering when “Blood Type”, the movie that Hudson did earlier this year, will be released. Unfortunately, there is no release date set for “Blood Type”, at this time, but we’ll be sure and let everyone know when we hear something.

We have a little bit of everything in this newsletter, including quite a few poems, some terrific convention reports (I included more than usual), and some wonderful Holiday material. I’m sure you will enjoy this newsletter as much as I did. To all those who contributed their time and hard work (and there were quite a few this time), “Thank you.” Your efforts are greatly appreciated by Hudson, myself and by many Hudson fans. Great job!

The entire HLOFC Maintenance Team would like to wish everyone a very healthy, happy and above all, safe Holiday Season.

Editors note: The following poem was submitted as an answer to the “December Newsletter Question”, but because it was so wonderful I decided to include it as a separate piece by itself. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Written By: ranjit.singh@net.ntl.com

Hudson's Gift

Upon the festive season my mind did drift.
To seek for fair Hudson a fitting gift.
Though what could do her justice I did ask.
What delight could be equal to the titanic task?

I would give her the stars out of the night skies.
Yet would these not pale before the sparkle in her eyes?
The sun's golden light to fill her life would be a gift worthwhile.
If only it was not eclipsed by the dazzling radiance of her smile.

I'd give her the moon's ethereal glow which fills the night with grace.
But Scarcely could it hope to compare to the beauty of her face.
What then of the sun's heavenly fire that does warm and console.
It's blaze would soon chill before the warmth of her gentle soul.

How the heaven's must bloom with the bitter fruits of defeat.
For all their celestial glory against fair Hudson they cannot compete.
When even heaven despairs can mere mortal man dare hope to prevail.
If in endless quest he cross continent, mountain, hill, valley and dale.

A tribute in vain I seek for none as worthy can I deem.
Unless in desperate hope my inspiration from Hudson's passions do I gleam.
What loves do fill her heart with unbound desire?
What passions stir her soul like all consuming fire?

In my darkest hour my mind's eye does a solution reveal.
Free of grand visions comes an idea that might to her appeal.
Be it so humble, for the festive season I'd give Hudson the world.
For her love of travel, a destination she would choose to behold.

Written By: Kevin C. Wong
jahn@csua.berkeley.edu

Part 2: Darth Skeye

One of the first works of Callisto fan fiction that I read was "Bad Seeds". I was just going down the list alphabetically so I suppose that's not surprising. "Bad Seeds" is rather unusual in that it's a choose-your-own-adventure story, like Tower's "Callisto's Wish" but web-based. I had a blast going through it and reading what was down each path. After that I kept going and read the other two stories in the "Bad Seeds" trilogy. That continued with the "Callisto: Queen of Rage" series which had already been finished when I started reading them.

Darth Skeye's stories greatly influenced how I see the character of Callisto. I'll admit that I didn't have much of any sort of opinion on Callisto, especially as characterized on television. She was just another villain, albeit one that had a Callisto Month promotion (which was a week or two after I started watching the show). Stories like the ones written by Darth Skeye and Tower changed my opinion of Callisto. She's more human, less indiscriminately vicious, more justified in her actions. The stories expand her character and explore various aspects of her personality. She's more of a tragic heroine rather than an irredeemable villainess.

But enough of that rambling. I have an interview to present. Before we start the interview, I'd like to urge people to visit the Callisto's Tales section of the HLOFCWS and read a story. If you like the story write to the author and say so. If you don't like the story write to the author and try to be diplomatic when you tell him or her what you didn't like. Authors invest a lot of themselves in their stories, thank them for their efforts or at least respect the investment they made.

The interview questions are the same as last time, except for the last three which were meant for Darth Skeye only. They were asked after "Favorite Pastime", which continues some time after the "Callisto: Queen of Rage" series.

-- Kevin (Who should write to more authors himself)

[Kevin]
What was your first Callisto story? Why did you write it?

[Darth Skeye]
My first story, actually my first three, were Choose Your Own Adventures. The first one was called Bad Seeds. I wrote it because the character of Callisto inspired me. I felt such a passion for her. There were so many things that as I writer I could do with her. I couldn't help myself. I really like "working" with her. She is like a superbly capable actress. Able to perform whatever role I need with unequaled flair and passion.

[Kevin]
Have you written any other fan fiction besides those on Callisto's Tales? Were these written before/during/after the time you wrote your first Callisto story?

[Darth Skeye]
No. No other fan fiction. Callisto has been my only venture into the fan fic genre. I do write other fiction though.

[Kevin]
When you write, how far ahead do you plan? Do you have the whole story thought out beforehand, just a chapter, nothing planned?

[Darth Skeye]
That question is a tough one. A lot of times I sit down with a bunch of thoughts and emotions I want my characters to express and experience. Then the plot oozes around it. Other times, I want a more intricate plot-based story instead of a character-based one and I plan a small outline. Either way though, the story unfolds mostly before my eyes, like I'm actually living it.

[Kevin]
How would you summarize who Callisto is, what motivates her, what her goals are?

[Darth Skeye]
Another tough one. Summarizing Callisto is an oxymoron of sorts, as she is so complex. I think she is as intellectual and wise as someone twice her age, but is the emotional equivalent of someone half as old. Her goals and motivations are constantly changing as she grows and matures. But she is on the whole after the same thing everyone else is: contentment and peace of mind. She just goes about attaining it in strange ways sometimes. Very blunt and direct. Completely unapologetic for who she is.

[Kevin]
When you write your stories, do you prefer Callisto as a mortal, immortal, or Goddess? Do you feel any of those is substantially harder to write for?

[Darth Skeye]
It is easiest to write for a mortal Callisto, because I believe vulnerability adds to the character. As an immortal, or a god, she is limited in her characterization. Fear becomes obsolete. Her intensity also suffers because there is no need for that unmatchable edge that gives her. And there is just less for her to do as an immortal. Having said that, my last story takes place in the now, and she has been alive and immortal all these years. I did create a "modified" immortality though, allowing her to maintain her humanity.

[Kevin]
How close do you think your characterization of Callisto comes to the one shown on "Xena: Warrior Princess"? If there are differences, why did you include/exclude them in your characterization?

[Darth Skeye]
My Callisto started out quite similarly to the one depicted when she first arrived in the series. But since then, the writers had evolved her into something new. I also had her evolve but in a different direction, hence the two depictions drifted apart. I had her change in a way that I thought would make her intriguing enough to have a series about her. Not be a Xena clone, yet not be a monotonous evil doer, which Hudson herself even said wouldn't work as a TV show..

[Kevin]
When you write Callisto stories, how important is it to keep within the Hercules/Xena Universe as depicted in both TV shows?

[Darth Skeye]
It isn't a do or die thing for me, but this is fan fiction and I like to keep to the occasionally camp, and anachronistic flavor of the show.

[Kevin]
Do you read any other Callisto fan fiction? How about other fan fiction in general? Is there any fan fiction that has influenced your writings? How has it influenced your writings?

[Darth Skeye]
I do read a little, not too much though. Time always seems to be at a premium these days. I've looked at some Highlander fan fiction but that's it. I mostly only read about Callisto. I think every piece of art -- be it a book, a picture or what have you -- influences you and what you do. So yes, absolutely, I have been inspired. Callisto's Wish by Tower, another Choose Your Own Adventure, inspired me. It was a stand out in a fledgling era of Callisto Fan Fic and still is today. It first of all showed me what a fun (yet very difficult I later found out) area of writing multi-path stories is. It also helped fuel my passion for writing with Callisto.

[Kevin]
Which is your personal favorite Callisto story that you have written? What makes it your favorite story?

[Darth Skeye]
I have many. I think the last one I wrote, Favorite Pastime, was my favorite. I changed the setting, quite drastically, and it sort of refreshed and energized me. I liked it because by putting Callisto in the Modern Era it opens up an entirely new universe of things for her to do. It is a joy trying to figure what Callisto would be like 2 millennia and change later in midtown Manhattan. What car would she drive? What does she think of traffic? Is she afraid to walk alone at night?

[Kevin]
If you had to do it all over again, are there any stories that you would change substantially? What would you change?

[Darth Skeye]
I think I would change Favorite Pastime a little. It was so much fun to write, that I kind of rushed it a bit. I think I touched upon two fascinating subjects. Namely, Petris' passive boredom with life and thoughts of suicide, and also Callisto's fascination with psychology. I would have delved into those stories in greater detail if I could do it over.

[Kevin]
Who do you write for? Who is the intended audience for your Callisto stories?

[Darth Skeye]
I write for myself first and foremost. I truly have a lot of fun writing these stories. I also write for Herc and Xena fans. I try to keep with the same basic formula of campy drama that the producers created.

[Kevin]
How important is feedback from readers? How does reader feedback influence your writings?

[Darth Skeye]
I really love feedback. I love it. Writing, although fun, is also work. And it is great to know I'm appreciated. And I do thank everyone who has commented. Mostly I get thank you notes saying keep up the good work, which is always great to hear. But some people give a constant stream of feedback, telling what they liked and what they didn't. That is quite helpful. I know which themes are liked and which are not so liked (everything is basically liked by the way). I do write for myself, but I definitely have curbed to the "audience." There have been some truly great suggestions given to me for a plot line or character creation that I am thankful for.

[Kevin]
You introduced the major character of Petris in your stories. Why did you do this? Why not a character that appeared in Xena or Hercules?

[Darth Skeye]
Simple. Petris = me. I wanted to inject myself into Callisto's world. It makes things so much more fun to write. Petris is my age, my size, height, weight, and he has the same basic persona as me too. (Petris would kick my butt though.) And it is like living out a fantasy. Roaming the plains of ancient Greece, fighting bandits, camping under the moonlight and as the reader soon finds, falling in love with a gorgeous warrioress. Who could ask for more? I have included many of the colorful band of characters on the shows, but I wanted someone original. I wanted a part too.

[Kevin]
Each of your stories has continued in the same "Universe" as the previous one. Have you thought about writing a different sort of Callisto story?

[Darth Skeye]
The last story is still in the same universe, just maybe a different sector or something. Callisto is living in Manhattan in 1998, so that is different. But Petris is still around, as are others the reader soon finds, and Callisto is characterized no differently, so it is still more or less the same. I have thought about others. I wanted to write a Callisto/Highlander crossover. The problem is I like to be original. I like to stand out a bit. So since my universe is... well mine, that is my original starting point. Moreover, I like the world I created. I'm not tired of it, in fact I always have more things to do. From feedback, others don't seem to be tired of it either. So if it aint broke don't fix it.

[Kevin]
"Callisto and the Crow" by Pharo seems to use your "Universe" as a starting point. How do you feel about that? Are you flattered? What do you think about the Petris' death?

[Darth Skeye]
Well whoever said imitation is the highest form of flattery was right. I am truly flattered. It feels so good to know that I created a character, and a world, that is so tangible, so real that others not only like it, they want to take it an expound upon it. It is really wonderful. All I ask, and I have been graciously accommodated, is that people don't forget where they got it so to speak. That's not to say I want written credit or groveling permission at all. Just the courtesy of letting me know, and again I have been more than satisfied with how it has worked out with Pharo as well as others who utilize Petris. I don't have any rules either. I mean don't take the name Petris and slap it on a serial killer, but fellow writers can modify and evolve Petris to their hearts' delight. It again, truly flatters me to know that people like the character so much. As for Pharo killing him off... like I said before Petris is me, and you never would want read about your own death. But I of course don't hold any grudges... too much... and am flattered that he even got a mention in what I think has the makings of a great story.

[Kevin]
Thank you kindly for answering my questions. Tune in next time when I interview... well, you'll find out soon enough.

Written By: xinda.wang
xinda.wang@mci2000.com

The Warrior Queen

She’s filled with anger, her eyes burn with hate,
‘cause Xena destroyed her village and changed her fate.
She killed so many, but she didn’t care,
When she’s around, everyone’s aware.
They see her fury, they feel her rage,
They all agree she should be locked in a cage.
But all she wanted was a place to rest,
She longed for one option which she thought was the best.
Oblivion, a simple thing was all she wanted,
For as long her soil was alive, she would be haunted.
So she made a deal with Dahak’s daughter,
But it only made her fury hotter.
Hope was with Ares, he was her lover,
So she told Hope that it was all over.
She teamed up with Xena reluctantly,
But only to reach her objectivity.
So when Gabrielle fell down the hole,
Callisto finally reached her goal.
Xena had plunged the knife through her chest,
Letting her creation finally rest.

Written By: Oshram
Oshram@aol.com

I have liked both Hudson and Callisto since she first appeared on Xena. I found her character very unusual, and I thought Hudson's performance was just perfectly balanced. As she appeared more often, I (like many others) came to very much enjoy Callisto, and I was always happy to see her return.

I got my first chance to see Hudson at a convention in Valley Forge in the fall of 1997. I'd heard the stories of how wild she comes off at a convention, but none of them could live up to the real thing. As you all know, she's a blast, and I was blown away. I was fortunate enough to see her again at Burbank in January '98, and I was very taken with how nice she was toward fans and how much she obviously cared about us when she wandered out into the audience to summon one nervous young man to the stage and have her picture taken with him. That made quite an impression on me, because most performers I've met or seen would never think of doing that.

Hudson was thus the main reason I attended the Cherry Hill convention this past August (though I'm a big Karl Urban fan as well). At the end of her appearance in Burbank, Hudson had thanked the audience for their support and warmth, and it very much felt like she wasn't going to be a part of Xena for much longer. So I was doubly pleased to be seeing her at Cherry Hill, because at that point I wasn't sure if I'd have the opportunity again.

Apparently a lot of others felt the same way, because the attendance fell by almost half on the day Hudson didn't appear. The hall was packed tight that Saturday (I was lucky enough to have second row seats, a worthy investment in this case), and Hudson took the stage sporting her new ‘do’, which she commented on almost immediately ("I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'My God, what did she do to her hair?'") but as usual she got started right away.

I always enjoy watching Hudson at these cons, because you can see people just get charmed so quickly. They walk up to the microphone to talk to her, and some are shy or nervous; some are very outgoing, and some are just smiling from ear to ear. People ask questions hoping for that moment of personal contact, when you actually make that brief connection with the star, and all of them walk away having gotten that. You can see it on their faces.

It's tough sometimes in the autograph line trying to think of something to say to an actor. You want to say something witty, unique, and original, but at the same time you're nervous and excited and geeked to meet this person who's had an impact on your life. Most people manage some variation of "Thanks, you are really great!" because deep down that's what we feel. You are great. I crossed three states to see you. I'll be eating hot dogs for two weeks to pay for this trip, but it's all worth it.

I was spared all of this mental wrangling, however; when I got to the autograph table and put down my photo to have signed, as instructed, the Creation guy opened it up....and up.... and up. I had brought the terrific fold-out of Hudson as Callisto from the Topps Xena magazine for Hudson to sign. It's just a great capture of the character's devilish streak, and a really nice picture of Hudson. Apparently Hudson's mom didn't agree, though, because she looked the picture up and down and said, "I don't know if my daughter should be signing that kind of picture." She kind of chuckled, but I don't think she was too keen on it. I, of course, shrank to about three inches tall. Luckily for me, Hudson didn't bat an eye, and I was able to mutter, "We'll miss you on Xena, but I know we'll be seeing you in lots of other things." Hudson gave me a nice smile and a "thank you!" and then I floated off back to my seat.

While I was waiting in line, I had heard a Creation employee say something about, "We'll do the pictures later," to Hudson. She turned to him and said, "After all the signing," or something like that. He nodded and said, "If there's time." Hudson said to him, "We'll make time." Since I had missed the chances for pictures with her at both Valley Forge (didn't know about it) and Burbank (mob scene), I was psyched. I told the group I had gone to the con with, and we all proceeded to get really geeked. Even a group photo would be really cool!

When Hudson was done signing and she moved out into the lobby to take photos, we ended up somewhere around the middle of the line. I have to give Sharon Delaney credit, as well as Ephany, who I recognized, and everyone else who was helping her; they were organized, efficient, and friendly, and kept the line moving really quickly. I was pretty geeked by the time it was my turn, and Hudson just flashed that killer smile and said "Hi!" She put her arm around my shoulder and Sharon snapped the pic (Hudson has such a tiny waist!) and that was it, wow, boom, incredible. I turned to thank Hudson when she said, "Thanks so much for coming." Me? Thank me? Geez, what a sweetie. I stammered, "Thanks so much for being willing to do this." Which, of course, I really meant; we have stars that won't even sign autographs at some cons, and here this woman is posing individually with fans for photos. That spoke volumes to me.

After I floated off to my friends, I wandered back to watch the people behind me in line get their pictures taken. I figured I'd never have the opportunity to just watch Hudson like this ever again, so I just stood there gawking while she greeted each person, gave each a smile, and did something a little different for each and every fan. I don't think I could have been more impressed. One man said, after his picture was snapped, "Wow, that flash blinded me!" Hudson smiled and told him, "You should try it all night!" She was wonderful to everyone; I was just touched by all the energy and effort and warmth; Hudson made each person feel really special, and that's quite a gift to give.

I'd heard the phrase (from Marty Slater) "Hudson Haze" before, but I'd never experienced it. Well, I stumbled into it in a major way at Cherry Hill and still haven't made my way clear (nor do I really want to). I wondered if Hudson had taken that time with the fans as a way of thanking them for supporting her so strongly with Xena; again, it felt like she was saying good bye, and I thought staying and having her picture taken with fans was a wonderful way to say thanks and to give something very special back to them.

Though Callisto may be gone from Xena, I think Hudson has made a lasting mark on Xenites (and definitely on this one!). Her warmth and openness at this cons, her willingness to give of herself and to play with the audience verbally... all of that will be missed. It just won't be the same without her. But here's hoping that we'll be seeing her in many, many other projects, and here's thanking her for just being really wonderful to her fans.

Written By: Nancy MacBride
Zena7721@aol.com

Ok, its Saturday, August 29th, 1998 in the beautiful Cherry Hill Hilton in Cherry Hill, NJ. I'm attending my second Hercules/Xena Convention and anxiously awaiting the person I came to see. Hudson Leick. It's 4:45pm and the lights go down and the video tribute to "Callisto" begins to play. The music they're using is "Maniac" from the soundtrack of Flashdance. What an appropriate choice don't you think? Whoever puts the video tributes together is definitely a genius. The music and lyrics go perfectly with the clips they choose from the shows. If you have never been to a Hercules/Xena convention, you have not experienced the best get together of Xena fans. The chance to meet other fans, compare opinions and just share the great episodes is really a wonderful thing. But once the video ends, the moment of truth is at hand. Hudson strolls on the stage. Today she's wearing a beautiful black strap dress and on her head is a long black sheer veil. She picks up the mike and gives us her patented Callisto grin. (You all know how that looks) Hudson is truly at home on stage, she is certainly not shy. She graciously answers any question that is addressed to her. She tells us her parents are there and that she hasn't seen them in 8 months. She calls them up on stage and hands a mike to her mom. Then she tells us that we can ask her anything we want. Well, the next person in line proceeds to ask how Hudson's school grades were. Her mom looks at Hudson and Hudson says "go ahead, be honest." After we find out that Hudson was a good student (but did manage to "stir things up") a few more questions were answered by her mom and dad. It is very apparent that Hudson and her parents are part of a loving family. Hudson is so generous with her answers and you can tell by watching her that she is having a ball. As I later found out by chatting with her mom for 45 minutes, Hudson has always been comfortable in front of the crowd. Hudson askes for a chair and answers more questions while "relaxing" and then decides to "strike some poses" for us. As one of her new things to share, when the veil is removed we find out that Hudson is now sporting a new short haircut. It's cute too (of course, we are talking about Hudson here!!!) Not too far into her stage time, of course someone yells "how about doing your scream?" Let me say this, if you think it was loud on Xena, you should have been in the 3rd row--my throat was sore!!! Hudson spent about 40 minutes on stage. After about 10-15 minutes the really cool part comes. The chance to meet the stars in person and get autographs.

Since I was near the beginning of the autograph line, I was among the first to talk to her. I decided to get my 12" Callisto doll signed. She had not seen it in person and I asked her who they used as a model because it doesn't do her justice. I asked her if she had received the photo I had sent her of she and her mom from Valley Forge last year, and Hudson said she has it on her wall framed. As I sat in my seat, we conversed back and forth. Hudson is someone you could just "hang" with. She is so down to earth, friendly, kind and very generous. Now the day is coming to an end, Hudson has been signing autographs for at least 2 hours, it's getting late and they make an announcement that Hudson would be staying to let the fans get pictures if anyone wants to. This is what I mean when I say Hudson is above and beyond any other celebrity. She has not seen her family in 8 months and she wants to spend more time with her fans. After getting my picture with her, I went and talked to her mom for 45 minutes or so. What a sweetheart, Hudson takes after her mom. In our conversation, I found out that Hudson had a flight back to California the next morning. I also found out some nice little tidbits about Hudson growing up, but I will never reveal them because I told her mom I wouldn't. I also told her mom how upset I was about the note the Fanclub members received about certain "fans" taking advantage of Hudson's generous nature. Apparently, there are "fans" who think Hudson owes them. Therefore, they have the right to just pick her up, kiss her, etc. Well, if any "fan" had done that while I was there to see it, they'd have had a serious problem!!!! I told her mom that if Hudson needed a bodyguard to call me. No one ever has the right to treat another person like that!!!!!! Well, as the last few fans have the chance to get their photo taken, I say good-bye to Hudson's mom and I glance at my watch, it's 9:15pm. At that moment I realized something. Hudson chose to spend her time with her fans, she sacrificed spending time with her family to share an opportunity of a lifetime for her fans. Thank you Hudson. Congratulations on Chill Factor, I'll be the first in line in my area for it's premier. I wish you the best of luck in all you do. I will certainly miss you in Xena, I hope you'll return for some guest appearances. This fan will never forget how kind you are and you will always have a fan in me. I am happy for your success and look forward to your ever expanding career.

Thanks again Hudson & Happy Holidays since they are soon upon us.

Submitted By: George Mantis
georgemantis@ath.forthnet.gr

In Greek (both Ancient and Modern) the name CALLISTO (coming from CALLISTE) means "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL".

Ancient Greeks gave two other names for Callisto, MEGISTO (The Greatest) & THEMISTO (The most Just)

CALLISTO IS IMMORTAL AND IMMORTALS NEVER DIE! So stop sobbing and mourning! She's just living in Limbo (between dimensions) now. So, wait for the next conjunction of the 1,000,000 Spheres!

Written By: Jen Anderson
J522888A@edinboro.edu

CALLISTO
(Sung to the tune of jingle bells)

Callisto, Callisto, evil all the way
When she comes, to your home town
You'd best start to pray, Hey!

Callisto, Callisto, evil all the way
When she comes, to your home town
You'd best start to pray.

She is beautiful
And she's also quite skinny
But don't dare be fooled
She'll show you no mercy.

She has a mean glare
Screams in a high pitch
She'll kill your friends and she won't care
Yes, she is quite a bitch!

Oh, Callisto, Callisto, evil all the way
When she comes to your home town
You'd best start to pray, Hey!

Callisto, Callisto, evil all the way
When she comes to your home town
You'd best start to pray!!!!!

Written By: Dave Geller aka PatMan
dgeller@cybercomm.net

Farewell (From a Goddess)

I never could say it when I was alive
Not after all the pain and suffering I endured
Of losing all I knew and loved
At the hands of you, the Destroyer

You came without warning to Cirra
My entire world, my *only* world
And with the anger from within yourself
Took it all away with fire

I never could forget this day
Watching helplessly while my family burned and suffered
Too young to stop the pain
Caused by YOU, the dark-haired Warrior

I vowed I would not cry over my loss
And held my emotions within myself
Building them into anger and hatred at you

I blamed you for everything that happened
And wanted you to suffer for these crimes
But you never had to pay for your evil deeds
Hercules saved you from this fate

I made my plans to destroy you
For years I trained to become a Warrior
Following your every move, studying you from afar
Until the day I could become you - Xena, Destroyer of Nations

But along the way I learned
There was something more I felt in me
More than the hatred for you all these years
That I slowly came to realize...

There were times I tried to tell you
To give you hints of what was there

But you only saw me as you once were
And could not face "yourself"
The reminder of the past that must be destroyed

You never could admit the truth to yourself
Let all the walls come down
Or stop to *listen* to me

Only at the end, as life drained from me
Did I finally see it in your eyes
Coming through, past the pain you felt from your loss
The death of your precious Gabrielle

And with my death
I have found the peace
That eluded me in life
And I feel content

There is no more anger, no resentment
Because deep down, beyond your hatred for me
I saw the fire burning bright for one brief moment

And though you still can not admit it to yourself
we both know it is true
The feelings that I had for you
You truly shared for me as well...

And I can finally say
I love you, Xena...

--Callisto

Written By: Wight
wight@axl.be

A Solstice Gift

"Xena ... "

The sound of that voice stopped the dark haired warrior dead in her tracks. Slowly, dreading what she might see, Xena began to turn around. She knew that voice, knew it so well there was no room for doubt or error. Yet she found herself, hoping beyond hope, that perhaps it had been that. That she had heard wrong, that the echoes of this place had played tricks on her.

Yet, as her gaze fell onto the familiar form behind her, standing on the narrow mountain ledge just two meters away, Xena's suspicions were confirmed, and there was no more denying that the person she now faced was none other then Callisto, former Warrior Queen, and now: Goddess ...

"Hello my sweet." Callisto coed, innocent and sweet, yet with an underlying tone of menace that made the hairs on Xena's neck stand upright. Looking down into the three hundred meter deep abyss just next to the mountain ledge, Xena knew she was in trouble. Callisto had managed not only to chose the worst possible time, but also the worst possible place, to make her appearance ...

"Callisto !" Xena spat out as she drew her sword. She really didn't want to deal with this now. Not while Gabrielle's life was in danger.

"My my." Callisto grinned, pointing at the drawn weapon the Warrior Princess was holding. "You must be happy to see me."

"What do you want, Callisto ?" Xena growled. The ledge turned around the corner just five meters ahead, in the opposite direction she was now facing. Maybe she could get away and face her enemy another time.

"Same thing as you."

Xena was a little surprise at that. She was after a serial killer named Trachus, had been hunting him down for three days now. Somewhere along the lines though, the man had outsmarted her, and had kidnapped Gabrielle, to take her here, to his hideout place in the mountains.

"Good " Xena answered. "Then we can do this another time." She turned around again, her heart starting to beat faster as she did so, and began to walk away. One step, two steps, just a little further to that corner ...

A sudden flash of fire before her stopped the Warrior Princess a second time. Callisto appeared just ahead, now blocking her path.

"Going so soon ?" The blond woman smiled, playful as usual.

So there was no way around this. Leaving Xena only one choice.

With a deafening cry, the warrior charged forward, slightly to her left, and closer to the mountain wall. She hoped to push herself off that wall and slam straight into Callisto, thereby knocking her nemesis into the depths below. Her first few steps got her to that wall, but as she placed her left foot against it and pushed outward, for the slam-kick that would end this fight right here and now, Callisto simply danced back with such speed and grace that it made Xena's own movements look slow and sluggish.

Callisto answered by whirling around, full circle, and hitting Xena in the face with a backhand so strong it knocked her off her feet. She had fought Callisto before, as a mortal. But now that she was a Goddess, her strength and speed enhanced by ambrosia, Xena wasn't even able to see her blows coming, let alone block them.

Jumping back to her own two feet, Xena decided to try something else. She drew her chakram and launched it at the Goddess as hard as she could. Callisto just stretched her arm forward, holding the palm of her hand out, and as if by magic the circular weapon reversed course, straight at the Warrior Princess' neck. She only barely managed to duck low and avoid having her head sliced off, but in doing so lost her footing, and slipped. Without warning, the ground beneath her turned into air as she fell to her right. Only a desperate last grab at the edge of the ledge prevented Xena from undergoing the very fate she had planned for her opponent.

Three footsteps, and then Callisto was in sight again, hovering over the now-helpless Warrior Princess. At first, she gave Xena a puzzled look, but that quickly turned into a grin ...

"I heard Trachus likes to torture his victims to death." Callisto began, as if the fight had never happened: "If I were you, I'd try to hurry rather then hang around here doing nothing."

And with a giggle, before the hero had a chance to respond, Callisto disappeared, leaving Xena alone and wondering why in Tartarus she was still alive ...

Cautiously, but nevertheless a little too fast to be fully silent, Xena crept into the cave, her sword drawn, her ears listening to the cheerful humming she had picked up a little earlier. At first, she had thought Callisto had come back to haunt her, but before that thought had even turned cold she had noted the humming was much to deep to be female, meaning it had to be Trachus' ...

A dozen or so torches, evenly spaced among the gray rock walls, kept the cave alit. Other then that, it was unremarkable. Still, Xena's keen eyesight picked up footsteps going deeper into the subterranean hideout. As stealthy as her mindset would allow, Xena moved deeper into the mountain, the humming getting louder and louder as she did so.

About a minute later, after having followed a small chisseled-out tunnel, she came to a new, larger cave. This one was split in two by a massive crevasse running along it's width, separating the two halves right in the middle. A wooden bridge hung over the crevasse, and behind that, Xena could detect her objective ..........

The second half of the cave housed a few barrels, some blankets and a burned out campfire, as well as a wall with various chains hanging from them. Chains meant to keep people imprisoned. Gabrielle hung from those chains, her feet only barely touching the floor. She was unconscious, but seemed otherwise ok. Trachus, who was standing a few meters away from her, hadn't hurt her ... yet.

Trachus was a pale, thin man, his eyes hollowed out, his head bald, his nose crooked. He wore black robes, and a belt from which an assortment of knives and dagger hung. One of those daggers was drawn, a wicked, rusty serrated weapon, which looked like it could cause some horrible wounds in the hands of a madman like him. It was indeed Trachus, who had been humming. He also seemed to be inspecting Gabrielle, as if waiting for her to wake up.

Xena cursed having lost her chakram in the fight against Callisto. She knew where it was, but would have to climb down the mountain-slope to get it. She had had no time for that. So, without a missile weapon to take out Trachus before he could get to her friend, Xena crept forward as silently as she could, hoping the killer would fail to notice her.

He did, ... unfortunately, his pet dog didn't. Xena had only barely managed two steps before, from her right, a large black canine jumped out of the shadows straight at her. Surprised, the Warrior Princess was unable to avoid it's rabid attack and was knocked down by the animal. She quickly recovered though, kicked out with her left foot, then drew her breast dagger and stabbed it into the dog's neck as it tried to charge her again. With a yelp of pain, the beast jumped back, then fell down and stopped moving ...

"Cerebus !!" An angry cry came from the other side of the crevasse. Xena whirled around, just in time to see Trachus cut the second rope that held the bridge up. Not having suspected such a thing, she was unable to react before the whole wooden structure tumbled into the darkness below and disappeared.

"You'll pay for that." Trachus, obviously agitated, cried out. "Now you'll watch me kill *your* friend." Without waiting, he turned around and walked towards the unconscious bard, dagger held in hand, shining with the gleam of the torches.

"No !!" Xena cried out. She thought about jumping over the crevasse, but it was much to wide, even for her. Looking around, desperately, she searched for a wooden pole or something, anything she could use to cross the distance. There was nothing.

Trachus reached Gabrielle, and raised his dagger: "This is what happens to people who try to stop me!!", the madman yelled. Helpless, Xena was unable to tear away her eyes as the deadly weapon started its downward move, heading straight toward's the bard's heart ...

Time slowed down, while inch by inch, Gabrielle's death crept a little closer ...

Then suddenly, the dagger turned away, as if deflected by an invisible barrier. Doing so sprained Trachus' hand, and forced him to let go of his weapon with a cry of surprise ...

"Did I come at a bad time ?"

For once, even if it was just a for a second, Xena was actually glad to hear that cooing, playful voice run across the cave. Then, she remembered who it was that the voice belonged to,

Callisto ...

"What, who are you ?" Trachus yelled in shock, his hand already drawing a new knife.

Callisto looked the man straight into the eye, cocked her head, and said: "You've been a bad boy ..."

Then next thing Xena knew, a big wave of fire engulfed the killer, and blocked her sight. When the fire disappeared, Trachus was gone, only smoldering ashes remaining in the exact same place he had been standing in. To Xena's shock, both Callisto and Gabrielle were gone as well ...

"Looking for someone ?"

The voice came from behind her, immediately causing the Warrior Princess to spin around. Callisto was there, and Gabrielle, still unconscious, was lying at her feet. The bard was still unhurt.

Xena drew her sword again, knowing full well it wouldn't do her much good anyway.

"That's the second time all you think about is fighting me." Callisto grinned. "I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted."

"It's me you want Callisto." Xena stated, with a calm she hadn't expected. She knew she was going to die, she didn't stand a chance. "Leave Gabrielle out of it."

"Oh but you’re wrong." The goddess retorted, just like Xena had feared. "Oh sure, I could kill you right now. I could kill you anytime I want. But where's the fun in that, hmm ?"

She shook her head, and continued: "Besides. This is much better. I just saved your little Gabrielle. You owe me her life. Every time you look at her, you'll be reminded of your debt to me. Every time she speaks, you'll remember how I saved her, when you couldn't. That's so much better then killing you could ever be ... "

Shocked and stunned, Xena couldn't deny that she was hearing the truth. Callisto had saved Gabrielle when Xena couldn't. And no matter how hard she'd try to tell herself otherwise, the only reason Gabrielle was still alive was because of Xena's worst enemy ...

Callisto raised her arm, and waved goodbye ...

"Happy Solstice .... dear."

Written By: Michael Valdivielso
barrie@netcom.com

Power of a Smile

What does ZonCon mean to me? First, let me tell you about the two days I was there and then I will tell you how it changed me (for a few weeks). I arrived there on the 2nd, to my first sci-fi/fantasy convention and was a little confused. But I was there for one reason, to see Hudson Leick and did not really worry about anything else. I had planned for monthes and everything seemed to be going ok. That night was the dinner, at which the guests all showed up and ate along side the guests, including Hudson Leick! It was nice to be at a table where all the other people were also fans of her and the Xena show. We chatted about how great the show was, Greek myths and if Hudson would ever be in the show again, maybe in a non-Callisto part. Hudson herself looked great. Words do not do justice. I have heard people complain about her cutting her hair, and all I can say is those people are blind.

The next day, I was in the Boston Street Theatre before 10:00 and even got a T-shirt for being there so early. We (me and a Hudson die-hard fan I met at the dinner) we in front, waiting. We listened to Mr. Sheperd's poems, Mr. Downes's humor, Heather Alexander's songs and Mrs. Leick's (Hudson's mom) tales of family and friends. In fact, I found myself next to Miss. Leick's friends. The fact was, we were as close to the stage as we could get. And when she (finally) stepped onto stage, once again, it is beyond words. She was lovely, happy, funny, bright (smart and seeming to give off light at the same time). Not only was I smiling for no reason I could understand, but near the end, when she told us we all had to scream (a battle cry if you will), she noticed me. You see, I did not want to scream and made that face that five year olds make when told they have to eat peas. Not only did she notice, but she pointed me out and said that I would have to scream, everybody would have to scream.

As you can guess, I did scream. Kind of, as I was kind of in zombie-mode at that point. Big grin, eyes goofy. When I went to get her autograph, I realized that my number, which was 164, was not as bad as it looked. 0 to 150 were the dealers, so I was really 14. I was the first non-dealer to get a autograph (well, maybe a few kids got in front of me, because they were cute). As she signed my photo, I said something about 'Just to let you know, I did scream'. She smiled at me and said something about how she recongized me from the front row and thanked me for coming. I think I said thank you and somehow left the room, but I don't know how. ZonCon and Hudson Leick made me cheerful and happy for the next three weeks. I was well mannered, nice, always smiling. My co-workers thought I was high or something. You see, I work at the United States Holocaust Mem. Museum in Washington D.C. (which is a depressing town all by itself). The power of Hudson Leick's smile should be bottled. I have met other members of the caste and have met stars before, yet they never made me act like this before, like a human being. And all I have to say is this: It is a innie!*

* If you were there, you will get it!

Editors Note: And if you weren’t there, I’m sure you can figure it out. <grin>

Written By: Heather Stolte
XenaFan79@aol.com

ZonCon98 was held in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, not too far from the downtown limits known as the Inner Harbor. The event took place over the weekend of October 2, 1998. I attended ZonCon on October 3rd and 4th.

On Saturday October 3rd I took my 8-year-old cousin, Charles, to the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center on O'Donnell Street. He was almost as thrilled as I was, for the past month all he talked about was seeing the woman who played Callisto on our favorite show. I had met Hudson a little more than a month prior at the Hercules and Xena Convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and I had found her to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. I told him this and he was excited when the day arrived, calling me impatiently at work telling me to get home.

When we arrived, there was a guest speaker on stage and Charles was not interested in listening, so I took him downstairs and we had lunch. Afterwards, we went back upstairs and looked at all the sci-fi merchandise vendors were selling and bought a few items, and then went to see what was happening on the stage. Unfortunately the schedule given to us was inaccurate because by the time we got there Hudson was on stage in this exotic costume, wrapping up her speech! I was a little disappointed about not listening to the whole thing, but it was good to see her before we met her. At the end she thanked everyone for letting her be a part of our lives and I smiled and thought that was a really nice thing to say.

After she left the stage, there was an auction on Xena and Babylon 5 merchandise. The host kept Charles amused by making jokes while we were all waiting to meet Hudson. Finally our numbers were called to get autographs. I must mention here that at least 3/4 of everyone who attended was there for Hudson, during the time Charles and I stood in line about 3 people went to Robin Atkin Downes and Mark Allen Shepherd's tables. When Charles and I finally arrived at Hudson's table, she looked at him, smiled and said playfully "Hi peanut-head!," he was a little insulted until she started laughing and then he loosened up and started to smile back at her. I think meeting her really made his day, he was still talking about her when he was leaving my house.

On Sunday I went back alone, for the sole purpose of meeting Hudson just one last time. The line was long, but Heather Alexander was there playing her fiddle, entertaining all of us while we waited. I must say, I've never heard her play before, but I thought she was great! (I'm not just saying that because we have the same first name and the same color hair [auburn] either! :)) Heather was called to meet Hudson and Hudson told her how well she was playing and asked for a CD of her work, Heather obliged and then it was our turn to see Hudson.

This day she was wearing a dress that was light in color and looked like something from the Renaissance. The security personnel said that Hudson could only sign one autograph per person and could not take pictures with anybody or personalize anything because she had a plane to catch. When I made my way up to her I had my Xena magazine in my hand and I notice she was staring at me. At first I thought she was looking at someone else, but when I realized she was looking at me I thought I did something wrong! Finally, Hudson said "you look really familiar... weren't you at Cherry Hill?" I, being in shock at this point, excitedly said I was there. Hudson then said "that's different then, do you want me to personalize this and of course I said "yes please!!!" She was writing and eating at the same time and she said "this stuff is great," referring to her crabcake (a specialty of Baltimore) and the people behind the table with her kept talking about the food, like it was foreign cuisine. I thanked her for visiting and she thanked me for coming. She greeted me with a final smile and I returned home happy to have had a great encounter with such a nice person.

Written By: Jo Burke
mistressofcirra@juno.com

Well, I'm not too sure how to begin this retelling of my adventures in Baltimore. It was my second time meeting Hudson [the first time sort of being a disaster], and I knew that it would be better than the first time...Somehow, I just knew. By the time I got on the bus for home on Sunday, I knew I'd never forget that weekend for the rest of my life.

Friday night, the dinner, was a very interesting night. For one, I wasn't sure I'd get there in time. Take some advice, don't take the bus that drops you off twenty minutes before they say the event is going to start. Makes you so nervous and totally messes with your head! I ended up sitting at a wonderful table with two other Jo's, a few beautiful press people and someone from the Another Universe company. As we got to know each other, and them playing with my poor little head, Hudson walked in. I, of course, stopped what I was doing and turned around. I was kind of glad when she sat down because I couldn't seem to get myself to breathe while she was two feet away. But that isn't half as bad as later on!

After we finish eating, our table notices Hudson is sitting at a table that had all fan club members...Since we were also in the fan club, we were hoping that Hudson was going to come visit us for a while. And she did. We searched for a chair for about ten minutes then placed it between me and another Jo at the table. Hudson comes over and sits down and I promptly apologize for almost knocking her on her bottom in Cherry Hill. Well, she did not remember me doing that, so I started to explain how I almost knocked her down and how I said to myself *Where the f*** are you going?!*...Yes, I said that out loud to Hudson... Then, I went into how the question line was cut off four people in front of me. Now, I wasn't going to actually ask the Truth or Dare question, but she asked so I just spit it out. I barely said it, too, but she answered with Dare. I asked her twice if she really wanted to do it, and the second time she told me she knew what it was. I asked her what she thought the Dare was and she said, "You want me to kiss you." All I could get out of my mouth was "You're good." By now, the whole table was watching, and when she did it I wasn't ready. Everyone at the table had their mouths hanging open wide and their fingers far away from the shutter releases on their cameras! I don't even remember the next few moments in time after she kissed me. All I knew was that I had lipstick all over! Rusty, one of the wonderful press people, came over with an empty Sweet & Low packet and asked me if she could have some of the lipstick off my mouth...She tried, but it didn't work. Also, Jo kept asking if I would kiss her. Oh, BTW, when I asked her about her BIG news, she told me to tell everyone that she was pregnant[I don't think it has anything to do with how my picture turned out from that night, but.....].

I don't know if I should mention this or not, but Friday night was the night I wrote THE letter. To keep it short, I wrote a very interesting letter to Hudson after the dinner on Friday night, and well, what I wrote will stay between me and everyone who was in the room when Hudson read it. You'll hear all about the aftermath of Hudson reading the letter in a couple paragraphs, so keep your shorts on!

On Saturday, there was a bit of delay and Hudson's sweet mother and friends took over the spotlight. They told us stories about Hudson, which for some reason, I don't seem to remember. Earlier in the day, someone told me that Hudson was looking for some Valium for me on Friday night, and I'm very glad that it wasn't true! I don't remember all the questions asked during her time on stage because I'm *blessed* with a horrible memory! There were a few things I remembered though...Someone asked about the episode 'Sacrifice II' and about the death of Callisto. I figured it was now or never to give her a copy of the poem I wrote about that exact event. I also asked her what she thought about the death. 'Bigger and better!' not an exact quote, but close enough. I handed her the poem and she did start to read it, but it's a really long poem, so she said she would read it later...And I kept forgetting to ask her if she did, so I still don't know what she thought of it! Then the screaming fest started, one of my favorite parts, but I couldn't seem to keep mine going like I used to. A question I asked was about the episode 'Return of Callisto'. The scene where Callisto breaks out of prison and kills everyone in her path while getting at the head guard, who was a real, ah, *jerk* to her....Behind the closed door, we hear the guy screaming and then we see Callisto covered in a bit of blood. What did Callisto do to him? Hudson said that she just dug into his stomach with the dagger and ripped up. I told her, in a very, very subtle way, what my opinion was on it, and she DID NOT like the idea at all! There were a few more questions after that, but then she had to go.

While waiting for the autograph session to start, I waited with a bunch of others downstairs in the auction. When they called my number, I got upstairs and took out the CD I stuck the letter in with my Book and pictures for her to chose from. We stopped by two of the other actors who were there that weekend, Mark Allen Shepherd & Robin Atkin Downes, before we got to Hudson and got their autographs as well. I walk over to Hudson and put the two pictures I had down on the table in front of her and asked her to chose which one she liked better. After she signed it[and another for a friend] I held out the CD and a little conversation went on about what it was. Needless to say[I think], she liked it. I told her NOT to rad the letter until she got home. And, somehow, I knew she wouldn't and that the next day I'd be in for it!

After all the autographs were finished, everyone jumped in line for pictures. Earlier, she had been wearing these little red bracelets. During autographs, she gave them out to people. I got one and it gave me a great idea for a picture! I walked in with the bracelet in hand and said one word, "Bite." So, we did. I bit one end and she bit down on the other. That was our picture. As I walked away she said it was a classy thing to do for a picture....Who knew?! Then, the fan club waited out a Yes, No, No, Yes, Yes, No, No, No...to see if we could do a fan club photo...We did end up getting it.

After a long Sunday morning me being so very tired from lack of sleep because someone snored] of a few things to see and do, the second autograph session began. I really didn't think that I'd be embarrassed, so I wasn't nervous at all walking into the room. Finally, I get up to her and she looks up at me. I just smiled. I get a "You!". I knew just by that, she had read the letter. When she read it she said that she didn't know what she'd done to make me write all of what I did. And to this day, and probably for the rest of my life, I have no idea what I said or what she said. I was way too shocked to remember much of anything at that point. I put my picture and the Book down the table for her to sign. And this is what she signed...'To Jo, it was a brief affair good luck in the future I won't forget you [insert little heart shape here] Hudson Leick'. Her friend also embarrassed me by yelling 'Oh, she's the letter?!'[again, not an exact quote]. I almost died when I knew her friends knew about the letter! I left the room hyper ventilating!!!!! took me ten minutes to calm myself down enough to actually look at what she wrote on the picture! It turns out, she didn't read the whole thing out loud, or pass it around. She read little bits and pieces to them...I'm still hoping that they weren't the really weird parts. I talked with her friends for a while, and they said that the letter was written in a nice context and that what I wrote didn't freak Hudson out. And I'm really happy about that! I know I'd be a bit weirded out by it if someone wrote me what I wrote to Hudson. It wasn't that bad, but if people knew what I wrote, it would have been very bad. With signing done, she had to go and catch the plane and I got on my bus and headed for home...Happy and changed [a good change!]

Me

Written By: Susan J. L.
SusanJody@aol.com

Here's some background information. The Xena episode "Ten Little Warlords" was loosely based after an Agatha Christie book called “Ten Little Indians”. (Also “And Then There Were None” which was also made into a movie) In the movie at least, there was a poem that predicted how (basically) everyone was going to die. There wasn't one in "Ten Little Warlords" so I decided to write my own. This poem loosely follows the format of the one from the movie.

Ten Little Warlords

Ten little warlords gathered together,
One starts a fight and gets killed by another.
Nine little warlords go up stairs to hit the sack,
One drops dead with an ax in his back.
Eight little warlords somewhere near by,
One attacks Callisto not knowing he'll be the one to die.
Seven little warlords pairing up to kill,
Two are tricked and end up on the ground having had their fill.
Five little warlords still not dead,
Two team up to kill one whose eyes are froze with surprise and dread.
Four little warlords all in one room, with dust, but no mud,
Two fights of one on one, a warlord is sliced in the gut, but sheds no blood.
One of the fights is still going on,
One is stabbed with a dagger, then a sword, and is now fully gone.
Two little warlords left all alone,
Both leave alive; neither given reason to atone.

This second poem follows the format of the poem from the movie more closely.

Ten Little Warlords

Ten little warlords all doing fine,
One starts a fight, and then there were nine.
Nine little warlords still feeling great,
One is stabbed in the back with an ax, and then there were eight.
Eight little warlords with enough strength to be eleven,
One tries attacking, gets killed instead, and then there were seven.
Seven little warlords all still alive,
Two stab each other with swords, and then there were five.
Five little warlords all wanting more,
Two stab one in the gut, and then there were four.
Four little warlords left, as you can see,
One gets sliced, loses no blood, and then there were three.
Three little warlords still fighting, nothing new,
One is stabbed with a dagger, then a sword, and then there were two.
Two little warlords, suppose to be only one,
But they made a deal, and now the fighting is all done.

Written By: Nathan Cole
baronofdoom@hotmail.com

The Best Way To Describe Hudson Leick

Heavenly, like a goddess.
Untouchable in her acting abilities.
Definitely fun to be around!
Special to me as well as her many fans.
Outgoing and very funny.
Not very far from winning her first Oscar.

Loyal to her many fans.
Extremely gorgeous!
Intelligent, of course!
Clever and always spontaneous.
Kind and caring to everyone.

Written By: Matt Peters aka Oddity Twin 2
odditytwin2@hotmail.com

"Her Crowd: The Adventures of Hudson Leick and Company" - Part 2

*When we last saw Hudson and the Oddity Twins, the Air-India National Airport security was about to be called to stop Trancer and a few other twins from harassing Stacy Keach. Now, as we join the adventure already in progress, Hudson had paid for bail but as they were leaving the police station she *again* tried to feed peanuts to a local deity and a near Benny Hill-like chase ensued. We say "near" because there were no nurses in their underwear involved. Also, Galloway wishes to re-iterate that these most recent police troubles have nothing to do with his cornering a cow while taking a swig from a bottle of Open Pit (TM) brand BBQ sauce and muttering "mmmm...beefy."

As we were saying....

MM: [panting and out of breath] You just had to try it didn't you?
HL: Not one word, Ok? Miss Let's-sell-mallboy-into-white-slavery-like-Patsy-and-Edina.
MM: Oh shut up. He'll be fine.
Pan: Ladies, shouldn't we be like..I dunno....running away from the very angry local constabulary?
HL:[blinks]
TR: In other words, "Move your size four butt NOW!"

...meanwhile, somewhere in Marakesh.....

MP: I swear I have no knowledge of what goes on in Area 51. Please...untie me from this chair or at least use a men's tie so there's less chaffing.
SAIG (Secret Agant India Guy): Tell all you know or I will be forced to use......*this* [pulls out a picture of Martha Rae, Denture Wearer]
MP: AAAAUUUUUUGH! Never! ...I'll never tell....

....Back with Hudson and Twins in tow (hiding in a cafe)

Jeff: So the other guy says "I didn't know you could get wool from them!"
Gene: Remind me to pencil you in for an appointment.
Jeff: I swear it's a joke!
MM: But it's the only one you know and even then - you only know the punchline!
HL: I think it's cute.
MM: [points fork at Hudson] Do NOT enable him.
Pan: [waits till Jeff takes a drink from his coffee cup] Rectum? Damn near KILLED him!
Jeff: [sprays coffee out his nose]BR> Gallo: Dammit [hands Pandora five bucks]
Pan: I knew he'd do it.
Gallo: But every time he tries to drink you say that. And he *always* nose-hoses over it.
Pan: [beams] I'm good.

....back to Matt. Sold again.......

STG(sultan type guy): Dance, cowboy [claps hands]
MP: [I hate my life] ...and someone started singing "burn baby burn...disco inferno..."

...Hudson and the Twins....running through the streets....

HL: OKOKOKOKOKOKOKOK...."putting it on my tab" alerted the cops to our whereabouts...I'm SORRY ok? It was stupid.
All: [duh]
HL: [I heard that]
TR: Look! A payphone!
MM: Thank Goddess.
HL: Ruh?
Pan: Nevermind.
Gene and Gallo: Ok, now what?
HL: I know someone who might help [dials phone] Hello, Dali? [laughs till she snorts] I love doing that...well, yes, I guess you *do* hear that a lot...I need some help. I know you're like, ya know...away from the house and all, but do you think some friends and I can crash at your old place and hide out?

....Matt again. Sold again. Scene: a outdoor concert stage....

MP: Yeah, yeah...wool from them.
SM (Shirley Manson (singer: Garbage)) You know that one?
BV: (Butch Vig (drummer: Garbage)) *Everyone* knows that one.
SM:[skunkeye]Anyway, we needed a roadie and were low on cash. Butch (sounds like "BOOCH" cause she's Scottish) got you for cheap.
MP: Lovely.
SM: [smack] Don't interrupt me. Butch got you cheap. Anyway, I need my stuff set up and checked out before the show. While you do that we're going to McShiva's. Want anything?
MP: I'd kill for a cheeseburger.
SM: You get hummus.
MP: That's do-able.
BV: Good cause ...[holds Matt's arms back while Shirley picks his pocket]
SM: ..cause you're buying. [rifles through wallet] Nice driver's license picture...who'd you kill?

...Hudson....

MM: I'm cold.
TR: [wearing a Basia T-Shirt, cool soundtrack jams and flip-flop thong sandals] Wimp. Puh-lease, this is suntan weather.
Gene: [Dear Diary. I'm strapped to the back of a yak with my family for the Holidays, trekking through the Himalayas. Hudson has been silent for a day, trying to leave her body I assume. Jeff, I think, wet himself for momentary warmth and is now sodered to his yak. Pandora and Galloway are in hour 7 of their snowball fight with the Shirpas while Melissa and Trancer bicker about the cold. As the trained Psychologist, I know these occurrances are neither surprising nor alarming -- text book, really. And as the sole voice of reason, I have but a single recourse to persue...I have to eat them. Eat them all.]

End part 2.

Note: We know this isn't exactly a "Christmassy" type piece, but Oddity Twins Productions wish to extend our heartfelt well wishes to everyone and hope everyone enjoys the appropriate holiday respective to your Faith / Culture of Choice and to our agnostic and athiest reader - have a nice Winter.

OTP
Melissa, Matt, Trancer, Jeff, Gene, Galloway and Pandora

Written By: Kimmie Kat
KimmieROCs@aol.com

Santa be warned
Santa beware
Give me more coal and I'll kill you this year
Santa be calm
Santa don't lie
I can start by carving out your eyes!

Written By: Trey Ravencrest
pumkin@globalnet.co.uk

For Alicia C. Peterson And every cherished acorn Ever held

Runic Myths

Night, so still, unbroken dreams, with leaves which daren't brush their neighbors skin and lapse of time that leaps so blindly, focused on none but skies of hopes while wistful, wishing, waiting ever, Patience drums its fingers and counts how long it can hold its breath.

Flitter, shiver, hum silently; gonna rock yourself and wear the tree-bark. Squeeze a pebble, name a star, but do it as a statue. Claw at moss and clouds so parallel, with bitten fingers which feel no bites; and like the wolf which lies beside you, stonily must you endure the pain, slowly must you endure the strain, bare the weight and endure the bleakness so victory will leave its footprints in the frost which writes the ground.

No place now for doubts or septic thoughts - no, prove 'em wrong - life's too clever for the narrow-spirits and now you'll prove you play to win. So endure the pain, ensure the strain cuts deeper than your blade of lies, tie the noose of truth around the neck of every man and wait, just wait, to kick the stool from underneath their feet.

Fevered waves they crash as thunder, hear it - can you hear it true? Carve the rune of Mannaz in the blood which freezes in your heart, chisel at uncertainty and taunt the condemned with pity, lick their wounds with venom, cast a shadow with loyalty and corner it with laughter new, for freedom lies so close you feel its breath upon your cheek, as raindrops fall from abandoned branches: angels pushed from their mothers' hand from clouds to learn to fly. Fall so hard you try to catch them: 'Wings - where are their wings?' you cry, then cradle their shattered bodies in your tearful, trembling palms. Fingers curled around them, whisper, fate of ashes cruel, grace is but a mask of terror, pretense of justice and slashes fueled by shades of white in setting light of dawn.

Sky, then, ripped with Moment, bolts with burning tempest flame, veins of heaven pulse with fire white that jolt the heart of every creature, every ghostly soul and every believing scrap of trust that waits in turmoiled abuse of anticipation, encircling the point of Faith and never blinking in the glare. Splintered winds that fracture rage, splaying shards of broken hopes that cut, that shred, that stab your inner strength and watch it keel.

Determination - panic stricken - lunges in some final act of duty; fingers, torn and bloodied, seize an ancient, mighty oak as screaming, blazing pleas erupt for mercy, praying mercy, begging mercy of the terror now awoke. Dead leaves screeching, to you leeching, crushed to dust in all the smoke, and blasting gales which crest and crash: drown you, drag and drown you, gag and crown you, left to choke.

Darkness is your master now, so swear it your allegiance, for the maze of open choice has left you in a realm devoid of choosing. Stand and make your oath to blackness, speak it clear and waver not, damn yourself to lurk with demons as every dream of truth is shot. Judgment grins, bearing fangs which glint and leer and grip your throat in stalactites of evil while you slowly raise your hand.

Yet Contempt is chained by none and bound to base not by blood nor word nor threat of steel, but merely shunned from goodness and so weeps amidst its fate. Now, given chance - one chance to soar - it offers itself a sacrifice to every aspiration ever conjured in its sorrow, hurling forwards, plunging downwards; laughing - see no tears that plummet - laughing, as the eyes swell red in horror of its deed.

Grace of silent crucifixion, grace of static stillness new, pace of halted, empty friction, under cloudless, bitter hue. Take a step and hear it echo, take a breath and breathe alone, as solitude - no - loneliness becomes your only fleeting ally: the only one you knows behind you, even if he's left behind.

White, so white you could hear a sin drop, hear a thought a mile away, but no one's sinning, no one's thinking, no one's there to hear you pray beside the wingless-angel grave you stained with blood from nail-drove wounds and helpless tears your dream harpooned in catacombs of soul.

Flitter, shiver, hum notelessly, gonna rock yourself and wear the charred remains of a mighty oak. Then sift its cinders, looking to see your only star has fallen from the sky of hope, and you weren't there to catch it.

Now maybe you weren't born of patience, and maybe you could of practiced more, but there is a music none can teach - the one thing you were searching for. As love needs but one instrument, though never one alone, while out of darkest depths it steps, and to your heart is shown.

She stands, not close enough to touch, and yet you feel her, feel you know her, know you trust her, trust you love her. She stands not close enough to touch, and yet she touches you.

Unclasping hidden palms, unfolding, opening her life to you in uncharted, enchanted whispers that do dance in trancing dew. And in those hands she holds your star, murmurs that she caught it for you, sold herself and bought it for you, spent her spirit and sought it for you, roaming compass far.

It's then you hear the music playing, softly, sweetly, chiming low, and together you sing of runic myths, of unicorns which jest below, of all the truths your secrets share as you watch your dreams and acorns grow.

Written By: Martin Slater
martys@erols.com

Thanks, Hudson, for The Haze

Image by: Mike Ownby <jownby@ok.azalea.net>
& Deric Winn <WinnD5@aol.com>
I would like to express thanks for all Hudson Leick has done.

There is something about Hudson Leick, in addition to the obvious, that surprised me the first time I saw her at a convention. It took awhile to figure out what I liked so much. It think it is that she understands, insists on, and respects her humanity and the humanity of others.

That's it.

She has a kind of insistent humanity that is appealing. The sexiness is part of it, but there is far more.

Callisto: Hudson introduced a kind of sensitivity to Callisto. During the first Callisto episode, I got the idea that this actress knows something about Callisto others don't know, or won't admit. She brought that character to us from between the lines. She was light-years ahead of every scene she was in.

Sensuality (she's sexy out of this world): In Law and Order she is in blue jeans, a sweat shirt and baseball cap in one scene, and a conservative dress in another scene. She played a super model who had been the lover of the victim. I guess they wanted someone they could dress far from sexy, and still have the "sensual" nature of the character register with the audience. It's no accident they hired Hudson Leick.

Now she's in a movie that sounds like $40,000,000 worth of violence and sex. Hudson is the only woman in it. That will be enough female. They don't need any more.

It's not just dimensions. From figure drawing I've seen that impressions of gracefulness, strength or dignity come from an understanding people have of themselves. The impressions are transmitted without words, and don't depend strictly on dimensions. (One of the most graceful models is a rather over weight woman who did a lot of dance when she was in Russia. One of the strongest is a seventy-some year old man who walked the steps of the Washington Monument on his hands when he was younger. These people don't have the dimensions of movie stars, but you get the feeling one knows herself to be graceful, and the other knows himself to be strong).

The unending sensuality of Hudson Leick is there...all the time. Her understanding of it, I think, registers with us, but seems to be part of some greater understanding she has of herself.

One of a kind: There is nothing standardized or average about Hudson Leick. From the story of her audition and what I saw her do at a convention, it is clear that when she senses that people are not being treated with the dignity she believes people deserve, things happen and Hudson wins.

She seems to be very much an individual, who likes being treated as an individual, and treats others as that way. I like that a lot.

Kind hearted, giving; what all her friends agree she is: I cannot imagine anyone who could do more than she has to make things beautiful for everyone around her; so nice for so many people. Children have been thrilled on stage with her. Young men have been nearly paralyzed drawing close to the impossible beauty she brings. All ages, skin colors, genders and preferences have been warmed by The Haze. Every inch and every minute has been dazzling.

That's about it; intelligence, beauty, strength, kindness and above all, the understanding and respect she has for herself and the people around her. Anything missing? I don't think so.

Leickwow! How lucky we were that Hudson wanted to see New Zealand, and auditioned for the part of Callisto. I hope somehow she finds the time for personal appearances; Save The Whales, benefits for any cause at all. It wouldn't matter.

If not, she will be missed, by me and many others. We owe a great deal of thanks. Battle On Hudson. We'll be watching, and we're with you.

Written By: Candice
WQCaIIisto@aol.com

Death By My Hand

As I move through the bushes, not a sound I make
I watch you very carefully, every breath you take
You feel my eyes upon you, and you turn around
But you see nothing, only the ground
You wonder what that is, but ignore it just the same
You know nothing about me, but I even know your name
I disappear, ready to go for the kill
You suspect nothing, the night being so still
I appear in front of you, my anger flaring high
You have upset me, now you die
I point my finger at you finishing you, my aim so keen
You don't know who you're dealing with, I'm Callisto, Warrior Queen

“Thanks” to everyone who submitted their answer to the following question posted on the HLOFCWS for this newsletter. The question was:

“Let's pretend that *you* are Santa Clause this year. It's Christmas Eve and you are standing in Hudson's living room, about to put your Christmas present under her tree. What is the gift that you are placing under Hudson's tree and why?”

Note: The present could not be a person, any form of money, or a movie/tv contract of any kind.

Here are some of the answers we received:

[jonny30@yahoo.com]
The gift I would give Hudson Leick under her tree would be a simple Friendship Bracelet, to show her that money and priceless objects aren't the only things that can be given, but that friendship is more important then any worldly possessions. :-)

[mojoe@daknet.com]
I would place a lifetime pass for It's a Small World at Disneyland. She absolutely “*loves* *loves* *loves*” It's a Small World, so what could be better than a lifetime pass.

[geekgrrl@ix.netcom.com]
A gift certificate to a Yoga Retreat nestled in the depths of the Rocky Mountains - where for an entire week you can immerse yourself totally into relaxation and enlightenment. (I should write copy for these people huh?) Why? Yoga is something that seems very important to Hudson, as is the quest for deeper understanding. So a week in an environment that caters to this seems like it would be ideal.

[barrie@netcom.com]
Oh, that is easy! A kitten! She can teach it to purrrr! :)

[101631.731@compuserve.com]
A massive chocolate cake. Nothing tastes better than chocolate in the morning, afternoon, evening, or night. Anytime actually. Fantastic!

[dreaminb@hotmail.com]
I would give her a framed picture of the poem by Maya Angelou "Phenomenal Woman". It's everything Hudson is and everything I strive to be.

[funharry@yahoo.com]
A cowboy hat, because I think she would look fantastic in one.

[CapNobody@aol.com]
An extra large hand made quilt. (my wife and I do them for family and friends) It is always cozy to be able to sit back and relax with a good book after working all day. And much the better to share with someone else if the mood is right.

[rolf.nordman@icl.fi]
This is an easy one: I'm sure that Hudson would like to have something exotic for her Christmas present and because I'm living in the land of Santa Claus (Finland, of course), I would place a red nosed baby reindeer under her tree! And surely I would wish her a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!

[shadowassasin@yahoo.com]
lots of jewels because she would be even more gorgeous in diamonds and emeralds.

[mr_boom@apexmail.com]
I would put a very large and cuddly teddy bear as something for Hudson to snuggle up with at night so she would never be alone.

[honestus@hotmail.com]
I would give Hudson an all-expense paid vacation to Ireland. It would be two weeks long, and she would visit Celtic sites, Dublin, and everything in between. The most beautiful woman in the world should visit the most beautiful country in the world.

[scttmll@hotmail.com]
A human sized "scratching post". (It's a 4x4 post with short rough carpet wrapped around it) Because when that little itch appears between your shoulder blades and you just can't reach it, nothing beats backing up against the post and scratchin' away at it just like Baloo in the Jungle Book! :)

[xena_wb@hotmail.com]
Kay... I'd give her a puppy, all things included i.e. collar, food/water dishes, etc. And I'd give her a puppy cuz they become very VERY good friends (course...I consider my puppy a person...) She could run around with the puppy or cuddle with the puppy for quiet relaxation time... she'll know that the puppy loves her for her! It's hard to explain why. I have a puppy and she's the best thing that I ever got. (except I think I'm *her* pet...)

[PSGribosky@aol.com]
I know. Under her tree, I'll leave Hudson a year's supply of strawberry Pop Tarts, frosted. (one of her favorites) For her stocking, Hudson gets a ticket for an all expense paid trip to swim with the aquatic mammal of her choice. She'll like that. Hudson gets two gifts because she's been very good this year, have you?

[Ephany1@aol.com]
I would give Hudson a great book I read about Sweet Honey in the Rock, called SHITR: Still on the Journey. It's their 20 year anniversary history of the group. WHY? Because I know she likes that group and the book gave me even better insight into their history and the origins of the music they sing and what an incredible journey they've had touching people around the world with their music. A Sweet Honey concert is an uplifting, spiritual event and the book is also, if in a different way. Something to read in the trailer during those long waits between shots on her next movie. :-)

[KnightEternal@hotmail.com]
A computer with a beginners guide on how to use the computer and Internet so that she can stop being "afraid" of computers and start visiting all of her fan sites whenever she wants too!

[sltrau@aol.com]
My gift to my cousin Hudson would be: to give her all of my memories of her grandparents. (Len and Ida Mae) They were wonderful people.

This month we, again, have some really terrific Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Sites/Web Pages that we are “featuring”. I know I say it in every newsletter, but it can’t be said often enough, how much we truly appreciate all the time, hard work and personal expense that the various Web Site/Web Page Administrators spend to run their Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Sites/Pages. We owe each and every one of you a huge amount of gratitude.

Be sure and check out the following Web Sites/Pages and tell the Administrator that you saw their Site/Page listed in the Hudson Leick newsletter.

Each Administrator has provided their own information, so if you have any questions please write directly to the Administrator listed.

Callisto's Playground
http://www.angelfire.com/me/callisto1/
Administrator: Gerry
Email address: gerry@rz-online.de

Callisto's Toyz, Talez, Jokez, Gamez and Comix... your contribution is welcome!

Callisto's Playground is dedicated completely to the character Callisto and, of course, the actress who played her - Ms. Hudson Leick. Please don't take its content too seriously - the creator doesn't!

Question: How did you first discover Hudson Leick and what compelled you to start a Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Site/Page?

My brother Niko is a fan of Callisto. He got me to watch Xena and I must admit that IMO the episodes with Ms. Leick are the best. Well, he started to do a Callisto/Hudson Leick page, and at the same time I started my Xena page. Later I became a member of the HL mailing list and wanted to contribute to the CRS projects - Callisto's Playground was born.

[GC = Goddess Callisto, G = Gerry]

G: "Merry Christmas, Goddess!"
GC: <puzzled> "Merry - what?"
G: "Christmas, your Holiness. It's the feast of love."
GC: "Oh, love, love, love, love... Oh it unites, you're right! And hate divides. Let's see which one is stronger, shall we?"
G: <gulp> "We... we make Christmas presents, too..."
GC: <suspicious> "Presents?"
G: "Yes, Goddess." <smile> "Here's my present for you!" <giving GC a fire extinguisher with a pink ribbon>
GC: "So what's THAT for?"
G: "Uh... it comes handy, when you're hot... um, I mean, on the heat...err..."
GC: <annoyed> "You're making fun of me... I DON'T LEICK THAT!"
G: "NONONO!" <starting to run>
GC: <fireworks>
G: <smoldering pile of ashes> <I should've kept it for myself...>

Callisto's Corner in the Dark
http://come.to/callisto.com
Administrator: Amanda Wang (Xenamania)
Email address: xenamania@hotmail.com

This web page is devoted to Callisto and Hudson Leick of Xena: Warrior Princess fame. With scads of images, sounds and other Xenaphenalia for you to download, this site also features a comprehensive list of where to find the BEST Xena video clips on the Net.

Question: How did you first discover Hudson Leick and what compelled you to start a Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Site/Page?

I first saw Hudson playing Callisto on the episode "Callisto". From the moment I saw her, I knew that I had found my favorite - here was a character that symbolized beauty, strength, and fierce vitality. One who was able to both outwit AND outfight Xena. When she died at Season's end, I decided to build Callisto's Corner - partially to ward off the effects of Xena Withdrawal - but more importantly, to honor Hudson's phenomenal talent, a fire that redefined "villain" into something the likes of which the world had never seen.

Hudson at ZonCon
http://www.tisd.net/~mickisix/hudson/hudson.html
Administrator: Michelle
Email address: mickisix@tisd.net

This is a web page devoted to pictures of the up close and personal experience I got at ZonCon. I found out just what a sweet, wonderful person Hudson is, firsthand.

It's just one page on my Lucy Lawless website: http://www.tisd.net/~mickisix which includes many screen captures of Lucy and Renee taken at the 50th annual Emmy awards in October 1998.

Question: How did you first discover Hudson Leick and what compelled you to start a Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Site/Page?

I've watched X:WP from the beginning (The Herc Trilogy) and first saw Hudson as Callisto in the episode Callisto. I first saw her in person in Burbank in 1997 and got a glimpse of the imp behind the demure exterior. As the character Callisto I really saw her come into her own in the Herc episode “Surprise” and the segue into “A Necessary Evil” truly made me fall in love with the character. I saw her again in Valley Forge in 1997 and saw how much at ease she had become with the fans and how she actually put on a performance. In Burbank in 1998 the final “haze” came over me as I watched her play to the audience. I caught glimpses of the gentle compassionate person beneath the feline exterior and just thought she was the greatest. I hated to see the character go but I know Hudson is meant for bigger and better things and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Callisto's Chamber of Tortured Souls
http://members.xoom.com/cally_hl
Administrator: Amanda
Email address: warriorqueen1@juno.com

I've rewritten the episode "Return Of Callisto" and made a humorous parody out of it. I've also done the episode "Callisto" but that's in the process of being put up.

This is my first attempt at a web page and I'm proud of how it came out. I've never attempted anything like this but figured why not give it a shot! I love hearing comments on my page and writing, so feel free to mail me anytime!

Question: How did you first discover Hudson Leick and what compelled you to start a Hudson Leick/Callisto Web Site/Page?

I first saw Hudson on Xena as Callisto and was captivated. I wanted to learn more about her so I started to search the web. I had a folder of a fairly large number of sights bookmarked but noticed that after awhile, the number of websites began to dwindle. I then decided to take action and start a Hudson/Callisto webpage of my own.

If you have not yet signed the Holiday Greeting Card that we will be sending to Hudson from the HLOFC, you may do so at the Hudson Leick Official Fan Club Web Site. Please be sure and sign the card and send Hudson your very own, personal Holiday Greeting.

http://www.hudsonleickfan.com/christmas/

The next newsletter will be out on March 1, 1999.

Until then...
Forever Be Well,

Debbie - 1st Fire
fire.ice-sac@worldnet.att.net