Let's talk minus 88 and then a minus 23. I'm glad no one takes kharma seriously...

Maybe it's a little "off" -- or maybe not! -- but when I created Thomas Rathburn for Dreams of the Dark, I wrote him as a character I would not only have liked to have seen but have gotten inside of if I could be an actor (I have all the acting prowess of a ventriloquist's dummy on a skateboard.) He's an outsider, looking in on the people and places of the Dark Shadows world; but as events progress, he is drawn into an ongoing drama, eventually becoming an integral part of it.

That said, I've never seen myself in Rathburn's physical shoes (mine are more like Danny DeVito's). When I was writing the character, I envisioned Gary Cole (Night Caller, American Gothic) as the perfect actor to portray him.

For me, it was the heavy-breathing Leviathan in the sealed room at the Todd's. One of the show's best examples of how showing nothing works better than showing something. The Leviathans episodes were just beginning when I started watching DS regularly as a kid, so it's one of my earliest memories of the show.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

I'm rather glad the show didn't get into science fiction monsters and the like, although I think non-human creatures could certainly have been presented in a palatable way. The Leviathans story had a lot of unfulfilled potential, but I will say that the breathing thing in the upper room creeped out this kid more than anything else in the entire DS run. It's a pity the Leviathans (which I still enjoy more than the average DS fan) ended up being such a low-point in the series. The Lovecraftian element could have been a very welcome addition and it did actually work from time to time, especially early in the story arc.

In my Labyrinth of Souls, I explored extra-dimensional horrors, which featured a thoroughly alien monster; however, the focus was not the monster itself but the characters who were both responsible for and affected by it. In the DS world, I think that's really the only way to go about it.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

Countess -- since the people and stories in both Dark Shadows movies sprang from an alternate universe, all bets were off as to the fates of the characters. Julia in House is clearly a colder and more self-centered woman than in the show, her actions motivated by her personal stake in every situation, not by how they might affect others. Her idea of being in love with Barnabas seems to reflect Angelique's in the show -- more a possessive, jealous attachment than a giving, caring relationship. Julia's fate in House isn't a tragedy; more the just deserts of a vengeful act perpetrated when her feelings are hurt.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

LOL! You big silly.

Ho, ho... bang-zoom...

I can't be the only one who types fast and posts numerous times.

No, you're not.

But the corollary is that life is too short to sit here and waste time waiting for a whole lot of nuthin'. In two minutes, I could often post three or four messages. So I just don't.

On the other hand, safeguards against spammers are priceless. Little is more irritating than coming onto a board and finding it loaded with crap. I'd rather have this than the alternative (though sixty seconds twixt messages would ease things for us time-is-money, ulcerated writers in the crowd).