The cover of this now-defunct magazine changed my life.
It was waiting in the mailbox for me one day because, I believe, I had a letter to a character printed in an issue (it was to Cal Winters; I believe the jist of my letter was "Why are you still pining for Diana Colville [ed note.: that was Genie Francis's character before she returned to GH for the umpteenth time] when you could be pursuing Kimberly Brady?" Well, my dreams were answered, and then to get rid of or recast the character, Cal Winters turned into a stalker and a murderer).
In 1990, I was 13 years old. I was videotaping (or "VCRing") DOOL every single day at this point. The Internet was a marshmallow cloud in Al Gore's mind, so fanfiction wasn't readily accessible (I get that there were 'zines and all that; please don't educate me on the history of fanfic).
The cover of this magazine was my fanfic. It was confirmation that someday, Emilio would be a distant memory, and Jack and Jen would fill at least four days a week with their nonstop bantering. My teeny just-teenaged imagination could not fathom the adventures they would have: Jack kidnapping Jennifer from her wedding to Emilio; uncovering the mystery of Patch's first wife, Marina Toscano (played by the stunning Lynda Carter-esque Hunter Tylo), and her hidden-away sister, Isabella, and stirring the ire of Victor Kiriakis; kissing in the secret passageway in Patch and Kayla's house; going on the Cruise of Deception, which was like a multichapter fic where nothing but sex and romance happened on a deserted island!
Jack and Jen tangoed. They tangoed!
I have popped in and out of DOOL over the past 20 years (ohmygodohmygodsooldsoold): my college roommates were enamored with the stupid and horrible Marlena possession years and the subsequent Hope is Princess Gina bullshit; I had a flare-up of affection for Sami and Lucas; I returned when Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans were reunited. And I'm the kind of stooge who returns every single time Matthew Ashford comes back (and dies...and is murdered...and dies again).
I'm older now and realize that Jennifer's bangs were way too big and that Matthew Ashford can come across as incredibly smarmy, but in teenage bedroom in my heart, taped to the cotton-candy pink wall, is the cover of that magazine and with it is preserved the little flush of joy I feel at the promise of two imaginary characters about to embark on romance and shenanigans.
I'm glad you'll be watching Days, if only so I can have someone to share my pain with.
ReplyDeleteOh, lordy, I will likely have several questions about some of the "newer" characters. But rumor has it Wally Kurth and Judi Evans are back? That's LOL. I barely paid them mind back in the day, but I'm willing to give them a shot so I can ignore the teenagers.
ReplyDelete