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Anonymous writes...

Hello Greg, I just viewed Golem again, and noticed that in the
flashbacksequence some of those ruffians persued a woman with
PINKhair!Since
I doubt she had it coloured back then, was she one of Oberons children, or
simpley an animation error ?

Greg responds...

1. Maybe the problem's with your tv.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Greg, Here is my question.(I was never really good at intro's) I know
that Goliath and Elisa both love each other, but what I want to know is
how does Angela feel about this (if she even knows)? Angela really cares for
Demona, being her mother and all. Naturally, I thought Angela would hope
her biological parents would get back together (although highly unlikely).
I just want to know how Angela feels.

Greg responds...

1. Angela's no idiot. How could she not know? I think she's happy for
both her father and Elisa. Elisa's more like an older sister than a
mother or step-mother figure, but keep in mind that Angela met Goliath and
Elisa at the same time. That relationship was firmly established in
Angela's mind long before she knew Demona was her mother.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I've been reading avidly since this started, so I'm fairly sure these
havn't been asked before ( apologies if I'm mistaken)

i) What were your outline plans (if any) for developing the
Elisa-Goliath-Jason 'triangle'.

ii)What were your plans for Xanatos' long
term relationship with the Illuminati ?

Greg responds...

1. Well, you saw most of it. And as I've stated, step two (the
Halloween double date) might not have even included Jason. The Triangle
pretty much concluded with Hunter's Moon.
2. Too complex to relate here.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Since the Arthurian legend played a part in the background of the series
(Arthur himself, Avalon, Merlin, and for your future plans, the Fisher
King heading the Illuminati), I thought that I'd ask you - what is your opinion
on the debate over whether Arthur was based on a historical figure or not?
Do you think that there may have been a real "Arthur" in the 5th and 6th
centuries (if no doubt very different from his legendary counterpart), or
do you view him as more likely to have been purely a creation of the
storytellers of the age?

Greg responds...

I feel strongly that there must have been an historical Arthur. And
that he must have been fairly impressive in his own right.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I'm asking this question separately in case it gets counted as an idea
(although I did my best when working it out to keep it from feeling like
one), but: If you had done the "Pendragon" spin-off, would anything from the "search
for the historical Arthur" (the Saxon invasions, the Battle of Badon,
etc.) have gotten into it, or would it have been strictly the legendary Arthur
of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Malory, et al?

Greg responds...

Both, up to a point. (Keep in mind, that Geoffrey is still the best
source for any serious investigation of the historical Arthur. At any rate,
he's the starting point. Mallory, of course, is a whole other story.)

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I haven't posted anything related to Gargoyles in a over nine months. I'm
still a major fan, however. I just have a schophrenic mind as of always.
Anyway Mr. Weisman, this is an odd question that I haven't seen anyone
ask. This is stemming from a recent S. Baptisrs declaration and talks with my
friend about womens rights with hardcore Muslim groups. ANYWAY, THE
QUESTION IS:

(1)How did the two sexes interact with each other? I mean, were the sexes
equal in respect with, . . .well respect, power etc. Were the males and
females afforded equal treatment or does one have dominion over the other.
You explained that the family was communial but were the females allotted
the "homemaker duties." Was Society basically matriarchial ar
patriarchial.

(2)Going on that same strand even further, how much impact did the human
customs affect it. Would gargoyles pattern their "family values" after the
culture that was nearby.

Greg responds...

1. Gargoyles were generally a warrior race. Males and females can both
be warriors. Leadership and Seconding was decided on the basis of
leadership capabilities, strength and prowess. Males and females both
could qualify, as I think we demonstrated. That doesn't eliminate the
difference between the genders. And males don't have breasts for nursing
new hatchlings, but everyone participated fairly equally in raising each
new generation.
2. I'm sure it was different in different locations. Some
traditions remained. Some did not. Individual gargoyles might have bent
more than their clans. There's no one answer to this question.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

One of the things I have always liked about Gargoyles is the relatively
logical way the events in an episode started. The main characters didn't
get involved in what happened by mere chance, unlike the main characters of
many other series, who often just happen to be nearby whenever their arch-enemy
plots to take over the world again. However, It did seem like a big
coincidence that Elisa's father has a connection with Coyote the
trickster. And Titania's daughter marrying Xanatos of all people also seems like a
big coincidence. So my question is: Is there some logical explanation for this
other than simple coincidence. I'm not asking for a full explanation if
there is any, since you probably wouldn't just give it anyway, so just a
'yes' or 'no' would make me happy. (And anything more would make me even
happier.)

Greg responds...

Were those things coincidences or simply the way the world works?
What about Vinnie or Brendan & Margot? I intentionally tried to create a
Universe where everything was interconnected, even if those connections
aren't immediately obvious. Kinda like the Simpsons. Does that help?

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

This is one topic involving "The Hound of Ulster" that has received a fair
amount of debate among Gargoyles fans, and I was curious about your
opinion on it.
What were the Banshee/Molly's feelings towards Rory Dugan? Did she have
any tenderness towards him, or develop any during the time that she was Molly?
The fact that she chose to fight and destroy him only as a last resort,
when her efforts to delude him into staying an ordinary human had failed,
suggested that to many fans; what's your take on it?

Greg responds...

Dang, you guys are sharp. I think she thought she was using him.
But given the opportunity, I had plans to do a further exploration of their
relationship.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

A few quick ones.

1. I know you probably want to be elusive about the "Hobgoblin of Little
Minds" episode. But was it the "very strange little two-parter" that you
once said was "too risky" to be made? If so, in what respect was it risky?
1b. Was Puck the hobgoblin of the title?

2. I've forgotten if I've asked this before. Oh, well. Have you remembered
yet what book Goliath was reading in "Avalon" pt I when he stayed behind
in the clock tower to finish it?

3. You've mentioned before a story you had in mind dealing with the
clocktower itself. Since the clocktower has been destroyed and you can't
do the story (so you wouldn't be spoiling anything we'd have a chance to
see), would you mind telling us what it was about?

4. Will you be at the Gathering 98? If so, are you planning on showing the
same videos (BAD GUYS leica reel, etc) that you did last year? I wouldn't
mind seeing those again. :)

IP: grmn-105ppp69.epix.net

Greg responds...

1. No. That two-parter wasn't risky per se, but it was highly
sophisticated even by GARGOYLES standards. I think we could have done it,
but the higher ups rejected it. It was the ONLY plotline they did reject.
Given how cooperative they were otherwise, it was hard to argue the point.

1b. It's not that simple.
2. No. Maybe the next time I see the episode, it'll come back to
me.
3. I just answered that one. It might be in this very post. IF
not, check the recent archives.
4. I hope to be there. I have my plane tickets, as of today (7/22)
I'm waiting for a confirmation on my hotel room. When I get that, I'll make
an official announcement. I will bring those videos again. If the majority
want to see them again, I'll show 'em. But I'm planning to bring some stuff
none of you have seen as well.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hy Greg, here´s another bunch of questions:

1.) When you state the age of a gargoyle, is this age counted from the
hatching, or from the laying of the egg?

2.) When the Emir enprisoned Anubis, Anubis stated, that with him
locked away, nobody would die. Does this a) mean that death is "unnatural" and
onley happens because the third race doesn´t want to have to many of
the first two run around, or b) was Anubis simpley connected to death
somehow?

3.) If the answer is b, then how did this connection start?

4.) Would Anubis be able to let one of the third race die at all, if
Oberon would object ?

5.) When Demona and Xanatos reanimated Coldstone, the souls of three
gargoyles were reanimated within one body, cause they used parts of
three shattered Gargoyles. Coldstone also stated, there were nothing he
remembered after going to sleep this morning, so he didn´t have any
afterlife experience at all. a) Does this mean that a gargoyle who is
shattered during the day is not "technically" dead and b) that his soul
is still present in the shards?

6.) Does Xanatos have anymore parts of shattered gargoyles in his
posession?

7.) When Xanatos tried to make ammends by seperating the 3 souls, why
did he go for robot bodies instead of extracting the DNA from Coldstones
bodyparts and cloning "real" bodies from it? I take it, he hasn´t quit
genetics completeley after Sevarius went his own ways...

IP: 195.3.79.137

Greg responds...

1. Hatching.

2. The latter.

3. Now that would be telling.

4. Huh?

5. Not necessarily.

6. Nothing significant.

7. Can't clone stone.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

in the episode the mirror it showed that there were three races
humans,gargoyles and oberons children if the new olympians from the
episode
the new olympians arn't any of those then what are they?

Greg responds...

I've answered this before. Broadway didn't know about the New
Olympians when he explained the three races to Elisa. But at any rate, the
New Olympians are a hybrid race.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi! First of all, I love the show! : ) Anyway, just one question: Why did
Thailog have Sevarious make Delilah look like Elisa instead of Demona? I'm
done..bye!

Greg responds...

Mostly to torture Goliath and Demona. But also cuz Thailog has some
serious issues of his own to work through.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi! It's me again! : )

1. I saw that in another question that you've answered, you said that
Brooklyn's son(?) would've been named Nashville. Have you ever been there?
(It's my hometown.^_^)

2. I also noticed when you said that you think that Derek would have had
trouble with Goliath and Elisa's relationship. Why?

3. How did you and Gorebash meet?
Thanks for taking time out to answer my questions! Bye!

Greg responds...

1. Nope.
2. Open-minded Derek?
3. Well, it depends what you mean. I didn't actually meet him
until last year's Gathering. We first communicated before that via e-mail,
I think. (Gore, feel free to add your memories of this below. [Heh, now
we'll see if he's paying attention when he posts this stuff.]) I think Gore
somehow contacted my sister Robyn, who hooked me up with him.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

(Gorebash Talkin. Yah I do pay attention... sometimes. Greg's sister somehow
came across my web site one day and gave me an e-mail telling me how she thought her brother
might like the page then added 'he created gargoyles'. heh. So what else is a freak like me to
do but ask "HEY! Can you maybe let him, then, take a peek at it?" and instead of just getting
a "sure" I get his e-mail address with a 'why not tell him yourself'. So I did. The rest is
history.)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg - I'd like to ask you, who is the creator of the GARGOYLES video
game? I noticed it was made by Buena Vista, but the plt is all wrong! It
sythe Eye of Oden was made by Vickings, for one. Just woundering.

Greg responds...

Patrick Gilmore was the producer. He ran most of the basics by me
and Frank. It's an adaptation for his medium. As for the Eye, well, they
came up with that concept, so one could argue that we screwed it up.
Except, I don't think the two versions are mutually exclusive. And I
actually liked their visual design better than ours. It was more Odinesque,
more Viking. I always thought ours looked vaguely Egyptian.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Is there a way I could get ay least one of the Goliath Chronicle episode I
really miss that show.
Is there any update on the Gargoyles Movie.

Greg responds...

1. I didn't have much to do with Goliath Chronicles. EVERYONE GET
THAT?!! And at any rate, I can't get anyone video tapes.
2. And I have no new information on the movie.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi again Great One!

[1] You answered -who- made the Phenox Gate with "not who." In that case,
what, when where and how. I know I proably won't get much of an answer to
many [or any] of those, had to try.

[2] Why was Lex part Cyborg in Future Tense? Thanks!

Greg responds...

1. It was created with the Timestream, perhaps as a pressure valve of
sorts.
2. Mostly cause it was shocking as hell.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

What part would Coldstone, Coldfire, and Coldsteel have played in the
whole scheme of things
would they have become more often recurring characters in your master
plan????????

Greg responds...

There would have been a period when Coldstone and Coldfire would be
borderline regulars, but that wouldn't have been permanent. Coldsteel would
have been a recurring villain.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Greg! I was wondering about the Isle of Avalon again! I was
wondering,

1). why the third race or others call upon Avalon as if it was a person?
Example, when the Magus in Avalon PT3 said: "Mystic Avalon, hear my plea,
fill me with your energy!", the Magus called to it and it responded in the
way a person may respond?

2). Can you say that Avalon is alive and knows the difference between
right
and wrong? I know that you might not understand what im asking but anyway!
Thanks once again!

Greg responds...

1. It seems to have a spirit. Maybe they're just hedging their bets.
2. I get it, but I don't think there's a definitive answer to your
question.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

This is not a question ( my apologies for that ). I just want to thank u
for this great show. I never saw it before ( it's on now ). I leave to see the
next episode, recording every one of them. Thanx, and if u will have a
chance to continue "Gargoyles", do not hesitate. By the way, sins I'm in
US only for one year ( I'm from Russia ) - "Gargoiles" is an internacional
show . I'm leaving in three days, so I have only one more episode to see:
"Reawakening II". Prey for me, I will be without your clan from
now on. Thanx again. Bye.

Greg responds...

Sorry to see you go, Pasha. (Do we tell her there is no Reawakening
II? I guess she's gone by now.)

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Just one quick question, Did you have anything to do with the making of
Invasion America? I know Micheal Reaves. Thanx

Greg responds...

I know Michael too. As to Invasion, Uh, really, no. Not with
what's on the screen. I briefly was attached to the project, but left when
Harve Bennett came on as Executive Producer.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

A thematic question that I've been wondering about for some time. In the
series, many characters were "immortal", including Oberon's Children,
Demona, and Macbeth. Oberon's Children were, for the most part, a petty,
arrogant, and often downright nasty lot, who treated mortals as mere
playthings. Demona was a crazed and ruthless genocidist and Macbeth did
his own share of shady things such as stealing the Scrolls of Merlin and
capturing the gargoyles to use as bait for a Demona-trap. Not to mention,
furthermore, that the "immortal-at-last-Xanatos" of "Future Tense" (even
though it turned out that it wasn't the real Xanatos but an illusion of
Puck's) was far more evil and ruthless than the original Xanatos ever was.
What I'm wondering is: was this intended as a major "moral" of
"Gargoyles"?
That immortality (or rather, physical, bodily immortality) is a corrupting
influence?

Greg responds...

1. Eh, I don't know about that. Macbeth has his moments, but he's not
such a bad guy. I rather like Coyote. A trickster, but with a more
clearly positive bent than some of his fellows. Citing Oberon, ignores
Titania. Citing the Sisters ignores the Lady of the Lake and Grandmother.
I think you're assumptions are a bit flawed on this one, Todd. Hey, Todd
and I disagree. That's got to be a first.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

A quick question about gargoyle evolution that you might of answered. Ok,
I've noticed that Goliath's clan, the Japanese gargoyles, and the
Guatemalan gargoyles(excluding that snake like guy whose name escapes me) all look
like retiles(the wing structure more than anything), while Griff, Leo and Una
all look like birds(their wings have feathers/ploomage). Then there are people
that say the birds evolved from reptile, or dinosaurus, and Goliath's
little wing fingers look like the ones on a Peradactyle(I have no idea how to
spell it, the flying ones). I can understand how Goliath and Co. might have
missed out on 1,000 years of evolution(not that it would be much), but not
Japan's gargoyles. So I guess London's gargoyles just evolved differently, can you
clear this up for me?? And I guess this is question #2: Are there more
than three gargoyles in London?? Thanks for your time.

Greg responds...

1. Superficial and cosmetic differences are easily influenced by local
forces.
2. Yes.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello! I'm a rather informal person, so may I call you Greg? Or should it
be Mr. Weisman? Oh, never mind. I've got a few questions for ya (like you
don't know.)

1. Where did the idea of putting a few Shakespeare bits here and there
come from?

2. I read in a magazine (Comic Scene) that five episodes in the Avalon
world tour were possible ideas for spinoffs (I think they were "Pendragon," "New
Olympians," "Bushido.." can't remember the other two). We already know
about Pendragon. Were these really plans, or Comic Scene mess up? (the have
been known to do that, but don't tell them _I_ said that!) and

Greg responds...

1. Me. And Greg's fine.
2. There were only two that were sort of INTENTIONALLY made as
back-door pilots. Those were THE NEW OLYMPIANS and PENDRAGON. One might
argue that WALKABOUT and BUSHIDO were both precursors to BAD GUYS, in that
they introduced characters that would have appeared in that spin-off, but
it's a stretch to refer to them as pilots. I mean for starters, Yama was a
late addition to the Bad Guys cast. And if you count them, why not count
HUNTER'S MOON, which introduced Robyn Canmore? What else could have been
referred to? "Future Tense" was definitely not a pilot for the FUTURE TENSE
spin-off. Two totally different takes on the future. There was no DARK
AGES back door pilot. No TIMEDANCER pilot either. So I think that brings
us back to THE NEW OLYMPIANS and PENDRAGON.
3. Uh, which part?
4. You're slo-mo must not work to well. Our composer was the
talented Carl Johnson and his credit's clearly visible on every episode.
5. I've answered this in some detail in the archives. I like
almost all of them.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello again, Greg, I have just a few more questions to ask ya. I'd also
like to tell ya that I'll be using this site more often because I'll never
get to see ya in person(I can't go to New York for the Gathering which
makes me so @#^%$ mad!) I'd also like to beg forgiveness if any of these
questions have been asked before. So here we go.

1) How long before the Eyre Building was built did Demona know Xanatos?

2) How long exactly did it take to build the Eyre anyway?(I've heard it
was six months but I find it hard to believe that a skyscraper that big could
be built in that short of time.) And two personal ones:

3) Do you ever get tired of answering our questions?(Sorry I had to ask
that one. Considering you've already answered a zillion of them.)

4) How would I go about getting my fanfic on the internet? (I've only had
the internet for a short time and I'm still learning how to use it.)

Greg responds...

1. I haven't done the math.

2. The whole skyscraper or just putting the castle on top?

3. No.

4. I have no involvement in fanfiction.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi! I've enjoyed "Gargoyles" ever since it brightened up TDA's darkest
days in 1994. I do have a few questions which I hope have not yet been asked
here. Here they are:

1) In "Enter Macbeth," Xanatos has October 31 circled on his calendar as
the day he's released from jail. However, in "Double Jeopardy" the computer
date on the log shows Noember 15 and Xanatos is still in jail. Since the most
Xanatos got was a six-month sentence, he couldn't possibly have been in
jail November 15 of any year.

2) Is Jon Castaway one and the same as John Canmore? It's been my theory,
but he looks and sounds quite different.

3) Is Duval, the leader of the Illuminati, immortal? I believe you said
somewhere that he was, but that didn't mean he couldn't die. Huh?

4) If "Timedancer" had been produced, what would have happened to Brooklyn
in the "Gargoyles" series? Would he not be on it as he was time traveling?
And when he returned would he be older than Broadway & Lexington on
"Gargoyles" as well (I know he's already older, but I mean considerably).

5) Where can I obtain a copy of your "Master Plan?"

6) What other Disney shows have you worked on? I know "TaleSpin," and I
think "Darkwing Duck." Any others?

Greg responds...

1. Haven't I answered this?
2. He doesn't look very different at all, since we used the exact
same model, changing only his clothes, the way his hair is styled and added
a mustache. As to sound, we even tried to duplicate that with a different
accent. Yeah, it's the same guy.
3. Right.
4. He's not "already" older than Broadway and Lexington. They all
hatched at the same time, give or take a day or two. Brooklyn would have
returned from ALL of his timedancing a mere five minutes after he departed.
He'd be forty (or twenty) years older, but he wouldn't have missed any of
the GARGOYLES adventures.
5. I don't know. Gore, can you just duplicate it below once and
for all. (Last time I suggested this, Gore ignored me.)
6. Geez, I worked on a ton of them in one capacity or another. I
was at Disney for seven years, most as an executive in charge of either
current programming or development. I worked on Pooh, Gummi Bears,
DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, Talespin, Darkwing, Goof Troop, Bonkers,
Marsupilami, Raw Toonage, Schnookums & Meat, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, the
Duck Tales Movie, A Goofy Movie, Mighty Ducks, Timon & Pumbaa, at least. Am
I leaving anything out from that era? Oh, yeah, Gargoyles and Goliath
Chronicles.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

****Blaise walks in.**** Hello again Mr. Weisman. Sorry to ask a second
set of questions before my first set is answered (I strive to avoid that
so I don't bog you down with endless questions), but I have a few things on
my mind that I wanted to get down before I forgot. First of all, I won't ask
about the HOBGOBLIN OF LITTLE MINDS ep because a bunch of other people
have asked about it, and it would be redundant. Next, I can understand
your...disconcertion (?) with revealing suprises (like Merlin's
parentage). That's pretty much why I try my best to avoid asking questions about the
future in GARGOYLES and try to focus on the "Why and wherefore" (or
whatever) of the show (I don't ALWAYS succeed). So, I come to my Q's.
Both are pretty much about the show's evolution from the "comedy" development
into what we have today.

1) First, Elisa Maza: a) When the Archive first came out, you gave a
very nice explanation on why you made the name change from "Elisa Chavez" to
"Elisa Maza." However you never explained why you changed it from the
original "Morgan Reed," or where the surname "Bluestone" appeared in
there, nor why you made those changes. So, why those names and why the changes?
b) In addition to her name, Elisa went through a lot of concept changes
as well: school teacher, firefighter, museum worker (or something), mother,
descendent of Princess Catharine (please excuse my spelling on that),
etc.. Why so many changes and why those particular changes.

2) Now for Xanatos's original: Originally, Xavier was supposed to be a
descendant of the Magus (or whatever his character was called at the
time), and was supposed to be rather petulant; "Captain Hookish." Why the change
from this to the Machavellian, arguably Edmundish villain with no ties to
the Magus today?

3) Now Owen's first, Mr. Owen: An aardvark? What prompted that? I know
that the "comedy" development was a "no-go" and it's all pretty much a
moot point now, but I'm still curious. I mean, I like finding out something's
origins and seeing how it evolved. See you later, and I hope my questions
aren't too much of a bother. Have a nice day! ****Blaise dissolves.****

Greg responds...

1. Morgan Reed was part of the comedy development. It pre-dated
Goliath's inclusion and therefore pre-dated any Beauty/Beast thread to the
series. When Goliath entered, Morgan's name switched to Elisa for purely
aesthetic, sonorous reasons. Meaning, I just liked the sound of it for the
new way the character functioned in the show. Chavez was her working last
name, because I intended to make the character hispanic and again I liked
the sound. When we cast Salli Richardson, we dumped Chavez, because Salli's
not Hispanic. Paul Lacy compiled a short list of possible Native American
surnames, including Bluestone, which was my bosses' early pick on my
recommendation. Later, he changed his mind and we went with Maza.
Obviously, for the hell of it, I wanted to preserve all the old names in one
way or another. So our beat cop became Officer Morgan. Maggie was Maggie
Reed. Maria was Maria Chavez. And Matt was Matt Bluestone (which is also a
Jewish name).
2. Like Elisa, he was put through the prism of Goliath. The old
traits fell away, and he emerged as Xanatos. It was a process, but it felt
right.
3. Aardvarks are funny, don't you think? When you're developing a
comedy, you don't need much of a better reason.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hey, Greg. I just wanted to start out by saying that I loved Gargoyles.
Still do. Unfortunately, I'm not in your target age range. But there's at
least one college student who raves about the show regularly. I especially
enjoy the mythology you've weaved into the series. I haven't seen all the
episodes yet, but I plan to eventually.
Now. On to the questions.

1) Here's my stab at the Arthurian survivors. Seven, right? 1) Arthur 2)
Merlin 3) Fisher King 4) Lady of the Lake 5) Morgan le Fay 6) Nimue 7)
Galahad

2) a:You've mentioned that you've tried to get Gargoyles in other media.
I'm curious. If you had the option of using any medium, TV live, film live,
books, comic books, TV animation, film animation, which would you pick?
I'm aware that in real-world terms, you take what you can. But if you had the
choice, which would best fit your story? b: Along similar lines, do you
see parts of the master plan changing depending on which medium you get? I
read a novelization of Batman's Knightfall thread, that said that it changed
some stuff because the different media required different pacing and other
stuff.... Any similar changes for you that you can see? If there are, care
to elaborate on those?

3) Have you even seen all the episodes of TGC? I haven't, myself. Though I
found out I have one on tape.

4) Would Disney allow you to do Gargoyles on another medium anyway? I
thought they owned everything related to Gargoyles...? Do you think they
would have a reason to not let you write a Gargoyles book or something if
you got the opportunity?

Greg responds...

1. Nope.
2a. Given my imaginary and otherwise-non-existent druthers, I'd
like to go right back to TV Animation, though I'd rather be in prime time
with one hour episodes. After that, I think comics would be fun, but I
might prefer to just go the novel route.
2b. I don't see the basic plan changing, but what I chose to depict
would definitely be effected by the medium.
3. Not counting "The Journey", which I've seen a few times, I've
seen the other 12 each exactly once.
4. I would think that Disney would let me do anything that didn't
damage the property and which generated some income for them. They're not
going to let me do anything without being compensated. And I don't blame
them.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Mr.Wiseman
I am a Gargoyle fan ever since watchng gargoyles! maybe before that I
have now started to look into gargoyle history and learn more aboutt hem as I
can even try t get some from the show. I was wondering if the Gargoyles
series would have still been on today would you have the seris branch off into
diffrent direction's?(example TGC Focus on the gargoyles and human's
living together, Gargoyles focus on Elisa's and Goliath's relationship)
Also I was wondering where did you get the main Idea for Gargoyles? cause
heard certian thing's how gargoyles came to be. But I was wondering if any
of the main Idea's that helped you along came from a book. If so what
book?

Greg responds...

That's Weisman, not Wiseman.
Most of the Gargoyles mythos is my own invention. Inspired by
hundreds of disparate sources, but not by any one book or whatever. I'd
have loved to explore, as I think we did, all sorts of different themes and
relationships, but Elisa/Goliath would have always been one of the prime
dynamics.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi, Greg! I'm glad I found this one, and to find I'm not the only
Gargoyle-fan in the world (and not the ony one in Germany!). So here are
some questions of me (trying to be short):

1. Not knowing if the ratings went down with the 3rd season or before - if
they were already down in the second season, why DID Disney want a third
season made?

2. One concerning your (possible) future work on the spin-offs - where did
you want to take your time for all those things (and possibly even write
more eps of the original Gargoyles)? Or haven't you planned anything for
this case?

3. Just if I'm guessing right - I know that female Gargoyles are fertile
once every 20 years, and I know that Gargoyles mostly die in battle (or at
least get killed somehow before getting old). Am I right that those
females, besides of that 20-year-rhythm, are fertile until they die, even when
dying of age? If not, at what age ends their fertility?

4. You answered one time that Tom had centuries to learn one or two little
spells, like the one for the boat he used. Perhaps it really was not
complicated, because Goliath learned it by hearing Tom cast it. But
couldn't have Tom or one of the Gargoyles living on Avalon learned some more spells
from the Magus (who actually remembered some without the Grimorum)? Or if
casting spells IS that complicated, how could Goliath do it that easy (he
even was able to control the Phoenix Gate - well, control is perhaps the
wrong word, should be something like invoke or use, I guess)?

5. Finally (for now) a question about this wonderful phenomenon named
"time". The past cannot be changed. But when Brooklyn arives 2158 in
TimeDancer, 1996 IS past and cannot be changed. Sure, he returns there
(then - whatever), but having at least partially seen the past, can he
change the future, and so change the past from the 2158-point-of-view?
Thanks for your time both making the show and answering the questions.
Hope the movie will come and Disney will get you back to make us happy again
with new eps. Until next time!

Greg responds...

1. The 2nd season ratings didn't go down, per se. They just
weren't as high as some people at Disney had hoped. And it was ABC that
wanted Goliath Chronicles. WDTVA and BVTV were prepared to let Gargs fade
away after two years. (Different divisions have different agendas, no
matter how hard the Uber-Corporation strives for synergy.)
2. I know you're trying, but I'm not sure if I understand the
question. If you're asking how I could possibly have supervised the writing
on seven separate series simultaneously, the obvious answer was that I
couldn't. But I never thought that all seven would go. I was really hoping
for two: Gargoyles and any one of the spin-offs (Bad Guys/Redemption Squad
being my first choice, but any of them would have been fun). Of course,
they wound up doing nothing but Goliath Chronicles, and they wound up making
that so unattractive an offer that I didn't do those either. (Of course,
now I regret that tremendously. Live and learn.)
3. I don't think it's endless, but I don't want to be pinned down
now.
4. Some spells are easier than others, but all take some effort and
concentration. And a large amount of desire. Others take years of study.
5. Brooklyn's new 2158 friends make a concerted effort to keep the
past from him. Brooklyn cooperates. Exceptions to that effort would be
interesting to explore. But it won't change the basic rules of the
Gargoyles Universe.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

[1] Are the Illuminati aware of Alexander Xanatos' unusual
itage? -1a) By extension, would they then also know about Owen
Burnett's and Anastasia Renard's secret identities?

[2] Why is Fox half-Oberati (hehe, that -does- sound like an Italian
sports car! :P), if Titania is supposed to be fully human in her Anastasia form?

Greg responds...

1. Not yet.

2. The magic is always present, no matter the biology.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

[1] What would Merlin's new form have been? :)

[2] You said in an old "Ask Greg" that Puck was 'pretty old. Over five
hundred years at least.' But 1998 - 995 = 1003. I'll bite: why not
'over one thousand, at least'?

[3] How does the Phoenix Gate 'know' how history really went/goes/will
-3a) Is the Phoenix Gate what most people would deem as sentient?

Greg responds...

1. Not saying.

2. O.K. Over one thousand at least.

3. Who says the Gate "knows" anything?

3a. I don't think so.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Oh, and another one: Did the NOs' meeting with Elisa significantly affect
their attitude towards her race?

Greg responds...

It had an affect.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Eeee! Run away! More questions! ^_^
[1] How did the museum know enough about Titania's Mirror so that they
could publicize it (as such)?

[2] Given that there would be only twelve clans by the time of the
"Future Tense" spinoff, what effect would the comparatively limited gene pool have
on the survival of the gargoyle race?

[2] About how long does it usually take for a gargoyle egg to be laid
after its fertilization? i.e., is there some kind of gestation period? (I know
next to nothing about biology, BTW. :P)

[3] What happens to eggs that are left unfertilized?

[4] Do gargoyles all over the world (excluding the Avalon clan & the
TimeDancing Katana, maybe) operate on the same 20-year fertility
le? -4a) Okay, what about Angela?

[5] Here's a horrible morbid question -- have gargoyle eggs ever been
filched in order to make giant breakfast omelets? :9

Greg responds...

O.K., but no more food questions.
1. From the Museum's point of view, it was just the traditional
name for this ancient work of craftsmanship. They weren't aware of any
magical properties.
2. They'd be on the verge of a minor comeback thanks to some
careful planning.
2 #2. I haven't yet established the internal gestation period of a
fertilized egg. I imagine unfertilized eggs go through some process akin to
menstruation. But I haven't given it any thought.
3. No number 3.
4. Yes. 4a. Angela will have attuned to the normal gargoyle cycle
by 2008.
5. Omelets? I doubt it. Food, probably.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Thanks in advance for putting up with me-- I mean, *us* :)-- and our
endlessly inane questions, Greg!

[1] Do the other London gargs also exhibit heraldic characteristics? And
if you feel like revealing it right now, what sort of fauna would they
have taken after?

[2] We were discussing various eps of TGC in the Comment Room a while
ago. One of the topics that came up was Taurus' shocked reaction to the
meat-packing house in "Seeing Isn't Believing". It amused many of the
commenters, but I felt that it seemed entirely out place and that the TGC
writers simply couldn't resist sticking in that little joke. I'm aware
that you didn't supervise the production of the other 12 episodes, but I'd like
to hear your take on it.

[3] Of course, the question of anthropomorph cannibalism in animation
soon (and perhaps inevitably :P) arose. F'rinstance, examples of Donald Duck
happily munching on roast turkey legs and such are rife throughout various
Disney cartoons. I'm curious to know how this apparent lack of taboo
might apply to "Gargoyles", a much more serious show. Would Taurus necessarily
object to gnawing on a big ol' tasty chunk of top sirloin? And would it
repulse any of the London gargs to eat their respective animal
ounterparts? --I'm guessing unicorns, lions, and griffins aren't too
common around the English countryside, but it's still something to wonder about.
^_^

[4] Are the Guatemalan gargs vegetarians (if they eat anything at all)?

[5] Totally unrelated to the theme I got going here, but oh well: Do you
care to relate any details about the little clocktower-fixing ep idea that
you scrapped after "Hunter's Moon"? I love those little story bits that
you have every now and then!

Greg responds...

1. I think we showed a pretty fair cross section.
2. I don't know. I don't feel very strongly about it.
3. I haven't thought much about eating habits. I guess it doesn't
interest me too much.
4. I don't know.
5. It was just a notion that the city keeps sending someone to try
and fix the clock and the chimes. The gargoyles keep disabling the chimes
because they're deafening them. Might have made a good Vinnie episode.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman!!

1) Can I call you Greg?

2) I was really in a little weird spell when I watched Hunter's Moon.
Demona, apparently, had been collected artifacts over a course of 500
years. First the Midichi (I probably didn't spell that right) Tablet in Italy and
then the Praying Gargoyle in France and then the CV-1000 and DX stuff in
the 90's. What I'm wondering is, obviously, the CV-1000 and other thing
wouldn't have been developed when Demona started stealing the stuff for her master
plan, and (unless she invented it) she couldn't have expected them to be
developed, so do you have some explanation for that that I missed?

3) How do you do it?!?!? I've watched gargoyles since it first came out.
There might be a single line mentioned in the first ep that comes back to
haunt us in the second season. For instance, in "Temptation" Demona
mentioned that she had watched Humanity evolve, but we didn't learn what
she meant till "City of Stone" or the mentions of Oberon in "The Mirror," it
made me, personally, see Oberon as some non-corporeal, all-seeing being
who created and de-created with the wave of a hand. But then we meet Oberon.
The moment I saw him, even before I heard his name (but I got a few hints from
the "Previously, on Gargoyles .. .") I knew who he was. Just the way you
design the series. You can't miss one episode without missing a huge story
line. How do you plan it like that?

4) Do you think fanfiction is a good idea Thanx for your time, bye-bye for
now!

Greg responds...

1. Please.
2. Demona gathered lots of stuff, including the Praying Gargoyle
and the Medici Tablet. She figured it would come in handy eventually. She
was right. I never said she had that specific plan for all that time.
3. Well, I think you can miss episodes, it's just more enjoyable if
you don't. As to how... well, it helped that you had one guy, me, in charge
of story for 66 episodes. Thus with all the multiple voices that come into
play, you do get a single voice providing consistency. Also, to be honest,
it helps just to keep your eyes open and remember what you've done. Michael
Reaves sticks a line about the Illuminati into a 1st season script. I
decide to bring that to life. Also it helps to plan ahead and listen to
your people for good ideas. I had a lot of help. And I had a lot of ideas
for this thing. It came together pretty well, don't you think?
4. I have mixed feelings about fanfiction as I've stated before.
But if it keeps people interested in the show, then I'm all for it.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi I'd like to thank you for answer fan questions. You Rock! All Hail
Greg! Um okay now that that is out of my system here are my questions:

1)When did Demona come to the U.S.?

2)How is it that Tom seemed to have grown up and aged faster than the
Magus or Katherine?

3)What are those sheild symbols that surround the room in which the Magus
died?

4)Why was the land dying in "Heritage"? Well that's it for now. Thank you
again.

Greg responds...

1. A while ago.
2. He didn't. They all aged the same amount. The Magus was 72.
Katharine was 62. Tom was 52. In 994, the Magus was 28. Katharine was 18.
Tom was 8.
3. I don't know exactly.
4. Natsilane had abandoned his duty to his tribe, leaving the
island in Raven's control. Raven wanted the tribe to abandon the island, so
that no new Natsilane would show up and try and take it from him.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Almost forgot, what happened to that container with the virus from
"Hunter's Moon Part III"

Greg responds...

It was destroyed.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

A few more questions:

1. I've noticed that one of the questions you seem to be asked most often
was "What did Titania whisper to Fox?" Now, you'll be relieved to know
that I won't ask you what she whispered. What I will ask instead is: Did you
expect to get a lot of questions about what Titania whispered when you (or
whoever else on the production team had that idea) came up with that idea?
And am I correct in the assumption that it was deliberately intended to be
an eternal mystery that would never be answered?

2. You mentioned in your last batch of responses an episode that you'd
planned to make, but never did, entitled "Hobgoblin of Little Minds". Was
that the same as the never-made controversial two-parter that you
mentioned elsewhere?

3. What inspired the concept of gargoyle beasts?

4. What inspired the concept of English gargoyles looking like winged
lions, unicorns, and other heraldic animals?

5. Any particular reason why the production team chose Lexington as the
traitor in "Future Tense"? I can see easily enough the reason for one of
the gargoyles being a traitor - a great way to really shock Goliath and
break him down still further - but what made you choose Lexington over any
of the other members of the clan?

Greg responds...

1. Maybe, kinda. But I didn't anticipate all the questions,
because I didn't particularly anticipate the fandom at all.
2. No. Just another notion that came to me later.
3. It was always part of the concept. Two distinct species of
gargoyles to help us account for what appeared to be two basic types of
actual stone gargoyles. Some that seemed to have human-like intelligence
and others that seemed more beast-like. In fact, my boss Gary Krisel wanted
to divide things into even more species. A more humanlike species that
would have included Goliath and Demona, a less humanlike one that would have
included the trio, and the beasts. I found that disconcerting, so ignored
it without ever actually telling him.
4. English gargoyles that looked like unicorns, lions and griffons.
5. To some extent, I could say it was the dictates of story.
Xanatos is the villain, but he turns out to be a computer program. If you
want to shock one better, than the true villain has to be the man behind the
curtain. The guy who runs the computer. Only Lex qualifies. But having
said all that, I also think there's always been an element of kismet or
truth to gargoyles story-telling when we were really firing on all
cylinders. Nothing else works because that was the right way to go. How
that bodes for the future of the real Lexington is a question for another
day.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

[1] Does the New Olympus clan share the same hatred of humans as the
others on their isle?

[2] Why are the NOs hatin' on humans so much? They apparently haven't
had any contact with humans for centuries... -2a) uh....right? :P

[3] The New Olympians are an astonishingly diverse bunch of folk. Some
have strange forms (Ekidna), others display startling abilities (Proteus),
and still others seem to exhibit odd local phenomena (that dude with the
flaming head). Is this solely due to their roots in the 3rd Race? -3a)
Are the (non-garg) NOs able to successfully interbreed? -3b) Is there
a pattern to which (and how) their offsprings' traits are inherited?

[4] Does/Did Taurus' mother share her son's bovine features? -4a) If
not, what does/did she look like?

[5] What would have prompted the New Olympians to send their
representatives to the UN?

[6] Feel like disclosing any details about the Romeo/Juliet relationship
right now? We'll understand if you still want to stay quiet about it. :D

Greg responds...

1. They can't be too fond of humans, or they wouldn't have chosen
to join the others on New Olympus.
2. Historically, they have plenty of reasons to hate and fear
humans. That doesn't make it right.
3. It's pretty cool isn't it? (Yes, they can interbreed to a large
degree.)
4. Probably.
5. Terry.
6. Thanks for being so understanding.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Well, I guess I'll give this 'lil Arthurian contest a go. My humble
guesses are Arthur, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Mordred, Lancelot, Nimue, and Morgana.

Greg responds...

Nope.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

-(1)- When Puck created the persona of Owen Burnett, did he
intentionally leave out the pupils, or was that some kind of strange oversight?
[1a] If the first; um... why? :)

-(2)- Are gargdogs' eyes constantly glowing 24/7 (though it's probably
more like 10/7 :P), or are their irises and so forth simply not visible
for some other reason?

Greg responds...

1. Owen is fully human. His design, pupil or no pupil, is
consistent with the design of all our humans.

2. The latter.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg! Here's a few questions:

1) If Gargoyles heal when they turn to stone, how did Hudson get that scar
and discoloration in his eye?

2) How do Gargoyles clothing turn to stone with them?

3) My ABC station in Washington D.C. didn't air The Goliath Chronicles!
Any idea on who will pick this series up (i.e. USA network, Disney's new cable
channel). Thanks

Greg responds...

1. The magic that caused it didn't heal in one night, thus it
scarred and blinded him permanently.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

just a small question, if Maggie and Talon were to have a child, the child
would look human would it not?? It'd have to, unless the mutagen they were
infected with altered their DNA. I'm not sure, but you probably are,
thanks.

Greg responds...

No comment.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Sorry to be continuously over the head with Demona questions. Anyway,
here's another. At some point, Demona has this genuine revelation that
she is responsible for all the misery in her life, Wyvern, MacBeth, her
thousand years of lonliness. Maybe I'm assuming to much but I take it her
previously stellar sense of self deception will be of no avail to her now. She is
forced to acknowledge the truth. So, with all of this self blame slamming
into her like a train wreck, a very sizeable one at that, what becomes her
new anchor. As I have mentioned in the past, what becomes her new reason
to go on.

Greg responds...

Love and redemption.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. I read your latest update, and sympathized with your confessed problems
over having given away the fact that Oberon was Merlin's father - and with
the general "letting slip" over this or that element about the series in
general. However, if it makes you feel any better, I'll say that
sometimes your revelations do actually *increase* my interest and hopes that the
series will be revised someday. When you revealed that Duval was the
Fisher King, for example, it actually raised (in my mind) more questions than it
answered. Likewise, when you said that the Illuminati were after the
gargoyles because they know some things, that got me wondering what those
things were (don't worry, I'm not going to ask you about them here), and
made me hope for a revival of the series in some form so that we could
someday learn the answers. At any rate, I'd say that I certainly don't
blame you for choosing to keep silent on these things; I'd do the same in
your shoes.

2. Related to your statements about Merlin: I was interested in the bit
about Oberon being Merlin's dad, since Merlin's legendary parentage (the
son of a non-human being) had long interested me. But one thing I'm curious
about: how much of a Standards and Practices problem do you suppose
Merlin's illegitimacy (which you confirmed in your last update) would have been?
(For that matter, I imagine that a lot of the main elements in the
Arthurian legend - Lancelot and Guinevere, for example - would have been real
Standards and Practices headaches).

3. What, in your opinion, is the population number (in round numbers) of
the Third Race at the time of the Gathering?

Greg responds...

1. Thanks for understanding. I'm very inconsistent. Moody, even.
2. On Oberon and Merlin, I think I just would have attempted not to
flag that. Slid by. Lance and Gwen wouldn't have been too big a problem.
For one thing, their relationship is such a huge part of our literary
tradition, it gets a bit of an exemption. For another thing, though
PENDRAGON would have had its share of flashbacks, the series was to be set
in the present, so that relationship wouldn't have been a big issue.
3. Don't know.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

There's one thing I never quite understood about Owen's stone arm: it
looks so darn heavy. Why doesn't it just snap off at the bone?

Greg responds...

Magic.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I was wondering if you could tell me when Lexington's hatching day was.

Greg responds...

Same as Brooklyn and Broadway's, give or take a day or two. The
year was 958. The day isn't significant to a gargoyle.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. You said that the Phoenix Gate is caught in some sort of eternal time
loop. Is that one reason for its name? As in - the eternal time loop of
the Gate as a parallel to the legendary Phoenix rising from its own ashes,
both being an eternal cycle?

2. More a comment than a question: I didn't have any problems with the
time loops in "Gargoyles", and in fact, not only understood the ones in "Vows",
"Avalon", and "M.I.A.", but even enjoyed them thoroughly. (I think that
part of the reason for this is that I've been writing a time travel novel
for many years - conceived long before "Gargoyles" ever came out - which
used a similar time loop as its basic concept, so I felt quite at home
with the ones in the series). I just thought that you might like to know that
one person in the audience got them.

3. What metal is Guardian Tom's sword and armor supposed to be made of?
(Obviously not iron).

4. Supposedly, faerie magic won't work on iron. So how was Oberon and
Titania able to work magic on a Xanatos clad in a suit of iron armor in
"The Gathering Part Two" (Oberon sending him hurtling into the battlements, and
Titania paralyzing him alongside Goliath and Puck)?

5. Why did the Weird Sisters get Demona to reveal the changed access code
to Xanatos and Goliath (besides the needs of the plotline)? Unlike their
other interventions (such as stopping Demona and Macbeth from killing each
other), it wasn't necessary for their schemes for the "Reconquest" of Avalon, so
why did they go out of their way to save the city? (That's the main reason
why I was convinced for a long time that their later behavior was all an act,
in fact, until you confirmed that they really were the petty vengeful beings
that they appeared to be in "Avalon" and "Ill Met By Moonlight").

6. How does Owen explain that stone hand of his to people (other than
those in on the secret like Xanatos) whom he meets with? I can safely assume
that very few people would believe him if he said that it got that way due to
dipping it into a magic cauldron :)

7. Was the Cauldron of Life partly inspired by the magical cauldrons of
Celtic mythology?

8. You mentioned that the general public wouldn't have realized (at least,
not for quite a long while) that the gargoyles were sentient beings. When
the New Olympians showed up, would the humans have similarly had problems
understanding that Taurus and Co. were sentient beings?

Greg responds...

1. Uh huh.
2. Tanks muchly.
3. Good questions. Maybe steel, maybe another blend.
4. Paralysis works on the brain. (Here's a hint. Don't take your
helmet off.) Also air isn't made of iron. Ever been hit by a magically
powerful blast of air?
5. I never said that their ONLY plans involved vengeance.
6. It's an eccentric prosthetic to most people.
7. Yep.
8. No, because their 'entrance' would indicate sentience from the
get-go.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg. I have a few questions about the world of 2158 that I was
wondering if you could answer.

1) How are things around the world politically? 1a) Are there still things
like arms races between countries (like we are seeing right now in Asia)?
1b) Are most countries working together in the UN (or something like the
UN)? 1c) Would you say for the most part, there is world peace?

2) Does the human population know about the fae? Or have they kept
themselves a secret?

3) Are the fae still on Avalon with Oberon?

4) How far do you see space travel to have advanced?

5) Is Demona still in charge of Nightstone? For that matter, does
Nightstone even still exist?

6) This isn't about 2158, but I wanted to ask anyway. During the
Gathering, Oberon called for his children. Now the question is, would his children
be only pure fae or would they include those beings who had a single parent
that was fae, or just anyone that had any fae blood in them?

Greg responds...

1a,b,c. Nations still exist and there's still occasional conflict,
but the U.N. would have a substantial role, and generally there is world
peace.

2. Secret.

3. Largely.

4. Earthling space travel? Nothing significant outside our solar
system, but within the solar system we're all over the place.

5. Yes, in some form.

6. Anyone who was considered fae. That includes some half-breeds
like (in theory) Alex, but leaves out others like Fox.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

First off, Greg,thanks for producing the best animated series I have ever
seen. More thanks to all the other Gargoyles fans for keeping this show
alive. Now, on to the questions:

1) How affected would gargoyles be to disease,whether from humans or
among their own kind?

2) We know that humans and fays can reproduce, but what about humans and
gargoyles? Would thatbe possible, or would the genetic differences be too
great?

3)Did you have any future plans for the mutates and clones?

4)What about the New Olympians?

5)If Disney had given you free rein over the show after Season 2, how long
could you (or would you) have kept the show going?

6)Did you have any major problems with the Disney censors over
"inappropriate" content?

Greg responds...

1. Their healing ability makes them extremely disease resistant.
2. I've answered this before. Fae's mate with mortals by
shape-shifting into the species they're mating with, allowing for
compatibility in conception. Gargoyles and humans are genetically too
distant to create natural offspring. What could be accomplished with
science and sorcery is another question.
3. Sure.
4. Uh huh.
5. Until death, disease or senility hit. Or until they dragged me
off it kicking and screaming.
6. No.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Had her plans suceeded, would Demona's "Hunter's Moon" virus have had any
effect on Delilah?

Greg responds...

No.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I have a question regarding the episode "Eye of the Beholder." When Fox
wore the Eye of Odin, it changed her into the werewolf(or is it
werefox?)creature. Was this simply meant to be a representation of the
huntress/predator side of her nature, or was it in some way a
manifestation of the kind of power she could have wielded had she been taught to use her
magic as she grew up? I ask this because most of the Children of Oberon we
saw in the series demonstrated an ability to change their shape, and of
the people we saw put on the Eye( Goliath, Fox, and the Archmage), only Fox
was turned into shapeshifter. Goliath and the Archmage only changed into a new
form when they first put the Eye on, and then that form was maintained
until the Eye was removed.

Greg responds...

1. Werefox, predatory, self-hating, conflicted. It was revelatory
of her inner-self, not her fae heritage.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. In "Vows" and "Revelations", the Illuminati symbol is a pyramid with an
eye on top - that symbol also happens to appear on the back of the
one-dollar-bill. Is there (in the Gargoyles Universe) some ominous
connection here?

2. In "Her Brother's Keeper", Xanatos had an upstate retreat called
Xanadu. Was the name taken from Coleridge's "Kublai Khan", or from "Citizen Kane"?

3. Why wasn't Lexington as upset about Angela choosing Broadway as
Brooklyn was? Was it because he was already developing a close friendship with
Alex, or because Brooklyn's more inclined to wallowing in self-pity? (Actually,
I think that it's a combination of the two, but I'd like to know what your
take on this is).

4. Your general disappointment with "The Goliath Chronicles" is well-known
(and an attitude shared by most Gargoyles fans) - but, did the new
production team do anything in the 12 episodes following "The Journey"
that you did think worked rather well or approved of? You did mention in your
last response that you rather liked the "Thailog's death" scene they did
in "Genesis Undone".

Greg responds...

1. Yes.
2. Both.
3. Well, I don't think Alex and Angela are mutually exclusive. I
do think Brooklyn is more likely to wallow, but I think the main reason Lex
didn't feel as strongly was because he didn't feel as strongly. Brooklyn
convinces himself (as with Maggie) that it's true love. Lex had a crush
that was almost automatic because Angela was the ONLY available female he
had seen in some time. I think after a while, it became clear to Lex that
they were just friends. Brooklyn needed evidence that he was out of the
running, i.e. the kiss between Broadway and Angela.
4. I think the death scene was well-handled, but I don't actually
like it or the episode. Kill off Thailog? Not on my watch. Not in that
way. The only saving grace, which I believe I suggested was that the
"deaths" of the clones is at least potentially reversable. Otherwise... To
be honest the only things that I liked were things that were remnants of
suggestions I had made. I wasn't wild about execution on anything, save a
line of dialogue here or there. Frankly, I'm just too close to it to be
objective. I like Eric and Julia Lewald a lot, and I respect their talents
on everything else they've done. So my guess is that most of my problems
with TGC are my own, not theirs. Also, I only ever watched those twelve
episodes once each. It was very painful, and I haven't revisited them
since.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

One more question. Since you mentioned in your last batch of responses
that King Arthur and Griff would visit the South Pole in the course of their
search for Merlin - what effect would the six-month day/six-month night at
the Poles have on a gargoyle's biological clock?

Greg responds...

Good question.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1) My thoughts on the Camelot Seven: Arthur, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake
are the gimmes... others I'd guess would be Perceval (due to other hints
you've dropped), Galahad, Morgana le Fay, and Nimue.

2) You've said that, in TimeDancer, Brooklyn 'never really gets ahold of
[the Phoenix Gate]'. So, then, how do his timedancing travels work, if he
doesn't physically carry the Gate? Or did I misunderstand what you said
and he *does* carry the Gate? 3) Another TimeDancer question: Is there an
average length for one of Brooklyn's stays in a given time and place, or
does it vary widely (i.e., a few seconds to months or years)? Thanks in
advance.

Greg responds...

1. Nope.
2. The Gate is lost in time, bopping around on its own. Opening
portals and vanishing. Brooklyn slides through these portals.
3. Vary widely. Though I wouldn't make too many stops of under a
minute. Not much storytelling fits into thirty seconds.

(GDW / 7-22-98)

Response recorded on July 22, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Very fast:

1) From ep 1, Captain of the Guard said inhabitants of Wyvern were, ". . .
not my people." Care to elaborate?

2) You've probably been deluged with Merlin stuff since that mini-series,
so more straw for the camel's back: Didja notice the uncanny resemblance of
Frik to Puck? Yowza.

3) Finally, my ideas for the Camelot Seven: Art, Merlin, the Lady of the
Lake, Guenivere, Morgan LeFay (pleeeeeeese), Lancelot, and Mordred, on the
basis that Oberon doesn't count. Thank you for your time

Greg responds...

1. I've addressed this already, but basically he thought they were
ungrateful snobs and ignorant peasants. He identified with the Gargoyles
much more than his fellow humans. Don't read too much into the statement.
2. Yeah, a resemblance. I wouldn't say uncanny. We're all
operating in the same set of traditions here.
3. Nope.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg! Which gargoyles story would you have most wanted to bring to
life but never got the chance to do? In other words, if someone came up to you
and gave you the chance to make one more episode (and let's assume here
that any background info needed to understand that episode would be provided,
so that it doesn't have to directly follow the eps of the last season), what
would that episode be? Since this is a broad question, let me ask it in
more specific chunks (unless you want to describe the whole ep, which I
wouldn't mind at all).
1) Which characters would it center around?
2) Which spinoff would it be in (i.e. Dark Ages, TimeDancer, etc.)
3) What would the main plot points be? *note: if you have no specific answers
for any of the above Q's, could you at least provide us with a general idea of
the one story you'd most like to create? Thanks!

Greg responds...

Generally, this question is too hypothetical for me. My mind
doesn't work this way. If someone said you could do one more episode, but
only one, I'm not sure how I'd react. If literally, I couldn't even use it
for a backdoor pilot, i.e. no hope of future episodes coming out of it.
Then in essence, I'm being asked to do a season of one. (Kinda like what I
did with "The Journey".) The notion that the blanks could be filled in
between "The Journey" and this new episode doesn't play for me. It's too
detached from the reality of my creative process. So... If I only had one
episode to do. I'd try to give it the open-ended closure of a
"Reawakening," "Hunter's Moon, Part Three," or "The Journey." I'd probably
do the Halloween double date episode that I talked about. I guess. But
like I said, this exercise doesn't appeal to me much.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

First off, I have to tell you that I really appreciated the recaps in the
beginning of each episode. I only saw gargoyles every saturday, and thus
the continuity got completely screwed, and episodes were shown in a random
order. Plus, I was rather disappointed with the flying steel monsters in
"Awakenings" and the way the trio was portrayed in "Thrill of the Hunt" so
the show didn't hook me immediately. (I did like Part 1 and 2 of
awakenings) However, watching "Eye of the Storm" one morning got me completely hooked,
and soon I was scrambling to recover what I had been missing. (I still
have yet to see "The Mirror", "The Price", "Turf", and "City of Stone Pt 1."
Since all most of my questions have been asked for mine will be rather
brief.

1. Thailog seems to hold a lot of anger towards Angela, is this because
of Goliath's seeming acceptance of her and Goliath's rejection of him?

2. Did Thailog create any clones of Bronx? I would think that he would be
most inclined to have servants that were not intelligent enough to outgrow
their programming (and thus turn on him).

3. Did Thailog Clone more than one copy of each gargoyle?

4. My guesses for those still alive from the Arthurian period? Arthur,
Merlin, Lady of the Lake (thanks for the gimmes) Lancelot, The Green
Knight, Morgana la Fay, and taking a shot in the dark... mmm... Galahad?

Greg responds...

1. Possibly. But I don't think he's that angry with her
specifically. He just knows that (a) threatening Angela is a good way to
anger Goliath and (b) it makes a great way to test Demona's loyalty.
2. No. Because Bronx never guarded Demona and Fang to get bitten
by the robot mosquitoes.
3. No.
4. Nope.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

****Blaise crashes through the door.**** Sorry, I'll fix that. Well,
first I wanted to say that I agree with you; the Broadway/Angela relationship
was not rushed. Next, I have a question:

1) When you went through all the Shakespeare plays, you listed MERCHANT OF
VENICE as problematic. Care to expand on that? I ask this because I had
the pleasure of portraying Shylock (an excellent character, in my opinion)
in a production of that play, and I am interested to hear what others
think of it.

2) My second question deals with the Arthurian guessing game (all my ideas
have already been listed, but I'll do them anyway); Are the survivors
Arthur, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Percival (sp?), Nimue, Morgan la
Fey, and Bedivere? (NOTE: I would have put "Blaise" on that list, but he is
not as famous or wide-spread a character of Arthurian legends as the rest of
them are) Well, that's about it. Oh, BTW, you're explanation on Hudson's
accent was great. It really makes a lot of sense to me why you did it
that way. Have a nice day! ****Blaise fixes the door on his way out.****

Greg responds...

1. It's a tough play for me, at least. And also historically. For
a century it was performed with the subtitle "The Tragedy of Shylock"
attached. And believe me this wasn't because anti-semitism had fallen away
during those years. The problem is complex, and I'm not sure I can deal
with all of it here, but in a nutshell, the play is wildly anti-semitic...
and so is Shakespeare himself. Except it's highly likely that Shakespeare
never personally knew any Jews. He simply believed what he had been told
about them. And yet... And yet... As much as he wants to make Shylock a
monster, he can't. He imbues Shylock with so much humanity. So much that
even in his villainy, we can't help but root for him. Which would be fine,
except the plays ending doesn't really bare it out. We're also supposed to
root for Portia. Not simply to buy into her "The quality of mercy is not
strained" speech, but also to support her ultimate conclusions against
Shylock, including the forced conversion to Christianity. That's a hard
double road to walk down. Thus, I find the play (not the character of
Shylock) problematic.
2. Nope.
And thanks.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi there, hope things are OK with you. 1) My vote for the seven
'Arthurians' would be Arthur, Merlin, Guenever, Nimue, Gawain, Morgan le Fay and
Mordred. I left out Launcelot as I think it would make for better stories without,
but I can't say why due to the rules. Fame ? Glory ? as it's 'Ask Greg'
not 'Tell Greg' I suppose I'd better try a question ummm..... 2) I thought
that the portrayal of Anubis was great and very thought provoking, did you have
any plans to use any of the ancient Egyptian myths or make use of the Gods
and Goddesses ?

Greg responds...

1. Nope.
2. Given enough episodes, we would have eventually returned to
Anubis and probably investigated other Egyptian pantheon members. But I had
no immediate plans.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Just a few questions this time around. Heh heh, my definition of a few.
Mr. Greg Weisman, 1)How tall is: a)Puck, b)Owen, c)Macbeth, d)Demona, e)Fox,
and last but not least f)Xanatos? But Puck and Owen most specifically.

2)Whats the name of that Cloth piece in Pucks outfit, held up by the
broache and forming the skirt-like thing? No one seems ta know that I've asked,
people have said Sash-which would be his cloth belt, Tunic-which is more
like his shirt, and even Toga which is wayyy to big. Please please tell
me.

3)People have asked, what character you relate to the most.... but my
question is, Which was the most fun for you to write for?

4)Why do Gargoyle Loincloths turn to stone. You must have a reason
whether it be magical etc.

5)Is Owen vunerable to iron in the same context as fae? Or is he so
perfectly Human that he can handle it the same as any other normal person?

6)Was it Owen or Puck that first met Demona? If Puck, when? Be as
specific as ya want, I'd settle for the decade or century even.

7)Xanatos' reaction when meeting Goliath was like he was expecting it,
which he was. But how did he react when he first met Demona?

8)a)Did you ever plan on teaming up any of the tricksters? b) If so whom?

9)Do you ever plan on revealing what Titania said to Fox in the forseeable
future? just wondering if theres *any* hope in knowing.

10)What other business rivals would Xanatos have aquired?

11)You mentioned before, that Titania had become... lets say wiser in a
way than Oberon, because Oberon never changed over the Millienium. Well Puck
seems to be a very everchanging Character, exactly how much *wisdom* does
he have? And how much do you think he'd actually take his own advice?

12)Duh duh duhhhhnnn the Puck family question! Does Puck have a mother or
father currently living on Avalon? yeah yeah yeah, all I wanna know
basically is if they're still alive.

13)Did Puck

Greg responds...

1. I've never measured them.
2. I don't know.
3. They were all fun to write for. Though Thailog and Xanatos
stand out. Puck too. And Vinnie. And Goliath. I even liked writing
Renard. And Titania. The Archmage. I could go on forever. They were all
interesting to me for different reasons.
4. I've answered this before. A modesty spell cast by the guy who
wrote the Grimorum back in the time of Caesar Augustus.
5. Pretty much the latter.
6. Puck. That's as specific as I want to get right now.
7. Awe, wonder and humor.
8. Yes, as I've stated before, the story that eventually became
"Ransom" under TGC's new creative team, was originally supposed to be a
multi-Trickster story featuring Puck and Raven for sure, and probably Anansi
and Coyote as well.
9. Hope springs eternal.
10. Didn't have any specific plans for that beyond Cyberbiotics and
Nightstone. But I wouldn't have hesitated to create a fourth company if I
saw a need.
11. Hard to quantify "wisdom". And which advice are you talking
about?
12. Crystal Ball is cloudy. Check again later.
13. I don't think that tricksters like hanging with other
tricksters. Small doses, please.
14. Chuck would do what?
15. If you're too lazy, why should I make an effort?
16. Nope.
17. Nope.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. Thanks for answering my questions about the Quarrymen's motivation -
and for pointing out about how they wouldn't have been aware that the
gargoyles were sentient beings. Which brings me to a question-cum-theory about one
of the main reasons for TGC's failure. The first two seasons had Xanatos and
Demona, two complex and intriguing characters, for their main villains,
and did a good job accordingly (plus some good supporting villains such as
Macbeth - also a complex and intriguing character, and one who quickly
became a favorite of mine - Thailog, Jackal and Hyena, Sevarius, and so
on). TGC had for its main villains the Quarrymen, who were done (after "The
Journey") as a bunch of flat, one-dimensional characters with no real
depth to them - I liked the fact that you'd chosen to give them some variety
(some being mercenaries like Banquo and Fleance, others being terrified citizens
like Vinnie or Billy and Susan's mom), but in TGC, they nearly all seemed
to have been recruited from the local "Thugs R Us". Do you think that the
way that your successors handled the Quarrymen (both making them cardboard
villains and the main villains) could have had much to do with why The
Goliath Chronicles failed?

2. A query about Jon Canmore/Castaway. When I first saw "Hunter's Moon",
I was very distressed at the way that the initially most sympathetic Hunter
wound up turning into an insane gargoyle-hater at the end. But then,
after watching it a few more times and studying Jon's actions, I found myself
wondering if his fall from grace hadn't actually been carefully prepared
for. His suggestions to his siblings that maybe Goliath and his clan
weren't evil had a rather half-hearted feel to them and he allowed Jason
to easily quell them. He spared the clan at the ruins of the clock tower,
but THEN proceeded to publicly frame them on the news at Jason and Robyn's
request, without (as far as could be told) protesting about trying to turn
the public against the gargs, now that he knew that they weren't the
monsters that the other Hunters believed them to be. During the fight at
the dam, Jon was just standing around looking miserable, while Elisa was
making an active attempt to get Jason and Goliath to stop their feud. In
fact, Jon's only pro-gargoyle action was a negative one (not killing them
at the clock tower), whereas Elisa and Jason (after he finally saw the light)
took a much more active stance (Jason actually taking a shot for Goliath
in the cathedral) in trying to stop the slaughter. (Not to mention that, in
"The Journey", Vinnie also actively resisted Castaway's efforts to kill
Goliath and Elisa). So.... am I reading too much into this, or was Jon's
rather passive behavior during his "pro-gargoyle" behavior purposely
designed that way, to show that he was weak (to fit in with his
transformation into Castaway)?

3. Another commentary rather than question, mainly. I've also been
working out why Thailog is such an effective villain, and I think that it's more
than just that he's cunning and malevolent (though he's definitely both).
He's also a clone of Goliath, and looks and sounds almost exactly like
him. But his moral character is very different from Goliath's - in contrast to
Goliath's nobility and honor, Thailog is scheming, power-hungry, and
duplicitous. So there's a matter of a very chilling incongruity. Was
this part of what you had in mind when you created the character?

Greg responds...

1. Todd, "failure" is one of those hot-button words that I don't
much like to throw around. Many people regarded the second season of
Gargoyles as a failure because it didn't meet those people's financial
expectations. Many people regard the World Tour as a failure because it
went on too long or whatever. I don't agree with either assessment, but
it's all subjective.
So let's not talk about failure. But now that I'm past the
disclaimer, I do agree that the villains on Goliath Chronicles were not that
well-handled, and I think the handling of the Quarrymen was particularly
problematic. You, as usual, are dead-on in evaluating what I was trying to
do with them. My successors took a different route.
2. Todd, people are going to start to think that either (a) I'm
paying you to write this stuff or (b) you actually are me writing under a
pseudonym. Again, you're dead-on correct. Jason was a strong man. Strong
in his prejudice. Strong in his resolve to change once he came to that
conclusion. Jon was a weak man. I'm gonna botch this quotation about the
banality of evil, but it goes something like, "All it takes for evil to
thrive is for good men to do nothing." That's Jon Canmore. I hope we built
him so that his transformation -- though shocking and tragic -- was
believable. If you're any indication, then I did my job.
3. Very much so. To me, the creation of a great villain depends on
making that villain a true counterposing force to the hero. Each villain
has to make us feel, at least in that individual story, that he or she is
the ultimate nemesis. This is accomplished not simply with opposition, but
by juxtaposing similarities and contrasting them with opposition. Let's
look at Batman for a moment.
a. Batman and the Joker both operate in strange, even garish
costumes, outside the law. But the Batman represents ORDER, the Joker
CHAOS.
b. Or... Batman is a man with two faces. Bruce Wayne and the Bat.
Two sides of the same coin. Personify that, and you have TWO-FACE. Now
you've got two characters who share a bond, and yet are as different as
night and day.
c. Batman was created to inspire fear in criminals. The Scarecrow
exists to inspire fear in decent people.
d. Batman is a man seduced by the darkness in his soul. Catwoman
is that seduction brought to life.
e. Batman strives to find order out of chaos, Ra's al Ghul strives
to establish his own order in place of human freedom. To me, these have
always been Batman's best villains, because they each speak to his soul.
Anytime I thought about working with any of the others, it was always more
of a struggle.
f. Take the Riddler. As fun as he can be, he was never my
favorite. The best I could come up with was to piece out a segment of the
Batman mythos, i.e. Batman is supposed to be the world's greatest detective.
Thus we pit this man of answers in a battle of wits against the world's
greatest questioner. (Not bad, but not great either.)
g. Penguin always stumped me until I saw the movie BATMAN RETURNS.
Now, I didn't care for that movie much. I thought it was a mess. But the
one truly brilliant addition to the Batman mythos was the notion that the
Penguin was a monster. Batman has a monster inside him. And he puts on a
monstrous aspect to give that monster reign. Tim Burton's Penguin was born
to that misshapen life. Suddenly, the villain worked for me.

Now. Return to Gargoyles. And specifically to Goliath. I
attempted to make every villain succeed in that manner. Thailog is of
course, obvious for the reasons you stated, but hopefully that resonance
carries through to all our antagonists. Goliath is the ultimate medieval
bastion of gargoyle morality. David is the ultimate modern stand-in for
human amorality. Demona was once Goliath's great love. Now she's his
greatest enemy because she turned away from the very things that made her
love him. Goliath is a gargoyle from another time. Macbeth is a human from
another time. Goliath is steadfast and serious, Puck is out there and in it
for the laugh. Goliath is thought of as a beast. The Pack are supposed to
be hunters. But their animal names and their actions make it clear who the
real beasts are. Etc. All this was very conscious. I'm glad it worked for
ya.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I really love Gargoyles. You've hinted that vampires would have
eventually appeared on the show. 1. Would they have been pure evil? Or would some
be evil and some good? If they were evil it would be an interesting contrast
between Gargoyles who are hunted wrongly by humans and vampires who are
hunted by humans because they deserve to be. 2. Would vampirism have been
like a disease or would it have been magical, perhaps having something to
do with Oberon's children?

Greg responds...

1. Few things in the Gargoyles Universe are pure anything.
2. Gonna keep a few secrets.

(GDW / 7-21-98)

Response recorded on July 21, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Here's a few questions that may have already been asked. I couldn't find
any instance of them in the archives, though, so if you've answered some
of them enough to make the answers come out your ears, sorry. :)

-[(1)]- There seem to be three megacorps that we've seen so far:
Nightstone, Cyberbiotics, and Xanatos' company (I don't recall its exact
name). Are there any others in the "present" world, or new ones you were
planning to introduce?

-[(2)]- Did Owen show his hand in public after "The Price"? {As
Executive Assistant to the richest man in the world, he can't exactly hide it all
the time without people commenting, could he? And I'd think it would be kinda
hard for people not to notice that the guy's arm is *stone* all the way up
to the elbow. I mean, that's not exactly normal. :)}

-[(3)]- If Obsidiana & Zafiro left their amulets behind when they went
to transport their plants (a possibility you suggested in "Ask Greg" a looong
time ago), then who steered the skiff in the daytime? [*cough*] Avalon?

-[(4)]- Is Alexander susceptible to iron like the Children of Oberon
are? He looks pretty calm around metal stuff. We know that Fox isn't weakened
by it, but she was raised human and Alex's only quarter-fae. And the
(non-garg) New Olympians spend all their lives hanging around huge
machines made of what looks like steel. [scratches head] Hmmm.

-[(5)]- Would Brooklyn's status in the clan have changed significantly
post-TD?

-[(6)]- Coldstone's 'flesh' parts are just animated stone, right? {Just
going over the facts, sir. :)} So instead of going through all that fuss
in "Possesion", couldn't Xanatos just have 'de-animated' the guy, picked
through and decided whose parts were whose, and reassembled them into 3
different bodies (replacing missing parts with machinery as necessary),
and re-animated each of them? [thinks briefly about how much work that'd
entail] Oh, never mind. :)

-[(7)]- Just how many stone bits would one need to bring back a
gargoyle? Are there some essential parts you have to have, like the head or
something?

-[(8)]- I'm confused. By "animated stone" did you mean that he's
stone-turned-to-bodily-tissue {that sounds horrible, but I'm about as bad
as turning a phrase as I am asking silly questions}, meaning he has normal skin and
stuff, or that he's living' rock like the statues Oberon enchanted in the Gathering?

-[8a]- (If it turns out the 1st is true) -- Do Coldstone's flesh parts
turn to stone in the daytime?

-[8b]- (If it turns out that the 2nd is true) -- Is he grey because
that's just the color that rocks usually are, or because that was
Othello's natural coloring {as seen in "Legion"}?

-[(9)]- Last one, I promise: If a rock scientist got his or her hands
on a gargoyle's pseudo-stone skin, what would he or she possibly think of it?

Greg responds...

1. Not per se, but that's not to say that I might not have at some point.
2. He tended to keep it in his pocket, but he wasn't exactly religious
about it. I'm sure some people saw it. Most were too polite to comment.
Or too confused.
3. They probably parked it during the day.
4. Iron and Steel are two distinct things. I doubt Alex is quite as
suseptable as, say, his grandmother.
5. It depends what you mean. It also depends on how postTD you mean.
6. Yeah, never mind.
7. C'mon....
8. Yeah, living rock.
8b. Color of the stone.
9. It depends on what kind of tests he or she ran. If any.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I would like to say I loved the series "Gargoyles". I believe ABC's
cancellation of the show is the same kind of mistake that NBC did when
they cancelled "Star Trek". It was a unigue one of a kind show that offered
people a chance to look at things from a different perspective and that
that we should not fear what we don't understand. Now, if you don't mind, I'd
like to ask you a few questions.

1)Where did you get the inspiration for the character Angela? I've always
found her interesting due to her background and personality.

2)Have any Canmores ever openly defended gargoyles or expressed any
concern for them? If so, what would happen to them?

4)What sort of attempts have you made to get the show back on and what can
the rest of us do to help?

5)If the show went back into production, would any of the actors/actresses
be in it?

6)Since "Future Tense" was an "Escape From New York"/"Terminator" spoof,
would there have been an "ALIENS" spoof? 'Cause Marines kick ass!!!

Greg responds...

1. Angela was a natural, almost automatic addition to the tapestry. She
was so right, she had to be created. There wasn't a single "inspiration",
unless you count Goliath, Demona, the eggs, Katharine, the Magus, and Tom,
i.e. everything else we had woven up to that point.
2. I don't want to say definitively that no Canmores ever expressed some
concern, but historically, I don't think you had a big pro-gargoyle
faction within the Canmores.
3. No number 3.
4. I've answered this before. Check the archives.
5. I assume they'd all be willing to come back in. It was a fun work
experience, decent money and a relatively benign time committment.
6. I don't agree with you assesment of FUTURE TENSE, per se. That is,
you're not going very far back. There are probably loads of things that
influenced all three. I do know that I didn't specifically base Future
Tense on Escape, which I've never seen or on Terminator (who's parallel's
don't seem that obvious to me).

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Ah, might as well try these for the heck of it, if for nothing else:

-[(1)]- OK, -what- is Nought? {"Well, it looks kind of like a donut..."
"...it's that 'dude in the cape'" "....?" :P} and

-[(2)]- You're never actually going to tell us what Anastasia whispered,
are you? :) I don't suppose that it's too late for you to be holding yet
another unofficial contest or anything... ;D [hopeful grin]

Greg responds...

1. Yeah, that dude in the cape.

2. No. I won't. Well, maybe someday....

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Just one quickie: The clothing of the gargoyles, and anything else they're
carrying (swords, etc.) turn to stone at day. So, if one of them happened
to be carrying the Phoenix Gate at daybreak, would it turn to stone as
well, even though it is a magi
cal artifact? This one's been bugging me a while.

Greg responds...

Accessories only turn to stone if the gargoyle thinks of it as part of his
or her "uniform". I doubt that would happen with the gate, but I suppose
it's possible.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hey, I've always liked King Arthur Legends. Thats one of the reasons I
like Gargoyles. Last week I watched that NBC miniseries "Merlin" (did you watch
it btw?) and thought about the Arthur legends in Gargoyles and got some
questions:

1. I think I've figured out who Duval is, is he Mordred?

2. How come Merlin got out of going to the gathering, or was he there but
not shown?

3. Is Merlin's mortal mother someone we know of?

4. Contest about king arthur characters alive on show: a)Arthur b)lady of
the lake c) merlin d) mordred e)oberon f)queen mab g)cant think of another

5. Is the lady of the lake a fey and if yes why wasnt she at the
gathering. if no what is she?

6. Do you have a story about how excalibur got moved to New York? Any
details you can give away too =)

7. There was the stone dragon in the episode "Pendragon" but will there be
any real dragons in the show in either the the past or present?

8. What makes Alex, Fox and Merlin any different from the New Olympians?
you said both were hybrid human/fey.

Thanks for answering these, I know we can be annoying. Oh yeah you can
continue your "Once upon a time there were three brothers..." story
anytime.

Greg responds...

Yeah, I saw Merlin. I thought it was spectacular to see, though I
found the cliffnote speed at which the story flew by a bit disappointing.
Remember the days when a mini-series like Roots or Rich Man, Poor Man were
like sixteen hours long?
1. I've all but given Duval's identity away already. So I'm not
going to answer this here.
2. Like Fox, Merlin isn't considered one of the Children of Oberon.
Which is ironic, since he's literally a child of Oberon's.
3. If you mean someone who's already appeared in the series, no.
But she maintains her role from Arthurian myth.
4. Nope.
5. She was at the Gathering. Look again.
6. Yes. But I'm not telling it here. Not a good format for
telling long stories.
7. Everything is true.
8. They aren't citizens of New Olympus. It's cultural.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Oh, mighty Greg! Would you be so kind as to answer these questions?

1. Will baby Alex age faster than full blooded humans (physically)?

2. Do you remember any more in-jokes, besides "jalapena"?

3. When the clan was gathered around the destroyed Hudson statue in "The
Price", reminiscing about Hudson's life, was that the Wind Ceremony you
were talking about?

4. Do vampires belong to a special race of their own, or are they just
humans?

5. In "Her Brother's Keeper", Lex salvages the Pack's helicopter and
rebuilds it. How could he get it back in one piece, add special weapons,
and give it a cool gargoyle-themed armor in just one day?

6. I was reading an article about the possibility that Nessie survived.
In order to keep their species going for 65 million years, there had to be at
least 400+ animals in that lake to prevent genetic anomalies that result
from inbredding and a limited genetic pool. So are there hundreds of
pleiosaurs in Loch Ness in the Gargoyles universe?

7. Could you continue "Once Upon a Time There Were Three Brothers..." in
this post?

8. Is there some kind of mutation in Lex that causes his eyes to be
larger than normal?

9. Do gargoyles bathe regularly?

10. Star Trek fans are called Trekkies. If you could take your pick,
what would you call Gargoyles fans? That's all for now. Thank you, Exalted
One!

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. Yes.

3. No.

4. It's not a race, but they're no longer human.

5. He had connections at Kenner.

6. Perhaps.

7. No. I'm not sure why. Not in the mood. It's been a bad week.
Maybe later. Thanks for asking though.

8. No.

9. Uh, sure.

10. My abject slaves. No, wait. Just kidding. That's a joke. A
JOKE. Geez.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hiya, got another two for you.

1) How much damage can Demona and Macbeth sustain before they're
permanently killed despite the immortality spell, or is there no limit?
Would they still regenerate after being dropped in a hamburger grinder or
hit by a nuke?

2) What is Alex's level of ultimate magical potential under his own
(unaugmented by Talismans or the like) power, as measured against another
character of known magical prowess? Like, is it comparable to the
Archmage, or the über-Archmage ("Avalon"), or what?

Greg responds...

1. I've answered this before. Check the archives.
2. Asking me to quantify things like this isn't too productive.
I'd say Alex's potential is very high, if he chooses to work at it.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. Due to Elisa's words in "Double Jeopardy" about Thailog being
Goliath's son, what is the Delilah/Elisa relationship like, since Delilah is not a
true clone, but a blending of Elisa and Demona?

2. Do Elisa's parents know about Delilah?

3. And if Elisa's parents know about Delilah, what are their reactions to
her?

Greg responds...

1. On that level, Delilah is Elisa's daughter. Demona's too.
How's that for a strange set of parents? But as a practical matter, I don't
think Elisa has much of a relationship of any kind with Delilah. At least
we never had the opportunity to explore one.
2. Knowing Elisa, I doubt it.
3. Good question, but we're not there yet.

(GDW / 7-20-98)

Response recorded on July 20, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Mister Greg,
1) Where did the idea of the Phoenix Gate come from? I remember reading a
legend about it or something like it in school but I cannot find it on the
web. If it is an original idea I might have been mistaken. (You can omit
this if you post it but I wouldn't mind if Gore could relay the answer to
this small question to NickZane@aol.com) Thanks Greg and Gore for your
time.

Greg responds...

1. Desperation. It was my idea. It is, as far as I know,
completely original. I've answered this in more detail before, so check the
archives, but briefly, we had a maguffin for Vows. I decided to make it
more than a maguffin by turning Vows into a time travel story and making the
Gate the means.

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman During your last update you decided to start a little
contest. Here are my guesses as to who from the Arthurian Legends is still
alive.
Arthur(obviously Merlin(ditto) Lady of the Lake(ditto again) Percival
Morgana la Fay Nimue Bedivere those are my guesses.

Greg responds...

Nice guessing, Greg. But, WRONG. Heh, heh. Ain't I a stinker?

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Greg, I have a few questions.

1. The Magus was Archmage's apprentice, why did he stop teaching Magus?

2. Why did Archmage even have an apprentice? Why would he "need" one?

3. Who were Magus' biological parents?

4. Does The Magus have anything to do with Merlin?

5. Did you plan on having Magus die from the beginning? Would you "ever"
bring him back?

6. What was the name of "the lady in the lake," did she have a 'human"
type name? (like sarah or kristine)

7. Who do you think my favorite character is? (Hint: look at my questions)

Greg responds...

1. The Archmage was banished for treason against Prince Malcolm.
Sort of interrupted the semester.
2. Who doesn't need a flunky? God knows I wish I had one.
3. That's a story for another day. (BUT THEY WERE HUMAN.)
4. Not particularly.
5. No. At one point, I considered sending him off with Arthur on
his quest to find Excalibur. But then I realized that the next part of the
quest would have been to find Merlin. And then what? Arthur either fails
to be reunited with Merlin (anti-climax in the extreme) or the Magus dies in
the quest (which seems lousy, setting Merlin's life at a higher value than
the Magus') or I wind up dragging around two magicians from that point on
(yawn). It didn't fit. It wasn't right. When we got to the actual nuts
and bolts of the Avalon triptych, the true answer seemed clear. War has its
costs. I could give the Magus "a good death". A worthwhile death to save
the beings (human and gargoyle) he had dedicated his life to protect. I
think we did a good job with that. So, no, I would never cheapen that great
sacrifice by bringing him back. (Which doesn't mean we might not see him
again in flashback.)
6. Maude.
7. Uh, the Magus?
By the way, I was kidding about Maude.

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

FORGIVENESS PLEASE!!!!! I just realized that on my last set of questions I
called Brooklyn's mate Sata! ARRRRG! I'M SO SORRY! I know that really urks
you. I guess all those fanfic episodes are getting to my head! Well anyway
now I finally have time for all my questions. Thank you so much for
answering these if you ever do + everything else you have done! O.K hear I
go!

1) How long dose it take for a gargoyle egg to hatch?

2) Gargoyles lay eggs once every 20 years right? Well do they
automatically lay an egg after 20 years if they have a mate?

3) Or are they able to lay an egg anytime after their child has grown to
be 20 years old?

4) Where about do you see Lexington meeting his mate? ( I realize you may
not have this planned yet)

5) Are their other clans around the world we have not been introduced to
yet? (hoping for maby location of Lex's mate)

6) You know Tom? The guy who did the voice of Lex. Well I know that he did
the voice of Snap, so had he been tring out for any other parts that you
know of at the time he got the role of Lex?

7) He played Felix the cat too right? Tom I mean.

8) Wouldn't Brooklyn and Katana be ready to have a third child soon after
they returned from time dancing? Or am I over estimateing the ages of his
children?

9) Would it be possible for you to share your opinion about how the Trio
would have gotten along after the return of Brooklyn? I just have a hard
time seeing them when Brooklyn's already an adult with children of his own
and has aged by 40 years. Wouldn't it be hard for him to interact with his
two brother's, and his mate, and be a father, and be a good second in
command?

10) How do you feel Lex would have reacted,( if at all) to the fact that
his two brothers already had mates? ie. sad, angry, both?

11) O.K I've already sort of asked this question. So feel free not to
answer this. Can you please give any thoughts at all on Lex's mate? Built,
personality?

12) Do you ever see Lex doing any work for kicks outside the clan? Such as
maybe inventing or improving something that effects more than just the
clan?

13) Why were there no hatchlings when the Trio were at the castle in 994?
(they were 39 or so right?) So why were there just eggs at the time?

14) Alright this will be a run on question just to warn ya:) On Avalon it
looked as though Angela and Gabriel were a couple but we now know that
Angela and Broadway are destined to be mates. Was this just a false thing
I noticed? Or does Gabriel really like Angela?

15) If the answer to the last question was yes then will there be any
friction between him and Broadway?

16) Are all the Trio members going to have children?

17) Do you have any idea of how many children they would have in their
lifetimes? I mean each? Thank a bunch!:) (bows to the ground about a
million times) bye!

Greg responds...

Woo, lots o' questions. O.K. Let's dive in.
1. Ten years. Haven't I answered this before?
2. I'm not sure I understand the question. Rather, I'm sure I
don't.
3. Huh? The cycle is every twenty years. The age of past children
is immaterial. Is that what you're asking?
4. I'm not answering "Lex's mate" questions right now. Something
needs to be left to the imagination.
5. Yes. I know it's a pain, but you might want to take a look at
the archives. Most of your questions have been answered in more detail
there.
6. Thom Adcox-Hernandez was exclusively a live-action actor when
our Voice and Casting Director Jamie Thomason "discovered" Thom (long before
Gargoyles). Jamie had been wanting to use Thom's unique voice for
something, but I don't think Thom had done any voice over work before we
cast him in Gargoyles. Since then he's done Snap and Felix the Cat and
Invasion America, at least. Plus he's still doing live action stuff,
including an AM/PM mini-market commercial, a classic from last summer that
they're running again this year. (Everytime it comes on, my three year old
daughter points at the screen and says "There's your friend, Thom!" I don't
think it's registered for her that Thom is the voice of Lex. Oh,
interesting side note. I was watching a rerun of MISTER ROGER'S
NEIGHBORHOOD. There was a wedding in the land of make believe. Keith David
was one of the guests at the wedding. Who knew?)
7. Yeah. Thom.
8. You're over-estimating a bit. A lot of time-jumping going on,
but in "Katana" years, she laid the egg that hatched into Tachi sixteen
years previous. She'd wait at least four years if not longer. (Gargoyle
females share a common cycle. Katana was removed from that normal cycle by
her time jumping. If she settled down, I wonder if she'd rejoin the normal
cycle or not? With Angela, I decided she would. I expect Angela, Sora,
Ophelia, Boudicca, Obsidiana and Turquesa to all lay eggs in 2008.)
9. Yes. That's what makes good Drama. I wanted to demonstrate in
a VERY intense way, that the joined-at-the-hip days of the Trio had passed.
They'd have to start over. And in many ways, it would be harder for Lex and
Broadway then for Brooklyn. Because for them, no time would have passed.
No adjustment space. I think it would have made for some great, GREAT
stories.
10. Lex's emotions would have run the gamut. It would have been
very hard.
11. la, la, la... I'm sorry, what was that?
12. Maybe.
13. There were. Gargoyles who hatched at the same time as Bronx.
(Sixteen chronologically. Eight biologically.) There were a lot of
gargoyles you didn't see. Kids. Females. Beasts. We couldn't show them
all, and frankly, I don't think they would have let us show the kids. Eight
year olds getting massacred is a pretty tough thing to put into an afternoon
cartoon show. To be honest, that wasn't an envelope I even thought to push.
14. I've answered this many times. You read it in. There was
nothing in the Avalon three parter that suggested that Angela and Gabriel
were anything but siblings to each other. Don't feel bad, you aren't the
only one who thought that. I think Gargoyle fans are looking for romance.
Anywhere they can find it. But watch again. It isn't there.
15. No.
16. Since I've already admitted that Brooklyn and Broadway do, this
is another hidden Lex question. SO I'M NOT GOING TO ANSWER IT.
17. Brooklyn & Katana: At least Two. Broadway & Angela: Three.
Lex and... HEY!!! I said, I wasn't gonna answer that. Geez. Some people
are just relentless.

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1. My guesses as to the seven survivors from the Arthurian Age in the
Gargoyles Universe:
a. King Arthur b. Merlin c. The Lady of the Lake (all three the obvious
ones) d. Sir Percival (I think that he's Duval's true identity) e. Morgan
le Fay f. Queen Guinevere g. Sir Mordred

2. I'd suspected myself that Arthur would visit Tintagel and Stonehenge on
his quest for Merlin (they're both places that I'd have thought for
looking) - and I certainly agree that the South Pole was a very unexpected
location :) I really think that it's a pity that you didn't get to make
the "Pendragon" spin-off; as a long-time King Arthur fan, I would have enjoyed
it - maybe even more than I enjoyed "Gargoyles" itself.

3. One thing that puzzled me about the episode "Pendragon": in it, the
Stone of Scone/Stone of Destiny was identified as the stone that King Arthur
pulled the sword out of to become King of Britain. What puzzled me was
that in Arthur's day (the late 5th century), the Stone was in Ireland (followed
by Scotland in the early 6th century), and the Sword in the Stone was set
up in London, which the Stone of Destiny didn't reach until Edward I took it
from the Scots in 1296. Was there a piece of the Stone's history missing
from the traditional stories?

4. When the production team first came up with Griff for "M.I.A.", had you
already planned for him to team up with King Arthur, or was that something
that took you by surprise? (I might add that I liked the notion; Griff is
my personal favorite of the non-Wyvern gargoyles - I quickly got to like
him in "M.I.A." - and I thought that he would indeed make a fine
knight-companion for Arthur).

5. Why was King Arthur not the least bit taken aback by gargoyles in
"Avalon Part Three" and "Pendragon"? Even Elisa was initially scared of Goliath
and Bronx, after all. Was he just very good at accepting the unusual
(considering what he'd seen in his time according to Malory and all, I can
easily believe that) or was there some other reason involved?

6. How did the two magic suits of armor get into the Hollow Hill to guard
the sleeping Arthur? Since they were made out of iron, they couldn't have
been enchanted by faerie magic, and human magic is forbidden in Avalon.
(I've got a theory of my own, but it could count as an idea so I won't
mention it).

7. What prompted the notion of Goliath having that little encounter with
Vinnie and Mr. Carter in "Vendettas", complete with the banana creme pie?
Were you afraid that the big guy was getting a little too solemn and
serious, and needed to be given a little comical humiliation to keep some
perspective?

Greg responds...

1. Guesses: Nope. Todd, you'll have to try harder than that.
2. Yeah, me too. Ah, well, maybe someday.
3. Yep.
4. Griff was my idea, basically. (Though none of us, including
myself, Frank or Greg Guler ever felt that we totally cracked his design.)
Most of the Gargoyles in England are of the Griffon, Lion, Unicorn, etc.
variety. Modelled off heraldry. I knew I wanted to intro English gargs
that explained that architectural quirk in the terms of our series
mythology. A Griffon named Griff with the heart of a swashbuckler just
seemed like a natural. Something we were missing. Something we needed.
Now, did I always know he'd join with Arthur? Well, honestly, no.
Everything was part of a continuum of revelation. As I've said before, when
we were humming, it felt like the stories already existed out there. A
perfect puzzle that just needed revealing. But the idea for the World Tour
came to me long before we were done with the first season. The idea to
include English Gargoyles came shortly after that. Griff came simultaneous
to that. Arthur was a natural and early planned inclusion too. I can't
honestly say when it all came together, but it was before we even recorded
the voices for MIA, because I remember telling Neil Dickson that we'd be
bringing him back to do Griff again.
5. He'd seen Gargoyles before. He knew what they were and what
they were like. You mean Mallory never wrote about that? Gee, I don't know
how he could have skipped that part.
6. What a coincidence, I've got a theory of my own too.
7. The idea began with the Schnook. The Schnook evolved into
Vinnie. But before there was Vinnie, there was the idea that every action
has repercussions. Our series was always, I believe, pretty good about
showing the repercussions of actions. At least the major repercussions.
But actions have small repercussions as well. I had always wondered about
that poor guy who lost his motorcycle. How did he explain that? Another
example that we didn't get to put into the show had Goliath ripping off the
hatch of the Huntership before entering it. We didn't have room for it, but
I would have loved to show Vinnie nearly getting killed by that falling
hatch. That's the poor Schnook. Vinnie was just a funny guy to put in that
role. The pie idea came from Brynn Chandler Reaves, I believe. Something
about an old Superman comic or cartoon, I think. Making it Banana Cream,
was me. A tribute to BONKERS actually -- a reference to a semi-essay about
which pie is the funniest pie that I made the Bonkers staff put into a
GLOOMY THE CLOWN episode of that show. As to who would get pied, well, who
else? Goliath leads the Gargoyles. He must take responsibility for their
collective actions. And yes, he can be a bit of a stiff. It's nice to take
him down a peg occasionally. Who knew that in Goliath and Vinnie I was
creating two great cosmic opposites? The perfect Yin and Yang of the
Gargoyles Universe. :)

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Well hello there gregster your work is both extensive and outstanding. I
have searched all through the archives and to my knowledge you haven't
explained

1) Why gargoyles is on the back burner. and also

2) Wasn't Gargoyles a comic before it was a series?

Greg responds...

1. I'm not sure what you mean by "backburner"... It's not on any
burner at the moment. It's a cancelled series, still appearing in reruns.
I hope to revive it someday, but it's not going to happen anytime soon. If
you're really asking why the show was cancelled, then I'm afraid I'm going
to just refer you back to the archives. I've answered that one ad nauseum.
2. No. The tv series came out first. Both Marvel and Disney
Adventures did some comic books stories AFTER the series came out.

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Right to the questions.

1. In The Gathering, Part 2, when Fox attacked Oberon with magic, was the
magic we saw solely from Fox, or did Titania help her at all(basically did
Titania use any of her magic channeled through Fox)?

2. When Merlin was learning to use his magical abilities where was he
taught, on Avalon or in the human world?

3. Who was primarily responsible for teaching Merlin to use magic? That's

Greg responds...

1. That was Fox.

2. I'm not answering that here.

3. Ditto.

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hiya, I'll get right to 'em:

1) Why were there only a few episodes back home in Manhattan with the rest
of the clan during the Tour? I mean, Goliath, Angela and Elisa are fine,
but more than 20 episodes of almost nothing but them? That's probably the
main reason people say they didn't really like the Tour - in the big
picture, it was mostly one-note. Sorry, this turned into more of a
comment.

2) Besides the events of "Kingdom", "Pendragon", and that part of "The
Green", did anything noteworthy happen back at home? The travellers were
gone for months, after all.

3) If yes, what?

4) Off the topic, why does Goliath act like such a closed-minded, bullying
jerk in his leadership style a lot of the time (e.g., "Enter Macbeth"),
and why do the others put up with it?

Greg responds...

1. That's o.k. You're entitled to your opinion. Ultimately, if
I'd been given more episodes you would have seen more of Hudson and the Trio
and you would have seen a couple more episodes with Goliath and company as
well. When you ask me "Why?", the answer is that I thought we had more
interesting and unique stories to tell on the road. More characters to
introduce, more threads to unspool. Plus we were traveling with the series'
two lead characters, a new character that I wanted to give fair introduction
too and an underused character, Bronx. Plus we got Xanatos, Fox, Macbeth,
Thailog, Demona and Puck. So our recurring antagonists were well
represented as well. Clearly, I underestimated the popularity of the Trio
(and Hudson). I knew they were well-liked. That's why we featured them in
PENDRAGON, KINGDOM FUTURE TENSE and THE GREEN. But I didn't think there
would be a cry for equal time. I was wrong. But I have no regrets. I
still think I told the most interesting stories in our arsenal at all times.
There were other stories to tell, but I picked my shots. So I'll live with
that.
2) See above. Yeah, I'm sure some other noteworthy stuff happened.
I'm sure Xanatos attempted to take advantage of Goliath's absense as he
hinted he would and as Brooklyn feared. It would have been a great story,
I'm sure. But which story would you have yanked to tell it? I'm sure
everyone could find a single episode at least of the world tour that they
would have traded for another view of the homefront, but again, I felt I was
picking the most powerful stories I had and using them.
3) See above.
4) Lot of attitude coming from you, pal. Obviously, I strongly
disagree with your assessment of Goliath. So would the clan. Goliath isn't
perfect. But he's hardly a bully. Specifically, you're pointing at a
highly traumatic moment in his life and you're faulting him for not wanting
to abandon his ancestral home. You're expecting him to think like a modern
human, only a few short months after he'd awakened to the twentieth century.
I'd say every one of our characters had plenty of blind spots. Brooklyn had
Demona and Maggie. Lex had the Pack. Those are the most obvious examples.
Ultimately, I don't think anyone was better qualified to lead the group. So
the "why would they put up with it" stuff just doesn't wash with me. Who do
you think could have done a better job?

(GDW / 7-17-98)

Response recorded on July 17, 1998

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RAMBLE, RAMBLE, RAMBLE

GARGOYLES, SEX and ROMANCE

Did that get your attention?

I've seen a lot of discussion as to whether or not it's appropriate for
FanFiction to depict the characters from Gargoyles having sex (graphic or
otherwise). I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion. BUT IT'S JUST MY
OPINION.

Let me start with my standard disclaimer. I don't read fanfiction. I feel
I can't take the legal risk. I don't want to get sued by a disgruntled
fanauthor who at some point down the road thinks I stole an idea from him or
her. I also have very mixed feelings about fanfiction in general. Part of
me is very gratified. Part of me feels territorial. I've talked about all
of this in greater detail elsewhere.

But should fanfiction based on or in the "Gargoyles Universe" include sex?
Yeah, sure. I don't see a problem with it... at least not in theory. In
practice, might be another matter.

But let's talk about theory first. Many relationships in the Gargoyles
series pack a pretty hefty erotic charge. (At least I think so.) Fox &
Xanatos and Goliath & Elisa are obvious. If we're talking flashbacks, then
I'd also say Goliath & Demona is pretty obvious as well. And you don't have
to look hard to find less obvious choices. So why not explore that? I
wouldn't put graphic depictions of sex on broadcast tv for an afternoon
audience of children, but this is a different medium. I think Gargoyles
should be able to expand into whatever medium it encounters. I hope I built
the show strong enough to survive that. I think there needs to be some
safeguarding for children, but beyond that, if sex stories don't interest
you... DON'T READ 'EM. And no harm done.

Personally, I've had a few fairly graphic fantasies about Gargoyle Mating
Habits, about Goliath and Demona's first time. About Goliath and Elisa's
burgeoning relationship. I don't know where I'd ever write those up, but I
won't deny that the idea fascinates me. (If that makes me a pervert, well,
I can live with that label, I suppose. Though frankly, I don't buy into
that.)

Where it doesn't work for me is in that old "in practice" arena. First off,
gargoyles aside, there's a lot of very bad writing being done in the
so-called adult corners of the net. (Frankly, there's a lot of bad writing
everywhere.) Bad writing is bad writing is bad writing. Gratuitous
Gargoyle sex doesn't interest me. (Alright, well maybe a little, but it
doesn't make for good story-telling. And GARGOYLES was always about telling
great tales, not getting some tail.)

But more importantly, (and this is what I really wanted to RAMBLE about) I
have a sense that fanauthors are letting my characters "get some" a lot more
often than I think I'd believe. That's where ROMANCE comes in. (Thought
I'd forgotten about romance, didn't you?) I think collectively, Gargoyles
Fans lean toward the romantic. And I'll include myself. There's a desire
to find Brooklyn a mate. To find Lex a mate. To find Hudson a mate. To
find Owen a mate. To find... Well, you get the idea. Again, I'm as guilty
of this as anyone. We weren't halfway through writing "Her Brother's
Keeper" when I realized that Fox was in love with Xanatos, thus creating a
relationship that I couldn't resist exploring. If I had done BAD GUYS you
would have seen a difficult but intense chemistry between Harry and Robyn
(Dingo and Hunter to the uninitiated). New Olympians would have had a Romeo
& Juliet relationship as one of its core dynamics. Plus there's the
Tom-Katharine-Magus triangle. Coldstone and Coldfire. Oberon and Titania.
Macbeth and Gruoch. The list is pretty darn endless. But there are a
couple things that put the breaks on actual SEX.

One is that TRAGEDY is a built in factor in the dramatic truth of the
Gargoyles Universe. I'm not... I can't make life easy on these characters.
Oh, every once and awhile sure. And Gargoyles is basically a series
grounded in HOPE for a better tomorrow. But if I'm going to be a good
dramatic storyteller, I can't make things too easy. So when are Goliath and
Elisa going to have sex? No time soon, as far as I'm concerned. It took
them 65 episodes to kiss, for heaven's sake. There are a lot of roadblocks.
Elisa can no longer deny her love for Goliath, but that's not the same as
committing to him. And frankly, I don't think she's there even yet. They
haven't even talked about their feelings. Elisa has studiously refused to
talk about hers, beyond finally acknowledging that they exist. When they do
talk, as I've noted before, I think they'll mutually come to the conclusion
to break up before they ever really get together. In theory, Elisa still
wants a normal life. They're going to have to learn that they're love is
inevitable. It'll be awhile before they get to attempting any kind of
sexual fulfillment. And actual intercourse is a LONG WAY away, assuming it
EVER HAPPENS.

What about the others? Well, I've no doubt that Fox and David go at each
other like rabbits. No doubt that they're quite adventurous, even kinky.
But don't expect much from any of the others.

I gather that in fanfiction, Brooklyn was mating more than Hugh Hefner. But
that brings us back to the tragedy factor. If I were still writing this
thing, I wouldn't make it easy for him to find a mate. Heck, he has to time
travel back to Feudal Japan to do it. One of the tragedies of the Gargoyles
is that their race has been so decimated, that it's a good question as to
whether the species can survive at all. AT ALL. So I'm not, or I should
say, I wouldn't start introducing a number of new gargoyles (female or male)
that would allow Brooklyn or Lex to suddenly and easily find a companion.
It CAN'T be that easy, no matter how much we'd like it to be.

This isn't arbitrary. I think it's really HARD to find a lifemate. REALLY
HARD. I'd be lying through story, if I made that seem easy.

And I'm NOT going to be handing out human mates to Gargoyles on a regular
basis either. Elisa and Goliath HAVE to be special. The problems they're
facing MUST be unique. Or else, all their angst is reduced to just a lot of
whining and indecision. So don't expect to see a lot of human/gargoyle
pairings. Either in flashback, the present or the future. I'd tend to be
extremely stingy with that.

And Hudson. Well, I've made a big deal about Gargoyles mating for life.
Then in the key relationship of the series... I blow that myth away.
Goliath mates with Demona. They, in essence, divorce, and Goliath begins a
new relationship with Elisa. So someone has to carry the dramatic weight of
that mate for life thing. So Hudson gets the nod. Sure in Dark Ages, I bet
he and his mate were getting it on regularly. But now that she's gone, I
think he's going to carry a torch for her forever. Forever. I know it's
sad. But nothing else makes sense to me. I can't live in a universe
without sadness. I can't create one either.

And talk about tragedy, how about Coldstone and Coldfire. I suppose someone
could write a story about built-in robotic sex organs, but dramatically,
that changes everything about their relationship. Yes, finally, they are
together. But


Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

O.k heres some questions that have really been bugging me. I have been
trying to do this e-mail for a long time. I really hope you get a chance
to read this and respond:)

1) You said that Lex would be getting a mate in time. Will she be a
gargoyle?

2) You said that you had had different ideas in mind for Ransom but the
same basic ideas were there. Dose this mean that Lex and Alex were going to be
buds in a sense?

3) Since we know Lex will be getting a mate have you determined if they
will be similar in that they will both be computer geniuses?

4) Somebody asked you once if Lex would have had a mate befor the end of
the show. You asked which show? Let me try this then. Would Lex have started
to be involved with someone by the third season?

4) O.k, I'll try not to be to confusing. When we first saw Angela on
Avalon it seemed that her and Gabrial(sorry if his name is spelled wrong) had
something going on. Both when we were first introduced to the characters
and after they returned to the island for a second time. But Angela is now
with Broadway so was this relationship just in my head or was Gabrial in the
opinion that Angela and him were and item?

5) So you say that we missed a scene in Awakenings part 1# where Lex was
looking at a catapult or something. Do you know what he was going to say?
Just interested:)

6) You said that you, at the time, were not going to give any information
about how Lex met his mate because it was kinda complicated. Please,
Please could you give some idea of what you wanted to have happen? We know so
much about Brooklyn and Sata.

Bell rang! Thank you so much for all the enjoyment you have given me and
countless other fans. Oh and just for the record, when the show first
started I WAS in the proposed age gro
up to watch it:)

Greg responds...

1. I'm not answering that now.
2. That's about the only thing in Ransom, other than the notion of
a kidnapping that did survive.
3. No, I haven't worked that out yet.
4. I've answered this before, but briefly, it must have been in
your head. They always responded to each other like brother and sister.
Nothing else was ever intended by us or Gabriel. As I've stated, Gabriel's
mate is Ophelia.
5. Gosh, it was something like "What an intriguing device?" or
somesuch. It's been so long.
6. Who's Sata? You mean Katana? You don't know much from me about
Brooklyn and Katana. Just that they met in feudal Japan.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Okay, time for a little "Answer Greg" section before we get on to the
questions. :)

1. You asked how I knew the title for that MiB ep you wrote. I really do
wish that they (that everyone, in fact) would list the titles with each
episode because I like to know, it helps catalogue tapes and discuss eps,
etc. But anyway, I found out about the title just by hearing someone else
mention it (In this forum, I think). Since I knew of only the one ep you
wrote, and it was about dreams, I put it together and guessed. I actually
still wonder how _that_ person knew the title, but oh well. I also made a
mistake in my comment about that ep -- it was the _gumming_ scene I liked,
not the icing scene. Wrong weapon. And btw, it's nice to know you're
writing more episodes. :)

2. The contest -- I may as well try my hand at it, even though my
Arthurian
legend is shaky. Arthur, Merlin, Lady of the Lake, Nimue, Morgana,
Galahad, and Mordred. Now comments.

3. I'd just like to say that I enjoyed the World Tour series. Sure, I made
fun of it in top ten lists and filksongs and such, but I really did like
seeing all the different clans of gargoyles (I loved the Guatemalan and
London gargs), and a lot of the stories were really cool. "Shadows of the
Past", for example. So you can add one more person to the list of people
who didn't think that the Avalon Tour was a mistake.

4. When someone asked you about writing, you said you started by writing
stories with your spelling sentences in second grade. I used to do that
all the time. :) _Now_ questions.

5. How old would Katana and the children be when they returned with
Brooklyn
from Timedancing? (This is my "again, other time" posting of this q.)

6. Many people have asked about where Avalon is on a map, but what about
New Olympus?

7. What were some of the things that Elisa retrieved from the ruins of the
clocktower?

8. Was Goliath the only person in history besides the Archmage to ever
have all three of the "ultimate magical artifacts" at once? Well, come to think
of it, he only had half the P-Gate, but that scene in "Vows" where he
walks by his entire collection to get the Gate just kills me. Especially when I
think of how sorcerers through the ages must have strived to find all
those things, and Goliath doesn't seem to notice the enormity of his possession
of the artifacts.

9. At the end of "City of Stone," Macbeth is holding an unconscious Demona
and about to drop her onto a jagged piece of metal to kill her. But how
can he be conscious if she's not? Was this an oversight, or is there some
reason?

10. Just a random little question. In the humanlike form that she prefers,
is Mab blue like Oberon, or is she some other color?
11. a. I suppose you probably won't feel like telling, but what was Arthur
doing looking for Merlin at the South Pole? b. About how long would Arthur
search for Merlin before finding him? c. If Oberon was calling his
children to the Gathering, wouldn't he want his _biological_ children (ie Merlin)
there? Or does he even know that Merlin's his son? Okay, that about does
it for me. Thank you!

Greg responds...

1. Ahh.
2. Nope.
3. Thanks. That makes two of us.
4. cool.
5. O.K. Hold on, I'll go look it up. O.K. I'm back. I never did
the math on Katana, but I did do the math on the kids. Nash is 26 years old
(biologically thirteen). Tachi is six years old (biologically three).
6. It's a secret.
7. Well, I'm sure she picked up Zafiro's sun amulet. Some
photographs, including a picture of herself in the Belle dress dancing with
Goliath. She picked up the gargoyles radio equipment. A few other
momentos. Some books, probably.
8. Cool, huh? I think someone previous to the Archmage must have
put them together at least once, so that the Archmage even knew to do it.
9. If you hit Macbeth, Demona is hurt too. But not so much as if
you had hit her directly. The spell is a great equalizer, but not a
complete equalizer, if that makes sense.

10. Mab? Humanlike? It is too laugh.

11a. The foxtrot? b. Depends on how many episodes were ordered in
the first season (of a non-existent show). c. He knows Merlin is his son.
He has a, shall we say, difficult relationship with the boy.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

I know it happens a lot with a lot of people, but I still want to
apologize for forgetting q's. Ah well, just one extra post. 12 (or 1, depending).
Could you reveal a little of the story behind Oberon's and Titania's
Mirrors? Were they wedding presents or something? Who made them? And how
did Titania lose hers to the museum -- does she care that it's gone and
destroyed now?

Greg responds...

Sorry Tanika. But this isn't really a good format to tell entire
stories. And obviously there's a whole story or two behind those mirrors.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Greg: In the episode "The New Olypians" when Borieus handed down
Elisa's sentence of never being able to leave New Olympus, he makes a
comment hoping she comes to enjoy her life there. Were we as viewers
suppose to think that he was interested in her and that's why he imposed
the sentence? Looking forward to reading your answer.

Greg responds...

No. He wasn't interested in her. He simply bore her know ill will
and hoped that her "sentence" wouldn't be too horrible for her.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

One more quick question: If a gargoyle is chipped or slightly damaged in
stone form, what happens when they wake up? To chips tranlate to scars,
or just disappear? What if someone vandalizes a stone gargoyle, such as
chiseling off just their hand?

Greg responds...

I guess a lot would depend on how much time was left before sunset.
Slight damage would have time to heal. Gross damage might have time to seal
up at least, but I wouldn't count on a gargoyle surviving major trauma.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

It occured to me one day that alot more people like your show than I
thought. Have you ever thought about releasing your stories in a book. You
could fit virtually a whole season in what, 200, 300 pages?? Have you ever
thought about this type of media to put out more stories. You could put
out multiple volumes, of the different seasons and different spin-offs. THis
would let you get alot more indepth. You've probably though about this
before but I was bored and thought I'd post this. Would the money hungry
Communist a.k.a Disney let you do this?? Thank in advance

Greg responds...

Disney's hardly communistic. Quite the reverse. I'm sure they'd
let me do it if they thought they could make money off of it. But there
aren't any publishers banging down my door to ask for this stuff. If there
was, I'd gladly start working. Do you know anyone?

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Please answer these few questions, I try to keep it short and brief. I
haven't had the chance to watch Gargoyles lately, due to work and all, so
please excuse my wording, for I forget the episode's names.

1.) When Goliath, Angela, Elisa, and Bronx end up meeting Odin, the
gargoyles seem to be fine in the freezing weather, while poor Elisa and
freezing her butt off. Then in "The Price" (I remembered, one of my favs),
Brooklyn complains about the cold weather. I am sure the Norse country was
much colder than New York, so was that just an exageration on Brooklyn's
part? (It's not an important question, just crossed my mind)

2.) Bronx is like a "dog-oyle" so to speak, were there any plans for a
"cat-oyle"?

3.)Goliath knew about Demona and Macbeth, but when Demona and Thailog fell
to their "deaths", he thought Demona was dead, but knew that she can only
die by Macbeth's hand. Was that a mistake that slipped by, or do I have my
episodes mixed up?

4.) Was there any more plans for Elisa to become a gargoyle again?

5.) Whatever happened to Vinny after he "creamed" Goliath?

6.) Why doesn't Talon seem to want to be human again? Thank you!

Greg responds...

1. Anyone can complain about something. That doesn't mean they are
really suffering.
2. Bronx has much in common with a dog obviously, but he's a
gargoyle beast, not a dog-goyle. There are only two "gargate" species.
Gargoyles and Gargoyle Beasts. There's a lot of variation in there, but no
equivalents for every animal on the planet.
3. Sigh. I've answered this before. Goliath doesn't know the
extent of Demona and Macbeth's link. It's hard to operate with certainty
about it. Besides, he wasn't indicating that she was dead. Just that he
couldn't be sure.
4. No.
5. He briefly joined the Quarrymen. Then he moved to Japan.
6. He does. He's simply resigned to the idea that it isn't likely
to happen.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Will you be at the 1998 Gathering of the Gargoyles

Greg responds...

I hope to be, and it's looking good. I just got my plane tickets
TODAY. As soon as the hotel's confirmed, I'll make an official
announcement.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Where on the evoltionary path do humans and gargoyles differ? Meaning when
did they go in different directions.

Greg responds...

I'd say they diverged before homo sapiens existed as a distinct
race. Perhaps back at the dawn of mammals. But I won't be held to that
answer.

(GDW / 7-14-98)

Response recorded on July 14, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi, Mr. Weisman. :)

1) Are you ever going to tell who created the artifacts ASIDE from the
writers and artists who created them in OUR world? <:)

2) Who turned Odin's lost eye into the Eye of Odin artifact?

3) Did you plan to include any Hindu legends or figures in Gargoyles?

3a) Did you plan to include Babylonian, Pacific Islander, or any other
mythologies in Gargoyles?

4) Did you plan to have more gods or mythological figures of various
mythologies already seen in the show (ie Ancient Egyptian, Nordic,
Ashante) appear?

5) Are Puck, Anansi, Coyote, and Raven the only tricksters among the
Third Race? If there are others, could you name a few?

6) Would Brooklyn have traveled to any more contemporary eras (ie the
1950s, the Summer of Love, the 1980s) in TimeDancer?

6a) Would he have gone to Russia, China, or India?

7) Do the Illuminati know about Nokkar?

8) Would any other famous classics of literature's characters or
situations appear? (from Victor Hugo's, HG Wells, HP Lovecraft, Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle, Jules Verne, etc.)

Greg responds...

1. Ever is a long time.

2. A story for another day.

3. Eventually.

3a. Ditto.

4. Ditto.

5. There are others, but you can look 'em up as easy as me.

6. Maybe.

7. Heh, heh, heh.

8. Yep.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

First, I just want to say YOU are the MAN!

1) Is the Couldren of Life the same one that the Wyrd sisters were
"double double toil and trouble"-ing in the City of Stone flashback?

2) Where did you guys come up with a great idea like the Illuminati?
Your not like, part of them or anything... right?

Greg responds...

1. Hmmm. Maybe it was.

2. Michael Reaves suggested adding it to the mix, as I recall.
And come to think of it, I have seen him in possesion of a one dollar
bill. Hmmmm.

Lots of Hmmmmms in this one.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

1.) This isn't exactly a question, but it's really, realy interesting,
not to mention slightly terrifying. Check out this website:
www.xanatos.com/.

2. Is Demona's changing to human in the daytime just a spell placed
on her, or is it part of her genetic structure? (i.e., if Demona has a kid,
would they change, too, to whatever extent they would, depending on what
species she hypothetically had kids with?) AACK! Run-on sentence! Sorry!

3. What kid of big cat genes *were* used to mutate Fang, anyways?
There are no big cats in nature that are that color of dark, UNIFORM brown.

4.Yeah, it's already been asked 40-50 times, but I might as well try-
What did Titania whisper in Fox's ear?

Oh, darnit, I had all sorts of great wquestoins, but I forgot them
when I came in here. :( Thanks for your time, oh great Garg creator! AHA!
OH, YEAH! 5. Can Fae and gargoyles interbreed? If so, can Fae/gargs interbreed
w/ humans? Can Fae/human interbreed w/gargs?

Greg responds...

1. I've seen it. As comment, let me say this. When we first
were naming the Xanatos' company we chose the name XANACORP. We ran it
by our business affairs department (i.e. legal). But a Xanacorp already
existed, so we couldn't use it. So then we chose XANATOS ENTERPRISES.
We ran that one by legal too. They gave it a clean bill of health,
meaning no company existed with that name at that time (late '93, early
'94).

2. I think I've answered the kid question before. Check the
archives.

3. I've answered this before too.

4. :)

5. A changeling is a shapeshifter. If you change into a
compatible shape, you can breed with anything compatible to that shape.
Witness Titania breeding with Halcyon. So yes, a fae could breed with a
gargoyle by changing into a gargoyle first. All the other questions
depend on the abilities of the result of these mixed-race unions.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman! First off let me say that I think you and your
team vastly improved the world by creating Gargoyles! Also, I appologize
in advance if any of these questions have been asked before (I have been
unable to view the full archive).

1)If a gargoyle is killed at night, what happens to the body? Does it
turn to stone one last time, or just stay flesh?

2a)Since Angela and the other "eggs" were raised on Avalon by two
medieval humans, does this mean that they have been raised as Christians (even
very generally)?

2b) If so, what does Angela think about the more undefined "religion"
the other Gargoyles follow?

3a) Since Hudson has facial hair, but not the others, does this mean
they shave? ;)

3b) (kinda silly but...) Could female gargs have facial hair (beards
and sideburns and such)?

4) Approximately how many gargoyles (including clans we never saw
during the show) were there alive during the course of the show?

Greg responds...

1. Stays flesh, as long as flesh stays flesh.

2a. Sort of. Certainly, with a sense of Christian values.
But neither the Princess, the Magus or Tom were particularly devout.

2b. I think (or at least I like to think) that the Magus taught
them a bit of that. He had time to research Gargoyle society between
the Massacre and the death of King Kevin. And he knew the eggs would
hatch eventually. He'd have wanted to do right by Goliath's children.
So I think they were raised with a sense of their own true faith. It's
sort of a Christianized version, with a healthy pagan influence, but I
doubt that the fairly non-intrusive religion of the Manhattan Gargoyles
would have been shocking. Interesting questions.

3a. It might. It's also possible that facial hair doesn't
exist on certain gargoyles and that on others it doesn't start to grow
in until the gargoyle is much older.

3b. I doubt it. Throughout the animal kingdom, males have a
plumage thing going. But, you never know.

4. I've never counted.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg -- this may have been asked before, in various forms, but I
don't recall seeing it answered, so I thought I'd add you to the list of
screenwriters I've bugged.

I have wanted to write cartoons since I was about nine or ten and have
been writing assorted fiction two or three hours a day, ever day, since
sixth grade (I'm 22.) What specific advice would you have for somebody ready
and willing to produce a sample script?

I've been told to:

1.) Submit a correctly formatted sample script to agents -- which
leads to two questions -- A) What does a correctly formatted cartoon screenplay
LOOK like? I've taken a VERY unhelpful college screenwriting class -- got
an "B", learned the three act structure, and got a blank look and a "that's an
interesting career goal" when I asked the professor about cartoon
screenplays. And B) How does one find an agent knowledgeable in the
field? I have friends with "agents", and have heard enough horror stories to be
wary.

2.) I've also been told to move to LA -- which isn't going to happen
for health reasons (I have significant asthma and other serious health
problems -- smog can and has put me in the hospital) but *shrug* it's
only about seven hours from my house to Los Angeles. HOW important is it to
actually live in California? (I'm in Phoenix and have no intention of
leaving the perfectly good and interesting job I have now for a pipe
dream in Hollywood, at least not yet.)

3.) I've also been told to break into other writing fields first --
which is something I'm working on, without much luck so far. Do I have ANY hope
of getting a foot in a door without a resume of previously published
work?

4.) Finally, are there any books or other materials specifically aimed
at writing animated screenplays? One of my big questions is how much of
the action do I describe -- I know describing action in a live action
screenplay is a big No-No, but cartoons are a bit differant ... and nobody I've
been able to talk to knows the answer to this one. (I could cheerfully
follow the accepted protocols, if only I knew what they were!)

Greg responds...

1A. Get one. Write to a cartoon company for a show you're
interested in writing a spec script for and ask them to mail you copies
of a script. Some will say no, but if you send a polite letter complete
with a self-addressed stamped envelope, someone with a little free time
will eventually make a xerox for you and send it out.

1B. Get a job in animation, and you'll hear about agents. If
you get successful, the agent may even come to you. But agents rarely
get a new writer his or her first job.

2. It's extremely important. A well-known writer can live
anywhere. But even a well-known writer risks losing out on interesting
opportunities due to "out-of-sight-out-of-mind." Cary Bates doesn't
live in L.A., but I use him. But keep in mind that I've known him for
years. He and I were writing partners for years. He was one of the
groomsmen at my wedding. That is, he's an exception. He lives in
Northern California and can fly in at the drop of a hat. But people
forget about him. He knows it. It's a risk he runs cause he hates L.A.
(Me, I was born here, and I love this town.) Now, you. You are a new
writer. I don't know how the hell you break in while living in Phoenix.
You can't network, etc. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't
want to kid you either. You'd have to write a killer script (not just a
good one), fly in here often and still overcome the prejudice that you
don't live in town.

3. I don't think this matters as much. God knows a full resume
doesn't hurt. My comic book and teaching experience definitely helped
me get my first couple of jobs in animation. But there are other ways.
A lot of writers at Disney started out as comedians at the GROUNDLINGS
or the IMPROV, for example.

4. I teach a course on this subject. I'm teaching it again in
the fall of '98 (here in L.A.). It takes me ten weeks. So I'll never
be able to condense all that here for you now. So if you want to be
self-taught, get a lot of animation scripts. Then read and study them.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

It's cool that you take the time to answer our questions. :) I have
one; what are the real names of the various members of the Pack, aside from

Greg responds...

1. Dingo is Harry Monmouth. I haven't named Wolf, Jackal or
Hyena yet. Though I'd probably give Wolf a last name that was
reminscient of Hakon.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

-[a]-   In your vision of the Gargoyles Universe, what is the true
identity of the Bard of Avon?  i.e., do you side with the Stratfordians and say
Shakespeare's just _that_, or are you more of a Bacon/de Vere type of
guy?

-[b]-   Would Shakespeare have any connection (any at all) to the
Illuminati or Rosicrucians?

Greg responds...

a] Shakespeare is Shakespeare on any world, as far as I'm
concerned. I've never seen any even vaguely convincing evidence of the
other school. Nothing. This is on top of the fact that Shakespeare was
a minor celbrity in his day. It's like someone 100 years from now
saying that Neil Simon never wrote "The Odd Couple" or whatever.
Frankly, Simon isn't as big a celebrity to us today, as Shakespeare was
in his day. I don't think a secret that big could have been kept
secret. Ben Johnson (a man whose credits no one questions) was
Shakespeare's friend and competitor. Why would Johnson have put up with
a front man? In private and in public? Rubbish.

b] Perhaps.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

HI Greg. I just have a few "what if" and "do you think" type questions
for ya, so please bear with me.
Do you think Gargoyles would have done better in the ratings
department if it were a non-saga type show? (Where all the episodes aren't
interconnected, and if you miss one you can get completely lost in the story line. Of
course this would take away the whole point of the show, but I am just
asking) I am asking this because of a trend I am seeing with series. Take
Batman: TAS and Star Trek for example; these show are somewhat saga like, but
if you miss one or two episodes it really doesn't throw you off, and the
fandom of these shows is wider, but the fandom isn't very strong.
Now Take Gargoyles and another pure saga show like Babylon 5; the
fandom isn't diverse but the fans of it are VERY loyal to the show.
(Would you agree with me on those last 2 statements?)
Also speaking of Babylon 5, are you a fan of that show, or have you
ever watched it? Because (IMHO) that is defiantly one of the best written shows out
there and ever beats Gargoyles by a good factor.

Greg responds...

I watched the pilot to Babylon 5. I didn't care for it. Later
people told me the show was good. So I tried to watch an episode. And
appropos of your question, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. What I
saw didn't make me desperate to figure it all out. So is that a viewer
connection issue or a "Saga" issue? Maybe some of each. Was all this
an issue with Gargoyles? Undoubtedly, though I tried to make every
episode of Gargoyles somewhat accessable. Did I succeed? I don't know.
Up to a point, I'm sure I did. Up to a point from the other direction,
I'm sure I didn't. But at any rate, I made the show I wanted to make.
No regrets there.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Greg. Thank you for taking the time to help us. Here are some ?
that I would really be thankful if you answerd:

1) Is the Captain of the Guard one of Oberons children? If he isn't
then when Hakon asks him why did he betray his own kind, why did he answer
in such a serious manner that they're NOT his kind.

2) This is just my oppinion, but Yama and Brooklyn have some things in
common. They're both loyal to theire clans but somehow they betray
them to someone they thought they could trust. Brooklyn to Demona and Yama to
Taro. Could another thing they have in common be that Yama will (or already
is) the 2 in command in his clan?

3) Oberon became king when he got rid of Queen Mab (right?) so if
Merlin is Oberon's REAL child, could one day Merlin become King of Avalon?

4) You've said that, someday, Lex will find a mate. After that, how
many children would he and his mate have?

5) Before Lex finds the right girl, would he have shown any sings of
jealousy toward both his brother now that they all had a mate but not
him?

Greg responds...

1. No. The nobles of the castle were not his type. He didn't
like them. That wasn't meant to imply that the Captain wasn't human.
He was very human. Maybe too human.

2. I think Yama has more in common with Demona. In fact, I
viewed the BUSHIDO story as a modern-day retelling of AWAKENING, Parts
One and Two. It had a happier ending, but that was because Taro's goal
was decidedly more modern than Hakon and the Captain's.

3. I doubt it. Merlin's a halfbreed and a bastard. He's very
powerful by human standards, but not by Oberati standards. Besides, I
think Titania might have something to say about the choice. And I doubt
Merlin wants the job.

Do you realize what I've done? Let's say I ever get to do the
PENDRAGON spin-off in some format, someday. Arthur and Griff (and one
other) search for Merlin. O.K., no big surprise, they eventually find
him (after much trouble and tribulation). Then at some point in the
series our cast comes up against OBERON. Oberon takes out Arthur, Griff
and ... (ah, ah, I'm not telling now). He then turns to Merlin, who
says "What will you do now..." Long Pause. "...Father?" Dah dah dah.
Oh, my god. Oberon is Merlin's father. Of course, it makes such sense.
Maybe some of you guessed. But many of you have that wonderful feeling
of surprise. EXCEPT... ALL OF YOU ALREADY KNOW. Doesn't that suck?
Oh, well. Can't unring a bell.

4. I'm not saying right now.

5. Yes.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

Thanks for answering my questions:

#1) You said once that the current leader of the Illuminati was also
the founder. Does this mean that he is immortal??

#2) I think you said is name was Duval or something like that, is this
right(leader of the Illuminati)??

#3)If you were planning to do a DARK AGES spin-off, how would you deal
with the names thing??

#4) Brooklyn mentioned in one episode the play A MID-SUMMER NIGHT'S
DREAM(which is one of my favorites). Did Shakespeare know Puck, or
another member of Oberan's children??

#5)If the Pheonix Gate can take you anyplace you want as well as
anytime, how would Brooklyn cope with all the different languages in his TIMEDANCER adventures??

#6)Is there a place were I can find your "Master Plan" or did you just
send it to certain people??

Greg responds...

1. Pretty much. Doesn't mean he'll live forever.

2. Yeah. Duval. But it's one of many aliases.

3. I've answered this before. Check the archives.

4. I haven't decided. He did know Macbeth. But he didn't know
he knew Macbeth.

5. With difficulty. Real difficulty.

6. It's been posted a few places. You might check out
Castle.Net. Does that still exist? (Gore, feel free to add an addendum
here if you can answer this question. Heck, maybe you could just post
the Master Plan right here so that we can make it part of the archives
once and for all:
[THE MASTER PLAN -- for what it is worth.]

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998

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Anonymous writes...

thanks for answering ever more questions.

#1) If gargoyle eggs take 10 years to hatch, and a female is only
fertile every 20 years, I take it that means that a gargoyles can have no
brothers are sisters unless they are 30 or 40 years older or they had a twin.
Would it be 30 or 40 years, I'm not very good in math??

#2) Did MacBeth or Demona ever have any feelings of compasion for one
another?? Did they at least regaurd each other as friends??

Greg responds...

1. If you're talking about biological brothers, it would be 20
years between siblings. (One egg every twenty years, means one
blood-sibling every twenty years. Get it?) But you guys are obsessing
about blood relations. A gargoyle would not regard a blood sibling as a
rookery brother or sister. They would simply be another older member of
the clan. Whereas, they'd be raised with thirty or so rookery siblings,
many of which they'd be close to for the rest of their lives. Brooklyn
may have had a blood-sibling who died in the massacre, but he was much
closer to his rookery siblings Broadway and Lexington, who survived.

2. I think during Macbeth's so-called Golden Age of rule after
the death of Duncan and before Canmore's return with the English, he and
Demona shared mutual respect and regard for each other. Some compassion
perhaps. Something that bordered on friendship, even if Demona didn't
admit it to herself or anyone.

(GDW / 4-29-98)

Response recorded on April 29, 1998


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