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ANSWERS 2002-02 (Feb)

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GOLIATH AND DEMONA: A RESPONSE

Here's another post I just know I'm going to regret. But I can't seem to help myself.

Mooncat, please don't take this personally, but I think you're viewpoint on Goliath's "shallow" love for Demona is misguided.

Let me make a few parallel changes to illustrate my point.

1. Let's say both Goliath and Demona were humans.

2. Let's say Goliath was a woman named Gina.

3. Let's say Demona was a man named Dan.

4. Let's say that instead of taking place atop rooftops and castles, these events were taking place in a two-bedroom house in suburbia.

5. Let's say that instead of using laser bazookas and the like, Dan was simply using a baseball bat. Or his fists.

Now take your scenario. Once upon a time, when they were young, Gina swore undying love for Dan. They got married. Spent years together. Even had a daughter together. There may have been hints along the way as to Dan's troubling nature, but Gina ignored those hints. She still loved Dan.

But, hey, sometimes things change. They go from good to bad to worse. Now Dan beats her. He hurts her. He's tried to kill her more than once and has nearly succeeded. He runs off. Shows up again, and behaves the same way. He has successfully killed other people in cold blood. Sometimes Gina reaches out to him. Sometimes he pretends to be good. And hey, he never, ever hurts their daughter. But he always winds up hurting Gina again. I can't tell you how many times Gina has been taken to Sunrise Hospital for treatment. Well, I could tell you. You could count for yourself, I guess. But once is too many, and we both know it.

Whatever oath Gina took once upon a time is, as I see it, moot. No one should stay in an abusive relationship. I wouldn't want my daughter to do it. I wouldn't want my son to do it. And I wouldn't want Gina or Goliath to do it either. To not respect Gina for moving on with her life given Dan's behaviour, is IMHO kinda horrendous.

Now I'm not saying Dan is Satan. He may have a decent side to him. He may have taken some hard knocks himself, maybe even as a child. He's certainly lonely as hell inside his own skin. All mitigating factors. Certainly Dan needs help. Would benefit from counseling. But to put that all on Gina's shoulders, the VICTIM, is beyond unreasonable. Love is NEVER enough in these situations. You may feel that Goliath didn't make a big enough effort, but you weren't the one being shot at. (And my comment in the CR about how maybe Goliath looked for her between episodes, was way beside the point as well.)

Personally, I have tremendous empathy for Demona. Not mere sympathy but empathy. I feel that there but for the grace of God, go I, more often than I care to admit. But empathy or sympathy doesn't cut it. She's committed cruel and violent (murderous) acts against other living beings.

And to use your own example, if Elisa went "Dark" and Goliath had to chose between saving her and an innocent. I'd hope he'd save the innocent. I hope that's the kind of guy he is. That he does the right thing, no matter how personally painful.

And if you think what happened with Demona wasn't personally painful for him on every level, then I failed as a storyteller.


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lefay_82 writes...

LIGHTBULB CONTEST

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

Just one,

get it!

Greg responds...

Uh, no, actually, I don't. But you're entered.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Jim R. writes...

LIGHTBULB CONTEST

How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

If k gargoyles can change a light bulb, and if one more simply watches them do it, then k+1 gargoyles will have changed the light bulb.

Therefore, by induction, for all n in the positive integers, n gargoyles can change a light bulb.

Logically speaking, of course. Does this sound familiar?

Greg responds...

Not really. But consider yourself entered into the contest.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Gipdac writes...

1) Are there always two female pendant wearers and two male pendant wearers?
2) You said before that the gargoyles that have the name of the color aren't always necessarily that particular color. But do the gargoyles named Zafiro and Jade have two be male and the gargoyles named Obsidiana and Turquesa have to be female?
3) Is one of the pendant wearers always the leader of the clan?

Greg responds...

1. It's a tradition. But it's not etched in stone. (Pun intended.)

2. No. There can be male forms or female forms of all four names.

3. It usually works out that way, but it's not a hard and fast rule either.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Justin writes...

Greg,
Do you know if Artus, Gwenyvere, and Lancelot will have mates? If so, I highly doubt any rookery in the Manhattan clan will be large enough to support multiple gargoyles pairing up, even by 2058 ( which correct me if I am wrong is Lance's birth year)

So will they mate outside of the clan?

Thanks

Greg responds...

Not answering this at this time.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Justin writes...

Greg,

Sorry I only asked about eight of the twelve clans.
Do you know the names of any or all of the twelve clan leaders in 2198? If so, what are they?

Greg responds...

I know some, not all. But I'm not telling at this time.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Cha-Cha writes...

Can the Phenix Gate be used to go foward in time into the future??

Greg responds...

Yes.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Galvatron writes...

Would we have seen the World Trade Center if you revive gargoyles?

Greg responds...

It depends, obviously, on WHEN the episodes were set. GARGOYLES: THE DARK AGES would probably not include the WTC.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Zarok writes...

I'm glad to see your OK greg. I don't know if you still live in New York(since all of your stories are based there), so I feared for your saftey when I heard about the attack. I'm quite relived now. My sympaties to you and all the american people.

Greg responds...

Aside from the occasional trip, I haven't lived in NYC since 1987. I'm an Angelino, born and raised and now returned.

I don't pretend to know what it felt like to live in Manhattan on 9/11, but it was pretty awful being a whole continent away, so I can just imagine.

Thanks for your concern though.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Sapphire writes...

Being a Canadian I am horrified of the thousands of our American cousins murdered in New York today, I hope that the terrorists are caught soon and be made to pay for their hidious crime. I just want to let all Americans who read this that Canada mourns with America and has always considered America as a very close friend and wishes America well.(including you too Greg)

Greg responds...

Thanks. It's gonna be a little weird dealing with questions and comments about 9/11 here and now on Valentine's Day.

I may have very little to say.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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The Cat writes...

Hey Greg,

I'd figure since I just got a call back from Jeff Bennett that I'd better check on you. If you are ok could you tell me how Bill(Broadway) and Thom(Lexington) are doing? I'm really conserned about how ya'll are doing and now more than ever. I know that sometimes the actors go to New York to work and Jeff got a hold of my answering machine, so he didn't elaberate(hope I spelled that right). Well, how have you been let's say between November of 1999 to present day? Since I met you, Jeff, Bill and Thom in November of '99 through Make A Wish.

Well I got homework write ya later, Bye.

Greg responds...

Hi Cat,

I've been fine, basically. It's sweet of you to be concerned. How are you?

Thom is fine. Playing a lot of tennis. Doing a ton of radio commercials, at minimum.

I haven't talked to Bill or Jeff since (either) the 2001 L.A. Gathering or when I used each of them on the now defunct Team Atlantis show -- all this past summer. But I'm sure they're doing well, or I'd have heard.

Keep in touch. (Any chance we'll see you at G2002 in Virginia this summer?)

Greg

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Ricky writes...

I know the titles from other sites (Max Steel)

Greg responds...

Oh. How did they know?

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Anonymous writes...

Will the destruction of the WTC change any of your plans for Gargoyles and its spin offs?

Greg responds...

No. Not really. It changes me though, which may have effects that even I don't realize.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Gipdac writes...

I was just reading the FAQ, and came across this

"During the time of Caesar Augustus, gargoyles would come to his court, and when they awoke at night their clothes would be torn to shreds. Augustus was a man of strong "family values," and in AD 10, he had a powerful mage (the original Magus) cast a Spell of Humility on the race. As a result, anything they considered "theirs" would turn to stone with them if they were in physical contact with it at sunrise."

Okay, but in The Mirror Hudson (I think) said you have to both hear and see magic. Dose this mean that the entire gargoyles race was in at the casting of the Spell of Humility and was in Rome? (I guessing the Magus cast the spell in Rome)

Greg responds...

Most magic has that requirement, but some spells are more powerful. Particularly when you combine the Grimorum with the Eye of Odin and the Phoenix Gate.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Demona Taina writes...

Greg, I'm glad to hear that you're okay. I hope your family is, too.

Well, I just dropped by to let you know of something. Curiosity got the best of me yesterday so I searched in the episode Future Tense for the World Trade Center that was destroyed yesterday, and I couldn't find it. You could usually see it from the Statue of Liberty, right? Well, they weren't there. Scary, huh?

Greg responds...

...

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Anonymous writes...

Did you plan to incorporate the recent destruction of the Twin Towers into Gargoyles (Warren Ellis actually tried to put school shootings into Hellblazer, but DC nixed it.)?

Greg responds...

If I felt I could do it in a responsible and sensitive way -- and I had the forum for it, then I might try. But to be honest, I can't presently think of how it could be dealt with that didn't feel exploitative -- no matter how good my intentions might be. Obviously, this is an immense historical event, that would be reflected in ways both obvious and subtle. But direct reference? I don't know. I tend to doubt it.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Sheryl writes...

I know Gargoyles was canceled but I don't know why. See I olnly reasintly, as in this year and a bit last, became a big Gargoyles fan. But if so maney people like it so much why was it canceled. (Sorry if you have answerd this before but I don't read every singal question on this webpage.)

Greg responds...

Well, Sheryl, I'm going to send you to the ASK GREG FAQ. If you read the answer there and still have questions then come back.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002

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Cha-Cha writes...

As of 1996, how much does Demona know of the N.O.?

Greg responds...

Nothing.

Response recorded on February 14, 2002