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nautilus writes...
Hi Greg,
The big event here on next wednsday (11.08.1999), made me wonder:
Will Gargoyles break out of their stone shell during a full solar eclipse? (My bet would be 'No', but you're the boss ; )
That actually gives me another question: What makes the Gargoyles turn to stone? It isn't the rays of the sun, and I guess it won't be something magical, because it affects a complete race. (And they use magic to prevent them turning to stone)
I hope you find the time to answer.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Greg responds...
As I've said before, Gargoyles operate on an internal biological clock that is in tune with the rising and setting of the sun.
That would suggest that an eclipse would have ZERO effect on them. But I must admit I've been toying with an eclipse story for some time. I haven't quite cracked it. But someday...
Airwalker writes...
Is Gargoyle evolution from Dinosaurs a strong possibility in your mind?
Greg responds...
See an earlier answer (posted today) to a similar question.
Siren writes...
I keep thinking of more things...
On Garg evolution...I think the most likely would evolve from dinosaurs.Birds also evolved too, from what I believe. They just took 2 different ends of the spectrum. Birds becoming smaller and more lightweight, gaining feathers and loosing scales. Gargs get are smaller dinosaurs, just not as small as birds. They are built with more muscle and kept
the pteridacyl wings ('scuse my spelling). Brooklyn is obviously evolved from one of them thingies I can't spell. Plus you have the South American Clan, they deffinetly look reptilian. And Ophelia, she looks much like a triceratops and any other horned/crested dino (which I absolutly love on her!!!!)
But also into consideration, the Britian Clan...Where did they come from? Are they too evolved
from dinosaurs???? Doubtful. They are set so far apart from the others, more mammilian. Are they
more evolved mammals? Is Griff just an evolved eagle that looks like a griffon or an evolved griffon? Is Leo an evolved Lion?
And is that Una's real horn or jewlry? Is she an evolved horse or unicorn?
Which brings something else to mind about gargoyles...How do their babies eat? Are gargoyles
mammals? I would deffinetly say, warm blooded. And they do seem very mammilian. So does that
mean, that if Demona had the chance to raise Angela, she'd be fed on breastmilk? If so, how did
Cathryn, Magus, Tom, and his mother feed 36 hatchlings?
Greg responds...
Uh. It would have helped if you had numbered your questions....
In my head, Gargoyles are a separate classification which (in the past) I've nicknamed "Gargates". Both Gargoyles and Gargoyle Beasts evolved from this grouping, just as Primates include both humans and various apes. The Gargate-ancestor species go back to the time of the dinosaurs, so to answer your first set of questions, I'd have to ask you how you are defining the word "Dinosaur"? Colloquially, i.e. to include all species that existed during what we popularly think of as the age of dinosaurs, or are you using the term in a scientific sense, which would leave out a number of species that we generally think of as dinosaurs?
As for the various clans, appearances are superficial and can be deceiving. Leo has much more in common biologically with Goliath than he does with a Lion. Zafiro has much more in common with Griff, Leo, Una and Goliath, etc. then he does with a snake. All are Gargates. None are Mammals or Reptiles or Marsupials or Birds, though they may share a few characteristics with one or more of those groups. They are, I believe, warm-blooded, for example.
Una's horn is her horn. It's not jewelry. Though it was decorated.
Garg babies generally would drink milk from clan-mother breasts.
And yes, that did present Tom, Katharine and the Magus with a problem. Fortunately, they were on Avalon. And Avalon provided. Some trial and error was probably involved, but a replacement for breast milk was found...
Demona Taina writes...
Just a couple of quick questions. :)
1. Where did Demona get those gargoyles from in "City Of Stone"?
2. What do Gargoyles smell like? Because in "The Dying Of The Light", Hudson's blind friend, Jeffrey Robbins, said that Hudson smelled like "old leather and concrete". Anyway, is that true? Or did TGC make it up? And if so, is it a bad smell or a good one?
I guess those are all. Thanks for reading!
Greg responds...
1. Wall-mart.
2. I won't comment one way or the other on TGC episodes beyond "The Journey". But certainly, Hudson's old leather clothes would smell like old leather. And a wiff of something stonelike makes sense. Obviously, Elisa doesn't think that Gargoyles smell bad.
Heather E."Hudson" Rice writes...
Hey Greg,
Nice of you to remember me, during yer all-night "rant" session...Anyho, here's my questions:
1) What year did Hudson hatch?
2) When exactly was Castle Wyvern built? Demona mentioned,
"That these cliffs were our homes, long before the Humans'"
3)How many eggs can a female Gargoyle lay, at one time?
4) When a female Gargoyle goes into "heat", does she give
off a scent, or something?
5) AND, FINALLY, just where did Thom get his tattoo???
(HINT,HINT,HINT...)
Greg responds...
1. 878 A.D.
2. Which time?
3. One.
4. I'm sure she does.
5. Los Angeles... (And I don't have a clue what you're hinting about.)
Also, I should have blown off questions 3-5, cause they're on different topics. But they were short, so you got lucky.
Entity writes...
In the "Avalon" trilogy, the Archmage's arsenal consisted of himself, the Weird Sisters, Demona and Macbeth. Why did he feel the need to have Demona and Macbeth? I know he said they were canon fodder, but why did he even need canon fodder? Couldn't the Weird Sisters have just waved their hands and eradicated every single gargoyle and human on Avalon? Why did he build his assault around those two? For all the trouble that the Weird Sisters went through in obtaining them, it just doesn't seem that they were worth it. How the Archmage told the Sisters to "guide their paths", you would've thought that they were instramental in some way to his plans; that he specifically needed those two. But what's so special about them?
Greg responds...
Good question.
The answer requires looking at the situation on (at least) two levels.
Level One. Taken at face value, he did need cannon fodder. The Sisters had to be very careful how they operated, in order not to break Oberon's Law. And the Archmage had a few personal vendettas he wanted to deal with. So he needed Demona and Macbeth to handle some of the more mundane work of eradicating the enemy.
Level Two. Who said any of this was the Archmage's plan? Well, he did. But he was an arrogant bastard. So do you trust him? Where did he get the plan? By observing his future self carry it out. Where did his future self get the plan? By observing HIS future self carry it out. Maybe there's something larger going on here...
Ya think?
Demona Taina writes...
Hey, Greg! Umm, sorry for those other mega-posts, I kind of read the ramblings after I posted that. So, here are a few of my questions:
1. About Goliath's hair, well, I don't quite understand it, nor Demona's. How does it stand up like that?
2. How old was Demona when she was really, really old?
3. Could a gargoyle be hatched deformed? You know, like missing a leg or something.
4. Who created Goliath?
5. We know that gargoyles get cleaned during the day, but what about Elisa? How did she manage to survive in the skiff?
6. How can Brooklyn speak with that beak?
Well, I guess that's all for now. Have a nice day!
Greg responds...
1. Huh? Some people's hair just does that. Look around.
These are all questions on different topics, so they must be submitted on separate posts.
*The Bride of Ringo* writes...
Hi again Greg :-)
Ok, when you or anyone else says "...and they turn to stone during the day" do you (or anyone else) mean STONE? or is the stuff they turn to similar to stone in appearence and so presumed to be stone. I'm asking this because medieval people sometimes made assumtions about things even though they had limited knowledge of it so something that simply looks like stone my be considered actual stone by them. Then the medival people would call it stone and get the gargoyles themselves to call it that and even though it's not real stone people think it is.
Greg responds...
As I've said many times before, it is an organic substance that greatly resembles stone.
Sevarius Jr. writes...
For some reason, some of my earlier questions were deleted, so here they are again in abbreviated format:
1. Was it your initial decision to have 2 species of Gargoyles (humanoid and "beast"), or did you just start with the humanoid form and only later decide to include a "beast" version, a la Bronx?
2. Should Gargoyles ever once again become a viable comic book property, which modern-day artists/writers would you enjoy working with on the project?
3. I know you are working on the new Starship Troopers series. Are you a Robert Heinlein fan, or at least are you a fan of the original Starship Troopers novel?
Once again, thanks for your time!
Greg responds...
1. Two species all along. Or at any rate, once we switched from the comedy to the dramatic development direction. It was in the first draft of the bible.
Unfortunately, your other questions are on different topics. Please resubmit them as separate posts.
Lawrence Stone writes...
Are Gargoyles egg laying mamales?
Greg responds...
No. As I've said before, they're gargates.
Airwalker writes...
In THE PRICE, it never seemed to occur to Goliath that perhaps Hudson died in his sleep. Is dying in their sleep THAT rare among Gargoyles?
Greg responds...
Yep. Also, however, I don't think he wanted to believe that. If the cause was magical, he could find a counterspell. If Hudson passed away, he's lost another dear friend. Do the math.
Airwalker writes...
1. Which is the oldest of the three races in your mind?
2. In HERITAGE, when Raven in Gargoyle form first introduced himself to Goliath and Angela had five fingers. Later when he again appeared as Gargoyle, he had four fingers. Was this an animation error or was it done on purpose as a sort of hint to Raven's true identity?
3. Who designed the Golem? In all the legends I read of the Maharal's (Rabbi Loew) Golem, he was a huge giant but of Manlike proportions, not like he was in the episode, but more like a taller version of Bane from BATMAN & ROBIN.
Greg responds...
1. Probably the Gargoyles. I know that comes as a surprise. The obvious answer is the Children, but I have this notion that the magic that birthed them needed a longer gestation time.
The Gargoyles, on the other hand, strike me as very symbiotic with the planet. The first sentient race Earth gave birth to. (Well, the second technically, but we're only counting the three that are still hanging in.) In many ways, tragically, their time has clearly passed. Humanity is ascendant. But Gargoyles aren't dead yet. And ironically, though it was largely humans who wiped out their race, it is also humans who will help to save them in the future. Though many will be dragged kicking and screaming toward that destiny.
Airwalker writes...
In the AskGreg Archive, you wrote: "I expect Angela, Sora, Ophelia, Boudicca, Obsidiana, and Turquesa to all lay eggs in 2008." You said that females share a common cycle and you also said that you wondered if Katana would rejoin that cycle or not. You also said that with Angela, she would. But Boudicca and Ophelia live on Avalon, so in 2008, shouldn't they be out of synch with the real world?
Greg responds...
Actually, no. It's literally been years, but back in 1995 I did the math. It works out that 2008 would coincide with the cycles of both Avalon and the outside world.
J.F.K writes...
In Gargoyles, how did humans learn to use magic
in the first place?
Greg responds...
In real life, how did humans learn to use fire?
Trial and error, I'd guess.
*The Bride of Ringo* writes...
Hi again... :-)
My question this time is are gargoyles right handed or left handed the way humans are? I know it's kind of silly, but I've always wondered that since I've never seen any of them take a pen or pencil and write anything.
Greg responds...
I suppose many are ambidextrous. Since in animation, that's not a detail we have the luxury of paying much attention to.
Scott Iskow writes...
I've been wondering a little bit about the environment in which gargoyles are raised, (at least, in 10th century Scotland).
1) Is their "protection" philosophy nature or nurture?
2) How do you explain gargoyles that stray from the ideology?
3) What happens to them if their "deviance" is discovered by the rest of the clan?
Greg responds...
1. Both.
2. How do you explain any one who strays from accepted ideology?
3. Depends how pronounced that "deviance" is.
Mary Flanders writes...
Why can't Demona have any more children? Being immortal doesn't mean you're sterile.
Greg responds...
Who said she couldn't? I said she didn't.
*The Bride of Ringo* writes...
Ok.. WOW.. i have yet more... i'm comin' up royal tonight...
1a)In order to make Cold Stone, didn't Demona need at least some part of his original stone body (The pieces that were left after he was killed)?
1b) If she did need some parts of his original body, how'd she get them? Did she save some of him for a thousand years or did Xanatos have some saved parts of him? I can't imagine she could go back and gather up the pieces, because first of all how would she get back to Europe and secondly wouldn't erosion have kicked in after 1000 years?(If this doesn't make perfect sense i really apologize, but it makes sense in my head)
2) Goliath, Brooklyn, Lex, Bronx, and Broadway were in stone sleep for 1000 years.. why didn't any erosion or weathering occur on them even though the castle itself eroded? Is it because in reality these Gargoyles were living beings or did it have something to do with the magic involved in their being stone for 1000 years?
Greg responds...
1a. Yes.
1b. Xanatos collected them.
2. They weren't dead. They were asleep. Solar energy allowed for ongoing replenishment. But I wouldn't recommend the experience.
7-13-99
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