A Station Eight Fan Web Site
Ask Greg Archives
Magic
Archive Index
: « First : « 50 : Displaying #124 - #173 of 237 records. : 50 » : Last » :
Posts Per Page: 1 : 10 : 25 : 50 : 100 : All :
Anonymous writes...
What was that thing in Pendragon? Was it a actual dragon or was it a gargoyle seeing that it was protecting the sword?
Greg responds...
Neither. It was a stone statue brought to life by powerful magicks.
Siren writes...
In the Gargoyles Universe how much truth is in horoscopes?
Greg responds...
All things are true.
Siren writes...
1.)The South American Clan, their stones they wear around their neck...Is that stone fae magic, or something different?
2.)Whom gave them this power?
3.) And why only them? I understand to protect their forest, but other clans could benifit from it. Wyvern would have.
Greg responds...
1. No. Human sorcery.
2. A Mayan wizard.
3. Well, sure. But this was done centuries ago. Fed Ex was not yet in business.
Oberon writes...
In the Wierd Sisters incantation on Macbrth and demona they say "forever and eternal bound" so my quetion is
1) Can the Wierd Sister undo their spell
2) Can anyone else (with the exception of D and M killing each other)
Greg responds...
1. Nope.
2. Doubt it.
Jim R. writes...
Does Demona sleep? How can she manage to be human during the day and still have energy to spare in being a gargoyle at night? Despite the fact she and MacBeth are magically linked, Demona is not immortal, so how does she acquire the energy to stay conscience 24 hours a day?
Greg responds...
I think Dominique must sleep some. And I think Puck's magic compensates some.
Angie I. writes...
Hi, Greg. I know you've been asked at least twice on the changes to Demona's reproduction cycles after the Puck spell, but I could use a little more clarification on the subject.
1a) I remember somebody asking how her daily transformations affected her reproductive cycle and you responded thusly...
"No. But as I said, I think the magic would compensate for a pregnancy... ON THE HUGE ASSUMPTION that she ever gets pregnant."
That's what I would like a little more info on. What if Demona had relations with another gargoyle and she happened to be in her 20-year fertility cycle and she DID become become pregnant?
1b) What would happen to the potential child inside of her created from that fertile union considering the fact that she is full gargoyle at night and full human during the day?
1c) Would it be born or hatched?
1d) Considering the father is full gargoyle, would Demona's human transformations cause it to be a hybrid? Or would it be born/hatched full gargoyle and turn to stone like any other gargoyle?
2) How do her changes affect when she is fertile? As you've explained, female gargoyles only come into season once every 20 years. But humans are fertile almost all of the time. At least, from what I know.
3) This is not likely to happen knowing Demona, but what if she had relations with a human, while she was in her human form, naturally, and she actually became pregnant? Would it be born human or what?
4) I hope this isn't too off topic, but let's say that Puck cast the same spell of daily human transformation on a male gargoyle. How would it effect him reproductively? Would it change him at all?
Thank you, Greg. I hope my questions haven't burdened you in any way.
Greg responds...
1a. What's the ACTUAL question here? What if she did become pregnant? Then she'd be pregnant.
1b. I'm not an obstetrician. What kind of details are you looking for?
1c. Ahh, well, that would depend on timing to some extent. Most likely, Demona would lay an egg, before "Dominique" had the chance to come to full term.
1d. Again, timing is a factor.
(BUT LET ME REITERATE, that all this is based on the HUGE ASSUMPTION that she ever gets pregnant.)
2. Again, what's the question? I.e. what's the question that you haven't already answered within your question.
3. Again, it would depend on timing. And on the assumption that she knows nothing about birth control.
4. Does it change HER at all? Maybe I'm dense, but I don't really understand.
The One writes...
1) Why did Odin's eye contain his magick and power? How did he come to lose the eye? Other fae have lost great parts of their perceived bodily mass seemingly without any loss of their magickal abilities (Anansi and Bean Sidhe).
2) Why didn't Odin call upon the Aesir or his magical servants to help him retrieve the eye? You said that since Goliath possessed the eye that Odin did not feel that he was breaking Oberon's law; so then, why not call upon Thor or the Valkryies (spelling)?
3) Are there any other fae body parts out there that function as potent magickal talismans? If so, what are they?
Greg responds...
1) The eye didn't contain his power. It linked to it. He traded the eye for a drink from Mimir's pool of wisdom.
2) The Children of Oberon tend not to travel in packs these days. Besides, him retrieving his eye isn't interfering. Asking Thor, assuming Thor survived Ragnarok, is a whole other kettle of Aesir.
3) Yeah, like I was going to answer that.
Anonymous writes...
How is it that the Stone of Destiny can talk?
Greg responds...
How is it that you can?
I know the above seems only to be a smart-ass response, but think about it.
Vashkoda writes...
Iron is obviously harmful to the fey--even deadly. However I don't understand why it is that once Puck and the Sisters were wrapped in iron chains, they followed the orders of whoever captured them. It's not like they weren't able to use magic to free themselves, as Puck was obviously able to cast spells for Demona. I don't see why they couldn't do something simple like turning themselves into mortals or teleporting away and leaving the chains behind. Similarly, I don't see why Oberon couldn't use his powers to escape from the bell (unless the bell shorted out his magic completely, but then I don't understand why this is more harmful than being in direct contact with iron chains).
Any clarification would be appreciated!
Greg responds...
You're just being too literal minded. The iron bell sent out waves of ANTI-MAGIC against a creature of pure magic.
The chains created a bondage/servant situation.
Etc.
Or come up with your own explanation.
matt writes...
do the pendant wearing gargoyles in Guatemala have to sleep as a human does to rest their bodies or does the pendant's magic cover that too?
Greg responds...
They have to rest periodically. Sometimes they nap as humans do. Sometimes they take off the pendants and sleep as stone. But the magic also helps compensate. SO ALL OF THE ABOVE, I guess.
Vashkoda writes...
1a) Which race and civilization (or "clan" if they were gargoyles) created the Cauldron of Life? b) Which was the Cauldron made of--mortal, fairy, or some other magic? c) If it was made of mortal magic, did the mortal energies have any adverse effect on Puck when he dipped in his hand (other than the petrification itself), or was he spared any possible additonal effect because he was in mortal form as Owen?
2a) When the Cauldron's iron was reforged into the Coyote robot, was its ability to turn objects to stone lost? b) Did the Cauldron have any magical abilities other than petrification? c) Did the magic in the Cauldron's iron really make it more effective at capturing the Coyote fae, or would regular iron have been just as effective? If the Cauldron was made with mortal magic, did these mortal energies play a part in its effectiveness as a prison for fey?
3) What did Xanatos do with the magical iron after that Coyote robot was disabled?
Greg responds...
1a. That's a story in its own right.
1b. Mortal, largely.
1c. No adverse effects on Puck.
2a. Not necessarily.
2b. Not necessarily.
2c. Didn't hurt.
3. Wouldn't you like to know?
Jim R. writes...
In the episode, "The Mirror", why did Elisa act as if Goliath had turned back into a gargoyle when he already was one of course, whenever she was transformed into one? Vise versa when the clan was transformed into humans, why did they act as if they always had been humans? What I mean to say and what I always got confused about is, that Puck's spell shouldn't have made them forget what they were. When Elisa was transformed I would have expected her to be a little shocked at first, and then calm whenever she realized that she and Goliath were now of the same species, but she would still long to become human again deep inside.
Greg responds...
Why?
I mean why are you setting limits on Puck?
The whole point was that NOBODY noticed the transformation. When all of Manhattan was transformed, the former humans didn't run around panicked and screaming over their new bodies. The transformation was so complete they thought they had always been that way. Same with Elisa and the gargs until logic forced them to take a closer look at it.
Anyway, it worked fine for me. If it makes you feel any better a lot of my staff originally agreed with you. They thought I was nuts. But most vindicated me later.
Oberon writes...
Where did you get the name Grimourum Arcanorum
Greg responds...
Michael Reaves came up with that. But I think it's simply Latin for "magic book".
matt writes...
does Demona have to sleep? i figure that when she is human her garg side sleeps and when she is gargoyle her human side sleeps. if this is true where does she get the solar energy from to support her gargoyle form?
Greg responds...
Magic compensates to some degree, but she does sleep as a human periodically.
Corrine Blaquen writes...
What language is the Grimorum written in? I imagine the spells are in Latin, but what language did the Magus use to recount the story of the gargoyles?
Greg responds...
Most (but not all) of the Grimorum is in Latin. The Magus used Latin as well, which was in those days the language of scholars.
Jim R. writes...
matt,
I thought the skiff was blown up at first, but i remembered that only happened in the "Future Tense" episode, which I suppose wasn't real to Goliath. But no one could accidently go to Avalon, because one would first have to recite the Latin to reach it. I got you on this one buddy. :)
Greg responds...
Yup.
michael regan writes...
Dear Greg
can you answer this,cause their is no scientific way about it(maybe magic,anyway)
a gargoyles flesh and bone turns to stone in the day,but how is it their clothing does as well?
Greg responds...
The clothes thing is magic. Part of a modesty spell cast in the year 10 A.D.
Malcom writes...
Why did Xanatos find he Grimorum Arcanorum?
Did Dmona help him finding the book?
Greg responds...
Why? Do you mean how?
And, no, Demona wasn't involved in finding the book, just in interpreting it once it was acquired.
Jim R. writes...
Do you think our technology will progress further than the magic of Oberon's children? When will Oberon's children reach the limitations of their magic? Would any of them possibly decide to live amongst us mortals and begin thinking scientifically, like an outcast fae, that would prefer sceince over sorcery?
Greg responds...
1. Apples and oranges.
2. Who says they will?
3. To some extent, Titania has done this already.
matt writes...
Greg, i have some questions about the "Praying Gargoyle". i know you'll probably answer, "I'm not telling" to most but we'll see:
1. Who created the Praying Gargoyle or was it always in existence? Is it a gargoyle magic as the Grimorum is human magic and the Eye and Gate are fae magics, or is a human or fae majic? does that make sense?
2. Why was the Praying Gargoyle created?
3. What are the abilities of the PG? is it some sort of gargoyle protector? if so. does it have any other abilities?
4. How did Demona know about the PG? where did she keep it during the 15 years before Hunter's Moon?
5. Was the PG always kept at Notre Dame? if so, why there?
6. You do plan on doing a background story of the PG, right? esspecially if you don't answer these questions!
7. the PG is one of the only magic talismans that we never got to see hardly at all in the show or know anything about. is there a reason for this?
thanks
Greg responds...
1. It was created. It makes sense, but the answer is more complex than that.
2. To protect the protectors.
3. It depends on how it is used.
4. She kept it in her townhouse. She learned about it decades before.
5. No. Demona left it there for safe keeping.
6. Yes. Plans more immediate than you can know. *Though, as usual, the answers will raise more questions.*
7. Uh... Cuz Goliath broke it?
Todd Jensen writes...
One question that I found myself reminded of because of your piece about "you have to both see and hear magic in order for it to affect you" in "City of Stone". Now, I very much liked the concept because of it giving established rules for how magic works in the Gargoyles Universe, helping to give it its feeling of verisimilitude. But at the same time, I've occasionally wondered about just how universal that particular rule is.
First off, faerie magic clearly doesn't always follow this rule. In "The Mirror", Puck was able to transform humans into gargoyles and gargoyles into humans when they weren't able to see or hear him. In "The Gathering Part One", Oberon was able to put the whole city to sleep even though, again, the affected people were clearly not all seeing and hearing him. Of course, the above rule probably was only meant to apply to human magic anyway, so these exceptions don't count.
But the area that I do sometimes find myself wondering about is the Roman Magus's "spell of modesty" that you mentioned, back in the days of Caesar Augustus. Because it affected every gargoyle on the planet, including their descendants. But nearly all the gargoyle clans that we know of are from areas that weren't part of the Roman Empire: Britain (which was partly conquered by Rome, but only after Augustus's lifetime), the Far East (never a part of the Roman Empire), and Guatemala (beyond ancient Rome's very knowledge). Obviously, the gargoyles in those regions didn't see or hear the Roman Magus when he cast the spell, but were affected by him. (I assume that it was probably a very unusual, even unique case, though of course, I doubt that you feel ready yet to explain it to us). A small mystery that I thought that I'd mention here.
Greg responds...
Mortal sorcery, yes. Not fae magic.
As for the modesty spell. Well, uh, hey, um, well, that was one darn POWERFUL magus. (Must have had the backing of ALL of Rome's Standard's and Practice's Executives.)
But seriously, he had help. The Archmage wasn't the first guy to combine magical artifacts.
Andrew Hume writes...
1) When the Archmage used the Eye Of Odin, the Phinex Gate, and the Grimorum was he more powerful than the Weird Sisters.
2) In Avalon part 2, the future Archmage told the past Archmage to use Avalon as a base for when he took over the world. If the wierd sisters found out about this would they have become enemies of the Archmage.
Greg responds...
1. Largely.
2. No, not when they were in erinyes mode.
LSZ writes...
Are some languages more arcane or magical than others?
Greg responds...
No. But some spells were written long ago.
matt writes...
is a blind man immune to fay magic as well as human magic? how different are fay and human magic?
Greg responds...
Very. And it depends on the nature of the spell as it is cast.
Anonymous writes...
1.What kind of magic powers the Holy Grail? Fay magic? Location magic?
2. Who made the Holy Grail?
Greg responds...
1. There are other categories. Talisman magic for one.
2. In this case, it's less about who made it and more about what happened to it.
LSZ writes...
What makes some languages(Latin, Hebrew) etc more magical than others(modern English)?
Greg responds...
Their older and the given spells were WRITTEN in them originally.
Vashkoda writes...
You said that Wyvern and St. Damiens were both built over "a nexus of energy"/"holy ground".
1) Will New Camelot also be built over such a "nexus"?
2) Is Avalon just one REALLY big nexus?
3) Is the "mystic energy" that flows from these nexuses of a general "earth magic" nature, or is it specific--depending on the nexus--for either "fae" or "mortal" magic?
4) You said that the Megalith Dance and the other ruins "sorta"/"not really" were the reason why the Archmage came to Wyvern. Was it then the nexus that drew him there?
5a) You called such places "holy ground". Do you also have plans of incorporating the traditional belief that undead creatures hate holy ground into the series? (I know you have plans for vampires, which is why I wonder) b) If so, and if you answered yes to #2, does that mean that such creatures cannot go to Avalon?
6) Who can detect these "nexuses"? Does it depend on profession (priest, wizard) or race (fae, gargoyle, human, lost), or is the ability randomly and equally dispersed among earthlings?
Greg responds...
1. Parts of it.
2. YES!
3. More the former, but there can be elements of one or the other or all of the above.
4. Not exactly.
5a. I always have plans.
5b. I don't always reveal my plans.
6. Very little in the Gargoyles universe is Random. That's not necessarily a good thing. But you're stuck with it.
LSZ writes...
1) Can Puck also be summoned by Oberon's Mirror?
2) Was Titania's Mirror meant to be used to summon Puck only, or could it summon any fae if you knew how?
3) If so to the former, what makes Puck connected to the Mirror?
Greg responds...
1. In theory.
2. It's something of a generic portal.
3. See 2.
LSZ writes...
Did New Olympian scientists ever try to explain the workings of magic scientifically, seeing how it's a tech-driven society but has knowledge of magic?
Greg responds...
To some extent.
Vashkoda writes...
1a) Would there be any point in the future when the practice of mortal magic becomes more common than it is at the time of "The Journey"?
b) If so, roughly how long would it take for such a revival to come to pass? (decades, years, centuries?)
2a) Why is it so dangerous to mix fae and mortal magic? Energy is energy, right? And both fae and mortal magic are presumably of earthly origin. So what makes them so incompatible? b) What are the actual consequences of mixing the two?
3) The Archmage was able to bring the Grimorum to Avalon by "bending the rules", and so bypassed Oberon's Law. But in the end, he was still using the Eye to control the Grimorum, and hence, was "mixing magics". Why didn't this have any (visible) consequences?
4a) You've mentioned "ghost magic" before. Would it fall under the "mortal magic" category, or is it a completely different form of magic? b) If it's different, is it safe to mix with mortal or fae magic?
5) Which is the Megalith Dance powered by--fae or mortal magic?
6a) Do any New Olympians possess (or are capable of practicing) "fae" magic? b) Do any New Olympians practice "mortal" magic?
Greg responds...
1a. Maybe a tiny bit -- but not until WAY beyond 2198.
b. Centuries.
2a. Different frequencies maybe. Feedback. I don't know exactly. Just is.
b. BOOM. Usually. Or some other backfiring.
3. The Eye is a bit more flexible. It WANTS to "help".
4a. Another category, I think, maybe, sorta.
b. Not recommended, but less dangerous.
5. Not telling its origin right now.
6a. Maybe, but it's more internalized as "powers" generally.
b. Maybe, but not many. They're a technology driven society.
LSZ writes...
Do you personally believe magic similar to the way magic is portrayed in the Gargoyles universe exists in real life?
Greg responds...
I believe in everything. But that doesn't change the pragmatic way that I generally lead my life.
LSZ writes...
A more careful rephrase of the earlier question, which got a rather good smart-ass answer:
Just what is it that makes Oberon and Mab so powerful magically? Is it acquired power? Is it luck? Does it come just from being the ruler of Avalon? Does it come from, for lack of a better word, genetics?
Greg responds...
A lot of it is "genetics". A lot is WILL. A lot is about natural magical loci. Some is acquired. And you could call it all luck on at least some level.
Vashkoda writes...
1) Are you considering bringing back the Grimorum in some way (or parts of it, if not the whole book)? I can't help but feel sorry for all those wizards who spent their lives writing spells in that thing, only to have it eaten and destroyed by the Archmage.
2) Was the Grimorum the most powerful/comprehensive book of human sorcery in existence? How would Una or Macbeth's magic books rate against it?
3) Will Brooklyn ever meet the original Magus who created the Grimorum?
4) Did Merlin contribute any spells to the Grimorum?
5) Were copies of the Grimorum ever made?
Greg responds...
1. It felt like a device (in both senses of the word) that had served its purpose, run its course. Flashback uses, sure. But I felt done with it in the presense.
2. Yes. But there are individual spells of greater power on things like the Medici Tablet.
3. Maybe. ;)
4. Maybe ;)
5. No.
Anonymous writes...
Is the Phoenix Gate called the Phoenix Gate because it will be destroyed and recreated or is it something else ?
Greg responds...
It's mostly about the flame effect, but it's also about its circular/cyclical nature.
Vashkoda writes...
1a) Are/were there any living phoenixes in the Gargoyles Universe? b) If so, were/are they a separate species, or are they Children of Oberon or a form of gargoyle?
2a) Did the forging of the Phoenix Gate have anything to do with (an) actual phoenix(es)? b) If so, was whatever involvement they/it had, voluntary?
3a) Was Princess Katharine's mother ever aware of the powers of the Gate? b) ...was the Normand ambassador? c) Was Malcolm ever aware that he was going to receive the Gate?
4a) When the Gate was broken in half, did it become *completely* nonfunctional, or did some residual magic remain? b) When it was whole again, was it as good as new?
5) What is the immediate source of the magic/energy that the Gate draws on?
6a) Why is the incantation for an Avalonian magical artifact in Latin? b) Is that particular incantation necessary, or can the Gate be activated some other way?
Greg responds...
1a. Maybe.
b. Not saying.
2a. Maybe. If the Gate was forged. Which it wasn't.
b. Maybe.
3a. No.
B. No.
c. He was informed after it was stolen.
4a. Non-functional.
b. Yes.
5. Ambient time stream need. (Generally measured in Farquars.)
6a. Necessary for a human to harness it.
b. When free, the gate travels about on its own, as Brooklyn learns to his chagrin.
Vashkoda writes...
1) Has Demona already used all the spells available in the pages she tore from the Grimorum?
2) Did Elisa or the others do anything special with that page from the Grimorum with the spell that enchanted Goliath? If Goliath must obey anyone who holds it, couldn't someone say, "I negate the last command", and have Goliath fall right back under its spell? Even if that isn't the case, I would think that the possibility was enough that they would take certain precautions with it. Just wondering.
Greg responds...
1. All but one.
2. They burned it.
Matthew writes...
What would have happened to Puck if he broke the rules and simply taken the Pheonix Gate?
Greg responds...
He couldn't. It's not just a rule. It's Oberon's Law.
Todd Jensen writes...
How did the Banshee get around Oberon's non-intervention edict when she kidnapped Goliath, Elisa, and Angela, and took them to Cairn na Culainn for interrogation?
Greg responds...
Her excuse was she thought they were agents of Oberon. The scent of Avalon was upon them, so she thought she wasn't interfering with mortals. Just with Oberon. Of course, she did this at her own peril. But there was nothing magical preventing her from doing it.
LSZ writes...
Are there any planets in the Gargoyles universe which totally lack native magic sources?
Greg responds...
In an infinite universe there are infinite possibilities.
Brian writes...
You've said that the reason the gargoyles turned to stone under the magus's spell is because it put them to sleep, and that's how gargoyles sleep. But what about una's spell in MIA?
Greg responds...
That wasn't a sleep spell. It was a lose consciousness spell. There's a difference.
LSZ writes...
Just what is magic in the Gargoyles Universe? How can it be described as a natural force?
Greg responds...
It's an energy that can be harnessed in numerous ways.
Todd Jensen writes...
I recently rewatched my tape of "Eye of the Beholder", and thought that I'd ask you a question concerning it. In the course of the series, three successive characters, Fox, the Archmage, and Goliath, all wear the Eye and are all transformed by it. When the Archmage and Goliath wear the Eye, the transformation is immediate (for the Archmage, a "super-sorcerer" and for Goliath, an "Odinized gargoyle"), and stays that way until the Eye is removed. Fox, however, didn't immediately turn into a "werefox" when she wore the Eye, but shifted back and forth from one form to the other, being sometimes human, sometimes "werefox". Why did Fox's transformation by the Eye follow a different pattern than that of the Archmage and Goliath?
Greg responds...
Awareness and need and desire.
LSZ writes...
1) Do fae grow weaker magically as they grow older?
2) Is there any limit to how powerful a fae can grow unaided by any magical artefacts?
3) How seriously can fae be hurt by human magic?
4) If gargoyles could develop their own sorcery, would the magic they utilise be identical to human magic?
5) Did the Zeroth/Lost Race use magic?
6) Do the New Olympians use magic these days?
Greg responds...
1. Generally, no.
2. Probably.
3. Seriously.
4. Identical? Garg sorcery + human sorcery = mortal sorcery.
5. Zeroth? Who's that?
6. Rarely.
Wing writes...
Hi Mr.Weisman or Erin or Benny,
Is Goliath immune from spells affecting his actions? In Temptations he was cured by Elisa from Demona's controlling spell. "I want you to act from now on as if you were never under a spell" Does this not mean his actions can not be altered by magic? In Future Tense this holds true. Only the setting was magic, his response to them was not. His action to not give Puck the Gate was not influenced by magic because by law Puck wasn't supposed to, but then, He tried to control Goliath's actions with magic(by assuming Elisa's form and the whole FT situation). I can think of an exeption-when he was wearing Odin's eye. But his nature was amplified there, not altered. Any Insights? Thanks to the Weisman (mostly you, Greg) family for answering our questions. When is your wife going to join in on the fun?
Greg responds...
Maybe.
And my wife put her foot in the water at G2K.
Aaron writes...
You've probably answered this, but I was reading your mirror memo, and I remembered the bit where Puck says, "Does this look like Aladdin's lamp? I have limits."
Does that imply that:
1. Aladdin's lamp exists in the Gargoyles universe.
2. It *does* have enough power to wipe out all the humans on earth.
Greg responds...
1. Probably. But it was mostly a Disney in-joke.
2. Uh... Hmm... Well....
LSZ (repost by Aris) writes...
If Jackal/Anubis had succeeded in 'bringing the gift of death to the world', how would the powers of death affected Macbeth and Demona? Could it cancel out their immortality spell? In short, which is greater, the power of an immortality spell cast by the Weird Sisters, or the power of a Death God like Anubis?
Greg responds...
More hypothetical/quantifying questions from LSZ.
I feel guilty because you're sincerity shines through in the questions you ask. Unfortunately, my mind just doesn't work that way.
To me, these things aren't quantifiable. They aren't cut and dry. There are a myriad of situational answers that your hypothetical doesn't address. Sorry.
Tana (repost by Aris) writes...
Greg,
Read your "Temptation" Ramble, and there were a few things that I would love to point out about that episode.
First off: I loved the leather jacket and HOW brooklyn folded his wings under his arms. He really did look good in that episode. ^_^
Second: The bike. It was a cool bike! BUT, the bikers when they see it say: "Cool Hog." Now, okay people who don't know much about motorcycles would refer to any bike as a hog, but these Biker's would know better. A Hog is a Harley Davidson...and Lex's creation looked nothing like a Harley. I dunno if that was you, or somebody else. But oh well, it was still a cool bike.
Third: The spell. Now Elisa says: "I want you to act, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, as if you weren't under a spell." Wouldn't that in sense nullify some future spells on the big guy? I mean sure, Puck's spell worked well, cause he still ACTED like he wasn't under a spell. Were you maybe planning on keeping with this for future continuity?
oh, and I LOVE your little analizations (sp?) of the episodes. It really lets us get more into your head, and into the world of the Gargoyles.
Greg responds...
The 'hog' reference was ultimately my responsibility. (Obviously, I know next to nothing about motorcycles.) Though Michael and Brynne Reaves (the story editor and writer) can share some of the blame.
As for the spell, it would have to be a case-by-case thing. But most spells would not be affected.
Nemi writes...
On to the serious stuff! All have to do with Iron and the Avalon
The Human body, Earth, and all other natural organisims can cleanse themselves.
Avalon is natural, if magical.
We know that Avalon's magic can effect Iron, it's just the fey in that respect.
But if Iron was dumped into Avalon and the fey couldn't remove it, could Avalon itself process the iron out of it's system?
Would Avalon remove it in the first place since suposedly it does no harm?
How long would this take?
Greg responds...
If Iron was dumped there?
First answer my question. What if it wasn't?
Isaac Kelley writes...
Alright, in Hunters Moon, my personal favorite episode, Demona almost unleashed a magical disease that would have killed all sentience. Gargoyles would be immune to it's effects thanks to the Praying Gargoyle.
Now we all know Goliath smashed the statue and saved the world. But what if this was not the case...
1. All humans would have died. Macbeth is obviously human. Would this not have qualified as death at Demona's hands, thus killing Demona (oops)?
2. If not, would she fall prey to it when she turned into human form? How would this work?
3. Would this spread to Avalon and/or the isle of the New Olympians?
4. How would it affect... Oberon's Children?
5. ...New Olympians?
6. ...Gargoyle clones?
7. Any other effects?
Thanks for your time. Love your rambles, by the way, look forward to next season's rambles.
Greg responds...
More hypothetical questions... YAY!
1. I've answered this many times before. Try looking through the Demona or Macbeth archives. Briefly, it would depend on Demona's intent.
2. I'm sure she thought she was safe.
3. No reason why it wouldn't spread to New Olympus. No reason why it would spread to Avalon.
4. Potentially not at all.
5. Kill most of them probably.
6. Not at all.
7. Anyone who asks hypothetical questions based on untread pathes would die. :)
Chapter XVIII: "The Mirror"
Story Editor: Brynne Chandler Reaves
Writer: Lydia C. Marano
Arguably the best single episode of the series. The animation is fluid, dynamic and very strong. The writing is sharp, even quite funny over and over. And yet, dramatically the story is still potent. It really advances the Goliath & Elisa romance arc. Changes Demona permanently. And introduces Puck -- and by extension, the entire third race: The Children of Oberon. All in a mere 22 minutes.
It's also very gratifying for me. A bit of a vindication. As you may have seen from the memos I wrote to Brynne & Lydia, there was some considerable resistance to the notion that none of the characters would notice their own personal change from one species to another. Most of my collaborators thought the idea was way too complicated to pull off. I argued that it might seem complex, but in fact it would play cleaner on screen -- and funnier and more directly to theme. In my mind, another title for this episode could have been -- had we already not been using it for our Werefox episode -- "Eye of the Beholder", because all the transformed characters really noticed was when someone else was "OTHER". Being a monster or being "normal" was based on their point of view, not any objective look in the mirror. [As it is, the title is the kind I like. Simple, objective and yet metaphoric. At one point, it was titled: "Mirror, Mirror". But we simplified it even more.]
But anyway, when the human Brooklyn, Lex and Broadway are confronted by "Gargoyles", the scene is an intentional mirror of the scene from AWAKENING, PART ONE where Brooklyn says, "If they think we're beasts and monsters..." Again, this is playing with the idea of "beasts and monsters" being merely in the eye of the beholder. The species have reversed, but the situation is exactly the same simply because the Trio remain in the minority. I suppose that's one thing that X-Men's mutants have in common with the Gargs. Both are a metaphor for being part of a minority. Feared almost automatically.
On the other hand, when Elisa is transformed, she believes that Goliath & Co. have been transformed into something like her. I think her immediate reaction is very telling about how she ALREADY felt about Goliath at that point. She's thrilled. She throws her arms about him. Now they're the same species. There's no impediment to their love. What's interesting is that if you stopped and asked Elisa under normal circumstances whether she would wish for Goliath to be transformed into a human, the answer would most certainly be "No." She knows that being a Gargoyle is fundamental to who he is. You can't change that without changing him -- and yet in that instant, in that unguarded moment, her desire to be with him overwhelms that rational knowledge. She's just happy.
At the museum, Elisa looks at herself in the mirror. She then moves, but the reflection holds. That was the idea of one of our board artists. A little clue that the mirror is magic. (It's not an animation error.)
Family Reactions #1
During that museum chase, my wife wanted to know why no alarms were going off. I figure Demona or the thieves just shut them off.
Erin didn't realize that that was Elisa dressed as a security guard at first. We were trying to withhold that information for a bit.
"Titania's Mirror", "The Children of Oberon", "Oberon sent me." We were laying groundwork to expand the entire series' base. But I don't know if back then I knew that much about what if anything I had planned specifically for Titania & Oberon.
Anymore than I knew then what I'd do with the "Dracula's Daughter" reference. But we try not to waste anything.
Coming up with that "Children of Oberon" name was a struggle. And so many people have asked me since whether or not Oberon is literally everyone's father, I almost regret landing on that choice. Our thought process is largely present in the episode when Goliath et al, go through various noms: Fair Folk, Dark Elves, Changelings, Shape-Shifters. Of course, at the time we were misusing the term Changeling. I think that was Odo's influence frankly, but I should have known better. I suggested "The Oberati". But the Reaves didn't care for that. I think they thought it sounded too much like an Italian sports car.
I do love the moment when Brooklyn cites Shakespeare's play as a sort of reference work on the Children. I hope we sent a few people to the library with that line. Did we?
I also love Hudson's line in response to Elisa's question: Are they real?
Hudson: "As real as I am, if the stories be true." It's full of delicious dramatic irony. If you can suspend belief on a bunch of gargoyles, then this shouldn't be a problem for you. I love things that work on multiple levels.
I also love Hudson's "Be careful what you wish for" line.
We were trying to show a bit here how Demona had managed to operate in the modern world up to this point. One of the thieves has clearly worked for Demona before without ever having laid eyes on her. Of course, showing Demona's M.O. here, was like giving it a swan song. Because after this episode, though she clearly doesn't realize it yet, her life is going to get MUCH easier. Being a human during the day is a great boon to all her scheming. I'm very curious about everyone's reaction to that? Shock? Amusement? I also tried to work very hard so that in that last two minutes of epilogue, everyone would get that she only was human during the day. I was very afraid that the audience would think she was permanently transformed into a human. Was anyone confused? Or was anyone surprised that Puck's revenge/gift STUCK? We wouldn't really explore the change until HIGH NOON. Had you forgotten about it by then?
Family Reactions #2
As Demona's casting the spell that will summon Puck. (Which I always thought was very cool, with the feather and all.)
Benny: "That's a magic mirror. Is Demona going in there?"
Erin: "Puck's gonna come out."
As I've mentioned before, during the writing of this story we figured out that Owen was Puck. So to play fair we dropped a hint here. Demona (who knows) says to Puck: "You serve the human. You can serve me." Puck changes the subject, replying "Humans [note the plural] have a sense of humor, you have none." This was done intentionally to distract the audience away from the hint we had just dropped. But obviously, in hindsight, it's a clear reference to Owen serving Xanatos. Anyone get it right off the bat? Anyone even take note of the line the first time? Originally, the line read, "You serve him, now you can serve me." With the "him" referring to Xanatos. But our S&P executive was afraid the "him" could be taken to mean Satan. I know that seems silly now. But keep in mind, we were very paranoid back then about the show being attacked for promoting devil worship. So we made the change.
Sensitive Broadway: "Maybe even love." It's a nice moment. Wistful.
Puck reminds Demona that the mirror isn't "Aladdin's lamp". At the time, the Aladdin series was still in production at Disney. So that's a bit of an in-joke.
And how about that: Demona is still carrying a torch for Goliath. On some level, she wants him more than almost anything. Yet she continually allows her hatred to get in the way. And the irony is, that at this point, pre-Vows it isn't yet too late for them. But her actions further serve to cement the Goliath/Elisa relationship. More now than ever before.
Puck/Brent Spiner is just fantastic. I love that "charming personality" line. And "You don't know what you're asking, believe me." And "I'll do EXACTLY as you asked." And "My mistake." And "A very long nap." He's just so rich.
Plus the boarding and animation on Puck is just great. As is the sound work that accompanies him zipping around.
I always wanted Puck to be the one character who could break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience. Every time he appeared, we'd put a line or two in the script that was addressed to the audience. And every time, Frank or Dennis Woodyard would cut it out of the board. They didn't like breaking the fourth wall. (A lot of guys don't. I tried to do that with Max on Max Steel, but Richard Raynis and Jeff Kline wouldn't allow that either.) Oh, well....
Puck also establishes that Oberon's Children generally use rhyming spells instead of Latin or Hebrew or whatever. (Thus making life slightly -- but ONLY slightly -- easier on me and the writers.) But Puck isn't too formal: "Human's love a battle hearty, so does Puck, come on, let's Party!" Fun. (And I like Brooklyn's line, "Party's over." too.)
Family Reactions #3
When Elisa's transformed into a gargoyle.
Erin: "She looks cute." [I very much agree. Though I always wonder where her red jacket goes.]
Ben then asked why she was transformed.
Beth explained that Demona didn't want Elisa to be human anymore.
Erin then corrects my wife and explains that Puck is tricking Demona.
KIDS GET IT! Adults need to pay closer attention!
Goliath suddenly has lust in his heart:
G: "I never realized when you were human just how beautiful you were."
E (with a smile): "You mean you thought I was ugly?"
G: "Uh... careful! Updraft!!"
Man, that guy is smooth.
Anyway, that's one of my all-time favorite exchanges. I think it reveals so much. Somewhere underneath, Goliath has been attracted to who Elisa IS deep-down -- at least since AWAKENING, PART THREE. But he never thought of her as a potential love interest. He wasn't brought up liberally enough to think that way. After all, she has no wings, no tail. And those human shaped feet!
But suddenly, she's revealed as a FEMALE. Now, even when she goes back to being human, his perspective is permanently altered. Hers, however, is not. She's already consciously had those thoughts. Consciously rejected them. So at the end of the episode, he wants to discuss these (for him) new feelings -- but she does not. And the sun helps shut him up.
G: "That's not what I meant."
E: "But that's the way it is."
Another of my all-time favorite exchanges. (I'm really partial to things involving the G/E relationship. I know, I know, I'm a romantic sap.]
I also like the ongoing confusion. Elisa: "Everyone in Manhattan has been turned into... HUMANS!" Goliath: "No, no, no, no, no." And when the Gargoyles are changed into humans, Brooklyn is so sure that they've always been humans, it's funny. Like that moment in CITY OF STONE, when he's convinced that the "statue of Elisa" is a bad likeness of her: "They got the nose wrong."
FYI, there was an honest attempt, within the logical parameters of what our gargs looked like, to make their human versions resemble the actors who played them. Thus Goliath has darker skin than the others, because Keith David is African-American. (Though otherwise Goliath really looks like Conan to me.) The bald Lex has brown hair and the bald Broadway has blond like Thom Adcox and Bill Fagerbakke respectively. Brooklyn resembles Jeff Bennett but with Brooklyn's white hair instead of Jeff's blond. And Hudson looks like Ed Asner with a beard. More or less. Thom Adcox is the one who most looked like the human version of his character.
Cool little touches:
Demona nudges an unconscious Puck with her tail.
She continues to call Hudson, "Old Soldier". Her tenth century "name" for him.
Her line about the "gift of being a gargoyle". I love that superior attitude.
Lexington's "Fun, but weird" line.
Hudson wrapping the sheet over the mirror.
Elisa and Demona have a brief "cat-fight" as Gargoyles. Not quite as diverting as the one they'll have as humans in High Noon. But it was nice to put them on equal physical footing for a change. Let them have it out.
Demona mentions that Puck isn't too tired to make himself "invisible to the crowd". This was us trying to plug a hole in our story. We felt it would undercut the mob's reactions to our newly human heroes if they had the same reaction to seeing Puck. And yet Puck clearly looks more human than Gargoyle. More "other". So we slid that line in to avoid the whole problem.
FAMILY REACTION #4
Beth laughed at Hudson's very Scots reading of "No doubt about it." Which is pronounced more like: "No doot aboot it."
More sappy stuff (which I love):
Goliath's line: "I'll always be there to catch you."
Elisa completely forgetting her fear of flying in order to save the MAN she loves.
That brief moment when both Elisa and Goliath are humans at the same time.
Hudson's wistful line about seeing the sun, just once.
Although it had little to do with the metaphor, we couldn't really resist the notion of showing Bronx transformed into a dog. We picked the biggest dog we could think of, a Wolfhound type, though a bulldog might have been more reminiscent.
In the script, Demona smashes the mirror upon seeing her human reflection in the glass. But somehow the scene never got animated. So we added the sound of the mirror being smashed to the exterior shot at the end. This was important in order to give the story full closure. The initial point of the episode was to prevent Demona from getting Titania's Mirror. Structurally, therefore, I couldn't allow her to keep it.
But no fear, later we introduced Oberon's Mirror (clearly part of a matching set) in THE GATHERING, PART ONE.
I wonder what all those Manhattanites thought when suddenly they realized they were all barefoot.
: « First : « 50 : Displaying #124 - #173 of 237 records. : 50 » : Last » :