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julio writes...
GREG THE SLAVE SPELL THAT DEMONA DID ON GOLIATH IT WONT WORK ANY MORE RIGHT BECAUSE DEMONA SAID IT WAS NOT FOREVER SO IT MUST BE OVER RIGHT
Greg responds...
Demona said it was not forever? When?
As far as I know, it doesn't work because, (a) Elisa commanded Goliath to not let it work and (b) the page that was used to control Goliath was destroyed so that no one could countermand Elisa's command. Technically, I believe the spell is still in force.
Dani writes...
Hello Greg
1) The eye of Odin awake the possessor's hidden personality?
2) Does Goliath when putting on it become an abatar, but that it would pass Lexinton, Broadway, Hudson or Brooklin if they put it to him? Would it pass them the same thing or another thing?
Please give me your opinion Greg.
I hope you understand me because my English is not very perfect because I am Spanish.
Thank you for your attention.
Greg responds...
1. It emphasizes it, brings it to the surface, etc.
2. I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what you are trying to ask. Are you asking if the others would manifest the exact same thing as Goliath did? If so, the answer is no. Everyone is unique.
Arystella writes...
Do you happen to know the spell that Demona cast in Hunter's Moon? If not, and you all didn't make one up, well, I and a whole lot of other gargoyles and Gargoyle fans would love it if you could.
Thanks :-)
Greg responds...
I don't think we bothered researching any more Latin then we absolutely needed to. (And it seems we didn't do a great job on the Latin we did research.)
Be my guest.
Todd Jensen writes...
This is, admittedly, a slightly silly question, but - does the humility spell that the Roman Magus put on the gargoyle race apply to gargoyle beasts as well, or exclusively to gargoyles? (Admittedly, it's likely to be a moot question, since I've never seen any sign of gargoyle beasts wearing clothes - and I certainly wouldn't advise trying to dress up Bronx in anything).
Greg responds...
Hmmm...
I guess it might apply to a collar or even a leash, but that would have to come from a beast who really liked his collar.
Lauryl writes...
What's the incantation for the Phoenix Gate? Thank you.
Greg responds...
Deslagrate muri tempi et intervalia.
The above is from memory. But I think it's right, i.e. what we used on the show. I've been told that the Latin is wrong, however. <shrugs>
Rick Maloney writes...
How can Thailog and the Clones be cured of the clone virus when they're solid stone, and incapable of intraveneous injection? If science is a kind of magic, as Titania mentions in 'The Gathering' two-parter, no mage could meddle with it.
Greg responds...
Well...
1. Don't take what Titania said too literally. She was making an analogy, not writing a treatise.
2. Keep in mind, you're talking Goliath Chronicles.
Vanity writes...
William Cain writes...
In the episode "Temptation", Goliath is placed under the a spell that makes him a slave to whom
Ever holds the Grimorum. OK. (A few point then my question and hopefully an answer.)
Point 1.The confines of the spell were that he would obey whoever held the book.
Point 2. In order to free Goliath from the zombie like state Elisa told him to act as is he was not placed under the magic spell.
Point 3. Demona took the actual counter spell.
I just don't feel that her having him act normal would cancel the effects of the magic as for him running around like a zombie yes but not the magic control its self but… I will leave that to you.
My question is if Demona was to take the book again could she take control over Goliath once more or are the effects of the spell no more?
Thank you for your Time
William Cain
Greg responds...
Here are my points:
1. Whoever held the spell. Not the book. At the end, Elisa was holding the spell.
2. Demona did not have the counterspell. She took other spells, like the one to summon Puck.
3. After Elisa issued her command, I'm betting they destroyed the spell. But who knows? (Well, I do. But I'm not telling.)
recorded on 08-30-01
Okay here is my thoughts,
How is a spell a tangible anything? How can you hold a spell?
-a spell is- a spoken word or form of words held or entrusted to have magic powers : The book or page that a spell is written on, isn't it just that a book or a page that has a spell written on it? What makes the paper or the book special? Couldn't any book or paper with a spell written on it be somehow endowed with the ability to flow with magic?
If Demona knows word for word the spell and wrote it on a legal pad (just as a reminder) couldn't she read it and being that she can channel magic be able to cast that spell?
Elisa holding the page to break the spell was quite a strectch of reason for me. Even though magic is quite illogical in the nature of itself. Gargoyles handled magic quite realistically. You said that you knew but wouldn't tell if the spell was broken but you revealed you think that most likely it would be. I do not see how the spell would be broken. He is still under the spell. But the spell is masked by itself acting as if it wasn't controlling him, allowing him to controll himself. Yet if Demona were to grab that spell and commanded the spell to stop masking itself, by the terms of the spell it should have to comply. It only makes sense.
Greg responds...
The piece of paper with the spell on it. The Page. Not the book. That's the point, I was making as I believe you understand. And what makes that page special is the terms of the (verbal) spell itself. The spell (verbal) wanted to give the spell-caster a means of holding and/or transferring control of the slave. By giving that control to the person who held the document, the spell defined its own terms.
And no, I never said that the spell was broken or at least never meant to. I was referring to the page. And whether or not that page was destroyed, i.e. whether or not this paper control device could fall into the wrong hands, so to speak.
Finally, as I've noted before. You cannot simply read a spell and do magic. Becoming a spell caster takes years of practice. It's not just the words. It's about conduits and hand motions and control of emotion and thought and concentration. The caster is manipulating energies. The words are only a piece of the puzzle. Can't do the spell without them. But having the words on a legal pad isn't sufficient.
Elisa cannot do mortal magic. Neither can Goliath or Xanatos or even Owen when he's Owen. No training.
Aaron writes...
If Oberon were to be killed, or even removed from rulership of Avalon, would the third race be freed from his Law, or not? (I know this seems like a "duh" question, but I thought I'd ask and be sure)
Greg responds...
It depends on who takes over.
Cha-cha writes...
1.Who created the Pray Gargoyle?
2.Were they human or gargoyle?
3.What was it's original purpose?
Greg responds...
1. The Atlanteans.
2. Human, largely.
3. To protect their allies, the Gargoyles.
dan writes...
hey greg,
since halloween is coming soon, i've decided to make a grimorum for my costume and put some of the spells in it. But besides that, i'm curios. were and how exactly did you come up with the latin spells and poems? did you bring a latin team in to make all the spells? Who thought up the poems? Did they actually get some of the latin spells actually from old spell books that you might have heard about?
Greg responds...
It's been a long time, and I know I've answered this question before, so you may want to check the archives for a response that was made when events were fresher in my memory.
But briefly -- no, of course, we didn't take the spells from real spell books. We made up the spells in English and then my story editors went to various sources for a translation. From what I've been told since, our sources were not that great, and there are mistakes in the Latin for almost every spell ripped from the Grimorum. Deslagrate for Deflagrate, I think was one example of an error.
(As far as I know, the Hebrew spells from "GOLEM" were correct. Not in a magic sense, but in a translation sense. Hebrew, being an ancient but still living language, was easier going for an accurate translation.)
We had better luck with the spells of the Children of Oberon, which could be in English, as long as they rhymed. Some of the rhymes are pathetic -- but even that adds to the fun, I think. As for who came up with them, it was either the writer on the individual episode, the story editor or me. (Or some combination.)
Speaking of magic spells, let me cast one on all of you...
HUMANS LOVE A CONVENTION HEARTY!
SO ASK GREG! COME ON LET'S PARTY!!!
That's right, we're bearing down on the Seventh Annual Gathering of the Gargoyles. This year's convention dedicated to the GARGOYLES series is taking place where it all began -- in MANHATTAN -- home of Goliath's Clan. The con staff is planning a fantastic event... and announced guests include Thom Adcox, the voice of Lexington, Character Designer Greg Guler and yours truly.
If you've been to the Gathering before, you know just what a blast it can be. And if you've never been -- here's your shot. I've mentioned this before, but if you'd like to see Gargoyles return in some way, shape or form, the single best thing you can do is to attend this con. Tell your friends. Bring your family. Come to Manhattan and glide along with us...
Check out the info at
http://gathering.gargoyles-fans.org
Register NOW!!
Galvatron writes...
1.Just curious how can the Stone of Destiny talk? Can we assume that the stone couldn't talk? If so then who gave it the ability to talk?
2. Who gave it its other abilities including the ability to teleport people?
Greg responds...
1 & 2. You heard it talk, so it's a safe assumption it was talking. Beyond that, I'd rather not say. You're assumption that someone else gave it the power of speech, etc. is not a safe one, though I'm not saying it's innacurate.
Galvatron writes...
Happy New Year
Magic questions
1.Can Golem, Talos, Coyote or the other science/magical based AI in the Gargoyles Universe use the Phoenix Gate, Eye of Odin or Grimorum?
2.What about Cagney or the Loch Ness monsters? Does the Eye of Odin work on them?
3.In one of your old posts you said there was a kind of magic called telikinetics so what is it?
Greg responds...
1. Theoretically.
2. Potentially.
3. Are you asking me to define telekinesis?
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.
Galvatron writes...
1.You've said that there was someone prior to the archmage who joined together the grimorum, phoenix gate and eye of odin so when did this happen?
2.How did he integrate the grimorum into it? I know he didn't swallow it.
3.What did he do with the power?
Greg responds...
1. Not saying.
2. That was only necessary for our Archmage because he was entering Avalon.
3. Entertaining stuff, I tell you.
Entity writes...
Hi Greg,
1. Where do you suppose Macbeth acquired the Will-O-The-Wisp he used in "Pendragon"? b. Had he had it in his possession for long?
2. Are they still around in some abundancy, or was the one Macbeth had a definite rarity?
3. They don't seem to be sentient, but they do as they are instructed, and possess sensory abilities, right? Do they possess cognitive abilities as well?
4. Where did the Will-O-The-Wisp evolve from, Earth or Avalon (acknowledging that the two are linked)?
5. If the answer to No. 4 is Earth, what caused the Third Race to assume Avalon? b. If the answer to No. 4 is Avalon, were the Will-O-The-Wisps able to then go in between Avalon and Earth?
6. Did the Will-O-The-Wisps possess any kind of community?
7. We know the Third Race is the youngest, but what about the Will-O-The-Wisps? Do they predate gargoyles?
Thank ya.
Greg responds...
1. There's a story in that, I'm sure.
2. Relatively rare. But not unique.
3. Everything's relative, right?
4. Probably Avalon. (But I think you have some prepostion confusion in there.
5. Yes, clearly. Since the only one you ever saw wasn't on Avalon.
6. You need to view them as the magical equivalents of what humans call animals (when they aren't including themselves). In that context, many animal species have communities of a sort.
7. Maybe. Probably. Haven't thought about it.
matt's boyfriend writes...
Why didn't Alisa ever get to learn any magic? or any of the gargoyles?
*matt adds that its Elisa, not Alisa*
Greg responds...
No aptitude. Not their style. Not that easy. Etc.
Anonymous writes...
Is the Holy Grail powered by fay magic? If not what?
Greg responds...
Two AA's.
Gipdac writes...
What does Grimorum Arcanorum mean?
Greg responds...
"Magic Book", I believe.
Gipdac writes...
You said that the Grimorum was brought from 995 to the 1970s by Brooklyn, Mary and Finella, and we already know the Phoenix Gate spent a thousand yeas, half with Goliath and half with Demona, but were you ever going to show the history of the Eye of Odin?
Care to give a brief synopsis of the history of the Eye?
Greg responds...
No. Check Norse mythology for its early history. But it's more fun and practical to chart these things in stories than just to write them out here.
Anonymous writes...
Who made the praying gargoyle?
Greg responds...
If you come to G2002, you'll find out.
Anonymous writes...
Why doesn't Nokkar's people know of magic? I mean humans who are probably a younger race than the N'kai figured it out why can't the N'kai?
Greg responds...
Define "know of". Define "figured it out".
Anonymous writes...
Could a regular human wizard with no magical augmentation cast a lightning spell or fireball spell without a conduit?
Greg responds...
Potentially. Especially if that's the ONE spell they've REALLY, REALLY studied. But it would be more difficult and also limit their ability to do anything else.
Demoness writes...
In "Future Tense" at the end of the illusion Elisa yells "No, not now!" and the illusion disappears and she becomes Puck. So my question is:
1. What was Puck referring to when he said that?
b. Was it Oberon's Law because Goliath realized that what he was experiancing was an illusion and the law dictates that Oberon's Children can not interfer in mortal lives and thus so forced the illusion to end?
c. Or was it another law that has to do with mortals willingly handing over talismens to Oberon's Children, kinda saying that if your intentions are discovered the game ends?
Greg responds...
1. That Goliath had figured him out when he was so close.
b. More or less.
c. More or less.
Demoness writes...
~Avalon's Magic"
We see in the episode "Avalon Pt3" the Magus uses Avalon's magic to transform the Iron Knights into iron chains. We also know that the Fae can tap into Avalon's magic too and we also know that Avalon's magic can effect iron. So this is my question.
1. Can the Fae use Avalon's magic to effect iron too like the Magus can?
2. If the answer is no. Why can't they?
Greg responds...
1. No.
2. The Magus was a mortal conduit for the magic. It's one of the reasons that what he did killed him. He was adapting the island's magic to something it was not supposed to do.
matt writes...
i just watched "Awakening 1 and 2" and wow, i love these eps, particularly "Awakening 1" its beautiful!
anyway, i was wondering some things about the sleep spell:
1. would the sleep spell work on a human? could a human be put to sleep for a thousand years?
2. what is the spell's peculiar attachment with the castle? the spell says "until the castle rises above the clouds", but what if the Magus tried this spell on some rogue gargoyles? would they still sleep til Castle Wyvern rose above the clouds? what if the gargs live in another sort of structure, like the Mayan Pyramid? would the spell still work? i just don't quite understand the spells need for a link to the castle. could Magus have changed the spell to say "sleep until the sky burns or whatever"?
3. was the sleep spell in the Grimorum when Magus first acquiered it? was that spell in the Grimorum there when the Archmage first acquiered it?
i guess the Grimorum being transported through time by the Phoinex gate over 900 years really helped it to be presearved, eh?
Greg responds...
1. The spell would work on humans. But we age while we sleep. So we'd die long before the castle rose above the clouds.
2. Open ended spells require more power, more energy. Setting a limit (no matter how unreasonable the limit may seem) makes casting the spell easier. Certain spells were written or adapted to certain limits. The Magus may also have adapted the spell to his needs. But basically, it was the equivalent of "til Kingdom come".
3. I imagine so.
Didn't hurt.
Anonymous writes...
1 How was demona's virus destroyed? Who destroyed it?
and what Happened to:
2 the medishi tablet
3 the praying gargoyle fragments
Greg responds...
1. Don't know and don't much care. After the Hunter's Moon, the virus was largely harmless. Destroying it wasn't difficult. It could be poured down the drain.
2. Not saying.
3. Definitely not saying. ;)
zakhur writes...
Was the archemage influenced by someone, apart from his future self, to take the three talismans and his plans to take over avalon and the world? sorry if this is a weird question, but I was wondering about that for a long time
Greg responds...
He had wanted the three items of power for some time because he had read about their joint use before.
The Avalon take-over seemed the idea of his future self. But of course that future self only learned it from his future self. So one might ask, who came up with the actual idea. Was it born of the time stream, whole?
Lord Sloth writes...
Heya Greg
I'm just 17, and I got the tootsie rool thing right away.
Anyway, I read some more unsatisfactory responces so I'll just restate some of them.
1)For the ill met by moonlight questons you didn't answer one cause I called Angela "Angie", But why should that keep you from answering? Anyway the question again is:
2)When Goliath, Gabreil and ANGELA fall into the water being filled with lava, why isn't it too hot to survive? If you don't know, just say so.
3)And I didn't understand your answer about Oberon giving Goliath immunity to his magic. Didn't he take that away in the Gathering, or does he just temporarily set it aside when it suits him? b) Is Goliath and clan immune to his arts by the end of the Gathering?
thank you.
P.S.and, you right. I have a very dirty mind, so I'll just imagine Brooklen says what I want him to.
Greg responds...
1. Sloth. Let's start by saying I don't actually owe you an answer to anything. If I'm not in the mood, I may just try to be funny. I may fail. But I could use a bit less 'tude, dude.
2. Like here, for example.
3. He never took the immunity away, he just interpreted the edict. He never uses his magic DIRECTLY against Goliath or the clan.
b. Depends on who's doing the defining. Since it's Oberon, he was, is and will always be immune.
P.S. I've forgotten what this refers too, but maybe that's just as well.
Gabriel writes...
In your latest Random Stuff, you said you thought Michael Reeves' thing about Demona casting a spell on the gargoyles the night before they woke up would make them switch to modern English...that doesn't work:
They were speaking and reading modern English syntaxicly (is that a word, syntatically) and verbally in the 10th century when they should have been speaking and reading Middle English. The familiar form of you (thou) wansn't even close to being uttered.
However, it could just be that "Awakenings" was just made into modern English so we could understand it; sort of like if an American wrote a novel about Russians, the characters' dialogue would be in English, but we're just supposed to know that it is really Russian. Get it? Is that what we were supposd to assume what was going on?
I just had trouble accepting the rambling as a concrete reason behind the Gargoyles' language.
Greg responds...
If you buy into Michael's explanation, then yes, I think you have to assume that the tenth century sections were translations for the viewers' benefit. I haven't STUDIED Michael's idea or thought about it's ramifications. So I'm not saying that the idea is canon (there's that word again) in my head yet. But I think it has promise.
As I've mentioned before, originally it was a cheat that we thought we could live with artistically.
Anonymous writes...
1a.In some cultures knowing the name of a person gives you power over it so is this true in the gargoyles universe?
1b.If so is that why the Archmage and Magus are called by their titles because of their names?
Greg responds...
1. It can be true. It certainly can't hurt.
b. Perhaps... ;)
Lord Sloth writes...
1)So could the Magus cast any spell he had memorised ealier without the help of the Grimorum or Avalon? The way I understood it, he needed a conduit to cast any spell.
2)So then why didn't Tom or Goliath do it without a conduit?
Greg responds...
1. A conduit helps. Also certain spells are designed intentionally to be more difficult then others. More difficult to do, and more difficult to remember.
2. Tom and Goliath aren't sorcerers. But memorizing one incantation and using it over and over again isn't too hard. Jumping back and forth between multiple complex spells is a much different thing.
William Cain writes...
In the episode "Temptation", Goliath is placed under the a spell that makes him a slave to whom
Ever holds the Grimorum. OK. (A few point then my question and hopefully an answer.)
Point 1.The confines of the spell were that he would obey whoever held the book.
Point 2. In order to free Goliath from the zombie like state Elisa told him to act as is he was not placed under the magic spell.
Point 3. Demona took the actual counter spell.
I just don't feel that her having him act normal would cancel the effects of the magic as for him running around like a zombie yes but not the magic control its self but… I will leave that to you.
My question is if Demona was to take the book again could she take control over Goliath once more or are the effects of the spell no more?
Thank you for your Time
William Cain
Greg responds...
Here are my points:
1. Whoever held the spell. Not the book. At the end, Elisa was holding the spell.
2. Demona did not have the counterspell. She took other spells, like the one to summon Puck.
3. After Elisa issued her command, I'm betting they destroyed the spell. But who knows? (Well, I do. But I'm not telling.)
Anonymous writes...
How ofter does the London clan use magic? Are there any spellcasters besides Una? If so are they more skilled than her?
Greg responds...
I'm not going to quantify it.
And I'm not going to tie my hands one way or another on her clanmates.
hbkholic writes...
What is the famous words used to activate the Phoenix Gate?
Greg responds...
From memory, which may not be too reliable:
Desligrate muri tempe et intervalia!
JEB writes...
If the past is fixed in the Gargoyles universe, how does that affect those that can see the future? Can they change something that has yet to happen or are any efforts they make futile?
Greg responds...
Any 'sight' is generally subject to interpretation.
But who said ANYONE can see the future?
Vashkoda writes...
Puck said that he couldn't take the Phoenix Gate from Goliath--Goliath had to "fork it over". Is the same true for other Avalonian magical objects? I may be remembering this incorrectly, but didn't Odin physically attack Goliath and try to take back the Eye? And does this rule only apply to Children of Avalon? If so, it would explain why the Weird Sisters had to use Demona and MacBeth to steal the talismans for them (were you consciously doing this so as not to break the rule you would establish later about the Gate in "Future Tense"?)
Greg responds...
Odin may have been an exception, as the EYE could arguably belong to him.
But the general rule of non-interference prevented Puck or the Sisters from just magically or otherwise stealing anything themselves.
LSZ writes...
Prior to the 'arrival' of the fae as a species on the planet, did any of the earlier races use magic?
Greg responds...
Ever?
Lord Sloth writes...
Gathering questions:
1a) Why does Oberon need a tracker to find Puck(a fellow fey), when both Titanya and the Wierd Sisters were able to locate the Gargoyles in the clock tower? b)Why could Oberon sence Titanya and not Puck? c)How was Budicca able to track Owen from the Park to the castle? Had Owen been frolicking in the park earlier?
2a)Did Titanya want things to end up as they did from the begining? b) If she did, how was she sure Puck would of shown up? c) If she didn't, then should I assume she wanted Gargoyles to help take the baby, and it wasn't reverse pyicoligy?
3)Why were nither Rinard, Vogel, nor the Gargoyle's put to sleep? Am I right in thinking Titanya protected them?
4)How did Rinard know about the danger? Did Xanatos or Titanya ask him for help?
5a) Why would the people of manhaten, think this was all a midsummer night's dream, with all the car crashes, injuries and, probably, deaths that occured? b) Would not all that damage break the non-interferance law?
Good luck with these, for all our sakes.
Greg responds...
1a. He was in the mood. Besides, Puck is better at hiding.
1b. Puck is not his wife/soulmate.
1c. It's a magic flute, man. Just flow with it!
2a. So she says.
2b. Intuition?
2c. I'm not going to interpret it for you.
3. Renard and Vogel were not in Manhattan when the spell was first cast. Also they had an energy field around the bridge.
4. Yes. Xanatos informed him.
5a. That's Oberon's interpretation.
5b. From his point of view, he didn't cause the damage. He was merely taking the mortals out of a conflict that would have interfered with their lives. The damage was a minor repercussion.
Sloth writes...
Why is it that the Magus, whose trained all of his life for using magic, could not cast spells without the grimorim (except for tapping it from Avolon), while Tom (and I assume Goliath to) can easily use the incantation to get to Avolon?
Greg responds...
Memorizing one simple incantation is hard enough. The Magus was certainly capable of that.
But without the Grimorum to harness, focus and inform his efforts, managing much else was impossible.
RANDOM STUFF
Another thing I REALLY wish I had seen at the Gathering is Keith David wielding a sword and quoting from Othello.
I heard that Michael Reaves has a brilliant (because it's simple) solution for how Goliath, Hudson and the Trio could speak modern English upon waking at the castle. Demona used a spell from the Grimorum on them the night before they woke up. Perfect. They'd never even have to know that there was a change in the language. I love it. (Wish I had thought of it.)
LSZ writes...
Since you said you had plans for something as religious as Faust in the Gargoyles universe, did you have any actual solid plans for the Spear of Longinus/Destiny?
Greg responds...
Yes.
matt writes...
1. maybe it was hard to see on the show, but in "The Green" are the magic pendants themselves made out of the different stones (Sapphire, Obsidian, etc.) or are they all made out of something else? if they are made of something else, what is it?
2. you've said that the pendants will be passed down along with the name of the garg who wears it, but does the actual color of the garg matter? for instance, can only a red gargoyle wear and use Zafiro's pendant? i know it sounds stupid that the magic would only work with skin color, but i don't see any evidence why it wouldn't... afterall, Bronx is blue like Obsidiana and he was ok using the her pendant, but if he had picked up a pendant of a different color than he, would it have still worked?
3. when Jackal knocked that tree on Obsidiana and her wing was all twisted and wounded looking until she turned to stone, had he actually broken the bone in her wing? i'm aking this cuz i think its one of the only times that stone sleep cures a major physical injury in the series...
Greg responds...
1. The former. One is Sapphire. One is Jade. One is Obsidian. And one is Turquoise.
2. No, the color of the garg doesn't matter. Zafiro in the twentieth century is red. The Zafiro of the twenty-second century is blue. (At least in my head.)
3. I'd have to see it again.
matt writes...
what would happen at dawn if Demona put on a Mayan sun amulet? would she turn to a human or remain a gargoyle?
Greg responds...
I think she'd turn human. But I don't think she'd be able to nap.
Demoness writes...
1a. Do the Fae tap into Earth's Magic?
1b. If yes, lets say a Fae somehow finds himself on Mars, would he be weaker then normal or completely powerless, or not effected at all?
2. How come Oberon could throw Xanatos magically when his magic is powerless against iron? (The Gathering pt 2)
3. In your opinion, who would win in a fair battle, Q or Oberon?
4. When did the Mab/Oberon war happen? Could you please give me an estimated date like c. 1000 BC-500 BC.
Greg responds...
1a. Sometimes.
1b. I'm not big on hypotheticals.
2. He grabbed his head.
3. I have no interest in this question.
4. It is forbidden.
Oberon writes...
Are there any people in the gargoyles univers, born and raised in present day that,m for one reason or another practice magic
Greg responds...
Sure.
Anonymous writes...
Did the Medici tablet belong to the real Medici family? What did they use it for?
Who created the Praying Gargoyle? How powerful is its magic?
Greg responds...
Yes.
I'm not saying.
You'll get a clue at G2002.
Potentially, very powerful.
Vashkoda writes...
Fey magic and metals: I've noticed that most of the magical items forged by fey magic (the Eye, the Gate, and Puck's flute) are made of gold. Iron, of course, seems to have a disruptive effect on fey magic. Is there a particular reason why the fey chose to forge their talismans out of gold and not some other metal (except iron, obviously).
Greg responds...
It's shiny.
Buck writes...
At the end of "Temptation", Elisa tells (commands?) Goliath (under the spell) to always act as if he was not under a spell. I'm assuming this means for all spells and not just that particular one he was under. If this assumption is correct, how would Goliath be affected by Puck's spells in "The Mirror"? I want to say there are other times he's been under a spell, but I haven't seen too many episodes on Toon Disney yet (I just got the station) and I'm cursed with a poor memory.
Greg responds...
You're assumption is incorrect.
She didn't (couldn't) give him full magical immunity. She didn't have that kind of control. She simply ordered the slave to act FOREVER as if he wasn't one.
Anonymous writes...
How did the spear of light allow Rory to change into his Cuchulain form?
Greg responds...
The short answer is magic.
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.
Another "Mirror" Memo...
Though I think it's one of our most rewarding episodes, it was a tough one to make come together. So after I received the first draft script on "The Mirror", I sent a second memo to Brynne. Here it is, UNEDITED:
WEISMAN 11-13-94
Notes on "The Mirror" Script...
O.k. The problems here seems to be mostly my fault. I haven't been able to make clear to you guys how I want our characters to react when they've been changed. It's been clear in my head. And for me the logic flows backwards from a scene I want to see where an average-human-pedestrian-who-has-been-turned-into-a-gargoyle sees one of our transformed-into-human-heroes and screams: "Look at that monster!! It's like some kind of horrible... HUMAN!!" The key is that the bystander actually uses the word "HUMAN", and that he says it with the same kind of fear and revulsion that we would normally hear (in a more typical episode) being used for the word "GARGOYLE".
In order to get both the revulsion into the word "Human" and a strongly negative reaction to our heroes' new human appearance, the bystander needs to believe that being a gargoyle is the way it's supposed to be. Therefore when the bystander's appearance was changed his mind-set must have been changed as well.
Working backwards from that goal, how would our main characters react to being changed?
THEIR MINDSET WOULD CHANGE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THEIR APPEARANCE:
Elisa is the first to be transformed. Thus, ELISA'S REACTION to being changed into A GARGOYLE is the surprising statement:
"Goliath, You've been changed into a gargoyle!"
Reasoning: Goliath &co. were always "the other" to Elisa. But when she was transformed, her mindset changed with her appearance. So she now believes that being a gargoyle is normal. Since, Goliath &co. now look "normal" to her, she figures that they must have been magically changed from being "the other" into being "normal"--i.e. they have been transformed into gargoyles.
[I realize this seems byzantine, but ultimately it'll be the most straightforward reaction on screen, short of having everyone entirely self-aware from the moment they change, (which just isn't as much fun to me). See how it plays out in beat #11. (Also #9, 13, 14 and 21.) If you're still not clear, please don't hesitate to call me.]
TENSION
Despite absurdist moments in this story, we must keep the tension and suspense running high, throughout.
--Don't reveal Elisa's presence at the museum until last possible second. Same with Goliath.
--Don't let Gargoyle's lose track of their objective for more than a line of dialogue here or there.
--Don't let the battle meander from place to place. Keep battle and chase scenes focused and specific.
WHAT THEY'VE BEEN WISHING FOR:
DEMONA'S WISHES
1. Get rid of humans, particularly Elisa.
2. Get rid of Goliath and Co.
3. Stop turning to stone during the day.
GOLIATH & ELISA'S WISH - To be together. (Elisa is slightly more self-aware than Goliath, but neither should specifically wish in dialogue to become the race of the other. It's too on the head.)
TRIO'S WISH - To assimilate.
CLARITY IN SCRIPT
O.K. TO USE: ELISA/GARGOYLE
HUMAN/"GARGOYLES"
GOLIATH/HUMAN
HUDSON/HUMAN
BROOKLYN/HUMAN
BROADWAY/HUMAN
LEXINGTON/HUMAN
OUR HEROES
DON'T USE: HUMAN/GARGOYLES
GARGOYLES/HUMANS
TRIO/HUMANS
Even for me, these were too confusing.
In group scenes, LIST ALL CHARACTERS IF NECESSARY.
BEAT SHEET
ACT ONE
1. Museum.
--Establish two security guards - but don't reveal that one of them is Elisa (or that Goliath is there).
--Demona breaks in and takes out the first guard.
--Second guard turns out to be Elisa, ready and waiting w/Goliath.
--Establish how much Demona hates humans in general, and Elisa specifically.
--Demona never gets as far as laser-grid around mirror.
2. Chase.
--Demona Escapes.
--And while Goliath and Elisa are chasing her...
Maybe inter-cut w/...
3. Museum.
--Thieves get past laser-grid to steal mirror.
4. Ext. Demona's house.
--The two thieves deliver mirror.
5. Int. Demona's house.
--Demona summons Puck.
6. Clock tower.
--Elisa arrives. They were duped. Mirror was stolen.
--Elisa's: So how bad is this? What can D do with that mirror?
--No one knows for sure, but it leads to the discussion of Oberon's Children.
--Refer here to Midsummer Night's Dream.
--Scotsmen called them "Fair Folk".
--Vikings called them "Dark Elves".
--Shape-shifters.
--Trio: Imagine what it would be like to shape-change. Fit in anywhere.
--Hint subtly at Elisa and Goliath's desires.
7. Demona's house.
--Make sure we know Puck's name here.
--Our Demona and Puck wish scene.
--Puck uses a rhyming spell.
--Puck's arms are pinned by chains, so magic energy comes out of his eyes.
8. Clock Tower.
--Elisa: All we can do is wait til Demona makes her move.
--Elisa transforms into a gargoyle.
ACT TWO
9. Clock Tower.
--Everyone including Bronx is pretty stunned by Elisa's change.
--She seems happy though.
-- Elisa: "This is wonderful. Goliath, you've been transformed into a gargoyle!"
--Goliath: "What?!"
10. Demona's House.
--Puck tells her the deed is done.
--Demona wants to escalate. Every human in Manhattan.
--Puck again stresses difficulty of "big wishes".
--Demona yanks chain: "Answer truthfully. Can it be done?"
--Puck: Yes, but not from here.
11. Clock Tower.
--Bronx sniffs at Elisa.
--Goliath: "We've always been gargoyles. You're the one who's been changed."
--Elisa: "I've always been a gargoyle. I think I'd know it if I wasn't."
--Goliath: "How did we first meet?"
--Elisa: "I fell off a skyscraper; you glided down and caught me."
--Goliath: "If you always had wings, why would you need me to catch you."
--Elisa: "I can't glide with these."
--Goliath: "Yes, you can."
--AND OFF THEY GO.
--Hudson and Trio stare at each other for a beat and then follow.
--Bronx is left behind.
12. WORLD TRADE CENTER
--Puck and Demona materialize w/mirror.
--P: This is gonna take a while.
--He begins visually gathering magical energy. Just a little at first.
13. Flight over the city.
--Goliath NEVER LETS GO OF HER HAND, even after it's clear that she's gliding under her own "power", because she's afraid. She doesn't want to lose that contact.
--Goliath can't help staring at her: "I never realized when you were human just how beautiful you are."
--Elisa: "You mean you used to think I was ugly?"
--He doesn't have a good answer to this.
--Fortunately for him, she segues to: "This is so confusing. Have I always been able to glide like this?"
--[She's still hasn't quite grasped the situation.]
--Goliath: "No. No. Try to understand. You've been changed into a gargoyle. Follow me, I'll show you."
--They glides in low over the streets. Elisa sees the humans and freaks!! (Her freaking needs to be ambiguous. Goliath thinks she understands now. She doesn't really.)
--Goliath: "Maybe we should land somewhere and talk."
14. Rooftop.
--Goliath, Elisa, Hudson and Trio come in for a landing.
--(Establish clothes line. Someone has left their laundry, including bedsheets, to dry in the warm night air.)
--Elisa: "Did you see? Everyone in Manhattan's been turned into a HUMAN?!!!"
--G: "...no, no, no..."
--HUDSON: "LOOK!"
--He points at light show that seems to be gathering around one of the towers of the WTC.
15. World Trade Center.
--BIG LIGHT SHOW as Puck glows with magical energy.
--P: "This is really going to wear me out."
--D: "Quit complaining and do it already."
--Puck casts rhyming spell.
--Magical energy shoots from entire body to hit mirror.
--Spell reflects off mirror and hits giant hyperbolic sattelite dish. --Sattelite dish fires magic off across the whole city.
--Puck collapses.
16. Rooftop.
--Goliath & Co. have seen light show from WTC, (but not result).
--Goliath &Co. leave Elisa on the roof and head toward WTC.
--Elisa's not happy about it, but they don't give her a choice.
--And she's still phobic about flying alone, so she can't follow.
17. WTC
--Now that the light show has subsided, Demona wants to see her "empty city", but Puck is out of it.
--Goliath and co. attack. She's forced to flee with Puck, but without mirror.
--(Somewhere in here, Demona has to mention Puck's name.)
--To save herself, she tosses it. Hudson saves it.
--Goliath and Trio pursue Demona.
18. Downtown streets/subway/ whatever
--Even though she's being chased and is hampered by the unconscious Puck, Demona still comes in for a landing to see the results of her wish.
--She's furious as she sees the human/"gargoyles" going about their business.
--Use this chase (and this scene) to reveal the extent and absurdity of the change that hasn't really changed anything but the appearance of the people. Take us down into the subway, maybe.
--Demona ultimately uses the situation to get lost in a crowd.
--For the pursuers, Goliath and trio, it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
--Throughout scene, Trio may get wistful and a little distracted about being able to fit in.
--There are female "Gargoyles" walking by, catching trio's eyes.
--They have to remind themselves that this is wrong. And they're not entirely convinced that it is.
--But other "gargoyles" still shy away from trio because of how they are dressed. (Or how little they are dressed.)
--At any rate, the trio don't totally lose track of their objective: Demona.
--But Demona's gone.
--Goliath: Let's go get Elisa and plan our next move.
19. A deserted alley.
--Demona confronts a very worn-out Puck.
--D: I wanted you to destroy the humans, not give them the gift of being a gargoyle!!
--D: "Change the gargoyles back to humans."
--Puck: "O.K., o.k., give me a chance to catch my breath."
--He leans to look at his reflection in the side-view mirror of a car.
--The image in the mirror wavers.
20. Rooftop.
--Goliath, Hudson, Trio and Elisa confer.
--They have the mirror.
--That was definitely one of Oberon's Children with Demona.
--Demona called him Puck.
--Elisa: In Shakespeare, Puck was a harmless trickster.
--Goliath: What's happened below isn't harmless. Come, we must continue to search for Demona and Puck.
--Elisa: "I'll never get the hang of leaping off rooftops."
--Goliath: "I will always be there to catch you."
--She hesitates. He takes off to set an example.
--A bolt of Magic shoots out of the mirror catching Goliath, Hudson and the trio.
--Goliath changes to human and falls.
ACT THREE
21. Rooftop.
--Elisa dives and catches Goliath. Overcoming her fear without thinking about it.
--Meanwhile, Hudson grabs a sheet off the clothesline and covers the mirror: "Don't want anything else jumping out at us from this thing!"
--Goliath doesn't understand why he fell.
--Suddenly he stares at her: "Elisa...You've changed back to normal!!"
--E: No. I haven't changed. You have. You're a human. You fell because, you don't have wings.
--Brooklyn: "We've always been humans."
--Hudson: "And we've never needed wings to glide before."
--Lex (the engineer of the group): "Wait a minute, we must have used wings. How else could we do it?"
--Goliath, sinking in: "Elisa's right. We're supposed to be gargoyles. And we're not. Everyone else should be human. But thanks to Demona and Puck, they're not."
22. Alley & Street.
--Puck is very weary.
--Demona asks if it's done.
--Puck says yes.
--Demona and Puck cautiously exit alley.
--Obviously, all the humans are still "Gargoyles".
--Demona turns on Puck. I told you to turn the gargoyles to humans.
--Puck: "Oh, you meant these gargoyles! I thought you meant Goliath and the gang. My mistake. Sorry."
--Demona: "You turned Goliath into a human?!!"
--She's ready to murdilate Puck. She pulls the chain tighter, crushing him.
--Puck: "Hey, hey, hey, You're missing the big picture, here. This is your big chance to get rid of Goliath. Now, while he's weak as any human."
--She stops, smiles.
--Dissolve.
23. Rockefeller Center. Some time later.
--Bronx runs into shot. [He has not been transformed yet.]
--A human/ "gargoyle" pedestrian bends over to pet the nice doggie and then runs away screaming when he sees the doggie's masters.
--Our "human" heroes now fully clothed (and looking cool) walk with determination right up to the center of Rockefeller Center. Hudson still has the mirror, covered in the bed sheet.
--(Elisa is not in sight.)
--Everywhere, pedestrian/"gargoyles" run screaming: "Ahhh, humans!! Run!!" "Oh, they're so ugly." "Keep away, you...you monster human, you."
--Hudson to Goliath: Are you sure this is a good idea?
--G: Demona must have done all this for a purpose. What else could it be except to leave us vulnerable to her attack. So we'll let her come to us, but we'll pick the place of battle. Here on the ground and in the open where her wings won't help her much.
--They take their stand. Not all the pedestrians have run. Some stop and stare, but they all keep their distance from these human monsters.
--Goliath instructs Hudson to unwrap the mirror.
--The instant he does, Puck and Demona fly out of it.
--BATTLE ROYALE (Needs real choreography.)
--Demona's armed with her plasma rifle.
--Gargoyle's are armed with medieval weapons.
--Battle is largely land bound.
--Puck's having a good time and helps Demona.
--His stunts can be darkly funny, i.e. they can be absurd, as long as they increase the danger to our heroes.
--Puck turns Bronx into a Russian Wolf-hound, just for fun.
--Some brave bystanders see Demona being attacked by all these monsters and run in to help.
--Trio are forced to battle them.
--These human/ "gargoyles" don't know their own strength, so fighting them isn't easy.
--Obviously at some crucial moment, Elisa (their secret weapon) flies in and takes on D.
--Demona should not instantly recognize Elisa.
--But when Demona does, she goes nuts. Elisa's presence (both the fact that she is alive and a gargoyle) is a double-edged sword. The best (psychological) weapon the good guys have, it throws Demona into a rage, which makes her doubly dangerous, but careless.
--Goliath and Elisa stand together to defeat D.
--Trio take on and scare off the "gargoyle" good samaritans.
--With Bronx's help, Hudson bags Puck with metal-mesh trashcan.
24. WTC
--Goliath promises to free Puck if he changes things back to normal.
--Puck complies. He'll start with the biggest job -- getting all the humans back to normal. (Fortunately, changing something back to its normal state is easier for him than the reverse.)
--Using rhyming spell, mirror and sattelite dish, Puck lets the magic fly.
--Elisa is human again.
--Puck needs a moment to recover.
--Elisa and Goliath have a brief moment.
--Elisa (self-depricating): "Well, I guess I'm back to my old ugly human self."
--G: "Never, to these eyes. But I'm curious. Am I handsome to you like this?"
--E: "You've always been handsome to me."
--PUCK: "Allright, enough of the mushy stuff!"
--He zaps Goliath, Hud, Bronx and Trio back into Gargoyles. (Note: he doesn't need the mirror, since they're all standing right in front of him.)
--Goliath frees Puck.
--Puck takes off with Demona through Mirror, taking mirror with.
25. Demona's house.
--Puck's grateful for a good time, enjoyed by all.
--He'll grant Demona her original wish: She won't turn to stone during the day.
--She's suspicious, for obvious reasons.
--He must SPELL OUT that she will still be her normal GARGOYLE self at night. But during the day, she won't have to sleep as stone.
--One last little rhyme spell.
--And he disappears through mirror.
26. Clock Tower.
--Final scene with Bronx, Hud, Trio, Goliath and Elisa. (This was really nice, as written.)
27. Demona's House.
--The sun is rising.
--We can only see Demona in sillouette.
--Until she turns to look at herself in the mirror.
--Which she smashes.
PAGE NOTES
(The script I received had some odd page numbering. The title page was numbered as page one, some pages were skipped and had no numbers, and the last page was numbered 33. So I just renumbered it from the first page of script on through the last [39]. The following notes therefore refer to my numbers. Call me if you have any questions.)
P.2
If Demona never gets the opportunity to destroy or turn off the laser-grid around the mirror, than we can leave it for the thieves to deal with and ditch all this dialogue and action revolving around alarms. Demona's meant to be a diversion.
Please don't refer to the Security Guard as Sarge or Old Soldier. I know it's just character stuff, but we don't have the space to give it context. It winds up confusing us as to who the guard really is.
Remember: Male gargoyle eyes glow white. Only female gargoyle eyes glow red.
Throughout script we use both "rooklings" and "hatchlings". I prefer "hatchlings". That way audience members who have missed the one or two references to the rookery, will still understand.
P.5
Goliath's getting wounded is problematic. We don't deal with it in the story. It's quickly forgotten. We don't want to play fast and loose with something like that.
P.9
Don't forget to give us some description of Puck. (He definitely should have pointed ears, for example. I added pointed ears to the description of the Weird Sisters in their true form.)
P.10
I don't know that we want to refer to all of Oberon's Children as "real mean". Seems blatantly racist.
When Demona summoned Puck earlier, she did it in Latin. So please make sure we name him here in this scene.
P.12
DEMONA
If you cannot rid me of all humans,
then at least rid me of that human --
Elisa Maza!
We need the double entendre of Demona asking Puck to get rid of that
human-Elisa. ("Oh," Puck weasles to himself, "get rid of the human-Elisa. Make her a gargoyle-Elisa instead.")
P.21
Our Gargoyles shouldn't notice that anything has changed among the pedestrians below, until they get close enough to see. (From a practical standpoint, the idea of each person suddenly taking up more room, might be tough to get across in animation.)
Let's show at least one of the Human/"Gargoyles" looking at his or her reflection (in a store window or something) and preening. Totally unaware of the change.
Goliath says, "What sorcery is this?" twice in the episode. Let's skip both. He said this exact line in "Awakening".
P.23
Keep focus and imperative of THIS story. No one has time to stop for hot dogs or to deal with vandals. (So skip both incidents.)
P.25
Puck doesn't have to pretend that he did "exactly" as Demona commanded. He can have more attitude. "Hey, close enough." or "If you're going to split hairs..."
Again, let's not make Hudson an expert on Puck as an individual. We don't need him to identify Puck from tapestries. (And I doubt if his education has progressed to the point where he's read Shakespeare.) Plus, I'm not sure we have to label Puck as the "worst" of Oberon's children, either.
P.34
Gargoyles including Elisa/gargoyle CANNOT hover.
Also don't forget...
--Cast List.
--Latin version of Demona's spell from Grimorum. (It doesn't have to rhyme.)
--Rhyming spell in English for what Puck does to everyone. (Needs to be vague enough so that Demona isn't immediately tipped off.) Doesn't need to be same spell each time.
--Somewhere in here, we need to justify why none of the human/"gargoyle" crowd reacts to Puck. Do they see him as a gargoyle, ala the Weird Sisters? Or is he invisible to them? Or can we get away with them just walking by and ignoring him?
--Make sure final page count will be within our page range (pp. 35-39) after Denise has conformed it.
THANKS. DON'T HESITATE TO CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
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