RAIN OF THE GHOSTS TYPO CONTEST

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS TYPO CONTEST

It's been a long time since we had a contest here at ASK GREG, so here we go:

There are two typos in my new novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS that make me crazy - especially since they were both things I caught, which should have been corrected. (Most mistakes were corrected, but these two were not.)

Since there are two typos, I'm expecting two winners. So the first person to find each of these typos will receive a free signed copy of the book AND copies of the inspirational art drawn by Kuni Tomita, which we used to help sell RAIN OF THE GHOSTS to Nickelodeon back in the late 90s. (The series was indeed sold, but they ended up pulling the plug.)

[A caveat: I'm looking for two specific objective errors, which are the only two I'm aware of in the book. If you find another error that I've missed, I am theoretically willing to issue more than two prizes. But I reserve the right to decide for myself if it is an actual error as opposed to a stylistic choice or something along those lines. My decisions will be final.]

If you are searching a hard copy of the book, please indicate page number and be very specific about the error. I'm aware that some of you may be reading the book on Kindles, iPads and the like, where page numbers aren't clearly identifiable. If that's the case, indicate the chapter number and carefully count the number of paragraphs from the top of the chapter where you believe the error has occurred. If you're looking at a pirated copy of the book, please be aware that those copies contain many errors that were corrected in the final product. Those errors will not be awarded prizes, obviously.

And if you don't know where to find the book to search, try asking for it at your local bookstore. They can always order it for you. Or of course, you can order it online:http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377806211&sr=8-1&keywords=rain+of+the+ghosts

Good hunting!!

LIGHTBULB CONTEST RESULTS

I'd like to thank everyone who entered (forgive me if I skip or mispell anyone):
Zach Baker
Vashkoda
Demoness
Greg Bishansky
Josh Wurzel
Goliath JD - Jack Donovan
Lord Sloth
Aris Katsaris
Blaise
DragonWolf
Guardian/Carole
matt
Airportman
Lady Mystic
Jim R.
Noel Leas
Lynati
Kelly L. Creighton/Kya White Sapphire
Amanda
Jimmy
Alex Katsaros
lefay_82
Patricia
Z
Kali Gargoyle
(the guppi)
Jon

First the honorable mentions:

matt writes...

how many gargoyles??? i asked Anubis, he said:

"the lightbulb has died, let it rest. ultraviolet or standard, 55 or 100 watt, all light bulb are equal in death. burning out is the ultimate fairness..."

Airportman writes...

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

Gargoyles do not screw in lightbulbs, they ROAR!!!

Jim R. writes...

Fang: "Hey, Goliath, how many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb...?"
Goliath: "Silly mutate, lightbulbs are for humans."

Lynati writes...

(Fang voice:)"How many Gargoyles does it take to change a lightbulb?

...None! They don't have time to change lighbulbs! They are too busy out harassing innocent citizens who are just minding their own business and locking them up in drafty Frankenstein cells! With no TV! HEY! DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME WHEN I'M YELLING AT YOU! ...ya creep..."

Patricia writes...

Fang: Hey, Goliath, how many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb...

Goliath: You mean the lightbulb died? We must have a Wind Ceremony for it. Come. (exits)

Fang: No, Goliath, wait! (signs) Man, he can't even take a joke!

Now, in second place...

DragonWolf writes...

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

"Six. One to screw in the lightbulb and five to berate themselves for not protecting the old one from burning out."

DragonWolf's prize for second place is highly speculative. Since the winning entry -- for obvious reasons -- could never actually be used in a script, I'm giving DragonWolf the honor of putting words in Fang's mouth should I ever get the opportunity (and assuming I don't find one I like better before then).

Congratulations!!

And finally, our winner!!!!

Aris Katsaris writes...

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: I'm home right now and the answer is in my office. Ask again later.

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: Your assumptions are incorrect.

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: I'm not that big in quantifying things. Lots, I guess.

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightblub?"
Greg responds: What's a lightblub?

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: All things are true.

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: I wouldn't want to tie down my hands and the hands of the artists in this respect.

"How many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Greg responds: The world may never know. :-)

Yeah, yeah, I know it's at my expense. But it made me laugh. Aris, you da man.

I honestly don't know what you're prize is going to be yet. But e-mail me and we'll figure it out.

Thanks again everyone.

New contest coming soon.

(Which in Ask Greg terms means... someday.)

LIGHTBULB CONTEST

Poor Fang. Never even got to say the punchline...

Here's the set-up:

"Hey, Goliath, how many gargoyles does it take to screw in a lightbulb..."

Time for our next ASK GREG contest. It's simple and subjective. Finish the joke. The punchline that gives me the biggest laugh wins a prize of no real value, but hopefully of some mild interest.

A few rules:

1. Since we're giving out a prize, no anonymous entries will be accepted. I'll ask Todd to delete them before I even see them.

2. All posts must be clearly marked with "LIGHTBULB CONTEST" in capital letters at the head of the post.

3. Don't ask additional questions with your entry. In fact I'd recommend that you don't include anything that might distract me from laughing at your joke.

4. Spelling COUNTS!!!

5. You may enter as many times as you wish. But each entry MUST be posted seperately. Try to be selective and funny. BEWARE!!! If I sense that you're just taking multiple random stabs at it in order to try and win by the shotgun method, it may prejudice me against you.

6. I'm acknowledging up front that this is a completely subjective contest. You (many or even all of you) may not agree with my final choice. But the decisions of the judges (i.e. yours truly) are final.

7. We will accept entries posted before the end of September, 2001. I'll decide on the winner AFTER I've read all the September posts. (So figure on November, HOPEFULLY.)

One last bit of random incentive, if we ever do make BAD GUYS, I will give Fang the opportunity to complete his joke, using (with permission) the winning entry.

GARGOYLES 2198 CONTEST RESULTS

FINALLY! It's over!

Matt got the last correct answer (though it was the only answer he got), and we're all very grateful. He gets a prize.

The other prize goes to the individual who got the most answers correct first. Here are the results...

TIED FOR EIGHTEENTH PLACE:
Dracolich - 1
Faieq - 1
Fireball - 1
Matt - 1
Melissa - 1
The Guppi - 1
The Mighty Thor - 1
Vashkoda - 1

TIED FOR FIFTEENTH PLACE:
CZ - 2
Graymonk - 2
Slow - 2

IN FOURTEENTH PLACE: Bud-Clare - 4

IN THIRTEENTH PLACE: Coyote the Bando - 5

IN TWELFTH PLACE: Shari B. - 6

IN ELEVENTH PLACE: Leva - 7

IN TENTH PLACE: Todd Jensen - 8

TIED FOR EIGHT PLACE:
Aris Katsaris - 12
Demonskyre - 12

IN SEVENTH PLACE: Kalafarski - 31

IN SIXTH PLACE: DragonWolf - 32

IN FIFTH PLACE: Ray Kremer - 33

IN FOURTH PLACE: Galvatron - 35

IN THIRD PLACE: Kelly L. Creighton/Kya White Sapphire - 42

In SECOND PLACE: Adam - 101

AND IN FIRST PLACE: Phil - 183

Phil got nearly 35% of the answers single-handedly.

So the winners are matt and Phil. But I'd like to thank everyone who participated.

As for the prizes, I'm first wondering if either matt or Phil are coming to the Gathering, so that I can hand-deliver their prizes. If not, I'll mail them out after the Gathering. (Too swamped to deal with it now.)

AND NOW THE COMPLETED BLANK-FILLED CONTEST:

GARGOYLES 2198
(Fill-in-the-Blank Contest / 9-21-00)

Written by

Greg Weisman

One thousand years ago…
Superstition and the sword ruled.
It was a time of darkness.
It was a world of fear.
It was the age... of gargoyles!
Stone by day, warriors by night,
We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect,
Frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years.
Finally... the spell was broken, and we lived again!

But our struggle was far from over...
For the last two hundred years we have faced the future,
Navigating an uneasy truce with the human race.
But now the planet Earth itself is under attack!
Humanity is helpless!
And we may be your last hope for freedom…

We are defenders of the night!
We are protectors of this world!
The year is 2198.

And we… are GARGOYLES!

In 1996, humanity and the world at large discovered there were gargoyles living among them. Fortunately for the human race, Gargoyles are by nature a protective species. Unfortunately for the gargoyle race, humanity is by nature an intolerant species. Humans did not welcome having to share their world with other sentient creatures. Many were quick to label the gargoyles as beasts, monsters, demons or worse. Gargoyles were denied basic "human" rights. They were discriminated against. Experimented upon. Attacked. Caged. And sometimes destroyed.

Despite this, GOLIATH, the leader of the gargoyles, maintained hope that one day humans and gargoyles would live in peace. Eventually, that day came. The "GARGOYLE MINORITY PROTECTION ACT" was adopted by the UNITED NATIONS. Gargoyles were granted full "sentient rights". Though Gargoyle clans were scattered across the globe, they were collectively granted special status as an indigenous nation. Hunting Gargoyles became a crime.

True acceptance, however, is not so easily legislated. At best, Gargoyles were still barely tolerated by their human neighbors. Real peace would have to wait.

But the gargoyles would take what they could get. The species, once on the verge of extinction, began to make a comeback. Clans that were thriving helped to repopulate those that were not. By 2188, TWELVE CLANS comprised the GARGOYLE NATION. Each was strong in number and tradition. Now it was time to expand again. As a potent act of symbolism, every clan brought its GARGOYLE EGGS to QUEEN FLORENCE ISLAND, off the West Coast of Canada. The eggs would hatch together to demonstrate gargoyle unity. Some of the hatchlings would eventually return to the other Twelve Clans. But many would stay to form the basis of a new clan. A thirteenth clan.

Someone should have told the gargoyles that thirteen is NOT a lucky number.

March 21st, 2198. Queen Florence Island. From around the globe, human Heads of State and all Twelve Gargoyle Clan Leaders have come to this small island for the HATCHING. They wait within the caldera of the Island's dormant volcano to witness the new generation of gargoyles bursting out of their shells. Meanwhile, Samson, a young gargoyle warrior is stuck on ceremonial guard duty at the base of the mountain. Out of nowhere, an immense SPACESHIP materializes above the volcano. It emits a blinding beam of light that stabs down into the caldera. Samson races up the slope, but it's too late. The caldera is empty. No eggs. No gargoyles. No humans. No World Leaders!

Simultaneously, another giant spacecraft hovers over Antarctica. Another beam stabs downward. And Earth's MASTER MATRIX Computer -- the operating system for nearly everything on the planet -- vanishes.

It all happens so fast, there's no time to react. Earth is paralyzed and leaderless when the alien SPACE-SPAWN invades. In less than twenty-four hours, the planet is occupied, absorbed into the SPACE-SPAWN EMPIRE. There is very little loss of life. Very little damage done. Unless freedom matters to you.

It matters to Samson, the new leader of the RESISTENCE. One by one, he gathers his team…

SAMSON - Samson of the Manhattan Clan hatched in 2158. Though his coloring is different, it's obvious to anyone who'd care to look that he is descended from Goliath. Still no one knows how many biological generations removed from Goliath he is. He might be the biological grandson of either Artus or Gwenyvere, Angela and Broadway's first two biological children, or he might be the biological son of Lancelot, their third born. Frankly, it doesn't really matter. There were many eggs in that rookery. All raised collectively by the Manhattan Clan.

By 2198, Samson is forty years old, but only twenty biologically. He has been trained as a Gargoyle Warrior both in Manhattan and in Ishimura. He demonstrated enough promise to have recently been named Second-In-Command of the Manhattan Clan. Now, a reluctant Samson must become leader not just of his clan, but of the entire Resistance.

DELILAH - Delilah of the Labyrinth Clan is a half-breed. Mostly Gargoyle… but part Human as well. Her ancestors include her namesake, the Delilah that Anton Sevarius cloned by combining the DNA of ELISA MAZA with that of DEMONA. Being genetically part of both races has left Delilah feeling like she's not truly a part of either. Upon learning of her "heritage", humans seem to react with fear and even disgust. And Delilah has never been confident that the gargoyles she was raised with don't feel the same way. All this has made her tough on the outside, but desperately insecure on the inside. Nevertheless, she's a fierce young Gargoyle Warrior (the same age as Samson), and Samson makes her his Second in the Resistance.

ZAFIRO - Zafiro of the Mayan Clan hails from the rain forests of Guatemala. He's a descendent of Obsidiana and the Zafiro from "The Green". He has feathered wings, reptilian features and skin the color of sapphires. From the waist down, he looks like a giant snake. He's Samson's contemporary and close friend. Samson, Delilah and Zafiro all trained together as Gargoyle Warriors, studying bushido in Ishimura; they have a Three Musketeers kind of rapport. Zafiro isn't quite the fighter that the other two are, but he has other strengths. He's more spiritual, more intellectual, more book-smart. He has also been entrusted with his clan's ancient and sacred Sapphire Amulet; this magical Mayan talisman prevents him from turning to stone during the day.

GUARDIAN - Seventeen year old Nicholas Natsilane Maza is a scion of both the Natsilane and Maza families (which technically makes him a distant relative of Delilah's). Nick was raised among gargoyles and has taken the family tradition to heart. He too has traveled to Ishimura to join the ORDER OF THE GUARDIAN. He has trained as a Gargoyle Warrior, embracing the Gargoyle Way of Protection & Service. He's as much a gargoyle as a guy can be and not have wings. He's eager, perhaps a little too eager, for a chance to prove that he can hold his own with any other gargoyle. Only he's not a gargoyle. He's one hundred percent human, with a human being's unique strengths and weaknesses.

SENTINEL - NOKKAR (the original model for the mysterious moai statues of Easter Island) landed on Earth centuries ago to stand sentinel and protect our world from the Space-Spawn. But by the time the Space-Spawn actually arrived, their technology so far surpassed his, he was completely caught off guard. Now, there's nothing he can do but join Samson's Resistance cell and try to pitch in. Nokkar is deeply shamed by his failure to protect his adoptive world. He would gladly sacrifice his life to redeem himself.

OWEN BURNETT - OWEN BURNETT was Chief of Staff of the United Nations. An indispensable aide to Secretary General ALEXANDER FOX XANATOS IV. In fact Owen has been an indispensable aide to the Xanatos family since before Alexander was born. But now the Secretary General is gone. Taken by the Space-Spawn and put in stasis with the rest of the world's leaders. The new acting Secretary has surrendered the planet to the enemy. He has no use for Owen's quiet efficiency and intensity. And Owen has no use for a man who won't fight. So Owen has left public service to rejoin the private sector. Secretly, he has placed all the resources of the Lexington-Xanatos Corporation at Samson's disposal. Of course, we all know that Owen is really the Puck. But since he already failed to protect his charge, and certainly has no opportunity to teach him anything at the moment, he's stuck as Owen, stone hand and all.

LXM - LXM (a product of the Lexington-Xanatos Corporation) stands for Lexington-Xanatos-Matrix, a line of robotic personal assistants that were all but ubiquitous in 2198. Almost everyone who was anyone had one of the cute little, five-foot tall, Lexington-shaped chrome robots. Each robot was directly connected via satellite to the Master Matrix in Antarctica, giving each one the ability to instantaneously summon any or all of mankind's collective knowledge. But when the Space-Spawn attacked, one of their first acts was to steal the Master Matrix. Now each LXM is on its own. Each one still has a powerful computer brain with crude artificial intelligence and long-term adaptive programming. But now, knowledge is finite, and experience is becoming the best teacher. Actually, two of these robots, LXM-994 and LXM-1057 will play a role in our series. When we open, these robots will be all but indistinguishable from each other. Automatons, merely. But as the series progresses, each will slowly develop its own personality.

DEMONA - For over a thousand years, Demona has plotted against humanity, blaming them for crimes against the gargoyle race. Now that a greater threat, the Space-Spawn, has reared it's many ugly heads, Demona has reluctantly joined Samson's Resistance cell. But no one, including Demona herself, is fully confident that she'll continue to fight on the side of the angels. This may be her last chance at redemption... or her final opportunity to annihilate the human race. Still, Samson felt it necessary to actively recruit her. It's hard to pass up the help of a warrior who's survived a millennium's worth of battles, a sorceress who knows how to combine ancient magic with modern technology. And then there's that bit about her turning into a human during the day. The only question is how she will use her talents. For now, she's siding with the Resistance. But can that last?

BROOKLYN - Brooklyn is a young gargoyle warrior from our own present day. In our second episode, he'll timedance forward to 2198. The future is as new and strange to him as it is to our audience, and often Brooklyn will be the point of view character to introduce us all to this brave new world. Brooklyn does hope to return to his own time someday, and so makes a special effort not to learn too much about his own "future". But he has no intention of abandoning Samson or Earth in their time of need. Someday, however, he may have to make a choice.

FU-DOG - FU-DOG is a Gargoyle Beast bred by the Xanadu Clan in China, who arrives in 2198 with Brooklyn. Fu-Dog is fiercely loyal (especially to Brooklyn). The ultimate watchdog.

[NOTE: Eventually, the large cast will be split in half. Nokkar will take Demona, Zafiro, Guardian and LXM-1057 into space to hit the Space-Spawn where they live. Samson, Delilah, Brooklyn, Fu-Dog, Owen and LXM-994 will remain on Earth, thwarting the aliens at every turn and engaging in many non-Space-Spawn stories.]

Anyway, those are our heroes. (Other characters will be added over time.) Here's who they're up against…

THE SPACE-SPAWN - Our main antagonists. This alien race was literally "spawned in space", born amidst the fury of an exploding star. For thousands of years, they have expanded their Empire in all directions, and nothing has been able to stand in their way. Their technology is far superior to anything we had on Earth. They possess faster-than-light space travel, cloaking devices, powerful force shields and molecular transporters. They also have weapons capable of destroying the entire planet in a matter of minutes. This creates a dilemma for Samson's Resistance. If Earth becomes more trouble than it's worth, the invaders will simply evacuate the globe and annihilate it.

THE QUARRYMEN - Decades ago, the Quarrymen organization fell out of favor. They were no longer "politically correct". But the events of March 21st, 2198 changed all that. Because most of the world's leaders were abducted while attending the Gargoyle Hatching, many humans became convinced -- at least in part due to Quarrymen propaganda -- that the Gargoyles had conspired and collaborated with the aliens. Now the Quarrymen are making a comeback. They don't much care for the Space-Spawn, but their scapegoat of choice is still the Gargoyles.

THE ILLUMINATI - Of course, the Gargoyles are not collaborators. But THE ILLUMINATI SOCIETY is. The Society is an ancient fraternal organization made up of almost all the true movers and shakers on planet Earth. Many of the world leaders abducted by the Space-Spawn were secretly members of the Illuminati -- proof that the Society definitely did NOT have advanced warning of the invasion. But once the occupation was complete, the Illuminati wasted no time capitalizing on it. They negotiated a secret treaty with the aliens, promising to infiltrate, sabotage and expose any sign of resistance. In exchange, the Space-Spawn promised to release those world leaders that the Society was prepared to vouch for. This devil's agreement was the beginning of a profitable arrangement for all concerned -- and the onset of a major headache for the Resistance.

COYOTE-X - COYOTE-X is a super-advanced robot with a highly evolved and Machiavellian artificial intelligence. He has multiple robot and cyborg operatives, and any number of android bodies that can accommodate his software. Once upon a time, Coyote-X had designs on taking over the world. But that was before the Space-Spawn showed up and rebooted his operating parameters. Now anything less than total control of the entire galaxy would strike him as under-achieving.

And that's the series in a nutshell.

GARGOYLES 2198. The future is now!

G-2198 CONTEST CLUES

Here are the promised clues. Most of them are incredibly straight forward. Blank #1 for example is an 8-letter word. A few are fancier. But not very. The last two words (524 & 525) are clueless. Didn't want to make it too easy.

And, yes, I am a bit evil. But just a bit. Between the contextual help and these clues, I don't think it'll be too hard.

1. - 8 letters
2. - 3 letters
3. - 4 letters
4. - 3 letters
5. - 7 letters
6. - 5 letters
7. - 6 letters
8. - 6 letters
9. - 5 letters
10. - 5 letters
11. - 4 letters
12. - 6 letters
13. - 5 letters
14. - 5 letters
15. - 6 letters
16. - 8 letters
17. - 8 letters
18. - 2 letters
19. - 4 letters
20. - 4 letters
21. - 4 letters
22. - 7 letters
23. - 9 letters
24. - 5 letters
25. - 10 letters
26. - 4 letters
27. - 5 letters
28. - 4 letters
29. - 4 numbers
30. - 2 letters
31. - 9 letters
32. - 8 letters
33. - 9 letters
34. - 5 letters
35. - 6 letters
36. - 8 letters
37. - 6 letters
38. - 6 letters
39. - 5 letters
40. - 6 letters
41. - 13 letters
42. - 12 letters
43. - 8 letters
44. - 5 letters
45. - 9 letters
46. - 8 letters
47. - 8 letters
48. - 10 letters
49. - 3 letters
50. - 6 letters
51. - 7 letters
52. - 7 letters
53. - 8 letters
54. - 6 letters
55. - 5 letters
56. - 9 letters
57. - 7 letters
58. - 6 letters
59. - 10 letters
60. - 6 letters
61. - 7 letters
62. - 7 letters
63. - 5 letters
64. - 10 letters
65. - 8 letters
66. - 8 letters
67. - 10 letters
68. - 4 numbers
69. - 6 letters
70. - 5 letters
71. - 8 letters
72. - 6 letters
73. - 6 letters
74. - 9 letters
75. - 6 letters
76. - 9 letters
77. - 8 letters
78. - 4 letters
79. - 5 letters
80. - 8 letters
81. - 6 letters
82. - 4 letters
83. - 5 letters
84. - 6 letters
85. - 4 letters
86. - 5 letters
87. - 5 letters
88. - 10 letters
89. - 6 letters
90. - 3 letters
91. - 10 letters
92. - 8 letters
93. - 6 letters
94. - 5 letters
95. - 4 numbers
96. - 5 letters
97. - 8 letters
98. - 6 letters
99. - 6 letters
100. - 4 letters
101. - 7 letters
102. - 6 letters
103. - 8 letters
104. - 7 letters
105. - 7 letters and an apostrophe
106. - 7 letters
107. - 10 letters
108. - 8 letters
109. - 6 letters
110. - 6 letters
111. - 7 letters
112. - 10 letters
113. - 5 letters
114. - 4 letters
115. - 9 letters
116. - 7 letters
117. - 7 letters
118. - 6 letters
119. - same as 117
120. - 4 letters
121. - 10 letters
122. - 10 letters
123. - 7 keystrokes
124. - 6 letters
125. - 6 letters
126. - 8 letters
127. - 9 letters
128. - 5 letters
129. - 10 letters
130. - 5 letters
131. - 5 letters
132. - 5 letters
133. - 7 letters
134. - 8 letters
135. - 5 letters
136. - 5 letters
137. - 6 letters
138. - 7 letters
139. - 6 letters
140. - 6 letters
141. - 10 letters
142. - 6 letters
143. - 6 letters
144. - 9 letters
145. - 4 digits
146. - 8 letters
147. - 7 letters
148. - 10 letters
149. - 7 letters
150. - 7 letters
151. - 8 letters
152. - 5 letters
153. - 9 letters
154. - 6 letters
155. - 8 letters
156. - 8 letters
157. - 3 letters
158. - 8 letters
159. - 4 letters
160. - 7 letters
161. - 9 letters
162. - 4 keystrokes
163. - 6 letters
164. - 5 letters
165. - 6 letters
166. - same as 144
167. - 8 letters
168. - 6 letters
169. - 2 letters
170. - 7 letters
171. - 9 letters
172. - 6 letters
173. - 6 letters
174. - 10 letters
175. - 7 letters
176. - 7 letters
177. - 9 letters
178. - 4 letters
179. - 5 letters
180. - 4 letters
181. - 5 letters
182. - 9 letters
183. - 7 letters
184. - 5 letters
185. - 8 letters
186. - 6 letters
187. - 3 initials
188. - 5 letters
189. - 4 letters
190. -6 letters
191. - 11 letters
192. - 5 letters
193. - 7 letters
194. - 8 letters
195. - 7 letters
196. - 9 letters
197. - 8 letters
198. - 7 letters
199. - 6 letters
200. - 6 letters
201. - 6 letters
202. - 10 letters
203. - 6 letters
204. - 6 letters
205. - 5 letters
206. - 4 letters
207. - 7 letters
208. - 9 letters
209. - 9 letters
210. - 6 letters
211. - 5 letters
212. - 9 letters
213. - 9 letters
214. - 9 letters
215. - 5 letters
216. - 5 letters
217. - 5 letters
218. - 7 letters and a bonus keystroke
219. - 6 letters
220. - 7 letters
221. - 6 letters
222. - 7 letters
223. - 8 letters
224. - 6 letters
225. - 9 letters
226. - 7 letters
227. - 8 letters
228. - 6 letters
229. - 5 letters
230. - 8 letters
231. - 5 letters
232. - 3 letters
233. - 8 letters
234. - 9 letters
235. - 8 letters
236. - 9 letters
237. - 4 letters
238. - 9 letters
239. - 4 letters
240. - 8 letters +
241. - 4 letters
242. - 6 letters
243. - 8 letters
244. - 8 letters
245. - 3 letters
246. - 10 letters
247. - 7 letters
248. - 8 letters
249. - 5 letters
250. - 3 letters
251. - 5 letters
252. - 5 letters
253. - 7 keystrokes
254. - 8 letters
255. - 6 letters
256. - 4 letters
257. - 6 letters
258. - 6 letters
259. - 5 letters
260. - 9 letters
261. - 8 letters
262. - 5 letters
263. - 5 letters
264. - 5 letters
265. - 5 letters
266. - 5 letters
267. - 10 letters
268. - 8 symbols
269. - 10 letters
270. - 6 letters
271. - 5 letters
272. - 4 letters
273. - 7 letters
274. - 4 letters
275. - 7 letters
276. - 5 letters
277. - 6 letters
278. - 7 letters
279. - 9 letters
280. - 9 letters
281. - 3 letters
282. - 7 letters
283. - 4 letters
284. - 7 letters
285. - 9 letters
286. - 9 letters
287. - 5 letters
288. - 5 letters
289. - 9 letters
290. - 5 letters
291. - 6 keystrokes
292. - 5 letters
293. - 10 letters
294. - 4 letters
295. - 4 letters
296. - 9 letters
297. - 7 letters
298. - 11 letters
299. - 7 letters and help
300. - 4 letters
301. - 4 letters
302. - 7 letters
303. - 5 letters
304. - 4 letters
305. - 4 letters
306. - 3 initials
307. - 3 initials
308. - 7 letters
309. - 9 letters
310. - 7 letters
311. - 11 letters
312. - 9 letters
313. - 7 letters
314. - 6 letters
315. - 7 letters
316. - 4 keystrokes
317. - 4 letters
318. - 9 letters
319. - 6 letters
320. - 5 letters
321. - 6 letters
322. - 6 letters
323. - 10 letters
324. - 5 letters
325. - 5 letters
326. - 6 letters
327. - 6 letters
328. - 3 keystrokes
329. - 8 letters
330. - 10 letters
331. - 11 letters
332. - 6 letters
333. - 3 initials
334. - 3 numbers
335. - 3 keystrokes
336. - 4 keystrokes
337. - 6 letters
338. - 10 letters
339. - 11 letters
340. - 6 letters
341. - 8 letters
342. - 6 letters
343. - 8 letters
344. - 6 letters
345. - 4 letters
346. - 5 letters
347. - 5 letters
348. - 6 letters
349. - 6 letters + "'s"
350. - 10 letters
351. - 6 letters
352. - 5 letters
353. - 4 letters
354. - 6 letters
355. - 10 letters
356. - 10 letters
357. - 4 letters
358. - 6 letters
359. - 7 letters
360. - 12 keystrokes
361. - 9 letters
362. - 5 letters
363. - 10 letters
364. - 5 letters
365. - 3 letters
366. - 3 letters
367. - 3 letters
368. - 10 letters
369. - 8 letters
370. - 8 letters
371. - 3 letters
372. - 7 letters
373. - 9 letters
374. - 7 letters
375. - 4 numbers
376. - 6 letters
377. - 8 letters
378. - 5 letters
379. - 3 letters
380. - 5 letters
381. - 8 letters
382. - 6 letters
383. - 3 letters
384. - 4 letters
385. - 5 letters
386. - 6 letters
387. - 6 letters
388. - 5 letters
389. - 2 letters
390. - 3 letters
391. - 2 letters
392. - 3 letters
393. - 8 letters
394. - 5 letters
395. - 4 letters
396. - 6 letters
397. - 5 letters
398. - 4 digits
399. - 8 letters
400. - 2 letters
401. - 3 letters
402. - 5 letters
403. - 8 letters
404. - 8 letters
405. - 6 letters
406. - 6 letters
407. - 6 letters
408. - 8 letters
409. - 3 "letters"
410. - 4 numbers
411. - 5 letters
412. - 5 letters
413. - 5 letters
414. - 6 letters
415. - 7 letters
416. - 8 letters
417. - 2 letters
418. - 3 letters
419. - 4 letters
420. - 3 initials
421. - 3 numbers
422. - 5 letters
423. - 6 letters
424. - 5 letters
425. - 5 letters
426. - 6 letters
427. - 5 letters
428. - 5 letters
429. - 11 letters
430. - 5 letters
431. - 7 letters
432. - 5 letters
433. - 4 letters
434. - 9 letters
435. - 4 letters
436. - 6 letters
437. - 7 letters
438. - 10 letters
439. - 8 letters
440. - 5 letters
441. - 6 letters
442. - 5 letters
443. - 5 letters
444. - 8 letters
445. - 7 letters
446. - 9 letters
447. - 12 letters
448. - 7 letters
449. - 10 letters
450. - 5 letters
451. - same as 299
452. - 10 letters
453. - 5 letters
454. - 8 letters
455. - 5 letters
456. - 10 letters
457. - 9 letters
458. - 9 letters
459. - 4 digits
460. - 5 letters + "'s"
461. - 8 letters
462. - 8 letters
463. - 6 letters
464. - 9 letters
465. - 10 letters
466. - 9 letters
467. - 12 letters
468. - 6 letters
469. - 9 letters
470. - 5 letters
471. - 5 letters
472. - 9 letters
473. - 10 letters
474. - 13 letters
475. - 10 letters
476. - 7 letters
477. - 7 letters
478. - 7 letters
479. - 9 letters
480. - 7 letters
481. - 6 letters
482. - 5 letters
483. - 5 letters
484. - 5 letters
485. - 5 letters
486. - 8 letters
487. - 10 letters
488. - 7 letters
489. - 8 letters
490. - 10 letters
491. - 10 letters
492. - 6 letters
493. - 10 letters
494. - 5 letters
495. - 5 letters
496. - 7 letters
497. - 7 letters
498. - 7 keystrokes
499. - 10 letters
500. - 6 letters
501. - 6 letters
502. - 8 letters
503. - 5 letters
504. - 10 letters
505. - 12 letters
506. - 5 letters
507. - 6 letters
508. - 7 letters
509. - 6 letters
510. - 8 letters
511. - 6 letters
512. - 1 letter
513. - 4 letters
514. - 5 letters
515. - 5 letters
516. - 5 letters
517. - 8 letters
518. - 9 letters
519. - 10 letters
520. - 6 letters
521. - 8 letters
522. - 9 letters
523. - 4 keystrokes
524. - no clue
525. - no clue

GARGOYLES 2198: THE CONTEST

GARGOYLES 2198
(Fill-in-the-Blank Contest / 9-26-00)

Written by

Greg Weisman

Well, here it is. This contest took me almost as long to put together as it did to develop the show it's based upon. Below is a good-sized document on GARGOYLES 2198 with tons and tons of info about the proposed spin-off series, its characters, settings and situations. The only problem is that there are five hundred and twenty-five blanks making it slightly difficult to read. Actually, those aren't quite blanks. They're place-holders. Numbers. Each number has a corresponding clue which I'll post right after I've posted this. Those clues should help you RE-place those holders.

As requested, there are two prizes to be handed out. One is for the person who contributes the most answers overall. The other is for the first person to TOTALLY COMPLETE the puzzle.

At this early stage, I think it's pretty useless for people to reprint the entire essay attempting to fill in ALL the blanks at one fell swoop. So early entries should read like this:

212: Mayberry
303: Andy
444: Opie
521: Fife

Notice, there's no need to guess all of them every time. (And please don't.) Just guess the ones you think you know or we'll be here forever. Capitalization does NOT count. But spelling does. [I do reserve the right to admit later that I made a mistake here and there. I don't think I have, but it's been quite an undertaking, so who knows…]

Let's say in the above answer that "Mayberry", "Opie" and "Fife" were right, but Andy wasn't. The person who posted it would get three points. UNLESS, someone's already posted the correct answer to, say, 444. In which case, this poster only gets points for Mayberry and Fife. Clear? Obviously, it's important that you use a consistent screen name to post your answers in order to get credit for all your points. Anonymous postings will be deleted by Todd in advance. (Waves at Todd.)

I know the contest looks imposing, but in many ways, I think this is easier than the Clan Contest. There are a lot more clues and you all have a lot more information. Once we've filled in a bunch of the blanks (say 500 out of the 525) then we can start seeing completed answers being posted with the blanks filled in.

I encourage teamwork. And everyone remember that this is just a game. Just a diversion. Just some fun. Don't take it too seriously. As usual, the prizes (again, one for points and one for the completed answer) will be of no real value. Hopefully, they'll be interesting though.

I'm hoping we'll have finished this by next June's Los Angeles Gathering. Go to it…

One thousand years ago…
Superstition and the sword ruled.
It was a time of darkness.
It was a world of fear.
It was the age... of gargoyles!
Stone by day, warriors by night,
We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect,
Frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years.
Finally... the spell was broken, and we lived again!

But our 1 was 2 from 3...
For the last 4 5 6 we have faced the 7,
Navigating an 8 9 with the 10 11.
But now the 12 13 itself is 14 15!
16 is 17!
And 18 may be 19 20 21 for 22…

We are 23 of the 24!
We are 25 of 26 27!
The 28 is 29.

And 30… are 31!

In 1996, humanity and the world at large discovered there were gargoyles living among them. Fortunately for the human race, Gargoyles are by nature a protective species. Unfortunately for the gargoyle race, humanity is by nature an intolerant species. Humans did not welcome having to share their world with other 32 33. Many were quick to 34 the gargoyles as 35, 36, 37 or worse. Gargoyles were 38 basic "39" 40. They were 41 against. 42 upon. 43. 44. And sometimes 45.

Despite this, GOLIATH, the leader of the gargoyles, maintained hope that one day humans and gargoyles would live in peace. Eventually, that day came. The "46 47 48 49" was adopted by the 50 51. Gargoyles were 52 full "53 54". Though Gargoyle 55 were 56 across the globe, they were collectively granted 57 58 as an 59 60. 61 Gargoyles became a crime.

True acceptance, however, is not so easily legislated. At best, Gargoyles were still barely tolerated by their human neighbors. Real peace would have to wait.

But the gargoyles would take what they could get. The 62, once on the 63 of 64, began to make a 65. Clans that were 66 helped to 67 those that were not. By 68, 69 70 comprised the 71 72. Each was strong in 73 and 74. Now it was time to 75 again. As a potent act of 76, every clan brought its 77 78 to 79 80 81, off the 82 83 of 84. The 85 would 86 together to demonstrate gargoyle 87. Some of the 88 would eventually return to the other 89 Clans. But many would stay to form the basis of a 90 clan. A 91 clan.

Someone should have told the gargoyles that 92 is NOT a lucky 93.

94, 95. 96 97 98. From around the globe, human Heads of State and all 99 Gargoyle 100 101 have come to this small 102 for the 103. They wait within the 104 of the 105 dormant 106 to witness the new 107 of gargoyles 108 out of their 109. Meanwhile, 110, a young gargoyle 111 is stuck on 112 113 114 at the base of the mountain. Out of nowhere, an immense 115 materializes above the 116. It emits a blinding beam of light that stabs down into the 117. 118 races up the slope, but it's too late. The 119 is empty. No 120. No gargoyles. No humans. No World Leaders!

Simultaneously, another giant 121 hovers over 122. Another beam stabs downward. And 123 124 125 126 -- the 127 system for nearly everything on the planet -- vanishes.

It all happens so fast, there's no time to react. 128 is paralyzed and 129 when the 130 131-132 133. In less than twenty-four hours, the planet is 134, absorbed into the 135-136 137. There is very little loss of life. Very little damage done. Unless 138 matters to you.

It matters to 139, the new 140 of the 141. One by one, he gathers his team…

142 - 143 of the 144 Clan hatched in 145. Though his 146 is different, it's obvious to anyone who'd care to look that he is descended from 147. Still no one knows how many 148 generations 149 from 150 he is. He might be the biological 151 of either 152 or 153, 154 and 155 first two biological 156, or he might be the biological 157 of 158, their third born. Frankly, it doesn't really matter. There were many 159 in that 160. All raised collectively by the 161 Clan.

By 162, 163 is 164 years old, but only 165 biologically. He has been trained as a Gargoyle Warrior both in 166 and in 167. He demonstrated enough promise to have recently been named 168-169-170 of the 171 Clan. Now, a reluctant 172 must become 173 not just of his clan, but of the entire 174.

175 - 176 of the 177 Clan is a 178-179. Mostly Gargoyle… but 180 181 as well. Her 182 include her namesake, the 183 that 184 185 186 by combining the 187 of 188 189 with that of 190. Being 191 part of both 192 has left 193 feeling like she's not truly a part of either. Upon learning of her "194", humans seem to react with fear and even disgust. And 195 has never been confident that the 196 she was raised with don't feel the same way. All this has made her tough on the outside, but desperately insecure on the inside. Nevertheless, she's a fierce young 197 198 (the same age as 199), and 200 makes her his 201 in the 202.

203 - 204 of the 205 Clan hails from the 206 207 of 208. He's a descendent of 209 and the 210 from "The 211". He has 212 wings, 213 features and skin the color of 214. From the 215 down, he looks like a 216 217. He's 218 contemporary and close friend. 219, 220 and 221 all trained together as Gargoyle Warriors, studying 222 in 223; they have a Three Musketeers kind of rapport. 224 isn't quite the fighter that the other two are, but he has other strengths. He's more 225, more intellectual, more book-smart. He has also been entrusted with his clan's 226 and sacred 227 228; this magical 229 230 prevents him from turning to 231 during the 232.

233 - 234 year old 235 236 237 is a scion of both the 238 and 239 families (which technically makes him a distant relative of 240). 241 was 242 among gargoyles and has taken the family tradition to heart. He too has traveled to 243 to join the ORDER OF THE 244. He has trained as a Gargoyle Warrior, embracing the Gargoyle 245 of 246 & 247. He's as much a 248 as a guy can be and not have 249. He's eager, perhaps a little too eager, for a chance to prove that he can hold his own with any other gargoyle. Only he's 250 a gargoyle. He's one hundred percent 251, with a 252 253 unique strengths and weaknesses.

254 - 255 (the original model for the mysterious 256 statues of 257 258) landed on 259 260 ago to stand 261 and protect our 262 from the 263-264. But by the time the 265-266 actually arrived, their 267 so far surpassed his, he was completely caught off guard. Now, there's nothing he can do but join 268 269 cell and try to pitch in. 270 is deeply shamed by his failure to protect his adoptive 271. He would gladly sacrifice his life to redeem himself.

272 273 - 274 275 was Chief of 276 of the 277 278. An indispensable aide to 279 General 280 281 282 IV. In fact 283 has been an indispensable aide to the 284 family since before 285 was born. But now the 286 General is gone. Taken by the 287-288 and put in stasis with the rest of the world's leaders. The new acting 289 has surrendered the 290 to the enemy. He has no use for 291 292 293 and intensity. And 294 has no use for a man who won't fight. So 295 has left public service to rejoin the private sector. Secretly, he has placed all the resources of the 296-297 298 at 299 disposal. Of course, we all know that 300 is really the 301. But since he already failed to 302 his charge, and certainly has no opportunity to 303 him anything at the moment, he's stuck as 304, stone 305 and all.

306 - 307 (a 308 of the 309-310 311) stands for 312-313-314, a line of 315 personal assistants that were all but ubiquitous in 316. Almost everyone who was anyone had one of the cute little, 317-foot tall, 318-shaped chrome 319. Each 320 was directly connected via satellite to the 321 322 in 323, giving each one the ability to instantaneously summon any or all of mankind's collective knowledge. But when the 324-325 attacked, one of their first acts was to steal the 326 327. Now each 328 is on its own. Each one still has a powerful 329 brain with crude 330 intelligence and long-term adaptive 331. But now, knowledge is finite, and experience is becoming the best teacher. Actually, two of these 332, 333-334 and 335-336 will play a role in our series. When we open, these 337 will be all but indistinguishable from each other. 338, merely. But as the series progresses, each will slowly develop its own 339.

340 - For over a 341 years, 342 has plotted against 343, blaming them for 344 against the gargoyle 345. Now that a greater threat, the 346-347, has reared it's many ugly heads, 348 has reluctantly joined 349 350 cell. But no one, including 351 herself, is fully confident that she'll continue to 352 on the 353 of the 354. This may be her last chance at 355... or her final opportunity to 356 the human 357. Still, 358 felt it necessary to actively 359 her. It's hard to pass up the help of a warrior who's survived a 360 worth of battles, a 361 who knows how to combine ancient 362 with modern 363. And then there's that bit about her turning into a 364 during the 365. The only question is how she will use her talents. 366 367, she's siding with the 368. But can that last?

369 - 370 is a young gargoyle warrior from our 371 372 day. In our second episode, he'll 373 374 to 375. The 376 is as new and strange to him as it is to our audience, and often 377 will be the point of view character to introduce us all to this 378 379 380. 381 does hope to 382 to his 383 384 someday, and so makes a special effort not to 385 too much about his own "386". But he has no intention of abandoning 387 or 388 in their time of need. Someday, however, he may have to make a choice.

389-390 - 391-392 is a 393 394 395 by the 396 Clan in 397, who arrives in 398 with 399. 400-401 is fiercely 402 (especially to 403). The ultimate 404.

[NOTE: Eventually, the large cast will be split in half. 405 will take 406, 407, 408 and 409-410 into 411 to hit the 412-413 where they live. 414, 415, 416, 417-418, 419 and 420-421 will remain on 422, thwarting the 423 at every turn and engaging in many non-424-425 stories.]

Anyway, those are our 426. (Other characters will be added over time.) Here's who they're up against…

THE 427-428 - Our main 429. This 430 race was literally "431 in 432", born amidst the 433 of an 434 435. For thousands of years, they have expanded their 436 in all directions, and 437 has been able to stand in their way. Their 438 is far 439 to anything we had on 440. They possess 441-than-442 443 travel, 444 devices, powerful force 445 and 446 447. They also have 448 capable of 449 the entire 450 in a matter of minutes. This creates a dilemma for 451 452. If 453 becomes more trouble than it's worth, the 454 will simply evacuate the 455 and 456 it.

THE 457 - Decades ago, the 458 organization fell out of favor. They were no longer "politically correct". But the events of March 21st, 459 changed all that. Because most of the 460 leaders were abducted while attending the 461 462, many 463 became convinced -- at least in part due to 464 465 -- that the 466 had conspired and 467 with the 468. Now the 469 are making a comeback. They don't much care for the 470-471, but their 472 of choice is still the Gargoyles.

THE 473 - Of course, the Gargoyles are not 474. But THE 475 476 is. The 477 is an 478 479 organization made up of almost all the true movers and 480 on 481 482. Many of the 483 leaders abducted by the 484-485 were 486 members of the 487 -- proof that the 488 definitely did NOT have advanced warning of the 489. But once the 490 was complete, the 491 wasted no time capitalizing on it. They negotiated a secret treaty with the 492, promising to infiltrate, sabotage and expose any sign of 493. In exchange, the 494-495 promised to release those world 496 that the 497 was prepared to vouch for. This 498 agreement was the beginning of a profitable arrangement for all concerned -- and the onset of a major headache for the 499.

500-X - 501-X is a super-502 503 with a highly evolved and Machiavellian 504 505. He has multiple 506 and 507 operatives, and any number of 508 509 that can accommodate his 510. Once upon a time, 511-512 had designs on taking 513 the 514. But that was before the 515-516 showed up and 517 his 518 519. Now anything less than total control of the entire 520 would strike him as under-achieving.

And that's the series in a 521.

522 523. The 524 is 525!