Or far more likely the French and their outRAEgous aczents just offered plenty of potential jokes.
Matthew
From far, from eve and morning, And yon twelve-winded sky, The stuff of life to knit me, Blew hither: here am I. -A.E. Housman
posted @ Sun, Jul 19, 2015 8:18:17 pm EDT from 64.85.229.140

Though "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" does show a good knowledge of the Arthurian legend underneath all the humor, and Terry Jones is a noted medieval scholar, I suspect the more likely inspiration for the supercilious French guards was a long history of trouble between England and France (which stretched through most of the Middle Ages, even before the Hundred Years' War - partly thanks to the Kings of England laying claim to more and more land in France beginning with William the Conqueror - who was Duke of Normandy even before he took over England in 1066 - to the point where, at times, the King of England controlled more of France than the King of France).
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Sun, Jul 19, 2015 8:01:54 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

[Some Arthurian scholars even think that the Frankish king who carried out the conquest, Clovis, might have been the original for one of Arthur's enemies on the Continent in some of the medieval romances (including Malory), King Claudas, who was a major rival of Lancelot's father, King Ban.]

I wonder if Terry Jones was one of those Arthurian scholars? It would explain the presence of the French as antagonists to Arthur in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Sun, Jul 19, 2015 7:51:13 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

[The Franks conquered Gaul at about the same time that the Angles conquered eastern Britain, didn't they?]

Yes, the late 5th and early 6th centuries A.D. Some Arthurian scholars even think that the Frankish king who carried out the conquest, Clovis, might have been the original for one of Arthur's enemies on the Continent in some of the medieval romances (including Malory), King Claudas, who was a major rival of Lancelot's father, King Ban. (In Malory, Arthur forms an alliance with King Ban and his brother, King Bors, against a rebellion of minor British kings early in his reign, in return for promising to help them against King Claudas.)
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Sun, Jul 19, 2015 7:44:11 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

I guess etymology doesn't matter to many people; rather unfortunate, in my opinion.

That England was the land conquered by the Angles (and the Saxons and Jutes), and that prior to their conquest the land was only known as Britain, doesn't seem to come up very often.

Similarly with France (the land conquered by the Franks, which had previously been called Gaul).

Speaking of Gaul, I believe that there was a knight from that region in one of the stories about Arthur. I think his name was Accolon.

The Franks conquered Gaul at about the same time that the Angles conquered eastern Britain, didn't they?
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Sun, Jul 19, 2015 4:32:09 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

I could also have added, in any event, that "England" and "Britain" are not synonymous (as the Welsh - and, even more prominently, the Scots - would point out).

Arthur being "King of England" would be less jarring in a setting with the Saxon wars removed, of course - such as T. H. White's version where Arthur rules over an alternate medieval England where Uther Pendragon, rather than William the Conqueror, led the Norman invasion in 1066 and the Norman and Plantagenet kings of our history were mythical.
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Sat, Jul 18, 2015 8:17:09 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

TODD> Yeah, the comic plays a little fast and loose with its source material in some places... which I guess is kinda inevitable when you have a time-traveling Dracula running around Arthurian "England".
Algernon
"What devil or what witch was ever so great as Attila, whose blood is in these veins?"
posted @ Sat, Jul 18, 2015 4:04:07 pm EDT from 109.77.19.145

ALGERNON - I'd heard of that comic, but never read it. Thanks for the links, though.

I thought it a bit weird, though, that it speaks of Arthur ruling over "England" in the same panel that mentions his victory at the Battle of Badon - where Arthur, according to tradition, defeated the Saxons. The name "England" didn't come about until after the Saxons and Angles took over most of the island, making its use here an especially inappropriate anachronism.

The cottages in the background of the panel where the young Arthur pulls the sword from the stone reminded me of the depiction of that scene in the Stone of Destiny story in "Clan-Building".
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Fri, Jul 17, 2015 8:12:48 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

TODD> I'm reminded of a comic I read a few years back called Dracula vs. King Arthur, the prologue of which nicely contrasted Arthur and Vlad's respective reigns.

Here we go...

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dracula-versus-king-arthur-preview-001.jpg

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dracula-versus-king-arthur-preview-002.jpg

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dracula-versus-king-arthur-preview-003.jpg

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dracula-versus-king-arthur-preview-004.jpg

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dracula-versus-king-arthur-preview-005.jpg
Algernon
"Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"
posted @ Fri, Jul 17, 2015 3:13:23 pm EDT from 109.79.154.233

That depends on your definition of "alive," Todd. I'm guessing Arthur wouldn't feel an undead existence preying upon the blood of the living would be particularly tempting.

Now the divine power of the Grail, on the other hand...
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Fri, Jul 17, 2015 8:40:19 am EDT from 104.129.196.74

[It's always interesting when the "hero" of a story has some similarities to the "villain" of the story]

Yes, that's one of Greg's storytelling philosophies (and certainly led to the development of Thailog).
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 9:35:53 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

It's always interesting when the "hero" of a story has some similarities to the "villain" of the story; and the more similarities, the more interesting I find it.

Good catch on Arthur and Dracula both having defended their respective countries against invaders from the east; that similarity never would have occurred to me if you hadn't pointed it out.
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 9:17:05 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

Brainiac's speculation is most likely correct; the London clan probably viewed Draculs's depredations as the humans' problem, not their concern. (Of course, Dracula was focusing his attention almost exclusively on Lucy and Mina in the novel, rather than preying on the British population in general - making it easier for his activities to go unnoticed by those who weren't close to either of the ladies. Of course, the vampirized Lucy's preying on children did get into the newspapers in Stoker's book, as did his calling a wolf from the London Zoo to help him break into Lucy's house, but the London clan probably viewed those incidents as somebody else's problem.)

In my last post, I speculated on King Arthur encountering Dracula (because of the parallels and contrasts between them); after I wrote that, I speculated on one form such a meeting would take. We know now that Arthur was supposed to awake much later than he did in the Gargoyles Universe (apparently to oppose the Space-Spawn invasion of 2198). If he becomes aware of just how early he's awakened, and if Dracula somehow learns that as well, the Count could try tempting Arthur with the immortality that being turned into a vampire bringss, with the lure that it would ensure that Arthur would still be alive in 2198.
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 8:20:35 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

Algernon> Totally a Hatuibwari taking a distant vacation from its normal climes (check the link).
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 3:22:23 pm EDT from 104.129.196.74

You know, life musta been pretty tough for any clans in Romania...

"Wait! That was a TOTALLY different bat-winged creature of the night who ate your baby!"
Algernon
"Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 3:10:02 pm EDT from 109.76.139.138

Algernon> Minding the store, of course.
Brianiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 3:02:00 pm EDT from 104.129.196.74

TODD> Indeed. Also, assuming the events of Stoker's Novel took place in the GU in some form, what where the London Clan doing while the Count was chomping his way through the British Capital?
Algernon
"Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"
posted @ Thu, Jul 16, 2015 12:21:45 pm EDT from 109.76.139.138

If "Gargoyles" had indeed made use of Vlad the Impaler's historical career in its take on Dracula (alongside the familiar vampire mythology), it would have been appropriate to have seen Dracula encounter King Arthur in "Pendragon" as well as Goliath and his clan (though the fearsome, nocturnal nature of vampires would certainly make them fitting adversaries for the gargoyles, following Greg Weisman's philosophy that a great villain should be a twisted reflection of the hero).

"Dracula" is based on a word for "dragon", paralleling Arthur's own "Pendragon" nickname. And Vlad the Impaler's war against the Turks attacking his lands from the east would parallel Arthur's clashes with the Saxons in the "search for the historical Arthur" that would presumably have found its way into "Pendragon" eventually. Not to mention Vlad's long unlife echoing Arthur's long enchanted sleep on Avalon.
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Wed, Jul 15, 2015 7:56:06 pm EDT from 68.231.85.113

"'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." ~Greg Weisman rambling on the The Mirror.

Make of that what you will.
Algernon
"Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"
posted @ Wed, Jul 15, 2015 3:22:09 pm EDT from 93.107.252.182

This is just a weird thought based on the thieves' idle speculation in "The Mirror," but could Demona have known Dracula as well?
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Wed, Jul 15, 2015 1:18:13 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

I think that Greg would do the same with Dracula that he did with Macbeth, blend the fictional version with the historical version. How that would have turned out I can only guess.
Matthew
From far, from eve and morning, And yon twelve-winded sky, The stuff of life to knit me, Blew hither: here am I. -A.E. Housman
posted @ Tue, Jul 14, 2015 10:31:00 pm EDT from 64.85.229.140

Of course, Shakespeare's take on Macbeth wasn't that much more historically accurate than Stoker's take on Dracula/Vlad the Impaler - and we know how "Gargoyles" handled Macbeth's reign (basing it on the actual history, but still using the Weird Sisters - not to mention a subtle version of the "none of woman born" can kill Macbeth).

About all we can guess for certain about Dracula in "Gargoyles", though, would be that he'd probably have entered Castle Wyvern at some point, in light of Elisa's mention of him when she was exploring its hallways in "Awakening Part Three" (at least, based on what Greg said in his ramble for that episode).
Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders
posted @ Tue, Jul 14, 2015 8:25:42 pm EDT from 24.251.241.121

Ack, for got my fancy text formatting.
Algernon
"Once again...welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring."
posted @ Tue, Jul 14, 2015 6:56:10 pm EDT from 109.78.235.189

So I've been rereading one of my favourite novels recently, Bram Stoker's [i]Dracula[/i}, and looking over Drac's page on the Gargwiki made me question something...

We know Greg's mentioned plans to incorporate Dracula into the Gargoyles Universe, but has he ever explicitly confirmed whether Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler are one and the same in the Gargverse?

I know most folks assume Stoker modeled his fictional vampire heavily on the historical Wallachian warlord. But more recent scholarship suggests Stoker only had very limited knowledge of the historical Vlad Dracula, beyond that he had a wicked cool name. Plus some of the novel's backstory, given both by the Van Helsing and the Count himself, doesn't seem to jive with Vlad's bio.

Only thing from Greg I can find is this, which doesn't seem definitive and is over a decade old...

http://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=4841
Algernon
"Once again...welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring."
posted @ Tue, Jul 14, 2015 6:55:11 pm EDT from 109.78.235.189

Since Fire Emblem has been on my mind lately, I've noticed some similarities between the Tellius series in particular (Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn) and Gargoyles. Relations between Beorc (humans) and Laguz in the former are about as strained as relations between humans and gargoyles in the latter, and there are other similarities between Laguz and gargoyles (such as being able to change into strong, fearsome fighters, but only temporarily, and being pretty much helpless against human weapons otherwise).
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Tue, Jul 14, 2015 5:53:52 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

Tenth(10) and away we go on with the show!!!!!!!!!!
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]
Mark Twain: "Don't argue with stupid people. They'll take you down to their level and beat you with experience."
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 10:58:01 pm EDT from 108.238.87.121

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die...
Algernon
"Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 7:43:11 pm EDT from 109.79.89.156

Roland, Durban, Athos, Elimine, Barigan, Hanon, Bramimond, and Hartmut.
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 6:56:48 pm EDT from 73.176.251.27

Vegetable Valley, Ice Cream Island, Butter Building, Grape Garden, Yogurt Yard, Orange Ocean, Rainbow Resort.

Just one of the many games brought to us in part by Mr. Iwata, but one of the first I ever played and a favorite even to this day. RIP.
Ross
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 1:27:40 pm EDT from 68.38.27.228

Sixth!
Anthony Tini
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 8:59:47 am EDT from 148.159.160.51

FIFTH!
Matt - [Saint Louis, Missouri, USA]
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 7:35:13 am EDT from 99.153.193.91

4th!
Matthew
From far, from eve and morning, And yon twelve-winded sky, The stuff of life to knit me, Blew hither: here am I. -A.E. Housman
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 1:50:34 am EDT from 71.202.80.122

Third!
Phoenician
"The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts" -- Willy Wonka
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 12:59:45 am EDT from 68.231.102.71

In honor of Mother TWO, or Earthbound.

Just one of the many masterpieces brought to us, in part, from the genius who the world lost this day.

Rest in peace, Iwata-sama.
Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"Listen, sempai. I don't really care if you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion, it's more important for a person to be recognized for who they are, rather than for what sex they are." - Haruhi Fujioka
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 12:08:02 am EDT from 66.27.220.40

First in memoriam of Satoru Iwata. Link and quote changed in his honor.
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." - Iwata Satoru
posted @ Mon, Jul 13, 2015 12:05:17 am EDT from 71.72.180.87