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dph writes...

In general, do you view the fall of Atlantis in the gargoyles universe as a good thing or a bad thing?

Greg responds...

I don't view those kind of things in black and white terms.

Response recorded on March 13, 2007

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Vashkoda writes...

Your ramble on "The New Olympians" got me wondering about the magical islands in the Gargoyles Universe. There almost seems to be a theme that all islands inherently have something "unnatural" about them (and often are home to the last surviving gargoyle clans). This would include the obvious ones like Avalon and New Olympus, but you could even include Scotland/England, Ireland, Queen Florence Island, Easter Island, Japan and Manhattan itself (I might even include Atlantis since you say it exists in the Gargoyles Universe in some form). Was this a conscious theme, or did islands simply get the spotlight in the Avalon Tour due to the easy access by skiff?

In a semi-related question, one of the big mysteries that you never really touched upon in the show is the nature of the Bermuda Triangle. In the Gargoyles Universe, does it have anything to do with one of the islands named above? Your comment about being disappointed that the New Olympus shield looked like a fog bank from outside got me thinking, since that is often how people are described getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Yet Avalon, too, seems shrouded in mist. Any comments?

Greg responds...

It's not so much a theme -- and yet not merely a matter of convenience either -- but a factor of geography. Islands ARE more isolated, which gives rise to possibilities.

But it's not limited to islands. A remote locale like Tibet isn't an island, but might as well be, if you get the drift of my skiff.

I honestly haven't gotten to the Bermuda Triangle in my own head yet, vis-a-vis the Gargoyles Universe. For those of you who attended the 1997 Gathering, and saw the Radio Play that year (Rain of the Ghosts), you know I have another original property that covers that territory in some detail. So I haven't yet turned my attention to what approach I'd take for the Triangle in the Gargoyles Universe -- since I'd want some differentiation between Gargoyles and Rain. But all things are true.

Response recorded on September 07, 2006

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Todd Jensen writes...

A question about Elisa awakening King Arthur "early". Now, we know that Elisa awakened Arthur ahead of schedule, based on the information given in "Avalon Part Three" and "Pendragon", and that he was apparently originally supposed to be awakened somewhat later and for a different emergency than the Archmage (although we don't know what it was or how far away in time it would be).

What I'm curious about is: has Elisa thereby altered Arthur's destiny? To explain a little more about what I mean, I suppose that I'd better go into a brief "ramble".

We don't know much about the nature of fate or destiny in the Gargoyles Universe (beyond the fact that the Weird Sisters are linked to it, at least when Luna is the dominant one), but we can tell that it exists in some ways (such as Avalon sending people "where they need to be"). I don't know if it's actually supposed to be possible to "alter destiny" in the Gargoyles Universe, beyond the fact that we know that the past can't be altered (as Goliath and Demona have both learned the hard way), but since Elisa came to the Hollow Hill in her own time rather than in the past, her awakening Arthur obviously wouldn't count as changing history in the same way that somebody going back in time to, say, avert the Wyvern Massacre would. However, since the future is part of the time-stream (and I assume that the only 2198 in the Gargoyles Universe is the one where the Space-Spawn show up and take over the planet and there are no alternate 2198s where that event doesn't take place), it doesn't seem so probable that it can be altered.

On the other hand, we do know that carefully-laid plans that were devised, not by God or destiny or something of a transcendent nature, but by humans or gargoyles or the Oberati, can be changed through the actions of others. Demona and the Captain of the Guard's original plans to betray Castle Wyvern, for example, wound up having different results than those that they were expecting, thanks partly to Goliath's decision to only take Hudson with him, partly to Hakon's decision to smash the gargoyles at the castle in spite of the Captain's protests.

So what my real question is, I suppose, is this; was the original "future time" for Arthur's awakening (in which he will not be awakening after all thanks to Elisa) set by God or Fate or something of that nature, or was it set merely by people (as in, the ones who placed him in the Hollow Hill)? Has Elisa genuinely altered Arthur's future, or only altered his future as it was perceived by those who laid him to sleep on Avalon?

Greg responds...

It's a very interesting distinction isn't it? Does Destiny = Future?

Well, I'm thinking no. The future, as you stated, is part of the timestream. Actual events that happened in the future (from some kind of external perspective) are immutable.

But Destiny, to me at least, means something different. Destiny is about potential. It's not about a lock or a guarantee.

Individual characters may be loose with language, but I think that in the Gargoyles Universe, when one says a character is "DESTINED" to do X, what one means is that said character is destined to ATTEMPT X. Doesn't guarantee success. Success relies on a combination of indiviual and circumstance.

So, to your original question, has Elisa altered Arthur's destiny? I'd have to say... "MAYBE!!!!"

I mean actually, I know the answer to that question, but I just don't feel like answering it now. What I mean by "maybe" is that she certainly may have. She may have created a new destiny for him. She may have spoiled plans for the old destiny. And yet he may find his way back to that old destiny. Or what he does accomplish may not be exactly the original destiny, but winds up doing the same thing or sowing seeds for others to reep. Any or all of the above.

Response recorded on June 02, 2005

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Puck Robyne Lover!! writes...

Can you give me a family tree of oberon and titiania's children across the centuries? I can't figure out if Puck is Alexnder Xanatos is pucks nephew or not. I would really like to know about Puck's/owen's secret love that you mentioned earlier too.

Greg responds...

I'm not going to reveal anything new at this time, but I will summarize what I've already revealed:

Lord Oberon is the son of Queen Mab.

Lord Oberon married Titania (who became Queen Titania after Mab was overthrown). (Note: Oberon intentionally did not take the title of King. Retaining his "Lord" title is his semi-skewed attempt at being more... egalitarian.)

Oberon and Titania have two children together: one male and one female. I know exactly who they are, but I'm keeping their identities and personas secret for the time being.

Oberon also has at least two sons by mortal women: Merlin and the changeling boy from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Titania has one child with the mortal Halcyon Renard. This is Janine Renard, a.k.a. Fox.

Fox married David Xanatos. They have one child: Alexander Fox Xanatos.

Puck, a.k.a. Owen Burnett, is not directly related to ANY of these individuals.

Response recorded on November 18, 2004

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Enigma writes...

I have a language question. The gargoyles (Manhattan Clan)come from medevil Scotland, right? Well, English 1000 years ago wasn't the same as it is now. It actually bears little resemblence to old English, so how could the gargoyles understand our English (Modern English) when they woke up in NY in 1994?
When you really think about it they should be speaking Scottish since they're from a time when people in Scotland spoke Scottish, not English.
So either way you look at it there should have been a lot of communication problems at first. (I can accept we can understand everyone in Scotland 994 since you'd have to use subtitles otherwise. Thanks :)

Greg responds...

You are essentially correct, although I'd use the term Gaelic, I think, rather than Scottish.

The "behind the scenes" answer, as I've mentioned before, was that we chose Scotland in part because it's a place where people CURRENTLY speak English, so we felt we could skate past the language question without too much of a problem.

The "in universe" answer, which I've also mentioned before, came, I believe, from Michael Reaves, who suggested that a spell was cast (perhaps by Demona before Goliath & Company were brought to the top of the Eyrie Building) to bring the Gargoyles up to speed language-wise without any of them realizing that they'd been effected.

Response recorded on October 22, 2004

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JEB writes...

Random question - which is longer (page-length-wise), the Gargoyles Timeline or the Gargoyles Encyclopedia manuscript?

Greg responds...

The Timeline, last updated 6/27/01, is currently 221 pages long (not counting all the handwritten margin notes done since then).

The Encyclopedia, last updated 9/16/98, is currently 350 pages long (not counting all the handwritten margin notes done since then).

Response recorded on May 11, 2004

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The Cat writes...

Hey Greg,
It's The Cat, again. Technically I've already asked this question, but it has more to do with when the gargoyles learned how to read than anything else.

It has been asked already, but your answer is not correct.

You aswered that Demona learned from the Archmage. Goliath learned from Demona. Lexington learned right before they were turned to stone for a thousand years. Brooklyn learned right after the spell was broken and of course Broadway and Hudson learned together from Elisa and the rest of the clan.

It is not correct in the fact that English was not a language back in 994A.D., much less a written language. So, here is your answer revised a bit for all those people that have to learn this in History class and then wonder how it could be possible for the gargoyles to have learned to read English if it wasn't a language.

Demona learned how to read English sometime while the others were in their stone sleep, after all life must really get boring having nothing to do and being a live for several centuries( do ya'll people really think that she'd kill humans all the time?) Goliath, Brooklyn and Lexington most likely learned how to read right after the spell was broken. After all the language Goliath and Lexington learned how to read was most likely Latin given the fact that that language was the only one besides Greek and Hebrew that were written down at the time.

Another question(actually the one above wasn't really a question, hmm, I've really got to work on that)

In the episode, A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time, The Scroles(I'm unsure if I spelt that right and I don't have a dictionary at hand right now) of Merlin were written in Ancient Celtic, but how could that be? Celtic wasn't a written language. Or it could have been and I just haven't covered that topic in my history lessons yet. But I don't think it was a written language at the time that the scrolls were written.

Well, I know this is a kind of multi-topic letter, but I was going on the topic of written languages more than anything. See ya.

Greg responds...

I don't think I was asked when they learned to "read English", I think I was asked when they learned to read.

Of course, we generally cheated on language issues. Michael Reaves had a magical solution to this, which I like and have commented on before.

As for the Scrolls, I'd have to do more research to answer you in the kind of detail your post displays.

Response recorded on April 26, 2004

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Zarok writes...

Hey Greg
I've just finished reading your "Roswell Conspiracies" bible, there are some really great ideas in it. The ban on faster than light travel is somewhat revolutionary and unique in a show like this. It's a shame that it didn't work out but it did get me thinking about outer space and aliens in the Gargoyles universe so…

1) Do the "Greymen" exist in the Gargoyle universe?

2) Did the "roswell incident" or some version of it occur in the Gargoyle universe?

Greg responds...

All things are true. One way or another.

Response recorded on March 26, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1.Are Thor's sons alive? I mean they were said to survive ragnorak.
2.How about Vidar and Vali?
3.What about Odin's wife? Is she alive?

Greg responds...

I'm not going to start rattling off a laundry list of Norse Gods and figures.

I have basic ideas about how Norse mythology fits into the Gargoyles Universe, but I won't pretend I've yet had the opportunity (or need) to go through each and every "character" and figure out where he or she or it is currently hanging.

Response recorded on February 23, 2004

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Emma Rooney writes...

Where do you get all the information about Gargoyles from, without calling/visiting the sculptor?

Greg responds...

The sculptor?

Mostly, I make it up. Or rather, I made it up some time ago and I either type it up from memory or I refer to my old notes.

Or maybe, as I've suggested before, I'm just psychically tapping into the Gargoyles Universe -- if that doesn't sound TOO pretentious.

Response recorded on February 12, 2004


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