THE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CARTOON FAN CLUB QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Issue 1, II March 1998/April 1998 ****************************************************************************** ******** "I didn't lose the gold, I won the silver." -- Michelle Kwan ****************************************************************************** ******** Well, well, well. Can you believe FIVE WHOLE ISSUES have passed since the first issue? I sure can't! Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? In what will hopefully become a long-running, time honored tradition, here is the all-inclusive whopper that I call ..... THE SECOND-ANNUAL DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CARTOON ANNUAL POLL!!! As people who have been reading since Issue #1 will notice, there's alot more "essay"ish answers in this poll, along with everyone's time-honored "favorite character" and "favorite episode" questions. Have fun -- and be sure to send this back to me via E-Mail by April 20, 1998. Just to let you know -- any answers you send in can and may be used in the next issue -- so there! And, on another note, D?OH!!!! The problems with my text files persist! I cannot believe that two of the features from the last newsletter, the D&D Ten-Year Reunion feature and the D&D webpage list did not go through. Arrrgh! So I?ve included them in this issue. Sorry about that. I am (hopefully!) getting a new computer soon (dance of joy ensues), so this won?t happen anymore! Yipee skippie! Oh well, on with the show, this is it! -- Amy (IllyanaAM@aol.com) ****************************************************************************** ******** D&D CARTOON ON-LINE FAN CLUB ANNUAL POLL, THE SEQUEL! Now remember folks, send your responses back to me by April 20th, 1998. Don?t make me have to tell you twice! :) Here goes: (1) Who's your favorite main character on Dungeons and Dragons? (a) Hank (b) Eric (c) Sheila (d) Presto (e) Diana (f) Bobby (g) Uni (h) Dungeon Master (i) Venger (j) Other: (please specify)__________________________ (2) Who was your favorite one-appearance hero (for example, Lorne from Odessey of the 12th Talisman, Kosar from Child of the Stargazer, Queen Solonara, etc.)? ____________________________________ (3) Who was the best villain? (BESIDES Venger, naturally!):__________________________ (4) Which episode was your favorite?__________________________________________ (5) Had you been given the choice (and who wouldn't have liked THAT?), would you have wanted the show to have a final episode that got the group back home once and for all -- or maybe not? (a) What, are you KIDDING? Of course I think they should have gotten home! They deserve it, for cryin' out loud! (b) Nah. The Realm was too interesting, and there were a lot more adventures they could have had and a ton of kingdoms they could have still visited. Plus the fact that they'd been there so long, going home would have probably been weirder than staying in the Realm anyways. (c) Is this a trick question? (d) Other (please explain) (6) Okay. Let's throw a hypothetical question at all of you. Say you got stuck in the Realm one day, and Dungeon Master actually gave you the choice to pick one of the six Weapons of Power that the group was given to use. If you could have one, and ONLY one of the Weapons of Power, which one would you want, and why? (a) Hank's bow (explain why?) (b) Sheila's invisibility cloak (explain why?) (c) Diana's javelin (explain why?) (d) Presto's magic hat (explain why?) (e) Eric's shield (explain why?) (f) Bobby's club (explain why?) (7) Okay, okay. Here's ANOTHER hypothetical question for ya. Say that there was talk that the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon show concept was going to be revitalized (I wish I may, I wish I might!) -- only TPTB (The Powers That Be) were not quite sure in what way they would do it. If you had the chance to throw in your $.02 on the subject, which way would you vote? (a) They should keep the same characters and continue their adventures where the old series left off -- and still on either Saturday morning TV or some other kind of comparable weekly animated format. (b) An animated movie (or video) with the same characters-- a la the quality and style of a Japanese animated movie or the Batman animated movie -- would be the best way to go, with a single story arc that begins and ends in the length of the movie. (c) A live-action movie would be the best option -- with dazzling special effects and a movie-length retelling of the whole story of the cartoon, with the same characters updated for the 90s. (d) No matter what the format, the old characters should not be used and should be left alone. New characters should be brought in and developed, along with new ideas and concepts. (e) I have other thoughts on this one. (Please explain and elaborate in your answer). (8) Which, if any, specific episode of the D&D Cartoon would you have liked to see continued and developed into further storylines, and why? (9) Are there any other characters from other cartoons or movies that you would have liked to see show up on the show -- or a crossover of some kind between the characters, a la Maureen's story about Mulder and Scully meeting up with the group? (10) Okay. Is it me, or did Kosar from the "Child of the Stargazer" episode look (and sound) like Michael Jackson (note: the MJ of 1984, not now!), or what? (a) Uhm, DUH! Of course he did! (b) What are you on about now? You're nuts! It's not like Kosar was Moonwalking or wore a sequined glove or something. I'll have to say NO to this one! (c) Couldn't you come up with a better question than this? (d) Other (please explain): ****************************************************************************** ******** POLL RESULTS FROM LAST ISSUE! Remember? Sure you do, intrepid readers! We asked you to give your best explanation why Venger?s magic worked on Earth, while the weapons did not. And here?s what you said! ?The reason Venger's magic still worked when he followed the gang back to Earth is because his magic is an innate part of him. Since he is the source of his magic's power, he could still try and blast the kids. On the other hand, the Weapons of Power didn't work because the kids weren't the power source of their magic. The source was located back in the Realm (in places like the Dragon's Graveyard and the Hall of Bones). When the gang went through the portal to get home, the Weapons' power source was cut off, which is why they didn't work.? -- Kim Bremner ?Ya see that horn on V's head? It's an antennae for catching magic vibes. With that wide wingspread, he got that perfect satellite-dish-shape for great reception. You laugh. But those weapons don't have any horns, do they, and look at all the times they needed recharging! Good thing Zandora didn't actually SHUT that box, or the magic vibes would've been cut off. After that...who knows what would've happened to poor Venger? (Cut to a pic of "Gotham Asylum" and a mad one-horned guy peeking out the window. "You will pay for this, earthlings!!")? -- Lesley Hickman ?(1) Just as Uni could teleport but didn't realize it until she was told, the weapons could work but they couldn't work themselves, and the kids didn't know how to make them work. In "Hall of Bones" DM speaks of the weapons holding a "mystical energy" that had been exhausted; that same energy is exhausted in "Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn". Both episodes require journeys to sites of power to restore the mystical energy. However, to simply state that mystical energy must inhabit the weapons means that it is logically inescapable that the weapons should have worked on Earth, since passing through the barrier between us and the Realm did not sap them of their energy, anymore than it sapped Venger's energy. A similar failure occurred with Cawamung's medallion in "Beauty and the Bogbeast"; it didn't work in the amusement park in our world, but worked back in the Realm among the bogbeasts. Yet: it didn't work the second Eric went back, nor when the bogbeasts accepted Eric as one of their own. Eric transformed when the other members of the gang returned to the Realm and reclaimed him as their Cavalier, in spite of his appearance. Yet DungeonMaster said that the "answer would lie in what you dislike the most". He endorsed the belief that the "key to the magic of the medallion" was the Realm itself, even though Eric wore the medallion in the Realm for a good minute with nothing happening. The difference was the reappearance of Eric's companions in the Realm, which gave Eric a reason to transform back into his old self. Eric was resigned to being a bogbeast until the rest of the gang came back, which means that, until that moment, there was nothing for him to like or dislike; he had resigned himself to his fate as a bogbeast. When the option of again joining the group in search of a portal home appeared, he had a basis for liking and disliking. Therefore, magic in the Realm is to some extent tied to its user, and does not exist in a vacuum. (2) "The Force is the energy field created by all living things", regardless of the world. Venger knows this; the kids don't. I realize that this leans on "Star Wars", but the Force could well be seen as the medium for "magic" (levitating spaceships, telepathy, clouding men's minds). In fact, is there really a difference between Varla's illusions and the Jedi mind trick? In both, people are made to believe that A is a reality while B is not, even though B really is the reality. (3) As our world turned toward science, the belief in, and the reality of, magic has diminished (although not gone). But Venger demonstrates that magic can be made to work in our world. I've written in the past that magic is essentially dead in our world as we embraced science rather than the paranormal. But science is merely a system of observing and classifying certain behaviors and phenomena. Certain ancient Chinese practices (divining the future through the I Ching, belief in astrology, the recent interest in geomancy a/k/a feng shui) were not arrived at in a flash of mystical insight, but after dozens, maybe hundreds of years of observation and tracing patterns. Certain things repeat themselves under certain circumstances; this is science, even if it IS called "The Year of the Tiger". All this has an intriguing implication: that there is no difference between this world and the Realm except subjectively. Venger did not recognize that this was a magic-less world, and accordingly he made his magic work. The kids, however, thought that the magic lay in the weapons or in the Realm--not within themselves and their view of the world. Consider: if the kids brought magical devices back to our world, trusting that they would work, and they failed to work, they would assume that the weapons were incompatible with this world (as they kept saying that Uni did not belong here). But the assumption may be wrong. Consider this somewhat farfetched analogy: the ability to jump thirty feet into the air is inherent in almost every person, but the earth's gravity does not permit it. Only on the moon, with its lessened gravity, can an ordinary person as well as an Olympic athlete make that kind of a leap. Accordingly, we may consider that Earth and its culture of science holds to a kind of mystical gravity, making it that much harder for us, here and now, to perform feats that would be simpler in other realms, primarily because we BELIEVE that such feats cannot be performed. The kids, if not pressured by time ("Bogbeast") or Venger ("Box"), could have learned to adjust their approach to their weapons to make them work in our world. There simply never was enough time. That, plus their prejudice that some things are not part of "our world", a prejudice that would have to have been the basis for their return to this world, kept their magic from soaring here the way Venger's did.? -- Patrick Drazen All veeeery intriuguing explanations! Thanks again to Justin Alexander for suggesting this question in the first place! And a big thank you to the three of you for your great answers! ****************************************************************************** ******** D&D CARTOON WEB PAGE LISTING! Here's the scoop on all that is the D&D Cartoon on the web. If I missed your page, let me know, and I'll be sure to post the info in the Updates and News section of the next issue. (Thanks to Les and her fab page, where I got all this info!) =) * The Realm -- Lesley Hickman's ultimate resource of everything from the D&D Cartoon! Cool fan art of the characters! Awesome fan fiction! Topics of the week! Links to other D&D cartoon pages! Tape trading offers! Not to mention our fan club's section! (Geez, is she busy or what!) If it has anything to do with the D&D Cartoon, you'll find it here (or at the very least, a link to it). A must-see page for any D&D Cartoon fan! Run -- don't walk! -- to: http://mail.med.upenn.edu/~hickman/index.html * Cavern of Tiamat -- Patrick Drazen's corner of D&D Cartoon-related fan fiction, featuring his continuing story of the characters ten years later, as well as a comprehensive episode guide with a description and review of each individual episode. There's also a character guide as well as some other D&D- cartoon related goodies. Overall, a great page with a lot of insightful information about the cartoon. He also has a trading offer for episodes of the cartoon! Stop by and take a look at : http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2599 *DaWiz's Page -- DaWiz's page features some cool and very high-quality screen captures from the cartoon. He also posts the newsletter on his page, as well as commentary everyone can agree with -- how much it totally stinks that the show got canceled! It's a nifty page. Check it out at: http:///www.lookup.com/Homepages/94216/D&D.html *Maryann's Page -- Maryann has some of her D&D cartoon cels on display. As D&D cartoon cels are next-to-impossible to find (believe me, I know, I've been trying to find some for the past four years), it's definitely a great place to visit. You can drool over the cels at: http://hcgl.eng.ohio- state.edu/~robbins *Spud's Page: Spud's got a video trading offer of his own up at his page, as well as some other super-cool stuff! Head to: http://learn.senecac.on.ca/~sjweber/index.html *Paszaz's Page -- This page features a nifty episode listing, as well as some great, primo high-quality screen-capture shots of each of the characters from the series! Stop on by at: http://www.pazsaz.com/dundrag.html *Norm's D&D Page -- Norm's also got some faboo screen captures up on his page, and he's working on starting a library of fan fiction. Check it out at: http://jvm.com/otterden/dnd/index.html ****************************************************************************** ******** D&D CARTOON FAN FICTION CORNER! Just a reminder, gang -- Remember that fanfiction writers thrive on comments and feedback. We have to -- we don?t get paid for this! So if you liked a story, be sure to let the author know! Thanksabunch! * Here?s Part 2 of the newsletter?s newest fan fiction serial, Return of the Dreamer by Rhonda Robinson! Enjoy! The STORY is all mine, but only one of the CHARACTERS in it is mine, and you'll know which one. The rest all belong to TSR, Marvel, and whoever else had a hand in creating the long-lost Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. Rated--well, I don't think it's worse than PG. I'll try to keep it no higher than PG-13 at the roughest. (When I write fanfic, I try to keep it at the level of the original show, or at least close to it.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Return of the Dreamer Part Two by Rhonda Robinson Bobby tightened his grip and braced himself, ready for what he knew was coming. Even so, the sphere was surprisingly fast. He swung with all his might, and was rewarded with a sharp *CRACK!* as the object changed direction, flying up and away from him as fast at it had approached. "I got it! I got it!" hollered Eric, running backwards with his gloved hand raised to catch the baseball. "Run, Bobby, run!" Sheila called, but Bobby had discarded his bat and was already halfway to first base. *The shrimp's pretty good,* Eric thought, *but he's still just a kid.* Then his heel caught in a rabbit's burrow, throwing him off-balance and spinning him around. "Yaaaaahhhh!" He landed hard enough to knock the wind out of him, closing his eyes reflexively. When he opened them again, he saw a familiar red robe. "Oh, great." The Dungeon Master caught the baseball cleanly in one hand. "The time for fun and games is over, my pupils." By this time, the other five kids had jogged up to their guide and friend, Uni trotting along beside Bobby and carrying a bundle on the point of her horn. "What's wrong, Dungeon Master?" asked Hank as he and Diana helped Eric to his feet. "Venger has lured the Dreamer back to this Realm, and intends to use her against you. You must free her from his power." The Dungeon Master seemed unconcerned that his students wore red or blue baseball caps and tan baseball gloves, and that Hank's bow and Bobby's club poked out of the bundle Uni carried, made from Sheila's cloak. "The Dreamer? Who's that?" asked Presto. "He's got Terry? Where? We gotta save her!" Bobby pulled his club out of Uni's bundle, making her drop it. "Hold on, Bobby." Hank put a restraining hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Where is she?" "And no riddles this time!" Bobby demanded. "Maybe an easy one?" Sheila knew that the Dungeon Master was about as likely to stop telling riddles as Venger was to stop doing evil. "Venger has taken her to his fortress in the Mountains of Misery." The Dungeon Master pointed to a range of forbidding black mountains on the horizon. "He has a servant you have not met before who will attempt to deceive you, but the touch of the heart shall reveal the truth." As he spoke, the tiny wizard walked away from the kids, heading for a large tree. Uni followed him, bleating as if to say, "Tell us more!" They vanished behind the tree, but only Uni emerged, kicking the baseball. Of the Dungeon Master there was no sign. Diana knelt to untie the bundle and Sheila tried to calm Bobby down. Hank sighed and handed Presto his glove as Diana began passing out the weapons, prompting the Magician to stuff it in his hat. "We'd better get going." ************************************************************ Venger studied Terry carefully from where she lay sprawled on the floor behind narrow beams of sickly green energy. These beams radiated from a huge crystal in the ceiling and formed a cone-shaped cage. Although she lay still, Terry could feel her arms and legs tingling as the paralysis wore off. "Tell me of your power, little warrior-maiden," Venger commanded. "Tell me how you dream of the future and if you see waking visions as well as sleeping ones." Terry remained silent. "Tell me or I will force it out of you!" "I'm not telling you anything!" Terry defied him, although her heart beat faster. *Don't let him see you're scared.* "You're just a big bully!" "A bully? I am more than that, child." Venger made a gesture and spoke a word Terry didn't understand. A bolt of fiery red energy leapt from his hand, striking Terry in the head and leaving it surrounded with an aura, and his helmet glowed the same colour. "Since you will not tell me what I wish to know, I will drag it from your mind!" Terry wasn't sure if he'd spoken the words or simply thought them. His magic tore through her brain, seeking the information he wanted. She struggled mentally to keep it hidden--any way she could. *Two times two is four. Two times three is six. Two times four is eight.* "You cannot keep that up long enough to stop me!" ************************************************************ "Come on! Who knows what he's doing to her?" "Bobby, wait for us!" Sheila responded. "What's gotten into him?" griped Eric. "He doesn't know any better than the rest of us where the fortress is, so why does he keep running ahead?" Diana shaded her eyes and looked at the young Barbarian, far ahead of the main group with Uni at his side. "He can't go much farther before he gets to the mountains. Maybe they'll slow him down long enough for us to catch up." The others *did* finally catch up to Bobby at the base of the mountains. Close-up, they looked even more forbidding than they were at a distance. The light of the four suns gleamed on the smooth, glassy surfaces and sparkled from many sharp points and edges. "No, Bobby!" Sheila intercepted her brother, who was ready to climb the mountain without slowing down more than he had to. "You'll cut yourself to ribbons, look!" "You know, Presto," Diana mused, "he reminds me of you when Venger had Varla prisoner." The Magician ducked his head in a feeble attempt to hide his blush. "I think these are pure obsidian," he said hastily. "What?" Bobby didn't know what the word meant. "Black volcanic glass," Presto explained. "I think it's used to make some kinds of scalpels, and Indians used it for arrowheads. It's razor-sharp." "We're not climbing that without protection for our hands and feet." Hank's voice was firm. "Then teleport us up, Presto!" "I'll try." Presto stepped back a few paces and looked up the slope. He could just see the top half of the fortress. He studied it carefully, trying to visualize what it would look like from behind the battlements, then took off his hat and waved his free hand over the open end. "Take us quick from here to there And leave us none the worse for wear." A thick white mist streamed out of his hat, engulfing the group, then vanishing. Nothing else happened. Bobby glared at Presto, but said nothing. Eric burst into laughter. "Huh? I was sure I had that spell right!" *Something felt wrong, like my magic was being blocked. Could Venger have done that?* "It's OK, Presto," Hank assured him. "We'll just have to climb." Remembering Hank's earlier words, Presto looked at his slippers, then Hank's leather boots. *Those won't last.* He glanced over at Sheila and Bobby. *Sheila's boots probably aren't any tougher than Hank's. Bobby's too.* Then he looked at Diana. *Her boots are the same as Bobby's.* Finally he turned his gaze to Eric. *But HIS are metal!* "Hey, Eric, take off your boots." Eric stopped laughing and gave Presto a funny look as he caught his breath. "What?! No way! Are you nuts?" "You heard him! Take them off!" snarled Bobby. He dashed over to the Cavalier, grabbed a boot, and pulled. At first it didn't want to come off, then it gave way and Eric fell on his rear end. "OK, OK. Sheesh!" Eric pulled the other boot off himself, then handed it to Presto. "Whaddya need them for anyway?" "Remember the magic lessons I got from the queen of the fairie dragons? She taught me that if I want to create something, it's best to work from a model." Presto took the metal boots and set them on the ground in front of him, then studied them carefully, seeing how the plates fitted together to provide both protection and enough flexibility to let the wearer walk easily. When he was sure he knew how they worked, he waved his hand over his hat again. "All of us need boots like these And can we have some gloves too, please?" This time purple light poured from the hat, surrounding the boots. When it faded, Eric's were surrounded by five other pairs in different sizes, six pairs of metal gloves made much the same way, and four odd semi-circular objects also made of metal plates. "You didn't forget Uni! Thanks, Presto!" "Normal horseshoes wouldn't work, so I thought I'd try something else," Presto said as Bobby snatched up the metal unicorn boots. The kids removed their leather or fur boots and gave them (somewhat reluctantly) to Presto, who put them and his slippers in his hat. Then they all put on the metal boots and gloves. Even though he put Uni's boots on her first, Bobby was ready before anyone else. "Hurry up! We gotta save Terry!" ************************************************************ "Most unexpected," Venger mused. "I had expected your power to be weak and vague, but to find so much potential is most gratifying." Terry, exhausted from the mental battle, made no comment. "You have no control over your visions. This must end now." He spoke in an almost scolding tone, as if it were her fault. Suspecting what was coming, Terry gathered up all her strength. Venger fired another bolt, icy blue this time. Terry felt as if her brain were being stretched, and fought back desperately with a fragment of a song she remembered from a movie she'd once seen about a writer of fairy tales. *Two and two are four. Four and four are eight. Eight and eight are sixteen.* ************************************************************ The climb up was difficult. The sharp, brittle obsidian tended to break under the weight of the climbers, forcing them to test their handholds and footrests carefully before putting their entire weight on the tiny projections and crevices. Their slow pace made Bobby even more impatient. "Stupid mountain!" "Take it easy, Bobby," Diana soothed him. "We'll make it." Uni nuzzled him, then scrambled up a bit higher. Small fragments of the volcanic glass broke away under her steel-shod hooves and tumbled down the slope. Sheila, behind her, saw the sharp bits and raised one arm in front of her eyes to protect them. At that moment, her other handhold gave way. "Aieeee!" "SHEILA!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * End Part Two The song Terry recalls is "The Inchworm Song", from a TV movie about Hans Christian Andersen. (the movie was also called "Hans Christian Andersen") Thanks again to Vic for the ideas! How is it so far? Please e-mail me at rosrobin@ab.imag.net with your comments--I need the feedback. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *