#jatd directory

[incorrectjane-andthedragon]

I think all the things on the JATD masterpost are tagged under jatd directory! but yeah it sucks most of the links are broken :(

Ah okay, thanks for letting me know!

[gogogoats]

Jane and the Dragon Character Profiles - Jester

JESTER Full name: Jester Age: 14 Like a lot of young men in the middle-ages, Jester was named after his profession. FIRST NAME: Unknown In fact Jester does know his first name but he keeps it a secret. Gunther thinks it must be embarrassing. In fact it’s not - it’s an interesting Roman name. Jester’s family are travelling players, gypsies; originally from Italy. And one day Jester will reveal his true name to Jane. NICKNAMES: Dragon calls him Floppy Hat and Jingle Boy. JOB DESCRIPTION: • To entertain the Court with songs, jokes, and riddles. • To write ballads which record the great deeds of the Kingdom. • To taste the food before the Royal family eat it. • To help the castle staff with their duties. JESTER’S HISTORY: The Jester arrived at the castle when he was 7 years old. He was touring with his family of travelling players. The young boy was very clever; could dance, sing and play music - he could also read! He had outgrown his parent's ability to teach him so they asked the Court to take him into service. The King offered free tutoring and lodging for the position of Court Jester. Jester gets news about his family from other travellers and hopes that one day they will pass through the Kingdom again.

FAVORITE FOOD: Baked apples. Pepper cuts out the apple core and fills the hole with raisins and honey. Then she bakes it in the castle oven for an hour. AMBITION: To see the world and write a magnificent ballad about his adventures. FAVORITE SONG: ‘My tiny heart is broken.’ A love ballad about a wilted lettuce that he wrote for Rake’s last birthday. FAVORITE PASTIMES: Collecting rare documents.

@keylimecliche

[my-chemical-friendzone]

[gogogoats]

There’s a wealth of useful info here, especially in the Ask the Creator and Castle History sections. Loads of fic inspo, too!

Jane & the Dragon Directory

Ask the Creator

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII

Part IX Part X Part XI Part XII

Part XIII Bonus

Episodes (In Order)

All Episodes

Official Website

Introduction to Page

Behind the Castle Walls

Fun Facts

Medieval Facts

Pepper Talk

Castle History

Part I

Part II

Character Profiles

Introduction

Part I

Part II

Profiles 

Adeline Turnkey

Dragon

Drake “Rake” Gardener Junior 

Gunther Breech

Jane Turnkey

Jester

Jethro “Smithy” Junior

King Caradoc

Milton Turnkey

Magnus Breech

Prince Cuthbert

Princess Lavinia

Queen Gwendolyn

Sir Ivon Mackay

Sir Theodore Boarmaster

Verbena “Pepper” Salter 

Dragon’s Diary

My Magnificent Life

Fun Stuff

Introduction

Pictures to Color In

Write A Story

Knight School

Introduction

Animation Competition

Winner I 

Winner II 

Winner III 

Winner IV

Invent a Swear Word

Jokes for Jester

Recipes for Pepper

Short-Live’s Work

Teacher’s Turret

Miscellaneous

Artwork & Photos 

Concept Art

I

II

III

IV

V

Official Website Icons & Artwork (no links)

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Ask Jane’s Creator (Part XII)

What are those codes that Jane and Dragon are trying to solve?

-From Rose, 8, North Carolina, USA

The codes are dragon runes, or dragon language. Dragon has been collecting anything with runes on it in the hope that it will help him unlock the truth about dragons. He wants to know the full truth, not the stories he hears from shortlives. Most of all he wants to know what happened to dragons and he hopes the runes will help to reveal the past and solve all those mysteries.

Do Pepper, Rake, Smithy, and Jester have family members that work at the castle?

-From Blair, 13, USA

There is now a lot of new information about the characters on the Meet the Cast page! It will tell you all about their families and where they live. For instance, Smithy is the son of a local pig farmer, and his family still live on a small pig farm not far from the castle.

Why does dragon talk to Jane so much?

-From Marquise, 9, Georgia, USA

For three hundred years, Dragon kept himself a secret from the world. He's spied on shortlives, learnt their languages, and tried to understand them. But the few times that he revealed himself he always got into trouble and was attacked...Then he met Jane! At last he found someone who wasn't scared of him and didn't want to kill him. Someone he could talk to. And he has three hundred years of talking to get out of his system!

Who is Jane's father? Will you ever show him on any of the episodes?

-From Julianne, 9, New Jersey, USA

Jane's father is the King's Chamberlain. He runs the castle staff and tries to keep the King's treasury from running out of money. He appears in several episodes, and one in particular where he gets so worried by something that happens to Jane that he gets right into the action himself.

Why is Jane's hair so fluffy?

-From Avery, 10

It's just the way it grows! Her mother, The Lady-In-Waiting, wants Jane to use bows and clips to control it like a proper young lady of the Court. You can imagine what Jane thinks of that idea! So Jane likes it just the way it is, especially because it looks rather like a ball of dragon fire.

Is dragon able to perform magic? I know that some dragons who are older and wiser have that ability, but I do not know whether Dragon qualifies.

-From Muggle, 13, Michigan, USA

No, Dragon can't perform magic. His flying and fire-breathing seem like magic, but they are all due to the methane gas he builds up in his body from eating lots of vegetation. His scales and skin seem like magic because they are too strong for most weapons, but they are just very tough like slivers of bone. Unfortunately, a lot of shortlives in Jane's world used to believe that parts of a Dragon had special magical powers, so they would hunt Dragons for their teeth, claws, and scales.

I study dragons all the time and know dragon scales are hard to get. But why does Jane wear them on her skirt? You have to kill dragons to get their scales, right?

-Tuano, 10, Washington, USA

Well spotted, Tuano! The links on Jane's skirt of armor do look like dragon scales. But they are actually made of metal. They are part of a suit of special armor that was found in Dragon's cave. It's covered in dragon runes and dragon symbols, including the metal scales of the skirt.

Will Jane ever be in a combat?

-From Ned, 7

Sir Theodore is teaching Jane all the skills of being a knight. The first rule is to keep the peace and avoid combat if possible. So Jane tries to use her brain to solve her problems. But she knows that one day she might need to use her skills in combat to defend her friends and the Royal Family. Keep watching, Ned, and you'll find out the answer to your question!

What inspired you to create the show the way you did?

-From Emanuel, 13, Nantucket, MA, USA

We wanted Jane to be a cartoon that wasn't like other cartoons. We have tried to create a world where the characters behave like real people in a real world but who look like drawings from a book. The hope was that we could make a world that looked like it had stepped right out of the pages of a children's book, rather than a normal TV cartoon. I like to think we succeeded...don't you?

Just where do Rake's affections lie? And why?

-From Allisen,13, Idaho, USA

Rake doesn't have a harsh word for anyone. He sees the best in people and has a great deal of affection for Jane and all their friends. But there is one special person who can bring a bit of color into his cheeks, and she does it without rubbing beetroot on his face...though Rake has done that himself once, to please Princess Lavinia!

Do Pepper, Smithy, and Rake play games together?

-From Justin, 10, Mississippi, USA

Yes, they do...they play Bandyball! It was a very popular sport throughout England in Jane's time. It was a team game and could be played with as few as two people on each side or with hundreds. Sometimes entire villages would play against each other! The game involved hitting a ball (made from a pig's bladder that was filled with dried seeds) towards the other team's goal, which could be a post, a wall or a building. It was played with curved sticks and was a bit like modern hockey, except players could kick, throw, and hit the ball.

Did you watch or read any other books to give you an inspiration for these characters?

-From Julianne, 10, San Jose, CA, USA

My inspiration comes from real people. The characters in Jane's world are based on friends I had when I was young, on my children and friends of my children. It's the same for the adult characters. For instance, the King is very much like a teacher I had when I was at school. He was always trying to please everyone and he wasn't as smart as the children he was trying to teach. But he was a kind man and so we were always polite to him even though he was a bit silly and boring.

Do you know a dragon, and are you real?

-From Macie, 10, Tennessee, USA

Yes, I do know Jane's Dragon! He's lived in my head for over twenty years and is always telling me about his adventures from the years before he met Jane. He has now asked me to ask Jane if she would write them down for him. I've promised to pass on the message!

And yes, Macie, I am real. This is not a computer making up replies to all the wonderful questions everyone sends in. My name is Martin Baynton and I wrote the Jane And The Dragon books and work as a producer and writer on the TV series. Sadly, there isn't enough space to answer every question that is sent in, but I read ALL of them and I want to thank you all so much for the kind words and emails of support. They mean a great deal to me and to the rest of the Jane team.

Who does the voices of Jane and Dragon?

-From Maddie, 7, Morristown, NJ, USA

Jane is voiced by a very talented 13-year-old Canadian actress named Tajja Isen. You might recognize her voice on TV as that of Betty from "Atomic Betty" and Jodie from "Time Warp Trio." She's also an accomplished singer -- she portrayed Young Nala in the Toronto production of "The Lion King" for nearly a year -- as well as a pianist and songwriter. I think Tajja has a bright future ahead of her...just like Jane!

The voice behind Dragon belongs to Adrian Truss, one of Canada's leading comedians. He has performed with the Second City comedy on stage and television, as well as with the improv troupe he co-founded, Illustrated Men. You can hear Adrian's voice in other animated series such as "Atomic Betty" and "Rolie Polie Olie." Adrian has also written and directed several plays for the stage. He's a truly multi-talented fellow and we're thrilled that he's helping us bring Dragon to life.

Where is Gunther's mother? Why is there no one to stand up for him against his father?

-From Anna, NY, USA

Gunther doesn't know where his mother is. His father refuses to talk about her and gets very angry if Gunther asks about her. He has a few memories of her and has collected bits of gossip here and there. One tale is that she was the daughter of a rich trader and that the Merchant only married her to get her father's business. 

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Hello Shortlives,

welcome to the world of Jane And The Dragon.

I have so much to show you I hardly know where to begin.

Perhaps by introducing myself.

I am Jester, the King’s Fool, the Court’s official food taster, and - most importantly - Jane’s best friend. Her best shortlife friend anyway, no one can compete with the big reptile in her life. So these pages are my small contribution to the archives here at the castle. I have gathered together all kinds of documents and every week I shall add new ones.

Fun Stuff will have some of the games we make for the Royal children.

Dragon’s Diary is.. well.. his diary. I need to apologize for this, but Jane insisted we include it. Please excuse the language, the grammar, the subject matter and.. well, pretty much all of it.

Dragon Files are where Jane and Dragon record everything they have discovered about dragons. Some of it is from their research and some of it is just wishful thinking from his big greenness.

Jester’s Jokes will have some of my very best jokes. (Gunther thinks this will be a blank page, but that is completely fine by me because I think Gunther is a blank page.)

Behind the Castle Wallshas contributions from everyone here in the castle. Smithy will be telling you how his gadgets work. Pepper will have all kinds of advice to share with you, though my advice is not to act on any of it. And Rake has a great deal to say about vegetables, which says a great deal about Rake.

And this is just the beginning. There is much else besides, so come on in and visit the archives as often as you like.

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Pre-Entries

Poor Dragon. I tried to explain what animation meant, how it was stories told with pictures that move. He threw a huffy and flew off to his cave leaving me to issue this challenge in his place. My name is Martin Baynton and I created Jane and the Dragon. (Please don't tell THEM that.) So for those Knight School Students who are keen to create animated stories of your own I would love to see your work.

And here's the challenge. You know how Smithy loves designing and building new tools and devices, well I challenge you to write and animate a short story based on one of Smithy's new inventions. Get together with some of your school friends and give it a go - it can be done using any animation software you're familiar with, or stop frame animation using cut out images. Have fun and be as inventive, creative and entertaining as you can.

You might need to carry out research, so I have found some places where you can learn about simple animation, and life in the Middle Ages.

The competition closes on May 30th, 2008. In the teachers' turret your teachers can find out everything they need to know about the competition such as entry forms, rules and prizes which include books, DVDs, and a visit to the Weta Workshop Studios for some lucky animators who will get to see Weta Workshop animators at work.

We will publish the winners here in Knight School, and we will also publish them on Weta Workshops own website too.

And if you have any questions, you can write to dragon@janeandthedragon.school.nz

Post-Entries

This was a great challenge and we had lots of fun watching the entries. Your animated stories used a wide range of styles and techniques, as you can see from the winners that we have published here.

The winners were Maungatapu School (up to year 6), and Otumoetai Intermediate School's Incredible Minds ICT Extension group (years 7 to 10). Representatives of these two classes have been invited to tour Weta Studios, and watch the animators at work.

Take a look at the winning entries. They are totally brilliant.

Maungatapu School "Smithy's Invention", "Smithy's Apple Problem", and "Smithy's Invention".

Otumoetai Intermediate School's Incredible Minds; "It's not fair".

[my-chemical-friendzone]

I do apologise, dear guests. I had a great many games and puzzles to show you here but it appears someone has made off with them.

I would like to say it was Prince Cuthbert, but since I am his subject I would never dream of suggesting such a thing.

However, I shall go and search his royal room and return with whatever I can find. In the meantime I hope you enjoy what still remains here.

Ah, I do believe, hmmm. Yes!

I have found a littly ditty that someone - probably that overgrown newt, Dragon -

made up to explain, well, to explain Jane, I guess.

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Now then! Listen up all you shortlife chefs and cooks out there. You know that Pepper is the only Cook in the castle, yes? Well she is, and Jane tells me she needs new recipes to surprise the King and his guests.

But Pepper is so busy cleaning and baking and cooking and peeling that she has no time for creating new dishes or looking for new recipes. So Pepper asked Jane to ask me to ask you for some ideas. Nutritious and delicious, she says, food fit for a shortlife king.

So look around for ideas about the kind of food that the Royals might like to eat here in our medieval castle, and send your recipes to me up at my cave. dragon@janeandthedragon.school.nz

The tastiest recipes will be posted on the wall here at Knight School for everyone to dribble and salivate over. And for pepper to read of course. I will send the top cooks a book and DVD pack too.

[my-chemical-friendzone]

2007

Weta Productions and CORE Education are together developing Knight School; an interactive website with an educational focus for New Zealand schools. Knight School will be a platform for creative participation by students, where they can take part in school-based activities, and share their work online. We have planned a sequence of educational activities for schools, groups of students, and individual students.

The first activity, the Composition Competition, is now underway and will run during Term 4, 2007. Author and illustrator Martin Baynton has provided the lyrics for two songs; “Chasing your Dream”and “We are Knights of the Guard”, and you are invited to choose one (or both) and have your students compose and record a piece of music for it. Students may use modern instruments, created instruments, or perhaps new technologies to improvise and compose a simple musical piece to accompany the lyrics.

The Composition Competition guidelines outlines the competition, with links to information about instruments, samples of medieval music and life in the medieval times.

The entry form and Terms and Conditionsprovide further details.

The competition closes on December 7th, 2007. Prizes include Jane and the Dragon books, DVDs, a video conference with Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor of Weta Productions, and a visit to Weta Studios for representatives of the overall winning group of students.

For further information contact info@janeandthedragon.school.nz

2008

Weta Productions and CORE Education are together developing Knight School; an interactive website with an educational focus for New Zealand schools. Knight School is a platform for creative participation by students, where they can take part in school-based activities, and share their work online. We are offering a series of educational activities for schools, groups of students, and individual students.

The first major activity for 2008 is an Animation Competition, in which students or groups of students in New Zealand schools are invited to create and record an animated story. Students may use any of a number of animation techniques, as long as the finished work adheres to the criteria outlined in the competition guidelines.

The Competition guidelines also outline the competition rules, with links to information about animation and life in medieval times. The entry form and Terms and Conditions provide further details.

The competition closes on May 30th, 2008. Prizes include Jane and the Dragon books and DVDs, a videoconference with Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor of Weta Productions, and a visit to Weta Studios for representatives of the overall winning group of students who will meet with Weta Workshop animators, see how they work and have the opportunity to ask questions. Selected student work will be published on the Knight School website, as well as on the Weta Productions website.

For further information contact info@janeandthedragon.school.nz

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Results of the Composition Competition 

The first challenge for Knight School Students is over—thanks for the great entries! There were many entries from students who all did a fantastic job of composing and recording music for the two songs provided by Jester. He agrees that you have done a great job and has been humming the tunes as he walks around the castle.

The winning composers and musicians are Te Winika Morell and her classmates Jayden, Jerome, Te Anima and Kaya from Waipa Primary School with their recording of "Chasing Your Dream". Te Winika and her teacher will be traveling down to Wellington for a tour of Weta Studios.

The two schools that will be taking part in a videoconference with Richard Taylor and Martin Baynton of Weta Productions are the students of Room 23 at Aquinas College in Tauranga, and a group of students from Green Bay Primary in Auckland, who all produced very impressive compositions. All other entries received a pack of Jane and the Dragon books and a DVD.

Thanks for the great work. Maybe you would like to try the next competition—how are you animation skills?

Listen to two top composers and singersÉ Te Winika Morell from Waipa Primary School; "Chasing Your Dream". The girls of Room 23, at Aquinas College in Tauranga; "Chasing Your Dream".

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Beef-wit! Maggot brain! Dung weevil! All magnificent expressions from my little flame headed shortlife here at the castle. She really does like to use a colourful turn of phrase that girl. Gunther, Rake and Smithy have tried to come up with expressions of their own, but only his little purpleness Prince Cuthbert can match Jane in the battle of wits for wickedly wonderful words. His favourites are Gong farmer! Hedgepig! and Puss and pestilence!

In the face of such excellent and energetic expressions, Jane's friends need to be much more inventive with their invective. So I this is where you might come in, my shortlife students of colourful conversation. Please invent completely new swear words and expressions for them! But remember - clever is kingly, offensive is offle.

Send your suggestions to me at my cave— dragon@janeandthedragon.school.nz and I will pin the best ones on the knight school wall for Jane and her friends to read.

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Before Full Release

Knight School is on the way

We are proud to bring you news of Knight School, a new place for you to visit, to be launched on Sept 24th.

Knight School will be a place where schools and students can take part in activities and competitions. The first of these is the Composition Competition, beginning on Sept 24th.

We have the lyrics for two songs, but no music! We will be inviting you to compose and record a piece of music for them. Come back after Sept 19th, and see how you can take part.

Released

Welcome back to Knight School, shortlives!

Knight School is where you can take part in activities based on the adventures of our very own flame-head, Jane, of whom we are strangely proud.

For a bunch of shortlives barely out of your eggs you did magnificently well with the recent challenges. You penned some top table melodies for the ballads written by Jester, and created new jokes and swear words too.

Keep sending me those recipes for Pepper. The whole castle pleaded for this challenge to be run. Then there is finding new and completely brilliant Jokes for Jester. He needs all the help he can get. And of course creating new swear words for Jane. If she says 'bog off' or 'maggots' one more time I will not be held accountable. And finally creating moving picture stories. This is my favorite, seeing shortlives creating adventures about me and my friends. Not that it goes to my noble and perfectly formed head of course.

So please find your way to these challenges.

Good luck shortlives.

Updated

Welcome to Knight School, shortlives!

Oh yes, Knight School - totally my own brilliant idea, with a little help from some shortlives. So what is it?

Knight School is where you can take part in activities based on the adventures of our very own flame-head, Jane, of whom we are strangely proud. And on the adventures of all her friends here at the castle - one big, green and completely magnificent friend in particular.

At Knight School you can share your ideas and creations with others, too. And I need your help to make it grow. Got that? Do not make me fly down there and ask nicely.

We already have a challenge for Knight School Students - you know how Floppy Hat likes his ballads? Well, he has written the lyrics for two new songs. So I asked him—very nicely, no hot breath or anything—if he could gift them to Knight School. Which he did, very quickly. So now we just need music to go with the lyrics, which is where you come in.

Can you and your school friends compose and record a piece of music for these lyrics and send them into Knight School?

You should visit the Composition Competition to find out more, including news of some great prizes. No, a ride on my magnificent back is not one of the prizes. There is also a teacher turret too, where your teachers can go to learn more about the competition and the prizes.

Updated

Welcome back to Knight School, shortlives!

Oh yes, Knight School - totally my own brilliant idea, with a little help from some shortlives. So what is it?

Knight School is where you can take part in activities based on the adventures of our very own flame-head, Jane, of whom we are strangely proud. And on the adventures of all her friends here at the castle—one big, green and completely magnificent friend in particular.

At Knight School you can share your ideas and creations with others, too. And I need your help to make it grow. Got that? Do NOT make me fly down there and ask nicely.

For a bunch of shortlives barely out of your eggs you did magnificently well with my first challenge. You penned some top table melodies for the ballads written by Jester. Jane has pinned the results of the challenge up on the walls of the yard where she posts all the shortlives work.

Put your ears to the stone and take a listen to the winning entry. It's totally brilliant and had Jester fearful for his status as castle balladeer.

Now I have a set of new challenges for you: Creating recipes for Pepper. The whole castle pleaded for this challenge to be run. Finding new and completely brilliant Jokes for Jester. He needs all the help he can get. Creating new swear words for Jane. If she says 'bog off' or 'maggots' one more time I will not be held accountable. And finally creating moving picture stories. This is my favorite, seeing shortlives creating adventures about me and my friends. Not that it goes to my noble and perfectly formed head of course.

So please find your way to these challenges and find out more about them including news of some great prizes. No, a ride on my magnificent back is not one of the prizes. There is also the teacher turret of course, where your teachers can go to learn more about the competitions and the prizes.

Good luck shortlives.

[my-chemical-friendzone]

Ask Jane’s Creator (Part III)

I have two questions: How did Jane and Jester meet, and when did Jane first come to the castle?

-From Tara

Jane was born at the castle. Her mother and father were already in service to the Royal family. And so Jane first met Jester when he arrived with his family of traveling players to perform for the King. You can find that part of Jester’s history on the profile pages. 

Will Jane ever get sent on an "urgent" mission for the king where she actually leaves the castle and travels to a different kingdom? And if she does, how do they react to Dragon?

-From Jolly, 12

Jane has been on several diplomatic missions. Part of the reason is so that the King can show off the fact that he has a young apprentice with a rather powerful dragon at her disposal. It’s a smart way to send a message when you know that your castle is under-powered with soldiers and guards! 

In the episode "The Tooth Fairy," I noticed some cave paintings on Dragon's cave wall. I saw different animals such as a giraffe, a dolphin, and also a ship. Do these mean anything?

-From Rachael Jane, 15, Celina, Ohio, USA

Some of paintings were done by Dragon before he met Jane, when he first returned to his cave after all his adventures. He tried painting all the different animals and large vessels he’d seen in different countries. He calls them his "musings" and told Jane that he had seen others on cave walls all around the world, and hoped they were also the musings of other dragons from thousands of years ago. But some of the runes and paintings in Dragon’s cave are much older and were there 300 years ago when Dragon was born, though he was too young to remember them. 

When will Jane be strong enough to wear full armor like a breastplate and vambraces and all that great stuff? And will she ever use any other weapon besides a bow and a sword?

-From Rhapsody, 15

Jane has also learned to use staves for single combat and lances for mounted attack. She also has to learn the assault machines such as the trebuchet and the catapult. She can wear her armor now as it is very light and strong, made from the same steel tempered in dragon fire as her sword. 

Do Jane and Pepper wear bras? I was just wondering because they are the right age to wear them. I love Jane and the Dragon!

-From Tara, 12

Bras are quite a recent invention, but women have improvised clothing to give them support from as long ago as 2500 BC. In Jane’s time, they would tie strips of material rather like wide scarves around their chest as an undergarment. 

I know that Jester wants to see his family again. Will he ever leave and try to find them?

-From Dingo, USA

Because Jester's family are travelling players, he gets word from them occasionally from traders and other travelers passing through the Kingdom. He hopes that one day he will be able to show them his own skills in the hope that they will be proud of him, and also to reassure them that the hard decision they made years ago for his betterment was well placed. 

Hello! I was wondering whether you will create any progressive, chronological episodes instead of a different story each time? And I really love the show, I just discovered it last week!

-From Melody, CANADA

We have written some episodes like that. It remains to be seen if they will work within the series format as chronological episodes. Some territories where Jane airs will shuffle the episodes so much that it can be confusing. But I would love to see if we can achieve it! 

I read that Jane wears leggings to annoy her mother, but shouldn't her skirt be longer? During her time, it was considered immodest for anyone, even men, to show their knees (unless they were very young children).

-From L-Michelle, 14, Woodstock, Georgia, USA

Jane refuses to wear dresses so that her mother will take her decision to train as a knight seriously. She wears leather leggings because that was a standard knight garment, just as bike riders wear leathers today for protection from scuffs and scrapes if they fall off their bikes. Jane isn't really wearing a short skirt over the leather leggings though, it's a fabric lining behind the waist armor she wears round her hips so it moves like a pleated skirt. I think Jane wears this so that she can look a bit feminine - a small token to appease her mother! 

Do you illustrate your own books? I love the drawings in your books; they are so colorful and expressive. I love to draw dragons...not the scary and evil kind but those like your lizard-lipped Dragon. How would I go about becoming an illustrator?

-From Rachael Jane 15, Celina, Ohio, USA

I do illustrate my own books. I illustrated the Jane and the Dragon books over twenty years ago now. I like to use coloring pencils and pick out the edges and highlights in brown ink. To become an illustrator, the most important thing is to get lots of practice, especially drawing faces. I found the best time to practice was when my family were watching TV. I could watch them and sketch away as they went from happy, to sad, to frightened all in the space of one program! 

First: Thank you for the wonderful show! I really enjoy it and appreciate all the work you and the people at Weta put into it. Second, I have recently acquired a copy of the illuminated manuscript "Jane and the Dragon" and it has brought up a question. If Jane's armor is special, as you have said in a previous answer, how did Jester get a hold of it?

-From Mara, USA

Yes, indeed, there is a long history behind the armor that Jester gives to Jane. How he came to own it, and the true nature of that armor and its link to Dragon, are all part of the long chain of discoveries that Jane and Dragon make as they uncover the truth about dragons and their own destinies. But I can’t give away those secrets here...sorry! 

I love your show! My mum and I watch it all the time! But I have a question to ask. So, if dragon's fiery breath can melt a dragonblade, how can it be forged in dragonfire? It makes no sense to me!

-From Annelise, 9, Concord, New Hampshire, USA

Any metal has to be heated to the point that it goes soft if it's going to be beaten and worked into the shape of a blade. Metalsmiths heat blades in hot open braziers to soften them to be worked with a hammer and anvil.  A dragonblade needs the extra heat of dragon fire to soften it enough so it can be beaten into shape. But if too much heat is applied, the blade will melt completely, just as other metals will if too much heat is applied. The trick is to get it hot enough to be soft, but not so hot that it melts! 

I've been watching some of the more recent episodes, and Gunther seems to be softening up a bit. Will the poor lad ever go against his father and just stand up for what is right instead of just simply complying to his dad's wishes?

-From Kenzie, 15, USA

You are quite right, he is growing as an independent young man able to stand up to his father, but just a little. Gunther defies his father completely in one episode when Dragon is threatened with expulsion from the kingdom. It's the first time that we see the knight's code of ethics winning out in Gunther's heart over his fear and his sense of duty to his father. 

Does it ever rain in the show or is it always sunny and beautiful?

-From Alissandra, 15, Albany, Oregon, USA

It certainly does rain! Have you seen the episode where Jane falls off her horse during a thunderstorm? The whole castle staff have to take shelter in the Throne Room where Jester tries to keep their spirits up with brilliant jokes. Gunther reckoned it would be less painful back outside in the driving rain. 

Are there any other games Jane and her friends play besides Bandyball and Rock, Parchment, and Sword?

-From Ryan, 13, La Puente, California, USA

Some of the games and sports we play today were popular in Jane's time. Individual sports like archery, wrestling and hammer throwing were designed to develop fighting skills and fitness and were mostly played by boys and men. Team sports like bandyball, which was an early form of hockey, were played by everyone, as was a simple version of soccer called gameball. Cricket started a little after Jane’s time and was called stoolball because two milkmaid stools were used as the wickets. And a form of bowls called skittles was popular as were two early forms of golf called paganica and suigan. 

How far do you plan to take this series? Will you keep on writing new stories about Jane and Dragon until they fulfill their destinies together?

-From Aly, 13, Houston, Texas, USA

Jane and the Dragon is doing very well all around the world with a wonderful and passionate following. If the series remains popular and the TV stations keep on playing it, then we hope to be able to go on making new episodes for a long time to come. I also plan to tell more of those adventures through books so that the everyone can see how both Jane and Dragon's destinies work out! 

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Hey! I love the blog and I've loved Jane and the Dragon for some time now. I used to go on the official website all the time and have always had an interest in medieval history, and I used to go on the official Qubo website and on that was a question and answer with Martin Bayton which answered some really interesting questions about Jane and the Dragon I was wondering do you remember any of those? or do you know if I can find them anywhere else?

Hello!

Yes, you can find them all here!

Some of the links are a bit hinky but just use the tag jatd directory to search.

Have fun exploring, there’s so much great background info!

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i just found your account while looking up jane and the dragon for nostalgia and i LOVE IT!!! i love your character profiles soooo much and it's clear how much work you put in. are we going to get any jane, gunther, and dragon character profiles? anyway, you have such a cool blog <3

Hi! I’m glad you found me! ^__^

The character bios are actually from the old JatD website which sadly got deleted a little while ago, so @keylimecliche and I salvaged what we could into the JatD Directory. You will find Gunther, Jane and Dragon’s bios there, along with a bunch of other cool stuff (although some of the links are a bit dodgy, if you search the tag JatD Directory you should find the posts!)

There’s a pretty active JatD discord if you want the link just let me know!