Dark Crystal novel writing contest

[RedPiggy]

Drtooth: Thank Glob this isn't a Labyrinth writing contest. They'd get nothing but applications with Jareth boinking Sarah.

I don't mind teasing the ship, but actually I can't stand shipping those two. Jareth is currently with Mizumi in my attempt to rebuild my ficverse, whereas in the original I paired him up with the Queen of Trash.
I'd have to wallow in wikis about Dark Crystal, though, if I wanted a shot at it. I'm more of a Labyrinth and Dinosaurs thing.

The Count: And know authors who focus more on the ruling family of Moraine. *coughredpiggycough*.

LOL

ZeppoAndFriends: Neat! A chance to be told I'm talentless by people I idolize!

Thank God I'm not drinking milk. It'd go right out my nose.

Rachael: That's a property where JHC are sensible to avoid any attempts to harness the fandom - Labyrinth fans have very interesting ideas about how a sequel should pan out and that meant the response to RTL was, in some areas, deeply hostile.

Despite the rushed ending and the uneven pacing, it makes me weep there was so much hate over such a story with such fascinating potential. It needed to be a series.

Uwizll: I want to be clear: I would never want to see starships or interplanetary travel in the DC universe. It wouldn't be true to the spirit of DC.

Well, okay ... but I still like thinking the Halosians from Farscape are descendants of Skeses.

 

[Laszlo]

I think she's just the living embodiment of mother nature. Equally cold and cruel and sheltering and caring all at once.

Good point, but after all, mother nature does not care for anyone. Life, death... all the same. Its just life cycle and the transformation of energy.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

The Dark Crystal page is updated, but I see nothing in the encyclopedia about the Gathering. It's mostly stuff we already know from TDC novel, film, World of the Dark Crystal, and those graphic novels.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

Am I alone in having trouble with this? It's so much easier, I feel, when you have complete creative control over a project. With this, I'm worried I will mess up the mythology, despite having studied it extensively. Anyone else feel intimidated?

 

[ZeppoAndFriends]

*Raises hand*

The mythology alone is enough to make my head spin. All I knew of The Dark Crystal universe before this was the movie. Now, I've got to bone up on pretty much everything in the encyclopedia and worry that I'll miss something. And, on top of that, the rules and info packet are still contradictory and confusing.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

Exactly! I noticed the same thing. There isn't any unity to the mythology - ironic, considering the central theme of TDC is the quest for balance and unity. This is probably because it's written by so many different people - comic artists, random people, and of course the original information from Jim Henson & Brian Froud.

 

[RedPiggy]

Maybe all the conflicting parts are true ... from a certain POV.

 

[Uwizll]

I've heard the excuse that it's called Dark Crystal: Creation "Myths" so of course facts won't line up. To me, this seems like an Easy Button for the writers. They're being lazy: If the story we just wrote is contradictory or doesn't make sense -- chalk it up to it being an in-universe myth.

This is kind of irritating. The Dark Crystal does not have a massive mythos that spans millenia and has thousands of characters. This isn't Star Wars or the Wheel of Time series. If writers would study the Movie and the handful of supplementary materials that have been published--bam! make a story from that!

And if the writers have an awesome idea that they soon find out is contradicted by something else--it is their responsibility as a writer to respect that--kill their darlings, if you will--and think of alternate idea that does fit.

If a writer was hired to write a Star Wars novel and they throw in a paragraph or two about Anakin Skywalker having a father--then Lucasfilms would say "Sorry, no. That contradicts an established in-universe fact."

"No wait," the writer pleads. "It's really cool. You see, Luke will meet his grandfather and--"

Lucas: "I said no. It contradicts an in-universe fact."

That writer had better respect that if he wants to get this book published. Yeah, sure, his storyline might have been cool--but it doesn't matter. It's contradicting the Star Wars universe.

And when the Big Wigs/Masters of a fictional universe are all right with its writers treating canon like a squeaky toy--to be bent and thrown around at your convenience--then the story universe's structural integrity is compromised, and the fans will not be able to suspend their disbelief long enough to enjoy the story.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

Precisely.

As far as DC is concerned, I consider the film, the novelization, and The World of the Dark Crystal to be canon. Everything that came after is just fan fiction, honestly. "Legends" wasn't very good, "Creation Myths" is so-so. I don't care if Brian Froud drew a couple of pictures on it; Jim Henson died, Frank Oz has no part in it, and the original screenwriter, to my knowledge, was not involved.

One jerk's opinion, of course.

 

[Laszlo]

As far as DC is concerned, I consider the film, the novelization, and The World of the Dark Crystal to be canon. Everything that came after is just fan fiction, honestly.

Exactly. But I do like Creation Myths. It is quite good fan fiction IMO.