What would you like to see in a Dark Crystal novel?

[Uwizll]

Since the announcement of The Dark Crystal prequel contest, I've been outlining the novel I'd like to write. But I'm curious to hear what other passionate DC fans would like to happen in a prequel novel. I am very excited that Henson Co. is making a DC novel series. In prose form I think you can flesh out some ideas and show some new dimensions to beloved DC characters.

Here are a few things I'd like to see in a Dark Crystal novel (and I'm not afraid of anyone stealing/using these ideas. If you want to throw these into your Contest submission, do it. Heck, maybe you can do it better!)

• I really want to show the duality of the urRu/Skeksis; flesh out their personalities. Emphasize that they really are half of one soul. I want to show the urRu look up at the stars and for a brief moment, have inspiration--a kindling of inventiveness or passion. But the fire quickly dies. The Mystics lack ambition and drive. They are passive.
• I want to see the Skeksis have moments where you actually think for a moment that the Skeksis have the potential to be incredible leaders for Thra. Then without conscience or inhibition to guide them, the Skeksis are distracted by paranoia and self-obsession.
• I really don't want to read a novel where the Skeksis are still the same old reptiles. They should be young and strong, gifted in the arts of flattery and lies.
• I have to say--I'm really want to explore more of Thra, more than anything else. The Crystal Desert sounds amazing.
• I'd love to see a Podling actually be a respectable character. Not a laughing potato with eyes. (Sorry if that sounds harsh. I just really want to see a Podling hero--someone the readers can read about and invest in.)
• Expanding the mythos of The Dark Crystal would very interesting. I have plans to have the main character uncover tales from the ancient past. (Psh. Now I'm sure my story won't be chosen. Oh well.) Not of how the Gelfling Maiden Got Her Wings, but stories of Gelfling Civilizations from previous Great Conjunctions.
• Speaking of Great Conjunctions, does the combined light from the Dying, the Rose, and Greater Suns hitting the Great Crystal change Thra somehow? The End of the World! Or the Beginning... It would be interesting to explore those tangents somehow, too...
• I'm curious: I have an idea for the Great Crystal to be seen sort of like a religious symbol. Maybe some Gelflings make a pilgrimage to the Crystal once every 7 years or something. The Gelfling clans view the Skeksis as the Crystal's chosen ears and mouth of the Crystal. Maybe that's why the Gelflings have a good relationship with Skeksis at first. The Gelflings believe skekSo was chosen by the Crystal itself. (Bah. I'm sure Henson Co. would turn it down.)

What would you guys like to see happen in a Dark Crystal novel series?

 

[Laszlo]

Good points!
Exploring more of Thra is great. And seeing all the main characters again.
Young and strong Skeksis could be a fascinating idea too.
That said I do love the "same old reptile" Skeksis .

 

[Uwizll]

Thanks, Lazlo.
I just finished watching the movie again today. And you're absolutely right, Lazlo. "The same old" selfish, bickering Skeksis are the Skeksis we know and love.

What I really want to see in the new DC novel is the Skeksis politicking and manipulating the Gelfling. Thra is filled with Gelfling in this era. It's an excellent opportunity to see the Skeksis, Lords of the Crystal, really manipulate and twist truths into lies.
In the DC movie, the Skeksis were alone in the world. They had killed off everyone else. The Skeksis of the Movie were ancient creatures awaiting the Great Conjunction to be renewed and rule forever. I want to go back in time and see the Skeksis really in action.

The novel will take place before the Creation of the Garthim, so the only thing protecting the Skeksis from the Gelfling and the rest of Thra--are their lies.

 

[Uwizll]

I want to be clear -- I love the Skeksis, but I feel that the Skeksis should not and cannot be exactly the same in the novels as they are in the DC Movie.
In the movie, in the Gelfling Ruins, the Chamberlain explains that the Prophecy made the Skeksis afraid of Gelflings. This is why the Skeksis are so jumpy and squeamish around the Gelfling.

In the era of the novels, the Prophecy has not been created yet. The Skeksis co-exist with the Gelfling.

Though in private quarters, the Skeksis probably "Oh those horrid Gelfings! One of them touched me today! Get it off! Get it off!"

When they're alone, the Skeksis are probably the Skeksis we know and love. But in public--around Gelfings--they're going to have to put on their poker faces.

I am so psyched to see this new dimension added to the "old reptiles" we know and love

Hope that makes sense. *shrugs*

 

[Laszlo]

Yes, sure it does make a lot of sense. You have a lot of good ideas... I hope to read your novel one day!
Besides, the best thing would be to see all of this in a movie! They should also do a movie of their prequel comics (with minor changes of course ).

 

[Uwizll]

Thanks Lazlo! That means a lot. It would be incredible to be chosen to write this DC novel.
And you are absolutely right -- Seeing a prequel movie would be I think Dark Crystal and its world was made for the visual medium. Right in the beginning of my novel there is a sequence that would be fan-freaking-tastic to see in the movie!
I'm very curious to see if this whole contest is Henson Co. re-igniting the DC franchise in preparation for a new movie.
Kind of like this Thread--this is an opportunity for Henson Co. to ask: "Hey fans, it's been 30 years, what would you like to see happen in the DC universe now?"
What better way find out then to let the fans write it?
I'm thrilled at this opportunity.

 

[Uwizll]

Besides, the best thing would be to see all of this in a movie! They should also do a movie of their prequel comics (with minor changes of course ).

Absolutely. I think Creation Myths was a very incredible story with beautiful pictures. But the writers did tweak things that didn't need tweaking. I'm not a fan of the Raunip character being Aughra's "son." Raunip could have been a character all on his own. It was not necessary to tie him to Aughra the way they did. In fact, I feel like it made the world of Thra feel smaller.

I (and I may be alone in this) am not a fan of the idea of Aughra being the "earth mother/goddess" that she is. David Odell, the screenwriter of the Dark Crystal, wrote Aughra as an auger/seer that lives on the mountain. (Brian Froud's World of Dark Crystal is what elevated her to the "earth mother" status.)

Before I ever read WotDC I always watched Aughra and wondered what she was like when she was younger. I wondered what her place amongst Gelfling-kind was. I thought of her as an imperfect being of Thra--just like everyone else.

Take a look at Aughra's design. She does not look like she is made of vines and plants like Creation Myths kind of makes her out to look. I think Aughra, like the Skeksis and urRu, looks like she's become old and it isn't as easy to get around. I feel like Aughra was once young and strong.

I love Aughra. I really want to explore her character more in the novel. For instance, one of the themes of Dark Crsytal is Good and Evil and how it is within all of us.

Aughra is not all-powerful and is not all good. She has always come across as gray--in the middle--sort of neutral to me.

When Jen is snatched up by the vines on Aughra's mountain, Aughra appears: "What do you want of me?" she asks. Jen's come for a Crystal shard.

When Aughra is kidnapped by Garthim and brought to the Skeksis' feast, she says to the Skeksis: "What do you want with me?"

skekUng stands up, angry. "This is no Gelfling!"
"Of course I'm no Gelfing, you putrid lizards." She points at each Skeksis threateningly. "I'll get my eye for you..."
The Skeksis tremble and murmer in fear.
Aughra punches a Garthim. "You want Gelfling, why not ask me? No! Easier to send your crab-brained soldiers--burn my home!"


Look at that. Aughra said you want Gelfling, why not ask me? I am always fascinated by that. This shows that Aughra is not on the Good side, nor the Bad side. She is neutral and assists those who ask her. I really want this explored more.

Alas... Henson Co. might sweep this under the rug and make Aughra in the holy mother of Thra. Which is fine, but I feel that it isn't true to the source material.

I might be preaching to an empty room. *cricket... cricket* Thanks for your input, Lazlo. You're terrific.

 

[cookietribe]

Some great ideas here, I wonder what the time range will be for this author quest novel project. I re-read a wiki:

According to The World of the Dark Crystal, the UrSkeks originated on a world where moral imperfections were found intolerable. The UrSkeks, of which there were originally 18 led by SoSu, were banished from their homeworld and entered the world of Thra via a portal opened by the shining of the three suns on the Crystal of Truth. Their world had an equivalent crystal. Once on Thra, they encountered Aughra, who had been badly burned by the intense heat given off by her close proximity to the Conjunction. They healed her and together made exchanges of knowledge, Aughra teaching them the ways of the planet's nature and ecology while the UrSkeks taught her astronomy. They hollowed out the mountain containing the crystal that brought them to the world and created a magnificent castle. Thereafter the UrSkeks sought to rectify what they had been taught to believe was their curse of self-impurity.

Creating a network of mirrors around the crystal, the UrSkeks sought to trap the light of the next great conjunction to burn out the imperfections on their souls. For another thousand years they waited till finally it arrived. Upon entering the light, rather than being cleansed, the UrSkeks were splintered into separate species; the Skeksis, commanded by skekSo and the urRu led by urSu. A fight broke out, resulting in the crystal receiving a blow, which chipped off a shard. The shard disappeared and the UrRu left the castle to the Skeksis.

...And wonder what the UrSkeks life on their original home world was like, since they are a primary force that shapes the world of Thra and hence the Dark Crystal story. Before they arrive and split into the urRu and Skeksis, the native animals, Aughra, podlings, gelflings and maybe others were living there. So the UrSkeks had a profound impact on whatever state of existence the creatures of Thra already had when they arrived.

Also I wonder what other lands, creatures and civilizations there might have been imagined during the writing of the film, or that a new novel can explore depending on how big the planet of Thra is. You can check a map of the world featured in the film here. Some of this has been explored in the recent Creation Myths graphic novels, for example:

Thus, for the next nine hundred and ninety-nine and one trine, they [the UrSkeks] assisted both Aughra and the Gelflings in their technological development, allowing the former to study the movements of astral bodies, and the latter to cross oceans and colonise much of the planet.

Wonder what other things they came across as they journeyed around the planet? It would also be cool to read about the gelfling civilization at their "peak" since in the film we see ruins of what once was. Like Lord of the Rings and other fantasy worlds, the main storyline is usually limited to a particular geographic area which is part of a much larger world which isn't always fully explored in the main story.

Anyways, just thought I'd share a few thoughts about features of the world that haven't been explained or explored that much.

 

[Uwizll]

You raise such really good questions, cookietribe.
I’m glad you bring up the urSkek home world. I’m very curious about their planet and culture as well. I really feel that this novel contest could really explore universe of the Dark Crystal in many different ways.

I totally understand that some fans would want to keep the mystery and wonder sacred for some things, like the urSkeks’ home world, I totally understand. But in my own writing I would like to at least hint or tease at their origins. I like the idea that since the urRu and Skeksis are two halves of one soul, their memories would be somewhat fractured as well.

I kind of have an idea of a scene where an urSkek and a Mystic touch and memories of their First Life flash before their eyes. The Garthim hordes were said to be based on memories of sea creatures from the urSkek planet.

Wonder what other things they came across as they journeyed around the planet? It would also be cool to read about the gelfling civilization at their "peak" since in the film we see ruins of what once was. Like Lord of the Rings and other fantasy worlds, the main storyline is usually limited to a particular geographic area which is part of a much larger world which isn't always fully explored in the main story.

I love these questions. Reading the descriptions of the different Gelfling sub-species has really got me excited at the different possibilities of this era.

I like how creative and open Henson was with the Dark Crystal world. The fat, hairy amphibious Gelfling – where did that come from?

I love it! I absolutely love it!

It shows that Henson Co. is not afraid to have fun with the Dark Crystal universe and really expand it. I bet somebody in the Henson meeting said, “But that wasn’t in the Movie…”
The chairperson was like, “Psh. We’re doing this.”

Love it!

Like you said, cookietribe, the movie was limited to a small geographical area and a small period of time. If Henson Company and us, the fans, put our heads together, I think we could create some really interesting stories.