#GELFLINGS ASSEMBLE

[thebibliomancer]

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics liveblog pt 16

So with 6/7 clans united, its time to help the Stonewood. They've been kidnapped by spiders for like. Half the game.

But they're at the Castle. This looks like a job for- ... well, Aughra. Yeah.

We get a cutscene called Aughra's Sacrifice which covers the bit in the show where Aughra did a sacrifice to save the Stonewood.

... Wait, Brea how did you get here? I just had you with us in the Spriton lands!

Also, it didn't really establish what happened to the Hunter that he's dying. I know what happened in the show. But in the game, I kicked his ass in a boss fight and that hasn't seemed to do much the multiple times I fought Chamberlain.

But anyway, Aughra explodes.

Scientist: "What will we do now, Emperor?"

Emperor: "Now? Now... Now there is nobody who can stop us."

I'd like to contest that.

So that opens up two missions which presumably lead to their own plot threads. One is from the show. Where we help the escaping Stonewood at the Castle. Another, we help a pair of Stonewood that I guess didn't get spidered like the rest.

I'm going to do that one first because: it makes more sense to me to run into them on the way TO the castle. Narratively.

So that's how I'll do.

Mission: Far from Home - Wooded Clearing

Hey, I loved that movie!

"The heroes must rescue a pair of Stonewood Gelfling under attack by darkened creatures."

I hope we get another pair of odd couple bickering Gelfling!

Pinn: "Help! We're surrounded!"

Rian: "Hold on! We're coming to help you!"

Pinn and Orla are both level 37 Foragers. I have no idea what a Forager is.

Orla moves firstest of all. She has Soothe 2, Firemoss 2, Fleet Feet, Geyser, and Headwind.

I use Headwind to try and knock an armalig into a pit but alas.

Pinn goes after Breg, who is probably my fastest dude.

Pinn has Throw Rock 2, Focus, Maneuver, Mark 2, and Shove.

So this is your standard fight darkened critters level.

Not much to say. I am getting and receiving a lot of glancing blows this mission for some reason? Odd.

AHHH SPAWN INS!

Always with the spawn ins!

Phew. It was only one additional wave. Alas, poor Alyadon got nurlocked.

Pinn: "Thanks for your help. I've never seen creatures in the forest act like that!"

Rian: "What are you doing out here? You're a long way from Stone-in-the-Wood."

Orla: "The Skeksis sent Arathim to the village. Most of the Gelfling were captured. We barely escaped. We've been hiding in these woods ever since. Is it safe to return to Stone-in-the-Wood?"

Rian: "Yes, the Arathim have joined forces with us. We can help you find your way home."

LEVEL UPS!

Breg learned Limber Up! Rian learned Even the Odds! Kylan learned Dream Together! Alyadon learned Landslide!

Even the Odds: Grants target ally adjacent to two or more enemies Attack Up, Barrier, Magic Up, Shell, and Haste for three turns. Neat.

Dream Together: its the conference call of dreamfasting! All adjacent allies gain a percentage of caster's maximum MP

Landslide: inflict stun on adjacent units, can't target higher elevations. Because its a landslide.

Limber Up: Grant haste to an ally for three turns. By helping them stretch?

---

Mission: Holding Ground - Endless Forest Glade

"The heroes must defend the Stonewood refugees from waves of Darkened Creatures."

WAVESSSS! SPAWN-INSSSSS!

Aw dang.

Pinn and Orla are here. So far they haven't been too memorable. They should try bickering more.

Party: Pombo and Hup, Ivo and Wukki, and also Deet!

Pinn: "No more, I am exhausted. I can go no further. Please, go on without me. I will only slow you down."

Rian: "We're not leaving anyone behind. We will stand our ground and fight these creatures!"

I think part of the problem is that Pinn and Orla don't talk to each other. They talk to my party but its pretty generic.

I have to survive three waves.

HMM. Because of narrative reasons, Pinn starts with movement way down and with three turns of wound. She really is exhausted.

Also, hey the gobbles are back. Except HP has ballooned since the early game so its not quite as sure a way of dealing with enemies.

Bah, I kill one windsifter and another one spawns. Boo.

I'm doooooing baaaaad nobody is dead yet but there's so many. But the last wave has spawned.

Boo, I was close to winning but one of the guest party members died. I could have revived him, I had Deet and Deet has the power. But the level ended immediately. Boo.

Trying again with Ivo, Hup, Rek'yr, Brea, and Deet.

Woooo that went better. Reky're makes all the difference. No offense to Pombo but uh he's less effectual.

Rian: "The creatures have dispersed. Are you all right?"

Pinn: "I will be fine, thank you. You could have left me, but you didn't."

Rian: "We're all in this together. If we are to defeat the Skeksis, we need to help each other."

Pinn: "When the time comes we will stand with you. We owe you that much."

Rian: "You have my thanks. Come, Stone-in-the-Wood is not much further. Let's get you home."

Woo! I think that these two randos have earned me the alliance of Stone-in-the-Wood which I should already have as Rian is from the Stonewood clan and also I've beaten up the Skeksis multiple times! But protecting these two from animals is what really pushed me over the edge.

Interesting that there were only two missions in this chain. But I guess a lot of the early game is spent around the Stonewood area.

Hup and Rek'yr leveled up! Rek'yr leveled up twice!

Brea leveled twice and learned Healing Touch 2! Deet learned Soothe 2!

I also got the Forgemaster's Staff. I don't know why the Stonewood have the best magic stick but this is going right on Brea. GOODNESS GRACIOUS THATS FANCY.

And the clans have been united! Or at least an IOU re: the Stonewood uniting. Good enough!

The new objective at the top of the map is Defeat the Skeksis.

All in good time! I would like to free the rest of the Stonewood so that their representation in the united resistance isn't three dinguses. Four dinguses minimum please!

---

Mission: Prison Break - Castle Hallways

"Tavra helps the heroes free the captive Stonewood Gelfling and escape the Crystal Castle."

Looking at this map annnnnnd holy crap. That's a lot of NPC Gelflings. Hi Seladon! I see Threaded Tavra! Heck yeah! A bunch of locked cells. Some enemies in the cells... A couple levers. ...

Holy crap.

The Chamberlain and the General?? That's too many Skeksis!

I guess they didn't want to make the Collector just for this one mission even though it was SkekLach here in addition to Var and Sil.

Okay. So.

Party: Spider-Tavra, Brea and Rek'yr. On the other side of the arena, Gurjin and Naia.

Rian should probably be here but I can only field so many people.

And plotwise, I'm not even sure how Brea got out of the cage to join the rescue attempt but it feels like she should be here with Spider-Tavra and Seladon.

Spider-Tavra is a Soldier and not a Paladin for some reason. Seladon is a Strategist.

Brea: "Tavra, is it really you?"

Threaded Tavra: "It's US. Come, let us release the others. Mother Aughra made a deal with the Skeksis."

Brea: "Then we'd better hurry. The Skeksis aren't likely to hold up their end."

-Chamberlain shuffles into the stage-

Chamberlain: "Where do you think you're going? MmmmmMmmm?"

-General stomps on stage-

General: "Leaving so soon?"

Threaded Tavra: "Don't stop to fight. Just go, free the Gelfling!"

And the win condition is "Free the Gelfling 0/6"

What does that meeeeean? I don't see an exit square. Is it just to get the cells open??

Ok so Naia starts within range of a lever so I hit it and it opens a cell and two Gelfling run off. Buuut it also opens a cell that lets out a Nurloc. Hmm.

Scientist, why would you design it this way?

General cast Command on Seladon which allows an ally to take its next turn immediately. But. Seladon. Surely you can't still be the Skeksis' ally at this time, right??

Chamberlain also has a new ability, Empower. Stop making my enemies beefier, Sil!

I don't think General has any ranged offensive abilities. So if I keep hitting him with entangling bola and edging out of his reach, it will be really funny.

I hit a switch and free Seladon. Apparently she was cellmates with Maudra Fara. But Fara wasn't on the map and I only increase the freed Gelfling count by one.

Also Seladon took off without helping. Very rude.

I would have liked if I got more from her than that. Just in terms of her character arc or the narrative or whatever.

Ok, I had planned to keep running away from the Skeksis without fighting too much but then I kicked Chamberlain unconscious.

Just one of those things that you do when you realize how many crits you're getting.

General also has a new ability called Overpowered Prod which shoves and stuns. Rude.

I just turned to fight the General too and did over 500 with Naia on a crit.

I'm just. Gonna kick this guy's ass.

I surrounded him to kick his ass but his damn Intimidate ability that casts silence and other debuffs on everyone surrounding him. How am I going to kick his ass if its not in a dogpile?

Ok, he killed Naia but I have Awaken on Brea. I wish I could awaken Gurjin but Chamberlain stepped on him and as everyone knows if someone steps on you when you're passed out, you can't be revived this level.

Anyway, the only enemies left in the level are in cells so I just have free reign now.

I move casually through the level and hit the last lever and free the last three Stonewood Gelfling.

... I think I was supposed to hit this lever first because I only just now got a warning about accidentally releasing one of the Scientist's experiments. I did this the silly way around apparently.

Okay but the level isn't over. With all the cells open, the last cell contains another switch we have to hit to cut off pursuit by shutting the prison gates.

Now there's just a Darkened Hollerbat between me and the end of the level.

And I kicked its butt. It was no match for several angry Gelfling.

Then I casually moved across the map to hit the last switch. Cool, cool, cool.

I like that the game is trying something different. But perhaps if you wipe everyone out it kills the tension?

That's my bad though.

VICTORY!

Gurjin and Brea leveled. Naia leveled and learned Reckless Blow 2. Rek'yr leaveled and learned Rending Whirl 2! I earned nearly 6000 pearls! But no cool bits of Skeksis gear? Boo. I like getting stuff after beating them up.

And that's it for that mission chain. It was less of a chain then. A single mission. Like I said, you do a lot of missions in the Stonewood area earlier on.

[aballpitofsin]

(Not quite my best writing, but eh…I had to do it. 👀)

“Please don’t do this.”

Laughter, rough and cruel. “Afraid, Dousan? I thought you death-worshippers longed for this.”

“I do not plead on my own behalf; if this is to be the day of my return to Thra, I welcome it gladly. I plead only for your sake—and for his.”

The sound of a blow; a pained grunt, a rasping breath. “You won’t save your hide with threats. Light it!”

The crackle of kindling caught ablaze. Coughs, curses, retreating footsteps. A lone figure burning bright, gasping, straining.

“Please.” A voice thick, lungs overcome with smoke—words dripping sorrow, remorse, the inevitability of a broken heart.

“Please, don’t make him kill you!”

—

The first sign Mayrin had that something was terribly wrong were the screams.

They echoed throughout the palace: wild, panicked sounds, accompanied by the commotion of hundreds of feet fleeing. She turned away from the nobles giving report of their lands—more blighted crops, more mad livestock, more vanished workers—and turned instead to the main doors of the throne room, beyond which the clamour only continued to rise.

“Forgive me,” she addressed her audience, then turned to her ever-present assembly of Paladins. “Go investigate. See what that clamour is about.” They obeyed at once of course, but the first of them had barely taken a step before the doors were thrown open and a massive figure stormed inside, Gelfling scattering in fear to form a path before him. He moved purposefully forward, stalking like an untamed beast; an unfortunate noblewoman failed to skitter out of his way quickly enough, and he pushed her violently aside, snarling in annoyance over her reedy shriek.

The visitor was a Skeksis—that much Mayrin could see plainly, yet she could not recognise him as any of the Lords she had received in the past. He wore no robes or other regalia to identify him, garbed instead in roughed leather and armor made of what appeared to be animal bone. A menagerie of trinkets clattering at his waist as he stalked across the throne room, and on his back were strapped several fearsome-looking blades. The All-Maudra straightened her shoulders, bowing her head in reverence to their visitor as he came to stop some paces before her, and—oh, this close she could see those were not mere trinkets adorning his waist, but an array of skulls, the largest roughly Podling-sized.

She tore her eyes determinedly away from the grim sight. “I welcome you to Ha'rar, my Lord…” She trailed off, unsure of the proper address, hoping only that the Lord would not take offense.

If he did, she could not tell; the contempt in his expression remained unchanged, as dark as it had been when first he strode into her court.

“skekMal,” he growled, and even his voice was fearsome to behold, “the Hunter.”

At once a flurry of whispers swept across the room, frightened glances exchanged between the gathered nobles. From the few words she caught amongst them, Mayrin could guess their thoughts, and fought to urge to sigh in exasperation. There would be no banishing the superstitious, she supposed; though a sharp look at least quieted their murmurs.

“I welcome you, Lord skekMal the Hunter,” she greeted. “To what do I owe the honour of your presence here today?”

The Hunter gave no verbal reply; instead he raised one outstretched arm, something small and blackened dangling from his clenched fist. To Mayrin’s eye it looked like some manner of jewelry, like beads strung on a cord; the fist opened, and the object fell to the floor, clattering against the flagstones.

“Brea, don’t—”

The frantic whisper was Seladon’s voice, and Mayrin’s head snapped around in time to see her youngest daughter dart forward, carefully lifting the item the Lord had thrown before them. She examined it with gentle fingers, gasping when a portion of it still crumbled to dust at her touch; she turned back to her mother, and within her eyes Mayrin could see her clever little mind working.

“I think,” she whispered, “they’re bones. Some kind of animal.”

skekMal gave a snort, pulling Mayrin’s attention back to him, and for the first time since his arrival she saw something other than contempt in his eyes. He looked almost…impressed?

“Moog bones,” he confirmed. “The Dousan carry them for protection.” He spat the last word like so much venom on his tongue, and there was such hatred in it that Mayrin saw several Gelfling recoil. She looked again to the charm in her daughter’s hands, its deliberate craftmanship—and she understood.

“Ah,” she said, relieved to have some answer, “you have come from the Crystal Desert.”

The Hunter looked up, attention turning away from Brea (Mayrin sagged inwardly with relief) and fixing the All-Maudra with a cold glare. His gaze trailed sideways, over her other two daughters; further, to where her Paladins stood vigilant. On them he stopped, eyes narrowing as they crawled over them one by one, as though commiting every part of them to memory in detail.

“You sent that lot to the Desert outskirts,” he said with a jerk of his head in the Paladins’ direction. It was not a question.

“I did,” Mayrin confirmed regardless. “There have been several reports as of late of Gelfling going missing near its borders; we have reason to believe it was the Dousan who are behind these disappearances.” Did the Hunter not already know this? The information had come directly from their Lords at the Castle, after all. “I sent a group of my Paladins to the Crystal Desert to investigate. There, they report that they came into conflict with a hostile Dousan sand ship.”

She bowed her head in reverence. “My Paladins had no choice but to defend themselves. If they have somehow offended your Lordship, you have my deepest regrets.”

There was a moment, then, where Mayrin believed the matter resolved. Whatever anger the Hunter carried, it would be soothed, be it by words or by penance. In that moment, she felt content in knowing that she had once again kept peace between Gelfling and Skesis, as there had been since time immemorial.

And then skekMal spoke.

“You have all offended me.”

Whatever response Mayrin had been expecting—it was not that. Her head snapped up in alarm, and at her side she heard Seladon suck in a breath of similar sentiment.

“I…apologise, My Lord,” she floundered, unsure how to proceed. “The Vapran Clan has always prided itself on its loyalty to the Lords of the Crystal. To think we have caused offense—”

The Hunter’s laugh came like a blow, so harsh and abrupt that several of the gathered nobles screamed in alarm; somewhere in the crowd, a noblewoman began to weep.

“Fuck your clan,” he spat. “And fuck your Gelfling, every last one of you. Worthless, pitiful lot; playing your petty games as though your existence is of any consequence. You are nothing better than vermin crawling across the land, and the very sight of you offends me.”

The sheer vitriol of the words was shocking to Mayrin, and she heard the hushed gasps of the court in agreement. They all knew their place as Gelfling, of course: so far below the Skeksis as to be insignificant, blessed only by their Lords’ grace and generosity to be given any consideration at all. But to hear it so cruelly, her kind regarded with such open loathing?

“Rek'yr was the only one of your race worth anything,” the Hunter continued. “He was the only thing keeping your wretched hides alive.” His eyes flashed, talons curling and uncurling in agitation, as though he would have loved nothing more than to strike her down where she stood.

“And your Paladins butchered him.”

Despite herself, the All-Maudra swallowed. She could not help her fear—to have angered one of their esteemed Lords was a dire situation for any Gelfling to be in. But she had to stand strong, for the sake of her people. Perhaps there was some way still to fix this, some compensation to offer Lord skekMal for the loss of this…Rek'yr. “My Lord Hunter—”

skekMal cut her off with a snarl, and the words were nothing Mayrin could recognise. They were harsh, guttural; entirely alien in form and tone, like nothing spoken across the face of Thra. From the corner of her eye she saw Seladon lunge forward to snatch Brea from where she still knelt on the floor, dragging her back and throwing her protectively behind herself and Tavra.

But then she could watch her daughters no more, because the Lord’s silhouette advanced, blocking out the rest of the throne room with his bulk. He loomed before her, and even in that he was startlingly different from his brethren: where the other Crystal Lords seemed comment to look down to Gelfling, skekMal bent until their eyes were level, close enough that the jagged edges of his break brushed her nose. His breath stank, the sweetness of rotted meat and death, and it took every ounce of Mayrin’s strength not to recoil from him in terror.

“One trine,” he said, and lifted a single finger as though to demonstrate. “Your lot have one trine to prepare. Run, if you think you can. Hide in your forests, your mountains, your caves. Bring your weapons, for all the good they’ll do you; build your fortifications, as though they’ll keep you safe.

"One trine, to the day. That much, I’ll allow you—for Rek'yr’s sake.

The finger fell, the hand soon to follow. Mayrin followed its drop with her eyes, suddenly very aware of how silent the room had fallen.

"And after one trine?” she asked, softly. “What happens then?”

The Hunter laughed, low and terrible, and Mayrin felt a chill wash over her—as though some ancient, half-forgotten part of her was screaming in terror as it gazed upon a being not unlike death itself.

“Then,” he growled, “I begin my hunt.”

[spaceasianmillennial]

One of my personal favorite DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE sequence: The Crown Crisis

Untold histories just unfurl in that one scene where the Maudras confront their own power structure and the succession. When the Stonewood and Drenchen withhold their blessings, you feel the exasperation and shock of the other Maudras when Maudra Fara withholds her piece of the crown, and thus, her blessings. It’s a visceral depiction of division and rulers losing face.

It’s a crisis of tradition. The assembling of the crown piece has long been established as a ceremony. So a disturbance in a ceremony is seen as contemptuousness rather than an opportunity for dialogue.

 It’s a crisis shaped by the Skeksis’s colonization a thousand trine ago. Bits of dialogue reveals that the All-Maudra wasn’t always a Vapran, but it appears the Skeksis decree that Vaprans were the superior Gelfling clan to lead. So Maudra Fara has a basis to protest but long-established rules also contradict her protest.

The colonization is so ingrained in the other Maudras. It’s even ingrained in Maudra Fara, despite disputing the Skeksis’s influence. Maudra Fara has to resort to a primitive challenge, the sort that Skeksis do, in hopes of securing a leadership in a more meritable position. And now the Maudras are forced to question what exactly is meritable for the leadership position.

“Trials and tests are the Skeksis way, not Gelfing!”

“How have we come to this?”

It’s simple. The Gelfing ruling structure wasn’t allowing stability in the first place. It held for hundreds of trines during the Skeksis’s reign, but if there was a worst-case scenario to happen, it had to happen like this. Bewilderment, protest, contempt. 

The crown scene is everything about how muddled the situation is. Shunning traditions, subverting societal expectations, trying to break out of a colonized mentality all while still conforming to it.

[agentnico]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Season 1 (2019) Review

Go on Netflix, hurry up and give us a season 2 already! Yesss?? Pleeeaaassseee? Mmmmmmmmmmm?

Plot: Return to the world of Thra, where three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis' power, and set out to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.

I was never really a fan of the original 1982 The Dark Crystal film. Don’t get me wrong, the puppetry work behind it was really decent, but story wise the movie felt quite weak, as it was yet another fairly generic quest for a hero to take something from A to B and save the day. And what do you know, he does! Wow, big surprise there. But The Dark Crystal did introduce us to the fantastical world of Thra, and in the movie we only got little teases of the kinds of creatures and sights that could be found there. Now, courtesy of Netflix, we have ourselves a prequel series set quite a few years prior to the events of the original film, and I must say that this show is nothing short from spectacular. Not only do we now have an actually engaging story-line that is both interesting and filled with twists and turns throughout, which I need to give props to the writers, since this being a prequel means we know what happens at the very end already, so having a prequel that can actually offer the element of surprise is really something. I truly was immersed in this series right till the last episode, and now all I can hope is for Netflix to greenlight a second season, as this is a show that definitely is something special and different.

The puppetry work is incredible and very much pays homage and respect to Jim Henson’s legacy whilst also improving on the effects due to how technology has progressed. The puppets are masterfully rendered to sets and CGI backgrounds to create a distinctively unique world and the result is absolutely beautiful. So many shots throughout this show are like a painting. And the puppets themselves are incredible, with the various species like the Gelflings and Podlings all having their distinctive look, and of course we see the return of the evil Skeksis who look just as vile and horrible as before. Visually this piece is nothing short of breathtaking, and you can just tell how much work and effort was put into this, so I must congratulate the entire team behind this production for the time and passion that they have dedicated towards this. Also, speaking of technical things, the music score by Daniel Pemberton - my goodness! I knew the guy had talent back when I saw King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and here he proves it again with a gorgeous musical accompaniment that literally transports you into another world. Really the stuff of wonder.

The voice cast assembled her is also one to behold. The likes of Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy (who I will one day marry without a doubt!!), Jason Isaacs, Mark Hamill, Alicia Vikander, Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Strong, Lena Headey, Keegan Michael-Key....the list goes on. It’s really amazing how many people they got into this thing. But the two stand-outs for me was Nathalie Emmanuel as one of the main three Gelflins, as she was both adorable yet also very powerful, and also Simon Pegg who note-for-note recreates the voice of Chamberlain (one of the Skeksis) that if I didn’t read the cast list beforehand I would’ve thought they somehow managed to bring back the original voice of the guy from the original film.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a technical achievement and a fantasy epic like no other, that does incredible world-building with a strong voice cast, uniquely designed characters, an engrossing story full of surprises (there are actual stakes - a character can die any moment!) and overall one of the better TV shows of the past few years. Still dislike the movie though, sorry.

Overall score: 8/10

[moonskek]

The first glimpse of our Gelfling heroes! Who’s ready?!

In a statement, Netflix said: "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance tells a new epic story, set many years before the events of the movie, and realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects. The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins."

Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company and daughter of Jim Henson, said in a statement, "It is thrilling to see this assembled team of artists, puppeteers and now voice actors, many inspired by my father's original film, work together to realize this unique world – through performance and craft – at a scale that is rarely seen today." ( X )

[nerv-s]

30 Min Fic: Long Way From Home

@the-moogle-of-your-nightmares requested:

siladon, 'words of advice'/'long way from home?' (sike suckers it ain't het if one's nonbinary)

Story is rated M for mild sexual content. Word count is 2,236. Crossposted on AO3 here.

WARNING: Story contains sexual manipulation and implied/referenced dubcon. Proceed with caution.

The day is cool, but still a thin sheen of anxious sweat dots Seladon’s brow. The Vapran guard that helps her into the carriage barely looks at her as she hoists her up into the object far too large for a creature of her size. Seladon has rarely mingled with other gelflings, and certainly not ones that are so far below her station, but as always there is still a pang of discomfort at the way that the guard draws back. She pretends to not know why the guard crinkles her nose slightly, brow furrowed - but Seladon knows. She only hopes that when they get to Ha’rar, her smell will be dismissed as a result of their long carriage ride, or perhaps a side effect of working in such close proximity to their lords.

She is in the carriage now, and she makes her way into the seat nearer to the front - the one in which the lords always make her sit. It feels far too large for her, especially since she practically has to jump to be able to get onto the seat - but thankfully, the guards are not paying her any mind now. They are assembling together the escort, the captain barking orders and assuring that his guards understand their tasks.

Now seated firmly in the carriage, hands posed delicately and purposefully over one another in her lap, Seladon looks out of the window to the world outside, beyond the castle of the crystal. The journey to the capital will be less than a day, but it will nevertheless be long. That nervous feeling twists in her gut again. She wishes that one of the other lords would come as well, but she knows that they won’t. Only the Chamberlain seems interested in this particular trip, the rest of the lords of the crystal busying themselves behind doors that they will not let her through.

She understands. Truly, she does. As gelfling, she does not have access to all of the wisdom and plans of the lords, even if she is to be all-maudra one day. It stings every time the lords quiet their conversations when they see her approaching, but she understands.

Through the commotion outside and the smell of landstriders, a scent sharp and saccharine hits her nose, and Seladon feels her heart skip. Warmth rises in her cheeks, and she has to remind herself to look casually rather than whip her head around to get a glimpse. That sweet smell is the smell of the Emperor, after all, and it would not do to express untoward interest. She looks, eyes scanning outside perhaps a bit frantically though her face remains neutral and pleasant, her anxiety mounting as she does not see him. Then, the Chamberlain comes into view rather suddenly as he clambers into the carriage, his large robes hiding what she knows is a deceptively thin frame. As he enters, she catches the Emperor’s sweet scent coming from him, and her mouth twitches ever so slightly in disappointment. He must have been with skekSo recently, but the Emperor is not here now.

“Hello gelfling,” skekSil croaks with his best facsimile of a grin. His expressions seem so strange with his beak, but Seladon learned long ago which of his expressions correlate to emotions familiar to her. He seems in high spirits today, a smug kind of grin curling around his sharp, strange teeth. It is odd to her how strange the lords of the crystal look to her now that she sees them so often. She would have thought it would be more normal to her to see their toothed beaks and heavily adorned frames towering over her with such regularity, but seeing them outside of the spaces marked to her as familiar has made them even more odd to her. SkekSil is perhaps the oddest of them all.

She gives the Chamberlain a polite if terse smile, and bows her head to him. “My lord,” she greets, lifting her head once again. His eyes are fixed on her, and she can only hold his gaze for a moment before she has to pry it away. He always looks at her so long and so hard, and knowing his intentions only makes it all the more unnerving. “Are we ready to depart?” She asks, looking back through the door as the guards move outside, still talking amongst themselves as they pass along orders that she can only occasionally pick out amongst the rest of the commotion.

“Yes, waiting for armalig, then to Ha’rar,” he coos, leaning back against his seat. Seladon nods, and looks back out the window in the opposite side. A few moments pass in silence between them, and rather suddenly she begins to feel something uneasy creeping up her spine. Usually it takes quite a bit to get the Chamberlain to shut up, but he stares contemplatively out of the window as well, not even the slightest whimper curling out of his mouth. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, her hands curling into fists around her dress. Is he waiting until we leave? The thought brings her no comfort as it occurs to her that perhaps he has something to say that he does not want the gelfling outside to hear - or perhaps another lord that might find their way down to the dock at the wrong moment.

“Are you well today, my lord?” She asks in spite of herself, turning to look at him. He looks back to her as well, that strange, sly look still glinting in his eyes.

“Is princess concerned for Chamberlain?” He coos, and she cannot help but hear something mocking in his tone. It is just the way that he talks, she knows, but still it grates on her and makes her feel a flare of anger. Her fists curl tighter.

“I am not accustomed to your silence,” she says, and his grin seems to widen.

“Ah, but princess good at making skeksis unable to speak, hmm?” He laces his fingers together over his lap, talons curling menacingly in front of his chest. Seladon feels heat rising in her cheeks, and she looks down at some empty point on the seat next to him. She has no response for him - she never does when he so casually references the things that they do. He lets out that cloying, whimpering hmMMmm that he so often does, raising his brows and clicking his tongue. “Ah, now skeksis make princess quiet.” The mockery returns in his tone, and she exhales sharply.

“I do not know what you want me to say, my lord,” she says truthfully, taking care to keep her inner disdain out of her tone. As much as she does not know what to make of the Chamberlain and finds his presence disquieting, he is the one lord that pays her any mind. To the others, she might as well be invisible if she is not interrupting them or inconveniencing them.

“No need for princess to say anything,” he says. “Just as no need for skekSil to say anything.” Perhaps it is true. She offers him a quiet yes, my lord, and then returns to looking absently out of the window. The carriage rumbles as the armaligs wriggle into their slots, and the captain comes to the door.

“We are ready to depart for Ha’rar, my lord,” he says to the Chamberlain. He does not even look at Seladon.

“Depart then,” skekSil says, waving the captain away as he grabs the lever on his right side. He allows for a few moments to give the captain time to reach the front and mount his land strider, and then switches the lever. With another jolt, the carriage raises slightly as the armaligs curl into wheels, and the carriage begins its descent down the long slope. They barely have left the shadow of the castle when skekSil speaks.

“Princess did not visit last night,” the Chamberlain says rather suddenly, and Seladon looks back up at him sharply as she feels her heart flutter. She had known at the time that keeping to her chambers was a mistake, but she had in truth wanted the time to relax before the stresses of the trip took over. Besides, there is a certain anxiety she feels now when she is alone with him.

“No, my lord,” she confirmed as if he didn’t already know. “If I may be honest for a moment, I was quite tired and nervous about this journey.” A partial truth, but perhaps more of a truth than he would ever share with her. He nods thoughtfully.

“Why nervous?” He asks.

“My lord, I-”

“Tell Chamberlain, please,” he coos out. “Am friend.”

Am friend. Am friend. Am friend.

She can feel something sick crawling up her throat.

“My lord, it is not anything to-”

“Please,” he insists, and she swears that she can see him lean closer. The alarm in her gut claws harder.

Am friend. Am friend. Am friend.

“It has been many a moon since I have seen the all-maudra last,” she says finally, clasping her hands tightly together. “I... worry that she will find my progress lacking.” She hates speaking those words aloud. She hates him knowing her thoughts at all, but she knows that he will find a way drag them out eventually and that it is much easier to comply.

“No other reason?” he hums, cocking his head. A lurch, and she’s uncertain if it’s in her gut or if it’s the carriage.

Am friend. Am friend. Am friend.

She hesitates.

“No, my lord.”

Another whimpering, contemplative hmMMmm as he leans back again, looking her over. He falls silent, and there is little more she can do than look back at him, mouth pressed into a firm line. He looks out the window as they turn, and the Castle of the Crystal comes into view in the distance, still foreboding and massive though it shrinks away from them. “Is long ride to Ha’rar,” he says after a moment, his voice carrying that note that she is oh so familiar with. She can already feel the whisper of cloth under her fingers, his breath on her hair, the purr of his voice in her ear as she slides her hand along his chest, towards his wet itch. Am friend.

Somehow, each time he says that, with his taloned hand curled around her wrist as he presses her soft fingers inside, it sounds more like a lie.

“There are many eyes in our escort,” she says, as if the words have any meaning, as if the gelfling cannot already smell the stink of him all over her, even when stale. “And I brought no gloves.” He glances down to her fingertips, the pink staining paled enough that it seems little darker than her natural flush. He nods, although she can see the disappointment on his face. She’d be relieved if she didn’t feel so anxious.

“Sad,” he says before looking back out the window. “Perhaps when return to castle.” She inhales sharply, squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, and then looks back up at him with a pleasant smile.

“Of course, my lord,” she says. “Anything for a friend.”

He’s silent for a long time, his quiet somehow even more unnerving than before, but she says nothing of it this time.

“Piece of advice for princess,” skekSil says suddenly, and Seladon is quick to look back to him. He watches her closely, eyes narrowed to little more than slits. Her heart leaps. “If gelfling want more skeksis friends, gelfling always prepared.” She feels a flash of irritation.

“Yes, thank you my lord,” she says curtly, looking away from him. “But I rather think that you are the only lord that has any interest in my friendship.”

“False,” skekSil says. “Emperor visit last night, ask about princess.” Seladon’s brows raise in surprise, and she feels her cheeks grow warm.

“He did?” She asks before she can stop herself, and skekSil smirks.

“Yes, Emperor did,” he confirms, slipping his hand into his robes, rifling through some inner pocket. “And Emperor have many itch to be scratched - does not trust skeksis.” Pulling his hand back out of his robes, he holds aloft a pair of small gloves, light blue and perfectly sized for gelfling hands. Seladon feels her stomach drop at the sight of them, but her groin feels hot at his words and she can feel her fingers twitch at the thought of slipping them inside the Emperor’s deep, wet warmth, the groan of pain she once heard him make warped into something else. She stares at the gloves for a long time, contemplating his words while he stares at her with a look that says he knows he has already won.

Am friend.

She slides off of her seat and crosses the short distance to his, using his robes to help hoist herself into his lap. He grunts as she puts a hand at his throat and pushes his head back, her other hand deftly working the fasteners on the front of his robes, peeling away layer by layer until she reveals the skin beneath, and the three orifices on his chest glistening a wet red-purple with what she has known for a long time is arousal.

“Show me,” she whispers, and slips her finger inside.

[hyenagirl-pseudophallus]

Gelfling

@serendipitous-assembly

inspiration

that's a human woman

[themuppetmasterencyclopedia]

Aughra PERFORMER Frank Oz puppeteer Billie Whitelaw voice DEBUT 1982 DESIGN Brian Froud creature/costume design Lyle Conway design/fabrication supervisor Jim Henson and Frank Oz are interviewed with Aughra. Aughra is the only one of her species, born from the rocks' need to perceive the world of The Dark Crystal. She is old enough to remember the world that existed before the race of Gelfling came to be, in the days before the Mystics and Skeksis evolved their separate codes. Her exact age is unknown, but she has existed for at least a thousand years. She studied the movements of the planets in the heavens in her observatory and lost an eye observing a Great Conjunction of the Three Suns a thousand years ago. Her remaining eye can be removed from her body and remain fully functional. Jen was sent by his master to Aughra to fulfill the prophecy and find the shard that would make The Dark Crystal whole again. In the closing credits, which follow the names with character descriptions in the manner of silent films and early talkies, Aughra is labeled as "A Keeper of Secrets." The fabrication team, who doubled on the UrSkeks, consisted of David Barclay, Jeremy Hunt, Paul Jiggins, Graeme Galvin, and Steve Court. Since 2015, the Aughra puppet is on display at the Center for Puppetry Arts as part of their permanent Worlds of Puppetry exhibit. Aughra Description Wizened, three-and-a-half feet tall, ram-horned, three-eyed, ornery, capricious, and maternal. Aughra has one working detachable eye and two blind eyes. She is the embodiment of Thra, similar to a nature god. Aughra is inscrutable and gruff. History Origin Old enough to know the world that existed before the race of Gelfling came to be, Aughra remembered life on Thra before the Mystics and Skeksis evolved their separate codes. “Of the race of Aughra, I, Aughra, am alone, the first and last. Born from the need for rocks and trees for an eye to see the world. The wind blew and the blind trees sang and roots twisted in the dark rocks and the roots sang and the rocks cracked and I was Aughra. This is my song. The rocks will me to be their eye; the roots willed me to be their eye. Blind rocks that felt the heartbeat of the World; blind trees swaying in the breathing of the wind made to view for them all the shapes of the World. Slowly, slowly the roots split the rock and I was free. The First Age of Aughra was of innocence and it was long. Then it was Aughra and the race of the Gelfling who shared the World. The Gelfling sang and danced for the joy of their lives, and I was part of their joy. - Aughra” In the time that Thra was a place of peace and harmony, Aughra had a son – Raunip. Though all of Thra already looked to Aughra as a mother figure, becoming a true mother changed Aughra’s world entirely. She sensed the coming Great Conjunction that would bring immense change. She waited for the suns to align; for the Great Conjunction to occur. The urSkeks found Aughra on the mountaintop, burned by the light of their arrival. They healed her burns and restored sight to one of her eyes. She exchanged knowledge with the urSkeks — she gave them knowledge of Thra, and in return they gave her knowledge of the stars. The urSkeks built the Castle of the Crystal, and TekTih built Aughra an Observatory and Orrery for her to study the stars for signs of the next Great Conjunction. Aughra learned that the urSkeks, exiled from their home, had a Crystal on their home world. They traveled through to the Crystal on Thra. Aughra and Jen in Observatory Aughra and Jen in the Observatory “On the day I gave one eye to see the splendor of the Three Suns, a new joy came to the World. I lay on the mountain above the Crystal and saw the Three Suns move close together. I lay under rocks with one eye open to the light, and for one moment and forever I saw the Eye of the Three Suns shining down upon me. Then from that light my eye darkened, and in that moment of light the urSkeks opened the door in the Crystal and entered our World. The pain of my lost eye was joined once to the joy I had in the urSkeks, but bitter, sour, poisoned rock is that joy to me now. - Aughra” Aughra was also present at the Second Great Conjunction and witnessed the division of the urSkeks into Skeksis and urRu. After the division, she learned from both the urRu and Skeksis. The urRu migrated to the valley, and Aughra witnessed the Skeksis crack the crystal. As time passed the Skeksis went mad and Aughra retired to her observatory, rarely seen. As he lay dying, urSu the Master instructed Jen to visit Aughra and retrieve the True Shard from her. Jen began his quest to find the home of Aughra. As he wandered looking for her, she captured him. She did not know any Gelfling had survived the Garthim War. After Jen shared that he was sent by urSu and was looking for a crystal shard, she released him and led him to her Observatory. There she explained the coming Great Conjunction, and told Jen that he needs to use the shard to heal the Crystal. She provided him with all of the crystal shards in her possession, one of which is the True Shard. Aughra could not tell him which to choose; Jen had to determine the correct one. Suddenly, Garthim broke into the Observatory, captured Aughra, and then destroyed the Observatory. The Garthim took her to the Castle of the Crystal, presented her to the Skeksis, and then imprisoned her in the Chamber of Life. From her imprisonment, Aughra watched Kira as she was drained of her essence, and told her to fight back by calling to the creatures. The creatures in the castle helped free Kira and Aughra. Garthim destroy the Observatory Garthim destroy the Observatory Aughra witnessed the healing of the Crystal and the recombining of the urRu and Skeksis into the urSkeks, and declared: “What was sundered and undone shall be whole, the two made one.” Production Development A few characters came together relatively easily. Aughra, for example, existed only as a head when a video test was called for at short notice. A body was quickly assembled from three bean bags and a hastily sewn costume, all mounted on a modified Skeksis harness. So the essence of her body movement was established from the start; modifications were made, however, in her design and assembly. Sculptor Lyle Conway was key in the development of Aughra, as well as the entire Skeksis character group. Storyboard of Aughra Storyboard of Aughra Concept art of Aughra by Brian Froud Concept art of Aughra by Brian Froud The eyes, as Brian Froud recognized, would be crucial to the success of the characters that were being developed. Static taxidermists’ eyes, no matter how realistic, would not suffice for Jen, Kira, Aughra or any of the characters who would inhabit the world of The Dark Crystal. They needed eyes that blinked and swiveled as naturally as those of any human performer. This presented two challenges that no puppet builder had ever faced before. Precisely the right kind of glass (or plastic) eyes had to be found, and mechanisms to control them on cue had to be devised. The search for glass eyes took months. The problem was not in finding a number of skilled manufacturers of artificial eyes willing to help the Henson people; it was simply that these companies were not equipped to produce eyes of the shape that was needed. Sherry Amott reports that every conceivable source, not excluding Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, was canvassed before the appropriate eyes were found. Eventually, the supplier turned out to be an English firm that handcrafted the eyes to Henson’s specifications. Performance Frank Oz, who initially wanted to concentrate on directing, finally relented and took on the performance of Aughra. After the first voice auditions were recorded, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Gary Kurtz listened to them and made a short list. From this list, selected performers were invited back to make a second test, this time working in synch with a scene from the film. Almost at once, difficulties arose. It was found, for example, that the Chamberlain, as performed by Frank Oz, spoke so quickly that it was a considerable problem for an actor to stay in synch while remaining in character. It became very important to select actors whose natural voices were close to what was needed. To be avoided at all costs were “forced” voices or voices that sounded too cartoon-like. What was required were actors who were capable of “breathing life” into the puppets that would appear on screen. For Aughra, three possible candidates quickly emerged, and this selection was narrowed down to two and then one. The final choice was made partly because the actress selected had more dubbing experience. When she came to work on the actual looping, however, it was found that she had to “reach” too far to stay in character and it was decided to replace her with the actress who had been her closest rival. Performers Frank Oz Aughra – Character Performer Billie Whitelaw Aughra – Character Voice

[barbosaasouza]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a strategy RPG based on the Netflix show, which itself is based on the ’80s movie. The game of the show of the movie is now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

In the fantasy world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, you lead a budding Gelfling resistance against the oppressive Skeksis overlords. You’ll need to assemble your team and master the battlefield to vanquish the ominous-sounding Darkening in over 50 turn-based tactical battles.

Check out the launch trailer below to see the colorful-looking game in action.

The game was developed by BonusXP in collaboration with Netflix. Features include:

More than 50 unique multi-layered, turn-based tactical RPG battles.

A variety of vibrant and unpredictable locations, including Gelfling homesteads, deserts, and lush forests, each as dangerous as they are wondrous.

14 playable characters, including familiar faces from the new Netflix Original Series.

The ability to recruit and customize brand new and returning allies – assign them jobs, modify their abilities, and outfit them with new equipment.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Are you a fan of the Dark Crystal – the show or the movie? Let us know your thoughts on the tactical style of this new game.

The post The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[thebibliomancer]

Flames of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 29

Flames of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because how will the battle shake out in this version?

Last times on book: Thanks to the efforts of Team Naia, the seven fires of the Gelfling clans have been lit and they’ve united in resistance against the Skeksis! After a grueling off-page quest, Rian has discovered a Legendary Sword which holds the power to defeat the Skeksis! Things are going great!

Things were going very badly. Nearly every extant Skeksis had shown up at Stone-in-the-Wood to murder the insolence out of the assembled Drenchen, Spriton, Stonewood Gelfling. skekMal the Hunter yoinked Rian off the battlefield up to the Stonewood tower and broke the Legendary Sword. Gelfling were dying left, right and center. Naia was about to get sworded by the Emperor when reinforcements arrive from the other Gelfling clans!

With the tides turned in favor of the Gelfling, Naia decided to climb the Stonewood tower and help Rian!

Chapter 29

The end of the battle.

Naia leaped up the first boulder, and then the second, grappling the hard stone edges and ancient moss. The top of the rise seemed impossibly far, as if it were ascending into the sky even as she raced to reach it. She couldn’t see the top as she climbed. Had no idea if Rian had survived the Skeksis Hunter or fallen under his unforgiving claws. Her heart ached at the thought, which seemed as though it might be inevitable -- but she swallowed the feeling and climbed instead.

I mean. He might be dead? Unless the Hunter likes to play with his food, so to speak. And so not to speak. Guy is implied to eat Gelfling.

Anyway, Periss shows up on a Crystal Skimmer and tells Naia to get on, nerd.

Hi, Periss! I was so sure you’d join the protagonist group and then you didn’t so good to see you!

Periss gives Naia a lift to the top of the Stonewood rise. I thought it was a tower but maybe I was confused. He offers her his dirk but Naia declines. She has A Rock so she’s good for weapons. I GUESS.

Wait, no. She didn’t even bring her rock! NAIA  WHAT IS YOUR GAMEPLAN HERE?

When Naia jumps from the Crystal Skimmer (Periss is not joining because Protagonists Only) the Hunter has just been tossing Rian around and making him eat dirt. Rian is still stubbornly wielding his broken legendary piece of crap.

“Naia, what are you doing?” Rian groaned. “It’s over. Aughra lied. The sword broke. You don’t need to die up here, too.”

“Get up, Rian,” Naia urged him. She didn’t take her eyes off skekMal, who watched them with his burning, cold eyes. As if trying to choose which of them to kill first. “Rian, get up. Don’t let him defeat you. Prove to him that you’ll rise against him. Prove to Thra that we’ll exist -- even if we die.”

That’s the spirit?

When skekMal lunges to finish off Rian first before moving onto this new surprise morsel, Naia jumps between them and tries to... summon her healing fire at skekMal?

Weird flex, but okay.

But skekMal never finishes his lunge.

skekMal’s sword dangled above like it was caught by an invisible hand. He struggled within his skin, twitching and quivering, but he could barely move. Not just his sword, but his entire body.

“What?” he croaked, barely able to even move his mouth. “What is this? WHAT IS THIS?”

I agree, what is this?

“Naia.”

The voice that came out of skekMal’s throat was not the hissing, cold one that had screamed at her in the Dark Wood. It was grave, determined, familiar. Naia slowly lowered her hands, unable to look away from the Hunter’s eyes as she saw a spark within them. The recognition of another, who had gazed upon her once before with respect and admiration.

“urVa?” she whispered.

“Do not fear,” came the Archer’s voice through skekMal’s lips again. “And do not despair --” Then skekMal came again: “DESPAIR UNTIL THE END OF YOUR --”

CRRRR-CRACK.

skekMal screamed as the sound of splintering bones erupted from his chest. Black blood dribbled out of the seams of his armor, in both the front and the back, as though he had not been pierced by an invisible arrow.

Tears welled in Naia’s eyes. The arrow was not invisible; it was real enough. But it was elsewhere. Where urVa was, far away in the valley, in the place where he had plunged it through his own heart.

O_O

Spooky action at a distance.

This is a lot more visceral than urVa throwing himself off a high thing and dissolving into sparkles. Guy stabbed himself with an arrow. There’s blood spraying and bones breaking.

The prose really can be a lot more gruesome than the show.

Also, I thought this might happen because this part of the book series is hewing closer to show events but its again like the dilemma with skekSa at the Great Smerth.

There’s a situation where it looks like either a Skeksis or a Gelfling is going to die and killing the Skeksis will kill an urRu that Naia likes.

In the swamp, it was a choice between skekSa’s (and urSan’s) life vs Gurjin.

Here, it’s skekMal (and urVa) vs Rian.

In both situations, a third option is found but it still results in a death.

Maudra Laesid sacrificed her life to make Naia’s tree plan work.

urVa sacrifices himself to stop skekMal from killing Naia.

And it really does seem like Naia being in the firing line is what gave urVa the kick in the ass to take a drastic action.

Dangit, urVa! You were too beautiful for this world!

Anyway, skekMal explodes in flame because why wouldn’t he.

When he was gone, the entire wood was silent. Even the Emperor, who stared in shock as his champion was reduced to a pile of smoking bones and singed armor, did not know what to say or do. Gurjin and Amri had reached the dias at the top of the rise, running despite their exhaustion when they saw both she and Rian were still standing. Gurjin was the first to make it, throwing his arms around Naia and Rian all at once and hugging them so tightly Naia was surprised they didn’t break.

“I told you to believe me,” Naia mumbled into Gurjin’s shoulder. She could almost make out Rian’s weary smile on her other side, and caught Amri wiping a stealthy tear away just before he winked at her.

Huh... so I guess Aughra wasn’t inside the Hunter in this version.

Maybe someone should poke the bones, just to make sure.

And the battle sure pauses a lot based on whatever is happening on this higher area.

But now that the battle has momentarily stopped, what’s going to happen now?

Just get back to fighting? The Gelfling had the advantage last time it was commented on.

But, no. Something else weird is happening.

Something rang. They stepped back from one another when light sprang forth, vibrating in time with the eerie tone that filled the air. It was coming from Rian’s sword.

“Why is it ringing now?” Rian whispered, holding up the broken blade. “After it’s been broken?”

Rian stood, raising the hilt. The ringing grew into a drowning song, calling to her, to them all, in a voice Naia had known since she had been a childling. It held every body immobile in its power. Even the Skeksis, whose beady eyes widened and shook as they beheld it -- as it beheld them.

“What is that?” Gurjin whispered.

“I think it’s --”

She could hear the song. Vividly now, as clear as it had been when she had stood before the Crystal in the castle. As clearly as when Aughra’s message had reached them in the dream-space. As strongly and as unmistakably as it had sung to them in Onica’s Far-Dream, when Amri had asked how they would stop the Skeksis.

Now it answered in its ever-present song. The voice that sang the earth to life, that called upon the rivers to flow and the tides to change. Naia knew its name and shivered.

Somehow, the Crystal was here.

Hmm?

I wonder what prompted this. Was it the death of urVa and skekMal? Or some other unknown?

Well, the sword stops ringing with everyone present just clueless about what just happened.

Everyone except one best boy.

A single, clear note cut through the air clouded with Skeksis breath and the scent of ash and blood. It was strong, like the wind, ringing through the hollow bone of the bell-bird firca.

Kylan the Song Teller stepped onto the dais at the top of the rise. The wind blew through his braid, as if sharing breath with him. As if encouraging the song to be a thousand times louder. His fingers played without thought, drifting through the notes as if they came from beyond him. Within him, and through him.

As the firca rang with the song that had once moved mountains, the sword Rian held cried out in return, with more volume and energy than before. The Skeksis let out gasps of pain, holding their heads and horns, trying not to shrink away from the light and the sound that filled Naia’s heart with a fragile hope. Though she did not want Kylan in this deadly place, she had never wanted to see him or hear his firca more.

“No,” breathed Emperor skekSo. He stared, transfixed, paling with light and fear, at the thing that burned in Rian’s hand. He ripped the dagger from the Chamberlain’s claws and charged up the rise himself. “Kill them. Kill them NOW!”

Oh heck ye best boy!

I have no idea what’s going on now but I love it!

Naia seems to have some idea because she tells Kylan to keep playing and then demands of the assembled seven clans of Gelfling here to fight a big final battle with the Skeksis that in the middle of this big battle they throw down their weapons, hold each other, and sing the song of Thra together.

Well, they did want Thra to provide an answer and it provided something!

Gelfling voice after voice called out after hers. She heard Gurjin’s and Amri’s beside her. The Stonewood and the Spriton, the Grottan and the Drenchen. All their voices lifted in a symphony. Then the Sifa. Tae, hand in hand with Onica beside Maudra Ethri. And the Dousan -- Periss and Erimon had come, with Sandmaster Rek’yr and Maudra Seethi. Scattered across the boulders of the rise, white-winged Vapra alit like a flock of unamoths. Among them, Naia recognized Tavra’s sisters, Brea and Seladon. The All-Maudra’s other two daughters, united with the third and the rest of the seven clans.

Light burst from Rian’s sword, the metal of the hilt melting away as if it were paper smoldering in a candle. What remained, clasped in his fingers, glowed with all the light of the inner sun of Thra. The Crystal of Truth.

It was a crystal shard.

Yoooooo!

Again, I thought the shard might be in the Nameless But Probably Dual Glaive. Considering Rian being told that the sword held the power to defeat the Skeksis. It was phrasing that invited a hidden meaning for a hidden crystal.

But finding the shard in the show was almost an afterthought, a consolation prize for the sword breaking.

I didn’t expect..... uh.... whatever is going on!

And hey! All of the major show characters that didn’t fit into the novel plots!

The Skeksis recoil from the shard, from its light and its song.

Naia kicks up this group singalong up a notch by calling for everyone to dreamfast together.

(Forming a Gelfling Uni-Mind??)

Given the increased importance placed on dreamfasting in these books, with Naia’s Special Thra Given Gift being super dreamfasting with everything, I’m glad that it seems poised to be integral to resolving the plot.

Once the dreamfast kicks in, Naia briefly sees a vision of space with infinite stars and also a big number of planets, each one with a Crystal at its heart giving life.

Hmm. I wonder where Earth’s Crystal is.

Somebody in this massive mind-meld dreamfast proclaims that of all the planets in infinite space, this one is theirs. And presumably also the Podlings’ and the spiders’ and et ceteras?

And we have only one, Kylan added.

Amri’s voice echoed hers: And we will protect it.

Fight for it. That was Rian.

Naia took in a deep breath and let it out, and added:

Heal it.

AND THEN: Thra goes nuts.

The ground shakes, it starts raining, and the ‘story thus far’ dream-etchings that the Stonewood fire created start glowing. More etchings burst out of the stones and the light pouring out of them burn the Skeksis.

Gelfling writing is so intense.

The sound of the earth singing -- the infinite voice of Thra -- was all that could be heard. Naia felt it along the surface of her skin, straight into the marrow of her bones. She could feel the song as strongly as she could hear it -- as plainly as she could see the light radiating from Rian’s hand.

It was life. It was power. It was theirs.

The Skeksis heard it. They saw it, and the knew.

And then they ran.

Stumbling and grappling over one another, they clawed their way past the rubble and stones and Gelfing, taking cuts and stabs from the Vapra swords and Sifa blades as they passed. In a flurry of dark and indigo and crimson, they fled into the wood in the direction of the castle.

The Gelfling had won.

VICTORY!

And because of all the questing and pondering and making decisions to embrace semi-non-violent solutions, Thra came through for its favorite people and did the Skeksis a startle!

After the fires and the sword wound up being less than climactic, its good to have everything the protagonists have worked at over four books pay off.

I’m torn on whether the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood should have happened at the end of this book at all but if there was a resolution that feels like it fit where the books have been heading, its this pyrotechnical singalong and invoke the terrible vengeance of Thra moment.

And there’s three chapters left!

In this whole series!

Oh no!

[filmreviewonline]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Teaser Trailer

New Post has been published on https://filmreviewonline.com/2019/05/30/the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-teaser-trailer/

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Teaser Trailer

The journey begins as darkness rises, check out The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Teaser Trailer. Join three Gelfling heroes on an epic quest to save their world.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will launch globally on Netflix on August 30th, 2019.

Leading the voice cast are Taron Egerton (Kingsman) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch). Plus there is Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), as Rian, Brea and Deet, three Gelfling heroes.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Teaser Trailer

https://filmreviewonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Dark-Crystal-Age-of-Resistance-Teaser-Netflix-720p.mp4

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Official Lowdown

Based on The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s groundbreaking 1982 feature film, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance tells a new epic story. It is set many years before the events of the movie. That was realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects.

The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis. There is a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds. The fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins.

The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance – Teaser ©2019 Netflix

Voice Cast

About the voice cast, Cindy Holland, VP of Original Series, Netflix said: “To match the stunning visual world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, we knew we had to entice some incredible voice talent. [They] add dimension to the exquisite artistry of the puppeteers who bring the characters to life. I am proud to say that this may be one of the finest casts assembled from the world’s favourite TV shows and movies. I am now even more excited for fans to come back to Thra with us, and for new viewers to discover this world for the very first time.”

Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company said, “It is humbling to see so many truly gifted actors join The Dark Crystal universe by adding their voices to Age of Resistance. As with the original film, we are now adding a voice cast of the highest caliber. [These] will provide textures and range to the puppetry performances that are the heart of the series. It is thrilling to see this assembled team of artists, puppeteers and now voice actors. Many inspired by my father’s original film, work together to realize this unique world. Through performance and craft, [and] at a scale that is rarely seen today.”

The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance – Teaser ©2019 Netflix

[thebibliomancer]

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance ep 10 liveblog

“A Single Piece Was Lost”

I don’t have a ramble about the title this time. I’m pretty excited to see how this all wraps up though. Or slightly wraps up while leaving things open. Whatever.

Just a stream of thoughts.

Hi Deet! 

Hi Rian! 

I quite like this low energy opening showing them waiting for the battle in the morning-

NOPE SOMETHING JUST EXPLODED

Deet, what did you explode?

Rian: “Deet… have you been making bombs?”

Deet: “Well, smoke bombs, so yes?”

Just when I thought Deet couldn’t be better.

Rian reflecting that they’ll need a lot of smoke bombs, probably to run away, if no other Gelfling show up.

Rian: “I was just thinking, I never got to properly see the Caves of Grottan. We should go back together when this is all over.”

Awww. 

Oh shit Deet’s arms are secretly glowing with evil energies. I have a bad feeling about things.

Emperor: “Do you sleep?”

General: “??? Yes, sire”

Emperor: “Do you dream?”

General: “No my Emperor”

Emperor: “Neither did I, until I began my experiments with the Darkening. Now my nights are riddled with nightmares.”

And now he’s asking the General if he remembers how things were before they were sundered. The Emperor is philosophical today.

Then he gathers a bunch of Darkening.

The Gruenaks run into the Chamberlain and they want to be freed and Chamberlain is like not yet my dudes, things are going great for me and thats what matters.

Ice cold, SkekSil

Aww the Scientist build some new armor and he wants to join the other Skeksis and prove that he’s a rough and tumble strong boy like the rest but the General and the Emperor just laugh at him and tell him to stay behind and do the nerd stuff.

Poor guy. Poor evil guy.

The other Skeksis have no respect for him but he’s the only one still doing what the UrSkeks were about.

OH HEY ITS BREA hi Brea. Last episode, everyone gathering up again.

Maudra Fara: ‘Hey Rian we cool? Sorry I called you a traitor’

Oh no, Brea and Seladon have to tell Rian and Deet that Aughra died.

Yeah, the Dual Glaive is pretty cool. Appearance wise. 

Rian: -stares wonderously at Dual Glaive for a while-

Ok no disrespect but you’re bringing the Ornamentalist to war and think the Scientist is too big a nerd??

Chamberlain: -waving sword around- “WARRRRRRRRRRRR”

Most of the Skeksis preparing for war sequence seems to be them psyching themselves up by screaming war at each other.

The Gelfling preparation sequence has them like training and getting outfitted.

Just saying, one group is taking this more seriously.

Scientist: “I am incontrovertibly the most abused creature in all of Thra”

Gruenaks: =|

The irony is, of course, lost on SkekTek.

Scientist: -pokes frakensteined spiders corpse with random electricity- ‘Well thats not working’

-Proto-Garthim goosplodes all over the Scientist for like a minute straight-

Scientist: “There is only so much callous disrespect a Lord of the Crystal can endure! I have earned a bit of genuine frivolity!”

Turns out that he hid some extra essence in his animal cages so he can hit the goofy juice in times of stress. 

The Gruenaks pick up the scalpel. Whoops. Wonder what they’re up to.

Over at the circle of the sun, the Archer is lingering between life and death because of the Aughra essence effect on the Hunter.

Apparently the Scientist’s idea of genuine frivolity is to sit on the Emperor’s throne and pretend to be the Emperor and have podlings play him music and bring him food and call himself Emperor.

Thats. Sure an idea.

OH HI SKEKMAL IS ALIVE AGAIN

And he tears himself free of the strings holding him up, probably confused at all of this, and asks where Rian is.

When Scientist tells him that Rian is at Stone-in-the-Wood and that the Skeksis went to quell the uprising, Hunter calls Scientist an useless coward.

Scientist: “The Emperor commanded me to stay behind. I wanted to fight! I’m not a coward!”

Poor evil guy. This is why he wanted to prove he was a rough boy. Now the Hunter is going to be looking down on him.

Archer bolts up and mummer shouts SKEKMAL and then collapses.

Heretic: “Well…”

Wanderer: “That was… exciting…”

Heretic: “Yes!”

I love these nerds.

So the Skeksis bring: giant swords, nothing else.

They’re not really prepared for anything other than lumbering towards something and killing lots of stuff.

If only the Gelfling had a strong archer class. Instead of being all melee. 

Even Kira in the movie knew how to pack a sling.

Emperor sees the small amount of Gelflings that have shown up.

Emperor: “This… is the mighty rebellion I was promised?”

He actually sounds disappointed. Hes had to leave the castle for the first time in a long time and its for this.

Rian: ‘The rest are coming! Really!’

Also Rian: ‘Hey how about single combat?’

Chamberlain: ‘Hey uh Emperor this is beneath you? Let General do it’

General: ‘If my bff Chamberlian thinks its a good idea, I’m in.’

The General hits but also maneuvers like a freight train. But Rian really sucks. He’s just  getting tossed around and almost having his puppet junk- Oh there he goes. He stabbed the General.

The Dual Glaive starts absorbing. The General’s…. Something?

General: “Be done with it! Kill me!”

Rian: “I’m no killer!”

HOW DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO GO?

The Skeksis are literally trying to wipe out your entire race and you’re playing the high very high road??

Then the Emperor tells General to gtfo because he’s a failure and the other Skeksis mock mock him as he limps away because the Skeksis love to see each other fail.

Oh, this is some actual cool strategy.

The lady gelfling vault off the male gelfling’s backs and fly around dropping bombs to disorient while the swords gelflings jump in and start poking ankles.

Oh I guess the Skeksis did bring more than swords. They’ve got… boomerang launchers? On their backs? Boomerang catapults?

Its pretty unwieldy but Scroll-Keeper still manages to hit Maudra Fara when she shoves Seladon out of the way to protect the All-Maudra who she acknowledges now that shes not being a dingus.

And then sheee dies.

But on her own time because a fizzgig steals Scroll-Keeper’s sword and hides it in a hole.

I’m overall getting the impression that the Skeksis are dangerous because they’re big and strong but they’re not very good at this.

Greunaks cutting their own mouths open with the scalpel they found. Annnd Scientist finds them.

Greunak: “No! No slave!”

Scientist: “How dare you threaten me? I am SkekTek the Scientist! I am a master of llfe and death! I am a genius! I am a Lord of the Crystal! I… AM… SKEKSIS! -incoherent yelling-”

He grabs them so they shock him with the electrical wires which I think shorts out his eye.

And. Geez. Rebellion doesn’t work too well when you’re a third of the size.

He just picks up one of the Gruenaks and hucks him down the fire hole.

Oops and he just hacked the other one to death.

Put upon and bullied he may be but he’s as bad as the rest of the Skeksis really.

Scientist: -maniacal laughter-

I think he’s going to use the Gruenak corpse to help finish the Garthim.

So the battle is still… going.

ANd I can’t help but think that what would really help here is a shield wall or something.

Gourmet: -flailing and panicking as a Gelfling climbs on his back and punches him in the head or something-

Chamberlain has found where the General has crawled off to.

General: “Friend SkekSil, help me”

Chamberlain: “Mmmm no. -stabs- You…. took… my…. Seat!”

Wow, SkekSil can hold a grudge.

Oh and General crumbles as soon as he dies. So I guess SkekMal really wasn’t dead.

Speaking of SkekMal he just showed up and and captured Rian and broke the Dual Glaive. I say broke but this is why weapons that have to be assembled aren’t as reliable. They’re made to fall apart and fall apart they will. It’s possibly a metaphor.

Speaking of a metaphor, the Archer has regained consciousness and has  gone for a walk.

Archer: “I had a dream that I was one that became two. The hunt must end.”

And the walk that he’s taking is off the circle of the sun which is a very tall place.

Hunter: “I have conquered death! I have become more powerful! More powerful than Thra itself! Nothing can stop the hunt!”

Archer: “Now we shall see what lies at the dream’s end” -jumps off circle of the sun-

Hunter: -crumbles to dust-

Archer hasn’t even hit bottom yet. He just knows that he’s gonna die so he starts turning into sparkles midfall.

OH HEY!

Aughra reformed from the Hunter!

Scroll-Keeper: “Oh no, not her again!”

Rian: “Aughra are you alright?”

Aughra: “Of course not, I just returned from the dead!”

Aughra tells the Skeksis that they better retreat to the castle or she’ll mess them up. Emperor is like I’ll call that bluff.

And then…. ARROWS! The gelfling learned archery!

OH HEY ALL THE CLANS! ALSO THE ARATHIM!

Emperor: I WILL NOT LOSE, NO MATTER THE COST! BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE DARKENING!”

And his staff burns with an awesome power and then everything starts exploding. Wow look at the gelfling popping into the air

DEET! 

She’s absorbing all of the Darkening!

Skeksis: -laughing at whats happening-

Emperor: ‘ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff’

Deet: “Get away from my FRIENDS!”

And then she explodes into force lightning like Darth Deet

Mostly hitting the Collector

Collector: “That wasn’t so bad!” -explodes-

Skeksis: ‘RUN AWAY RUN AWAYYYY’

Chamberlain has to shake the Emperor out of his stupor to get him to run and for this earns Most Trusted Advisor role again.

All the gelflings are congratulating each other which I find funny because they didn’t do anything mostly except show up. But Rian and me are like hey wheres Deet.

Seladon throws herself at Aughra

Aughra: “Guess you want a hug? Alright.”

And Gurjin is like hey I’ll hug whoever. Free hugs.

And an Arathim takes him up on it.

Gurjin: “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???? Well, why not”

More Gelflings want hugs

Aughra: “Give me some space. I may be newborn but I’m still old!”

THE CRYSTAL SHARD WAS HERE ALL ALONG? IN THE DUAL GLAIVE?? That was a double ‘was here all along’ pull! Wow!

Aughra: “Gelfling, the shard calls to you. You fought well. And tomorrow, tomorrow three suns rise on a new world. And nothing will ever be the same. We have made new enemies. And lost old friends. But the fallen are not truly gone. They have joined the song of Thra once more. Listen… and you will hear them on the wind. For the song has changed. It sounds like hope. But take care. Hope is fragile. Hope is delicate, like a crystal shard. Once lost… now found. And easily stolen.”

HEY UM DEET WHATS GOING ON WITH YOU

She just wandered off looking sithly sickly and making the plants die. Whats happening to good ol Deet??

Aughra: “This victory does not belong to a single gelfling or a single clan! It belongs to all of us! All of Thra, united! This day, the many become one!”

Brea: -holds up crystal shard to transition into the movie theme-

Scientist: ‘HEY WHATS UP JUST CREATING THE GARTHIM AND SIGNALING THE DOOM OF THE AGE OF RESISTANCE IS WHATS UP I’LL SHOW THEM FOR CALLING ME A NERD’

Other Skeksis limp back to crystal chamber.

Chamberlain: “Well look on the bright side, we still live!”

Other Skeksis: -whine sob-

Scroll-Keeper: “Poor Collector! SkekLach never harmed anyone who did not deserve it!”

Hell of a qualifier.

Chamberlain spins the General’s last moments to make himself seem like a cool guy.

Oh. So Garthim is Gruenak plus Arathim.

And so the first Garthim is born. Which will ultimately net SkekTek no respect judging by the Garthim-Master, the guy who made his reputation on SkekTek’s creations, treats him in the movie.

Poor, poor Scientist.

So that was Age of Resistance season 1. I quite enjoyed it overall. I have some overall thoughts and quibbles that I might do another post for. But overall I quite enjoyed it.

My primary thought is “rude to not have a second season announced yet.”

[barbosaasouza]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a strategy RPG based on the Netflix show, which itself is based on the ’80s movie. The game of the show of the movie is now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

In the fantasy world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, you lead a budding Gelfling resistance against the oppressive Skeksis overlords. You’ll need to assemble your team and master the battlefield to vanquish the ominous-sounding Darkening in over 50 turn-based tactical battles.

Check out the launch trailer below to see the colorful-looking game in action.

The game was developed by BonusXP in collaboration with Netflix. Features include:

More than 50 unique multi-layered, turn-based tactical RPG battles.

A variety of vibrant and unpredictable locations, including Gelfling homesteads, deserts, and lush forests, each as dangerous as they are wondrous.

14 playable characters, including familiar faces from the new Netflix Original Series.

The ability to recruit and customize brand new and returning allies – assign them jobs, modify their abilities, and outfit them with new equipment.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Are you a fan of the Dark Crystal – the show or the movie? Let us know your thoughts on the tactical style of this new game.

The post The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a strategy RPG based on the Netflix show, which itself is based on the ’80s movie. The game of the show of the movie is now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

In the fantasy world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, you lead a budding Gelfling resistance against the oppressive Skeksis overlords. You’ll need to assemble your team and master the battlefield to vanquish the ominous-sounding Darkening in over 50 turn-based tactical battles.

Check out the launch trailer below to see the colorful-looking game in action.

The game was developed by BonusXP in collaboration with Netflix. Features include:

More than 50 unique multi-layered, turn-based tactical RPG battles.

A variety of vibrant and unpredictable locations, including Gelfling homesteads, deserts, and lush forests, each as dangerous as they are wondrous.

14 playable characters, including familiar faces from the new Netflix Original Series.

The ability to recruit and customize brand new and returning allies – assign them jobs, modify their abilities, and outfit them with new equipment.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Are you a fan of the Dark Crystal – the show or the movie? Let us know your thoughts on the tactical style of this new game.

The post The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is a strategy RPG based on the Netflix show, which itself is based on the ’80s movie. The game of the show of the movie is now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

In the fantasy world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, you lead a budding Gelfling resistance against the oppressive Skeksis overlords. You’ll need to assemble your team and master the battlefield to vanquish the ominous-sounding Darkening in over 50 turn-based tactical battles.

Check out the launch trailer below to see the colorful-looking game in action.

The game was developed by BonusXP in collaboration with Netflix. Features include:

More than 50 unique multi-layered, turn-based tactical RPG battles.

A variety of vibrant and unpredictable locations, including Gelfling homesteads, deserts, and lush forests, each as dangerous as they are wondrous.

14 playable characters, including familiar faces from the new Netflix Original Series.

The ability to recruit and customize brand new and returning allies – assign them jobs, modify their abilities, and outfit them with new equipment.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Are you a fan of the Dark Crystal – the show or the movie? Let us know your thoughts on the tactical style of this new game.

The post The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics launch trailer published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/