dkscribe88

[dkscribe88]

Has anyone noticed that things in the U.S. feel very reminiscent to the premise of The Dark Crystal? The Skeksis have taken over, and the Gelfling have been divided into clans that can't get along because the ruling class has pitted them against each other, so that they can't unite and fight back.

I've noticed many such similarities, both from the show and the books. Might do a series of posts comparing the two. Haven't posted in a while, haven't been inspired to, but I think I've just found that inspiration. Your country bowing to fascism and oligarchy will do that, I guess.

[dkscribe88]

Korrasami is canon. You can celebrate it, embrace it, accept it, get over it, or whatever you feel the need to do, but there is no denying it. That is the official story. We received some wonderful press in the wake of the series finale at the end of last week, and just about every piece I read got it right: Korra and Asami fell in love. Were they friends? Yes, and they still are, but they also grew to have romantic feelings for each other. Was Korrasami “endgame,” meaning, did we plan it from the start of the series? No, but nothing other than Korra’s spiritual arc was. Asami was a duplicitous spy when Mike and I first conceived her character. Then we liked her too much so we reworked the story to keep her in the dark regarding her father’s villainous activities. Varrick and Zhu Li weren’t originally planned to end up as a couple either, but that’s where we took the story/where the story took us. That’s how writing works the vast majority of the time. You give these characters life and then they tell you what they want to do. I have bragging rights as the first Korrasami shipper (I win!). As we wrote Book 1, before the audience had ever laid eyes on Korra and Asami, it was an idea I would kick around the writers’ room. At first we didn’t give it much weight, not because we think same-sex relationships are a joke, but because we never assumed it was something we would ever get away with depicting on an animated show for a kids network in this day and age, or at least in 2010. Makorra was only “endgame” as far as the end of Book 1. Once we got into Book 2 we knew we were going to have them break up, and we never planned on getting them back together. Sorry, friends. I like Mako too, and I am sure he will be just fine in the romance department. He grew up and learned about himself through his relationships with Asami and Korra, and he’s a better person for it, and he’ll be a better partner for whomever he ends up with. Once Mako and Korra were through, we focused on developing Korra and Asami’s relationship. Originally, it was primarily intended to be a strong friendship. Frankly, we wanted to set most of the romance business aside for the last two seasons. Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me. I’m usually rolling my eyes when that happens in virtually every action film, “Here we go again…” It was probably around that time that I came across this quote from Hayao Miyazaki: “I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.” I agree with him wholeheartedly, especially since the majority of the examples in media portray a female character that is little more than a trophy to be won by the male lead for his derring-do. So Mako and Korra break the typical pattern and end up respecting, admiring, and inspiring each other. That is a resolution I am proud of. However, I think there needs to be a counterpart to Miyazaki’s sentiment: Just because two characters of the same sex appear in the same story, it should not preclude the possibility of a romance between them. No, not everyone is queer, but the other side of that coin is that not everyone is straight. The more Korra and Asami’s relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us. However, we still operated under this notion, another “unwritten rule,” that we would not be allowed to depict that in our show. So we alluded to it throughout the second half of the series, working in the idea that their trajectory could be heading towards a romance. But as we got close to finishing the finale, the thought struck me: How do I know we can’t openly depict that? No one ever explicitly said so. It was just another assumption based on a paradigm that marginalizes non-heterosexual people. If we want to see that paradigm evolve, we need to take a stand against it. And I didn’t want to look back in 20 years and think, “Man, we could have fought harder for that.” Mike and I talked it over and decided it was important to be unambiguous about the intended relationship. We approached the network and while they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it, as just about every article I read accurately deduced. It was originally written in the script over a year ago that Korra and Asami held hands as they walked into the spirit portal. We went back and forth on it in the storyboards, but later in the retake process I staged a revision where they turned towards each other, clasping both hands in a reverential manner, in a direct reference to Varrick and Zhu Li’s nuptial pose from a few minutes prior. We asked Jeremy Zuckerman to make the music tender and romantic, and he fulfilled the assignment with a sublime score. I think the entire last two-minute sequence with Korra and Asami turned out beautiful, and again, it is a resolution of which I am very proud. I love how their relationship arc took its time, through kindness and caring. If it seems out of the blue to you, I think a second viewing of the last two seasons would show that perhaps you were looking at it only through a hetero lens. Was it a slam-dunk victory for queer representation? I think it falls short of that, but hopefully it is a somewhat significant inching forward. It has been encouraging how well the media and the bulk of the fans have embraced it. Sadly and unsurprisingly, there are also plenty of people who have lashed out with homophobic vitriol and nonsense. It has been my experience that by and large this kind of mindset is a result of a lack of exposure to people whose lives and struggles are different from one’s own, and due to a deficiency in empathy––the latter being a key theme in Book 4. (Despite what you might have heard, bisexual people are real!) I have held plenty of stupid notions throughout my life that were planted there in any number of ways, or even grown out of my own ignorance and flawed personality. Yet through getting to know people from all walks of life, listening to the stories of their experiences, and employing some empathy to try to imagine what it might be like to walk in their shoes, I have been able to shed many hurtful mindsets. I still have a long way to go, and I still have a lot to learn. It is a humbling process and hard work, but nothing on the scale of what anyone who has been marginalized has experienced. It is a worthwhile, lifelong endeavor to try to understand where people are coming from. There is the inevitable reaction, “Mike and Bryan just caved in to the fans.” Well, which fans? There were plenty of Makorra shippers out there, so if we had gone back on our decision and gotten those characters back together, would that have meant we caved in to those fans instead? Either direction we went, there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kataang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost. We are lucky that so many other people around the world connect with these series as well. Tahno playing trombone––now that was us caving in to the fans! But this particular decision wasn’t only done for us. We did it for all our queer friends, family, and colleagues. It is long overdue that our media (including children’s media) stops treating non-heterosexual people as nonexistent, or as something merely to be mocked. I’m only sorry it took us so long to have this kind of representation in one of our stories. I’ll wrap this up with some incredible words that Mike and I received in a message from a former Korra crew member. He is a deeply religious person who devotes much of his time and energy not only to his faith, but also to helping young people. He and I may have starkly different belief systems, but it is heartwarming and encouraging that on this issue we are aligned in a positive, progressive direction: “I’ve read enough reviews to get a sense of how it affected people. One very well-written article in Vanity Fair called it subversive (in a good way, of course)… I would say a better word might be “healing.” I think your finale was healing for a lot of people who feel outside or on the fringes, or that their love and their journey is somehow less real or valuable than someone else’s… That it’s somehow less valid. I know quite a few people in that position, who have a lifetime of that on their shoulders, and in one episode of television you both relieved and validated them. That’s healing in my book.” Love, Bryan

[dkscribe88]

The Twelve Days of Skekmas!

Hey all! Long time since I posted something. Apologies for missing last Christmas, but I believe I had COVID at the time, so you'll forgive me, I'm sure! Anyways, here is this year's classic Skekmas song, The Twelve Days of Skekmas!

On the first day of Skekmas my true love gave to me All of Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the second day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the third day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the fourth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the fifth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the sixth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the seventh day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the eighth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Eight Grottan crawling, Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the ninth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Nine Drenchen swimming, Eight Grottan crawling, Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the tenth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Ten Dousan praying, Nine Drenchen swimming, Eight Grottan crawling, Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the eleventh day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Eleven Spriton singing, Ten Dousan praying, Nine Drenchen swimming, Eight Grottan crawling, Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

On the twelfth day of Skekmas my true love gave to me Twelve Sifa sailing, Eleven Spriton singing, Ten Dousan praying, Nine Drenchen swimming, Eight Grottan crawling, Seven Clans uniting, Six Skeksis slaying, Five! Silverlings! Four Stonewood guards, Three fizzgigs, Two Podling bars, And all Thra sa-aved from the Darkening!

Happy Skekmas, everyone! And Happy Holidays in general to all those who celebrate, and anyone else too!

[dkscribe88]

the urge to write never leaves but the motivation to do so is a lover lost at war

[dkscribe88]

If I had a dollar when a queer mecha gauntlet brawler

with a dead mom and a dad who kinda sorta teeny tiny bit forced her into the protector role, but she still absolutely adores her younger sister

(said sister tried unaliving herself at some point)

falls in love with a dark-haired beauty

(the beauty is like a princess among her people)

but then the beauty leaves

and the brawler goes through a depression arc

but after that she reunites with her sister and found family

and then they find each other

and never let go again

...I'd have 2 dollars. Which isn't a lot. I need more.

[dkscribe88]

GUYS GUYS WAKE UP THIS IS THE DAY WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!

WE'RE SO FUCKING BACK!!!!!!

[dkscribe88]

Amri: okay, you're driving and see Rian and Kylan walk onto the road. What do you hit?

Naia: obviously Rian. I could never hurt Kylan

Amri, sighing tiredly: the brakes, my love. You hit the brakes

OR

Onica: okay, you’re driving and see Rian and Rek’yr walk onto the road. What do you do?

Tavra: drift sideways for maximum hit range. Teach them to keep their hands off MY baby sister!

Onica, sighing tiredly: the brakes, my love. You hit the brakes

[dkscribe88]

And the list keeps growing ✨

[dkscribe88]

real

[dkscribe88]

Big shout out to the coalition of Catholic nuns who just told the US bishops to stop being transphobic.

“As members of the body of Christ, we cannot be whole without the full inclusion of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals,” the letter reads. It goes on to argue that “we will remain oppressors until we — as vowed Catholic religious — acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ+ people in our own congregations. We seek to cultivate a faith community where all, especially our transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive siblings, experience a deep belonging.”

The letter also states transgender people are “experiencing harm and erasure” in various ways, listing daily discrimination, a groundswell of state-level legislation aimed at LGBTQ rights and “harmful rhetoric from some Christian institutions and their leaders, including the Catholic Church.”

Read about it here

[dkscribe88]

Tavra: Uh oh.

Amri: What?

Tavra: I see an angry girlfriend heading our way.

Amri: Yours or mine?

Tavra: Does it matter?

Amri: If it’s mine, there’s a chance we’ll live, but if it’s yours, we’re dead.

[dkscribe88]

Queer fans shouldn't have to fight for every piece of media they love.

[dkscribe88]

Jingle Gelfs (A Parody Song)

Dashing through the brush

With the Hunter close behind

Rian is in a rush

The All-Maudra he must find

His himbo friend’s in jail

His girlfriend has been drained

His father thinks he’s crazy and

The Skeksis had him framed, oh!

 Jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

All of them are doomed

They thought the Skeksis were good

But they shouldn’t have assumed!

Jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

Their world has gone to hell

The Gelfling need to gather

Up in numbers and rebel

 And now we go to Grot

Where there lives a girl named Deet

She tends to her Nurlocs

And she’s very nice and sweet

The darkening creeps in

Deet heads up to the light

She meets a knight named Hup

And they are off to join the fight

 Oh, jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

Gather your allies

To fight these cruel

Creepy and demonic vulture guys!

Jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

The resistance needs you all

To save Thra from this evil

Into the Dreamspace you are called              

 A library’s homebase

To the last Gelf on our list

Brea is on the case

Uses her brain instead of fists

She figures out the truth

The Clans are all the same

She got some Sifan sooth and learns that

The Skeksis are to blame

 Oh, jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

They’re finally all here

They fight the final battle

When they win they give a cheer!

Jingle Gelfs, jingle Gelfs

Skeksis are running scared

But they’ll be back on the attack

So resistance be prepared

 Jingle Gelfs, Jingle Gelfs

The end is coming soon!

Repair the Crystal with the shard

Or Skeksis destroy yoooouuuuuu!!!!!!

[dkscribe88]

Anyone else desperately wishing they could go this year? Gotta say, seriously loving this artwork. It’s nice to see Amri with Spider-Tav, and is that Onica being saved by Tavra back when they first met? Also, if that’s Tavra being taken over by either a Threader in the show or a Crystal Singer in the books, holy spit! I swear, she has one of the hardest storylines in terms of suffering of any Gelfling in the AoR timeline. Poor Hup looks like he’s going through some post-losing-Deet-to-the-darkness blues, and Rian up top just looks like he might be drunk on life. I wish I could visit this booth. Maybe one year. To all those going, have fun for those of us who aren’t. For Thra! For Jim!

Super excited to share that I’ll be tabling next to @feusus​ / @skeksard​ at this year’s Dark Crystal Great Con-Junction in Los Angeles!  

I’m busy working on lots of new Dark Crystal content for the con and can’t wait to see people in person!

[dkscribe88]

(wimdy) Tavra x Onica