The Goblin King

LabyrinthRuled - a roleplay blog for Jareth from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, set post-movie. A mix of movie canon and headcanon.

Side-blog of @dreamingofmuses. Formerly @rulerofthelabyrinth, but I forgot the email. Not 'mutuals only'.

GMT Timezone, low activity.

The fact that the word "labyrinth" can be synonymous with "maze", along with the fact that there are mazes where you need to find the goal in the middle, muddies this notion a little. But in order to understand this, we need to take a step back.

There is a pattern carved into walls across human culture that depicts a labyrinth. Usually, it is square and follows a single, long-winded path to the middle. The most famous example of a labyrinth is the one that kept the m.inotaur trapped, but this would not be possible if that design was used here.

In this sense, a labyrinth feels more maze-like, but I propose taking a step back from this and consider this distinction that usually applies:

A maze is considered a brain-teaser. You apply logic and problem-solving to achieve the goal.

A labyrinth, especially in the modern-day, is used for meditative and reflective purposes. The pattern is on the floor and you can clearly see where you are going, but you aren't 'solving' anything. Instead, you are encouraged to walk the path, contemplating only the steps you take to briefly remove yourself from the busy world around you. You stay in the moment of 'travel'.

Our Labyrinth does not physically match this. It is more like a maze... but aside from moments where Sarah was literally in a maze (such the walled maze during Dance Magic, and the hedge maze), when did she actually have to backtrack and lose a chunk of progress? Every obstacle could be crossed. Every potential dead-end had an entrance appear. Every mistake provided an opportunity. A path was always there, even if it wasn't at first. The Labyrinth made sure she was never trapped.

The Labyrinth, when needed, is a security mechanism. It can confound and frustrate intruders, sending them in circles or trapping them in a section. Guards patrol for a reason. The Bog exists for a reason.

But in cases such as Sarah's? The Labyrinth takes on another role: it helps to teach the individual a lesson they need to learn without the distractions of daily life. Take Sarah. Though she had different puzzles to solve, she was learning to fix her mistakes and realise what matters the most to her. She was given a chance to make friends, broaden her horizons, and see that she was more than just someone who loved acting and fantasy. She didn't actually hate her brother. She was frustrated at the world and didn't have a healthy way of venting this. She was 'trapped' by her past. Her love of fantasy was fuelled by her mother being an actress, and there was always going to be that connection until she found her own way to define this hobby.

(Think about how there was a 'romantic' scene with her 'costar', just like what happened between her mother and the man she ran off with.)

(I love the concept of this blog, thanks Tumblr for showing it to me aaaaa)

L.abyrinth Sentence Starters (Always Accepting)

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"A good question. The previous Goblin King was a goblin, if that provides any consolation to the inconsistency. I suppose the correct title would be 'King of the Goblins'. The title, from my reading on the matter, was chosen as it sounds a little more formal than 'Underground King' or 'King of the Underground', both of which are geographically correct definitions. Between us, I would rather not be asked about my 'domain' of the London Underground..."

Look!

He smiled more when he had baby! More smiles please!

He's judging the dash.

Nothing happened. He's just judging you.

Is he mentally criticising your fashion sense, or is there something you're doing that's troubling him?