#SkekSa the mariner

[doodlinglina]

Breathing life into this old blog by making a shitpost of a fanart. Yep, sounds like me.

Anyways a young skekSa has to eventually learn that her other half got all the navigational skills in the divorce and might have to rely on other methods to make that seafaring dream a reality. Like having an actual sea-monster as your ship.

[scientistservant]

Forever upset skekSa and the other non-movie Skeksis never made an appearance in AOR due to the cancellation.

I mean yeah she made an appearance in the AOR tie-in comics but she was butchered because the writer made her personality/way of speaking the exact same as skekSil which goes to show he gave no shits about the source material.

At least we still have the JM Lee novels... :')

[sifanjewel]

Allow me to explain why these 5 in particular are in a zoom call together:

skekOk is in charge of rounding up the outsider Skeksis to fight the Gelfling Resistance. He was not prepared to be so easily roasted like the expired Thanksgiving turkey he is.

skekEkt was there because he knew this would result in drama but he didn’t expect the argument to take such a dark turn.

skekLi doesn’t want anything to do with these assholes but answered the call anyway because he also knew there would be a fight and he needed some form of entertainment after sulking alone in the Wilderness for so long.

Despite being blocked skekGra managed to hack into the call to spy on Skeksis conversations for the Gelfling. Everyone but the Mariner was too stupid to realize the random icon wasn’t a glitch until he blew his cover by laughing hysterically because of course he did.

skekSa also answered just to see what would happen and since this is before she turned on the Gelfling herself she doesn’t give a flying fuck about the Emperor’s orders and knows exactly how to get these castle-dwelling bastards to leave her alone.

[sketch-shepherd-art]

shoutout to butch pirate bird ladies fr, gotta be one of my favorite genders

Redubble link

[tdc-incorrect-quotes]

SkekTek: I'm playing a new drinking game. It's called "every time I'm depressed, take a drink."

SkekSa: That game already exists. It's called alcoholism.

[punkcalf-art]

skeksa doodle

[candythemew]

Being multi-fandom cringe for a second, but I like to imagine that Sailing with The Mariner is probably like an average Sea of Thieves game night with the boys.

[thebibliomancer]

So it’s a bit of Skeksis lore that they lost some vital attribute when they split from the urRu that hampers their chosen area of expertise

It’s most obvious with the Scientist where he’s got enough smarts to do mad science but struggles with coming up with ideas on his own. Once someone points him in a direction, he can get going.

Which is a good segue to skekSa the Mariner since I’m pretty sure she lost any navigational ability to urSan the Swimmer.

urSan’s biggest thing aside from swimming is drawing maps of everywhere she’s been.

In the YA novels that skekSa appeared most in, she needed EVERY Sifan navigator to help her flee the continent. And when that fell through she tried to steal urSan’s maps. (Did urSan swim across an entire ocean? Wow.)

No wonder she prefers living ships. It’s navigational easy mode.

And to take this to comedic exaggeration levels… no wonder she hates the castle! It’s described as labyrinthine in the movie novelization.

I can just imagine her getting lost on the way to dinner one too many times and deciding enough is enough. Screw this castle, she’s going to go live on a boat!

[ben-the-hyena]

🍷 The Dark Crystal

ARGH that's hard because I'm pretty sure I said every unpopular opinion I have about it

Uuuuuuuuuh...

Oh ! I know but...

I am gonna be trampled...

My friends, it is nothing against you guys who chatted with me about it and I listened and laughed and nodded and contributed to ideas ! Not against them either because I love them as characters, really !

But...

SkekMal and SkekSa are not that hot and overrated when it comes to sexiness and if they weren't generically hot fandom characters they wouldn't be as popular as they are, still popular because the former is the only Skeksis in shape who hunts and uses his 4 arms and the latter until recently would like the Sifa as her pets and be adored by them so still something, but not as popular as they are right now

NO BEATING NO BEATING

[darkskek]

[eye-of-enigmatic-thought]

[ID: Traditional ink art of various busts of the Skeksis as humans. All of them look old and wrinkled in some way. First image shows SkekSo, SkekSil, SkekAyuk, and SkekSa, SkekSo has a long face with a broad nose covered by his nose clip and his hair covered by his head covers, he looks at the viewer with a judgemental stare. SkekSil has a square shaped face with a large nose and short hair, he has a devious expression. SkekAyuk has a round shaped facr with a round nose and combed back hair, he has a confident and devious smile. SkekSa has a boxy and very rugged face with sideburns and facial hair, she wears her mariner hat and has three nose piercings that go down her large broad and hooked nose, she smiles confidently.

Second image shows SkekVar, SkekZok, SkekEkt, and SkekGra. SkekVar has large rectangular face with a big underbite that juts out two teeth like a pig tusks, he’s wearing his helmet and has a determined expression. SkekZok has a broad square face with big wrinkled cheekbones, he’s wearing his hat and has a stern expression. SkekEkt has a angular face with grandmotherly features and is wearing his hair up in a upwards ponytail, he looks like he’s laughing and wiping away tears. SkekGra has angular face with big cheekbones and a beard and wears head wrappings, he looks manically excited.

Third image shows SkekLach, SkekMal, SkekShod, and SkekTek. SkekLach has a round face and looks like she’s wearing a babushka, she has a large round nose thats covered in pustules, she has a tired expression. SkekMal has a angular face with sharp looking cheekbones and nose, he has a yelling and eager expression. SkekShod looks especially wrinkled and is wearing a babushka-like cloth with jewerlly wrapped above it, he has a grumpy and stern expression. SkekTek has a rectangular head with a long nose, his right eye has a cybernetic implement, he looks shocked and concerned.

Fourth image shows SkekNa, SkekOk, SkekUng, and SkekLi. SkekNa has a rectangular face with buzzcutted hair and wears a eyepatch on his right eye, he has a devious grin. SkekOk has a small face with a long pointy nose and combed over hair, he wears a pair of glasses and a monocle, he has a stern but devious look to him. SkekUng has a angular face with massive sideburns and wild hair, his expression is very ferocious and angry. SkekLi has a broad face with a aquilline nose and a long beard and hair, he looks frustrated and angry.

Fifth image is all the busts together. End ID.]

Wanted to try my hand at drawing all the skeksis as humans, but in a way I personally liked. These are all CRUSTY OLD DUDES and they all smell terrible!!! (Except for SkekEkt and SkekSa, he uses perfumes and she just smells like the sea <3)

[an-indecisive-mess]

SkekOm's Relationships with the Other Skeksis

When it comes to being raised by the Lords of the Crystal, SkekOm had developed specific relationships with each of the other Skeksis lords. These relationships are strictly familial. Anyone who thinks otherwise is disgusting.

SkekOm looked up to SkekSo. All she ever wanted to do from a young age was prove herself worthy to him in hopes that he would see her as a member of the court. And while she never really understood why he valued life and fears death, she still respected the Emperor and wanted to make him proud.

SkekZok, obviously, was the one who raised SkekOm, and the Artisan sees him as her father while the Ritual Master sees her as his daughter (though he refuses to show it to obtain his regal composure)

SkekVar was the one who taught the Artisan how to fight, but there were times when he felt like another father to her.

SkekOk was her teacher. He taught her how to read, write, and all about Thra's history. However, SkekOm saw both him and SkekLach as her grandparents.

SkekEkt and SkekAyuk acted like uncles to her. Whenever her father would be too busy, he'd let the Gourmand and Ornamentalist look after her. SkekAyuk taught SkekOm how to cook and SkekEkt would make dresses and share gossip with her. When she was young, SkekOm absolutely loved hearing about how the Gourmand and Ornamentalist met and fell in love.

SkekTek was SkekOm's closest friend. And would make sure he was looked after if he was kept up in his lab for a long period of time. Sneaking him some food, making sure he was getting sleep, and offering assistance when he needed it. SkekTek even taught her about Thra's biology (in a way that didn't require eviscerating animals).

SkekOm absolutely HATES SkekSil. Whenever they’re in the same room, the Chamberlain would remind her that she doesn't belong in the Castle of the Crystal or Thra and doesn't deserve to be a Lord of the Crystal since she wasn't born a Skeksis. The Artisan woud retaliate by throwing insults and give snarky comments to the Chamberlain, ensuring their hatred for each other. In fact, she once bit SkekSil's hand at the dinner table just because she was forced to sit next to him. Which was why she had to move to sit next to SkekOk.

SkekOm once looked up to SkekUng. She respected his tactics as Spy-Master (which was his title before Garthim Master in my headcanon), and loved hearing stories about his glory days as a fighter. But that respect was short-lived the day he bested her in Trial by Stone and got her banished from the castle for a short time.

SkekOm's relationship with SkekShod is a bitter jealous rivalry to the Treasurer. He believes that his ability to get SkekZok into buying his loyalty is more useful than a false Skeksis being loyal to the Ritual Master. And when he found out that SkekOm was to be SkekZok's second-in-command if he were to be Emperor, SkekShod was not happy to say the least. SkekOm, remained unaware of this and just saw the Treasurer as someone who did not want to be confronted after and kept her distance in order to make him feel comfortable.

Whenever SkekNa would make visitations to the Castle of the Crystal, SkekOm was strictly told to keep a safe distance from him. The former Sawyer (which was his former title in my headcanon) turned Slave-Master was known for his dislike of small creatures he deemed worthless and how he'd kill them on the spot if they failed even the simplest task from him. A little human girl was no exception to this. But over time, and after she was turned into a Skeksis, SkekNa saw her as a useful warrior. That is, after she earned her status back after getting bested by his mate in Trial by Stone.

SkekOm and SkekSa had almost like an aunt and niece bond with each other, and when the Artisan was younger, she always loved hearing about the Mariner’s adventures on the seas of Thra and wanted to join her on an expedition when she was old enough. The Artisan never had the opportunity to go on any expedition, unfortunately.

SkekMal was SkekOm's hunting master. When she was 13, the Hunter was tasked to train the girl how to track and hunt. He made her a challenge that if she were to complete said challenge, he'd let her return to the Castle unharmed. Fail the challenge, and his prize would've been one of her arms. The Artisan obviously succeeded, but she remained fearful of the Hunter ever since.

SkekOm barely remembers SkekLi. He only showed up to the castle for her christening, and she can remember the Satirist being there because of his voice and the way it sounded when he teased SkekZok. SkekLi never saw any reason to return to the castle after that day.

She never met SkekGra, but has heard from SkekUng about his days as the former Conqueror and how he used to be a fearless and ruthless warrior before he became the Heretic. SkekOm often wondered about what happened to him after he was exiled from the castle.

She never met SkekHak or SkekYi, (since they died 1000 trine before she wasa born) only hearing about them in stories from SkekZok and SkekOk about how they essentially solidified the Skeksis religion.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

I don't know if you have answered this question already, but who is your favourite skeksis and why?

Ooooh, this is my first Dark Crystal ask! Honestly, I am really bad at picking just one favorite, all of the skeksis are delightfully twisted, bombastic, and uniquely homicidal! 😇

The most iconic of course is skekSil the Chamberlain, from his simpering Hhhhmmmm, to the fact that his silver tongue drives the whole plot in the movie and the tv series, the guy goes from sissy coward to being genuinely terrifying in a matter of seconds (see his torture of Rian).

I also love his mystic counterpart, urSol, because we know so little about him; only that his voice can shake the very stones of Thra and can apparently stop waterfalls. In secondary sources, he is described as being "impatient by urRu standards and a rogue." Plus, he's the Chamberlain's counterpart, he's got to have an interesting personality!

Next is skekTek the Scientist, who started off as one of the most sympathetic of the skeksis only to turn into a literal mad scientist who is one of the more sadistic. He experiments on himself FOR SCIENCE! He used to be somewhat normal, he even had a pet that he cared for. Too bad he went insane. Pray for urTih, who has to accept the fact that his counterpart is habitually losing body parts.

Now, you may be wondering are all the skeksis evil? The answer is no. Skekis and Mystics are not split into the good half and evil half, it's more complicated than that. It's more like the UrSkeks were split into their more proactive/impulsive half and their more spiritual half and both end up the worse for it.

The skeksis/urRu who realize this the most are skekGra and urGoh, who help the Gelfling fight back against the reigning skeksis and seek to merge back into one being. SkekGra started off as a conquering war lord only to see the light and atone for his crimes by turning against his kind. He's still impatient and rude, especially toward his slower mystic half, but can you really blame him? UrGoh, we love you, but you gotta pick up the pace.

Last but certainly not least, is skekSa the Mariner; do you like big beefy women? Do you like pirates? Fluffy lizards? Morally nuanced tragic villains? This is the skeksis for you. Unlike the other skeksis, skekSa actually likes the Gelfling and is rather protective of them. She still has a patronizing attitude toward them and expects her clan to obey her but that's rather typical of the skeksis. Also, despite being a pirate captain commanding a literal living ship, she still needs the Gelfing and her mystic counterpart's help when navigating the seas.

So those are my favorite skeksis, as you can see, I tend to gravitate toward the more layered characters but they're all great to be honest.

[sifanjewel]

I JUST DISCOVERED THE PERFECT SONG FOR SKEKSA!!

Castles Crumbling by Taylor Swift

This song as a whole makes me think of skekSa’s more sympathetic side, the part of her that was abandoned by the Sifa and everyone else she might have considered a friend

Some parts that stood out to me:

Power went to my head

And I couldn’t stop

Ones I loved tried to help

So I ran them off

And here I sit alone

Behind walls of regret

Falling down like promises I never kept

This feels like the aftermath of the conflict at Great Smerth, when Naia and urSan tried to reach out to her and convince her to step down but she didn’t, so now she sits inside her apeknot tree prison, her walls of regret. She might be angry, but she might have time to think about what she did.

And THE BRIDGE:

Smoke billows from my ships in the harbor

People look at me like I’m a monster

Now they’re screaming at the palace front gates

Used to chant my name

Now they’re screaming that they hate me

Never wanted you to hate me

Before she went rogue, there must have been some part of skekSa that genuinely cared for the Gelfling, but then the Resistance happened, they turned on her, and so she turned on them, but there was a time she was willing to help r them. Now, she’s a monster….

To me skekSa is ultimately a villain but if you think about her with the context of this song, that all could have been avoided.

[skekheck]

Hi! Same person who asked about preceding material — I guess I’ll begin with the Skeksis. What roles did skekVar, skekLach, skekCru, and skekEr serve in the prequel manga’s story 🤔 and now different and or consistent would you say skekVar and skekLach are in their varying iterations.

SkekVar

SkekVar has been pretty consistent throughout the franchise. I'd say his manga counterpart is pretty close to his AOR one. He is the general of the Skeksis army which is interesting because in this continuity he's alive along with skekUng. He is one of skekSo's closest subjects and skekVar shows similar loyalty like he does in the show, but it's hinted at it might not be all sincere (which is not saying much for the Skeksis).

In Creation Myths, his title is actually the Ambassador. He exploited the Gelfling by providing them aid in exchange for their servitude which became the Crystal Alliance. That isn't to say he didn't have war-mongering tendencies as later he would command the Skeksis army to attack a group of creatures called the Makraks but was later stopped by the urRu.

SkekVar had two additional, minor appearances before his debut in Age of Resistance. He was mentioned in the Gelfling Gathering with information consistent with his other appearances except for the explicit mention he was the most honest of the Skeksis. He also had a cameo in Flames of the Dark Crystal during the book's version of the Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood but he doesn't do much compared to the events in the show.

SkekLach

SkekLach, on the other hand, is vastly different depending on the material they come from. They've mostly played minor roles, but their very first appearance they were a main villain. They are also referred with different pronouns depending on the material which is why I have used he/him for this section (as AOR!skekLach uses she/her).

As stated before, skekLach was the main villain for the manga continuity. He was a smart, masterful tactician who could easily control and sway both enemies and comrades alike. He was a favorite of skekSo which made skekVar and skekSil jealous, a fact that skekLach knew and exploited. He ends up embarrassing both Skeksis and despite his own setbacks remained in favor of the Emperor. He was also very heavily involved in the Garthim Wars, aiding skekUng in plans to capture Gelfling. Not to mention, skekLach's collection extended outside of materialistic things. He also collected trophies, animals, and concepts (he mentioned "collecting" revenge against the Gelfling when they foiled his plans).

His next appearance was in the J.M. Lee book series, but his role was reduced to a side character. In this continuity, he is known as the Census Taker and was responsible for keeping track of the Gelfling across the clans. This list eventually became inventory when the Skeksis started draining them. SkekLach in this version didn't do a lot, but he accompanies skekOk to Sami Thicket to take census (similar to how they both went to Ha'rar to collect tithes).

The Others

So something to note about skekCru and skekEer is that their names weren't stated in the manga but rather by its illustrator. SkekCru was the Mariner and skekEer was the Spy Master. SkekCru's title would be kept when her name was changed to skekSa, but skekEer was ultimately scrapped. However, their title was reused at least during development for Age of Resistance. It's theorized that it was skekUng's title before he became the Garthim Master, but this is pure speculation.

[tdc-incorrect-quotes]

SkekLi: When coral gets stressed, they die. If we were coral, we would be very dead.

SkekSa: What do coral get stressed about anyway?

SkekLi: Current events.

SkekSa: GET OUT-