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Day 6 @dark-crystal-week: Music!

Wanted to draw something gentle so here's Kylan playing his firca.

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Day 1 for @dark-crystal-week: Drenchen! Celebrating with everyones favourite guy Gurjin. I had so much fun doing his hair.

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Terrible terrorbirds are terrible

Chapter 9's up! Courtier silliness and the Chamberlain being...well...Chamberlain. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350581/chapters/172499146

“Speaking of the Ritual-Master,” the Collector barreled in, “I can’t have been the only one who noticed them and the Emperor both getting up early from supper last night.” They speared one talon apiece into four pommerfruits from SkekAyuk’s plate, then proceeded to gobble each one off its claw in two juice-smacking bites.

“Ah, yes!” agreed the Ornamentalist at once. “The crowning proof. Well, you all know my theory about the Emperor and SkekZok—”

There were groans all round at this, even a very quiet one from the Gourmand.

“No one wants to hear your theories about the Emperor and anyone,” said the Collector.

“Oh, flit-wits, all of you. Anyway. You noticed that too I trust, Scroll-Keeper dearie?”

“Hm?” The Scroll-Keeper seemed surprised to be called on, but they quickly covered it over by taking off one of their spectacles and assiduously smearing the film on it around with the edge of one sleeve. “Of course I did. A little strange.”

“They left at almost the same time, too,” remarked the Gourmand.

“A little strange!?”

SkekOk all but jumped out of their skin and regarded SkekEkt, who was staring at them as if they had just grown a second head, with the air of a hunted thing.

“A little strange?” the Ornamentalist repeated. “And come to think of it, you’ve been acting a bit off yourself.”

“I don’t,” said SkekOk, as their spectacles slipped out of their talons.

“Know,” they added as they almost managed to catch one lens in their other talons, but fumbled it and sent the things bouncing upward almost to muzzle-level.

“What you’re,” they clarified as they made a robust grab for the pair and wound up almost losing a second one.

“Talking about,” they finished decisively as they bent over to retrieve the spectacles from where they had ended up, dangling on the end of their tether somewhere in the fluted folds of their skirts.

SkekEkt just snickered. “You don’t play coy very well. You should be right here with the rest of us trying to solve this little puzzle, and you’re not. You know something, don’t you?”

“If I knew anything, don’t you think I’d be telling you?” sputtered the Scroll-Keeper.

“Fair point,” brayed the Collector delightedly, hawking up another noisy gobbet. “Of all the terrible secret-keepers around here, you’re the worst…”

A distinctly interested-sounding “mmmmMMMMMMmmmmm” rang forth in the hall outside.

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My fav lefty princess :3

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Motoring on

Yup, the next chapter is going to be some birbie silliness from the gossip gang.

Gossip (I)

“Well, I think something is going on,” said SkekEkt the Ornamentalist.

“Well, I think you’re right,” SkekAyuk the Gourmand returned.

“And I think you’ve both picked up a case of head-crawlies,” said SkekOk the Scroll-Keeper, flicking a bit of crawlie that had in fact just gone flying from SkekAyuk’s head (more specifically, their mouth) off of the blotter on their desk.

“It’s the Castle of the Crystal,” wheezed SkekLach the Collector into their handkerchief. They spit into it for good measure, then crumpled it in their talons, stuffing it indifferently away in one of their thousand pockets. SkekOk wondered why they bothered; in a few moments it would be coming right back out again. The Collector had been haunted by a constant cough for at least the last five unum. “There’s always some foolishness afoot.”

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Nasty little bird

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She keeps him around cuz he play that flute good

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IT IS DONE.

New chapter for "...But Skeksis and Mystics Were Unimpressed."

In which: Chamberlain does not find Detective UrGoh to be as much pushover as did expect.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350581/chapters/171227179

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I swear I'm trying to get back to my longfic

“Why…do you talk…like that?”

The Chamberlain drew themselves up with a little hmm? of mock-puzzlement. “Don’t know what you mean,” they said loftily. “Talk like what? Chamberlain only speaks as duty demands. Why does Wanderer talk as does?”

UrGoh gave a little smile. “Not…my turn,” they reminded the Skeksis. “But if you must know…I talk slowly…that I may speak less foolishness.”

“A wise notion,” returned SkekSil, the dullest glimmer of tooth now showing beneath the tiniest curl of lip. The Wanderer pretended not to see it.

“The Seeker,” they said, “believes your speech is a mask…to lull the unwary.”

The glimmer widened. “Ridiculous,” was the zestful reply.

“I agree. You…do not merely play…a part.”

“Of course not.”

“There is more to it…than that.” UrGoh paused. “You don’t think…in Gelfling…do you?”

The hunched creature sat up nearly straight at that. “What? No!—that is—no idea…what you are talking about? Speak foolishness, indeed. Wanderer has no reason to think this!”

“You would have me… believe otherwise?” The Wanderer tilted their long nose and gave it a knowing tap. “You must do better. It is still your turn. Perhaps...Podling…is what runs…through your head, then... as we converse. Or…perhaps…Nurling?”

Insult followed by injury stung SkekSil into biting back, “Skeksis! Think in Skeksis tongue. As is only proper.”

“Ah yes,” said UrGoh with a nod. “The Seeker has told me of the Skeksis-speech. They say…it has little use…beyond curses…and rites of challenge—”

“So-called ‘Seeker’ lies to you,” SkekSil hissed, brushing at their robe and then running dark talons through the feathers just behind their ear. “In more than this I think, hmmmmMMMMMmmmmm?”

The Wanderer paused again to see if any more bird-racket was forthcoming, and when the answer seemed to be no, they finished:

“You still think…in UrSkek…do you not?”

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I finally finished my animatic! (Well my software subscription expired, so I'm done working on it whether I like it or not.)

Happy Halloween! This animatic's got everything! Skeksis, gelfling, mystics, urskeks, MUSIC! So, please watch it with the sound on!

This is my imagining of what an animated TV series could look like in the world of the Dark Crystal. It's been fun to work on, but I have spent waaaaay too much time on this!

I also did some compositing and made a title card for it!

Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

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"Remember that time we fought off those Brain Tanks? That was cool."

"Oh, that feels like 20 years ago!"

Happy 20th anniversary, Psychonauts!! 🎉🥳 I thought now would be the perfect time to make fanart for one my favourite games of all time hehe

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Revising on AO3...

I'm taking the UrSkeks writeup and revising it to be in a tone more like World of the Dark Crystal...sort of a faux-Royal Society for the Whatever feel, for a dose of extra immersion. Hopefully not too dry, but let me know! I'm up to Chapter 2 with it. ^^

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41593185/chapters/104835126

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Updating this again, after forever away! In this chapter, UrSkek Heresy is very different from Thra heresy...or is it. Gelflings, as usual, have opinions. ^^

Unsung Stories, I

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56653543/chapters/166598230

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Entwined 🌱

Destiny might have brought them together, but their hearts made the decision to stay... 🫸🫷

About time I made some art for Rian x Kylan! I love them so much and tried to make this extra dreamy hehee~ ✨

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SkekGra, UrGoh and the big Blow-Up

One of these days I'll get this written up in a proper fic, but for now, here's the Vulgate summary of what happens not long after the Conqueror and the Wanderer have their vision and start traveling together along the Black River Road: POV: our two are actually Not Doing Too Bad re coming together over the twin notions that 1) hey, maybe reuniting would feel more whole and right, and 2) maybe saving the planet is also a good idea

THEN SkekGra spots a detachment of enemy soldiers/messengers riding along the road, in the rough direction of where they know their army is encamped SkekGra: Okay NOPE, I have no idea what they mean to do to my army but they sure as shit don't get to do it

UrGoh: No dude, please I can't stand it when you kill people, and also we're supposed to be unifying and saving the planet remember

SkekGra: NOPE sorry. Gotta keep the enemy off my troops so time for them to die ::hares off to behead everybody::

UrGoh: Oh jeez. All right, think UrGoh...I...REALLY should...do something...about this

UrGoh cont: But...what the hell...can I do...I def can't...jump into...battle

UrGoh cont: But maybe...I could interpose...my literal body...between them and those soldiers...

UrGoh: Yeah...that'll do it...okay, quickly now...let's go

::SkekGra comes back up the hill drenched in the blood of the vanquished::

SkekGra: Okay glad that's taken care of, let's move on

And then UrGoh is like: "........."

UrGoh: Um...no

UrGoh: I'm sorry, this vibe is harshed

More UrGoh: That was an incredibly awful thing to do, and also incredibly not-GraGoh

SkekGra: Oh really? You don't know from GraGoh, let ME tell you some *shit* about GraGoh

::growing bombshadow::

UrGoh: I know GraGoh would never have done...that

SkekGra: No, GraGoh never did half the shit it wanted to do, it wanted to build a great society, it wanted to lay all its discoveries at Homeworld's feet saying see the gifts we have for you, see the wonders we have brought you...but it didn't want to do what that would take, so it resigned itself to losing forever

UrGoh: ...Not forever! We just didn't want to win by violence

SkekGra: Oh and how were we going to do it? With sweet-talk? How many more thousand trine would that've taken? And it was ready to give up after just one! Nope, I'm the one who went out and made our dream reality, and this ::works bloody fingers:: -- this is the price of that. You weren't willing to pay it. I am

UrGoh: ...

SkekGra: And you think Homeworld didn’t know that? After their cruelty to us Fallen, you still think UrSkek unity was originally bought with nothing but love? You seriously believe they care what we do to this primitive-ass planet?

UrGoh: If that was our dream...then it was the wrong dream

SkekGra: ::lunging to strike a nearby tree just past UrGoh's head:: UNGRATEFUL WHELP.

SkekGra: Always the condemnations. Always the carping from you Mystics about how we're exploiting Thra, yet you're happy to benefit from it -- everything we've squeezed from the Crystal has kept you alive too, or do you pretend you'd still be here without it?

UrGoh: NO. We...don't w-want...that stolen life...

SkekGra: Then STOP US!!

SkekGra: ::bending their snarling face down to UrGoh's:: STOP ME.

SkekGra: ::withdrawing after a moment:: But you never will, will you. Anyway, nighty night

UrGoh: :'-( :'-( :'-(

***

::Dawn dawns::

::SkekGra arises::

::There's no UrGoh::

::They and their doob smoke are all gone::

SkekGra: O_O

SkekGra: ... :-(

SkekGra: UrGoh???

SkekGra: YOU KNOW HOW FAST I CAN CATCH UP WITH YOU RIGHT, YOU CRAWLING *NEBRIE*?

SkekGra: ...fine just go

***

SkekGra: ::attempts to go back to Conquering::

SkekGra: ::is now completely failing at Conquering::

SkekGra: ::can't concentrate on anything::

SkekGra: ::realizes to their horror that this is just not going to work anymore::

:SkekGra: ::is 100% the one who breaks first, and goes off tracking UrGoh down::

Meanwhile UrGoh: ::is desperate, despairing, and in total existential crisis::

UrGoh: ::seeks out UrVa::

UrGoh: So like there's this prophecy to save the planet, UrSkek visions and Darkening poison and the Conqueror repenting, except not really and standing there drenched in blood instead and I'm still vomiting thinking of it...and BTW should I even BE trying to fulfill this prophecy and become this thing that SkekGra just reminded me was really kinda fucked up -- but OTOH y'know, extinction-level disaster and vision from Thra, and also, I've never felt so whole before as I do with them -- so anyway what do you think, other half of SkekMal

UrVa: ............................ UrVa: .......would you like some hot tea

UrGoh: .......yes please, and would you like a doob to go with

UrVa: ...Wouldn't normally indulge especially because Thra only knows what you've spiked it with but, in the circumstances........okay

And then SkekGra finds them there and swears off Conquering Forever and, well, basically crawls (sorry Gra, but you did). And that's when they start trying to rebuild the shattered foundation of their relationship from scratch all over again, with thankfully much better success eventually. But it starts out PRETTY GOD DAMN ROUGH. ~fin :-D

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SkekGra in the immediate aftermath of the Division™️ where no one had a good time.

…and my take on an urSkek.

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Hey, did anyone want a Skeksis paper doll to do costume designs over?