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ask-the-skeksis-and-mystics · 5 years ago

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Talk to me about tekgra. Hurt me

Anon... I hope you have prepared yourself...

Because TekGra is my favorite Skeksis/Skeksis ship...

And I love me some angst...

So, here we go. (warning, gets kinda heavy.)

I like to believe that skekTek was actually fairly well liked in the beginning. He was smart and the Skeksis were in early enough stages that everything he made was so new and amazing and a carriage powered by armaligs, holy shit! There wasn't anything skekTek couldn't do.

And skekGra was by far the most popular Skeksis (aside from the Emperor, of course). He was fun and loud, but also strong and was the one in charge of spreading the Skeksis empire far and wide.

His battles didn't come without risks, however, and his first stop at the Castle was often to skekTek to get his various injuries looked at. It was because of skekGras constant visits that skekTek actually learned more on how Skeksis anatomy worked, as well as how to properly deal with various injuries and parasites.

Since skekTek was often the first that was visited, he was also always the first one to hear of the Conquerors latest battles. As entertaining as they were, it was often hard for skekTek to try to stitch up skekGra while being told a story about how he took down two Arathim at once while his arm was injured.

The two developed a fast friendship. SkekGra was already friends with all the Skeksis and was well liked, but he became especially close to skekTek. Not only because of how often he visited the Skeksis, but because he was amazed at how much the Scientist could do. And, skekTek was the only Skeksis that always seemed excited to see the puppet shows.

It was very much skekGra that caught feelings first. It happened when skekTek had modified his armor exactly how skekGra wanted: spiky and gaudy as all hell. And it was the most beautiful thing skekGra had ever gotten. After that, he was very obviously smitten with skekTek.

Tragically, skekTek is the nerd of nerds, and was painfully oblivious to skekGras very obvious flirting. A private dinner for two? SkekTek had to leave early because he was in the middle of a time constrained experiment. New pets? SkekTek thought they were supposed to be food for one of the carnivorous animals he keeps. All the other Skeksis were making bets on the pair.

It all came to a head when, after an unum of trying to get his attention with not so subtle flirting, skekGra couldn't take it anymore and confessed his feelings for skekTek. He sadly did it while the Scientist was in the middle of removing a bunch of shrapnel from his leg, making skekTek completely stop what he was doing for a few minutes. Eventually, he continued without a word, pulling the pieces out quickly and sewing up the wounds.

SkekGra left, taking it as a rejection.

He returned from another conquest an unum later. Without even thinking, he went to skekTeks lab, just out of instinct. He quickly realized his mistake when he walked in, but it was too late and he expected the worst.

Instead, he found skekTek waiting for him, a sogbird perched on his shoulder. He had trained it to fly from skekGra to the Castle and back to exchange letters. After all, skekTek didn't want to go so long with no contact. Though he didn't outright say it, simply out of embarrassment for not saying anything to skekGra when he initially asked, skekTek had very much accepted the Conquerors feelings and the two were an item after that.

Aside from skekEkt and skekAyuk, they were the best pair. SkekGra managed to get skekTek to come out of his shell (and his lab) more, even working with him to build his physical strength. Meanwhile, skekTek kept skekGra grounded and would help to ensure that the Conquerors stories didn't get too crazy.

SkekTeks work while he was with skekGra was the greatest it had ever been and he was actually taking care of himself instead of staying up until he passed out and only eatting when he couldn't bear the hunger anymore. Full daily meals for skekTek and a healthy amount of sleep!

And while he was with skekTek, skekGra was the most uninjured he had ever been. He saw how concerned skekTek would get over so many injuries, so he did his best and was much safer in his battles. He even had his armor modified to cover more blind spots, even if it did come at the cost of a few of his gaudy spikes.

They wrote letters every other day and when skekGra visited, skekTek was always at his side, even helping with the puppet shows (the other Skeksis found that the shows improved greatly once skekTek added fire and actual animals).

They had an amazing relationship... Keyword, 'had'.

SkekGra didn't tell skekTek of his vision he received about a hundred trine after they got together. Without the Scientist himself receiving it, he wouldn't believe skekGra, waving the vision off as nothing more than a delusion from a parasite or a too hard battle. And if he did believe skekGra, then the Conqueror figured that he would have believed that reunification was just another form of death when skekGra knew it just wasn't.

SkekTek began to notice a change in skekGra. The tales of his battles were less wild and less enthusiastic, the laughter that so often accompanied skekGra wherever he went was more often than not so much quieter than the boisterous shriek that the Conqueror was known for. SkekTek would ask, but skekGra always had a reason for brushing him off. "I'm just tired", "the battle was hard","I'm getting old", etc.

And skekTek believed him and trusted him because he loved skekGra as much as a Skeksis could feel love, and he knew that if the Conqueror truly had something wrong or going on, he would go to skekTek.

He knew until the day that skekGra went to the Skeksis, speaking of Mystics, reunification, speaking of Urskeks. The entire time, skekTek only looked on in silent horror. He knew skekGra well enough that the visions he spoke of were true, that he wasn't lying. He was even considering what skekGra was saying, that perhaps reunification isn't the end, isn't death.

But he couldn't voice that. He tried to stand up for skekGra as the other Skeksis began to turn on him, but all he could think about was why skekGra didn't tell him, didn't talk to him. SkekGra had been in a mood for a couple trine at least, if not longer, and not once did he say anything to skekTek.

As he watched in silence, all skekTek could think about is why skekGra never told him. Was he not good enough? Did skekGra not trust him? Did he get together with his Mystic half? Did he just not care for skekTek anymore?

Meanwhile, skekGra knew things were going downhill fast. The other Skeksis were a lot angrier and more aggressive than he had accounted for. His original plan was to flee the moment things got bad, but he couldn't. Because the entire time he was talking, skekTek was only looking at him with the most pained expression imaginable, one that hurt skekGra immensely.

Not only was he messing up with the Skeksis, but he was messing up with his Skeksis. He had already messed up, he knew that. He hadn't trusted skekTek enough and should have told him. Even if it meant that they broke up, skekGra would rather that than to see someone he loved so much looking so painfully hurt because of him.

It hurt even more that skekTek still didn't say anything when the other Skeksis were getting mad and yelling the most hateful things they could at skekGra. The Scientist could have yelled all his hurt and anger out on the Conqueror than and there. But he still didn't. All he did was look at skekGra with an expression that could only ask "why?".

When the punishment began and the nail was brought out, skekTek ran away. Not out of anger, but out of hurt and because he couldn't watch what they were going to do to skekGra just as much as he couldn't help the Conqueror, not when he didn't have an answer as to why. As hurt as he was to see skekTek flee, skekGra was also glad that he wouldn't have to see what would happen.

The punishment would come and go and perhaps after, they could talk. SkekGra would be injured and likely stripped of his Conqueror status, but he was okay with that so long as he could talk to skekTek and explain why.

As soon as the punishment was over, it was announced that he would be banished and labelled "Heretic" and to never return to the Castle, skekGra panicked. SkekGra fought and struggled as much as he could, even screaming for skekTek, but to no avail. SkekTek was in his lab, working on heavy machinery in a vain attempt at trying to get his mind off of the Conqueror. He never heard skekGra screaming for him and only found out about his banishment the next day.

Something twisted inside skekTek. He became bitter and angrier, as well as losing any confidence he had. His emotions weren't helped by nearly all of the Skeksis turning on him because of his relationship with skekGra.

He was painfully hurt and didn't really trust anyone after that, while also having a desperate need for approval and validation. Never knowing why skekGra never told him, that "why?" in skekTeks head turned into dark and deformed thoughts, constantly flipping onto whose fault it was and why.

His remaining allies were skekUng, skekNa, and skekSa. Both skekUng and skekNa left more and more frequently after the banishing, never really keeping contact, and skekSa just gave a big "f-you" to the Emperor and left for the sea.

She still kept in contact with skekTek, both using the Sogbird method. They would send letters weekly. Then once an unum. Then once a trine. Soon enough, the last Sogbird died and skekTek never trained any new ones. There was no need when you had nobody to send letters to.

His experiments grew darker and twisted. Bugs, small animals, large animals, even his own body became play fields for dissection, experimentation, and augmentation. The other Skeksis began to distrust and harass him even more, finding his experiments unnerving, especially the ones he performed on himself.

Meanwhile, skekGra felt immense guilt for what he did to skekTek. He knew he should have said something, anything, and he didn't. Even if it still ended in his banishment, or worse, skekGra should have said something.

He thought about sending letters to skekTek, but decided against it. Even if he could figure out how to get the letter to the Castle, there was a chance of putting the Scientist in danger if he was found out. So, with a heavy heart, skekGra didn't send a letter. He cared about skekTek too much.

It was with urGohs help that he worked through the guilt he had for skekTek and the "what could have beens" and looked to the future and the "what will hopefully be". Though he still loved skekTek, he was able to find another love in urGoh.

And though he still missed skekTek immensely, skekGra also knew that the Scientist was popular and well liked by all the Skeksis. They all loved their Scientist and his inventions.

So skekTek would be okay.

(This got really long, sorry!)

#the dark crystal #skeksis ask #shipping ask #skekgra #urgoh #long post #tw injury #injury

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