My fav AoR!Lach headcanon I cooked up is that she tamed these bad boys in the main timeline too. She’s such a bad mamma jamma.
So basically I have a HC that The Ritual Master used to have freaky angel wing arms.
And here’s kinda how they work.
They aren’t actual wings! SkekZok has elongated secondary arms that when they were feathered, looked almost angelic. But as he grows old they atrophy and become useless and decrepit. Showcasing his true nature. I was inspired by the bible verse: 2nd Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Kinda giving off that false god thing that the skeksis portray themselves as. SkekZok even more so. This unique trait is exclusive to him however. But it is a gene that he can pass on if he should have skeklings... Which in my AU, he does!
CC: Why Does SkekToh have wings? SkekToh has elongated secondary arms that he inherits from his father, SkekZok the Ritual Master. Featherless, they seem somewhat uncanny. Although with plumage they resemble wings. Giving off an almost angelic feel. As they are not true wings and are useless for any form of flight, this rare genetic type has been dubbed the “Pseudo-Wing.” SkekZok the Ritual Master is the only Skeksis who possesses this phenotype. Only skeklings who share his DNA will possess this trait. Hands can look terrifying without the coverage that feathers provide. The thumb and first two digits are used to hold objects when they can but aren’t as useful as the primary arms due to the elongated pinky finger. As a plus however, the pinky has more joints allowing for more emotion and flexibility. At their best, Pseudo-Wings can be an intimidating display of beauty and vitality. Although as a downside to their extravagance, they are much harder to fit into clothes or conceal. They also require lots of care due to their unique form. Intense growing pains are also an unfortunate side affect in skeklings with this secondary arm type. Lotions and ointments should be applied to areas that hurt. Pseudo-Wings are utterly useless for flight despite their appearance. At most, the Pseudo-Wing may allow the Skeksis to glide a short distance if they’re light enough. Much like how young Skeksis used their large decorative fans they proudly carried in their prime. Unlike fans, since the arms are a part of the body they give more of an edge than man-made gliders. As the user doesn’t have to worry about holding them in their secondary arms constantly like a normal Skeksis would with their fans.
SkekLach and the Spitter
This all just stared because I meant to capture a screenshot of SkekLach because she was being cute. During the speech about creating the garthim, she's giggling and being all excited when they're bringing in the slaughtered arathim while SkekVar the General is talking about Chamberlain’s plan. You can’t tell because it's a still, but she's shaking her fists up and down excitedly while she laughs. (Why do you have to be so disgusting but so cute?!) During these scenes in episode 9, these are some of the happiest moments we ever from of the Collector. She’s her normal dreary self for the first half of the episode, but towards the end she gets much more... Joyful? For lack of a better word.
I'm pretty sure she's the one who killed said arathim, because when she comes back she's covered in cobwebs, some of her hair peeks out of her cowl, and her pustules are EXTREMELY aggravated from the acid. While the Chamberlain is the one who dragged the corpse in, he’s relatively unscathed. Most likely due to following around the General and waiting for his move to manipulate him. The Chamberlain also leaves in the opposite direction of the arathim to inform SkekVar of his plan. While SkekLach knows nothing about said plan. Staying in the same general area. Arathim probably still attacking her as a distraction so that their newly formed gelfling allies can escape.
Although they fail their mission and the Collector is temporarily blinded, she's also uncharacteristically happy after the fact. This skeksis over here just got a ton of acid spat in her face, got into a bunch of fights, seemingly lost, and the gelfling got away on top of that. Usually this would be when she'd be complaining about how useless she, and everyone else is. Or the pain she's in. But no! She's HAPPY?? I like to believe that she legitimately got into a fight offscreen and WON! And since she's one of the skeksis who dwells on the past the most, constantly lamenting upon her lost youth. I feel like she probably, in that moment. Was experiencing this high of positive emotion. This unsatiable adrenaline rush from getting back into the fray! Because right then and there she realized, be it herself or the essence surging through her veins, She's not useless.
For a brief moment she’s her old self.
It's funny, also looking back on it; that even though she's in TONS of pain, this episode is where most of the happy SkekLach screenshots come from. seeing her happy is such a joy. It’s always weird seeing the perpetually depressed characters so motivated and happy, but it’s a welcome change of pace.
All of this gives you a better grasp on her as a character. Originally I thought she was just overexaggerating her usefulness in that scene. (And she absolutely was) I felt that maybe it was to mask her failure, or make things sound better than they were. But now I'm thinking that she's legitimately VERY proud of herself for once. And she wants the court to know just how well she did.
You know how SkekOk has narcolepsy? I also like to believe that The Collector has Insomnia. Because she Lach’s sleep.
I love the new bestiary but they completely screwed over the Arduff. I HC Lach’s arduffs as a subspecies.
I agree. I initially wasn’t too thrilled with the Arduff’s redesign. Especially comparing it to the other manga exclusive animals such as the Mounders and Rakkida who have gone unchanged. Just drawn in a more realistic style to fit the universe better. My friends and I ( @juliejewel24 specifically ) have come up with a theory that they may have combined, or misinterpreted Whouf with the Arduff that SkekLach has. Since it’s body shape and face look very similar to Whouf’s! But in a feircer style to reflect the Arduff’s nature. But I agree it is weird how they made an entirely new design when the old one is solid, and again, the Mounder and Rakkida were left unchanged.
Good news for folks like us who have liked these guys since the begging, the bestiary Arduff are said to come from the Crystal desert, and the Manga ones are native to The Endless Forest and the Spriton plains (Or at least the manga’s equivalent of it.) So our antlered moose-doggos are still completely valid to have in Thra! These are animals after all, and they’re is so much variety within the real world that I think that it’s 100% okay to have both! Heck, when I was working on my species sheet for these guys back in april, I was thinking of the possibility of regional variants! So that’s how I’m viewing them.
In my opinion, the bestiary is hit and miss. There’s a lot of really good content in there!! But there’s some other things that are both major and minor retcons and contradictions that I’m not too thrilled about. Ultimately this is supplemental material. It’s not 100% canon but it does help us get a broader sense of the world of Thra. So with that, it’s completely fair to pick and choose whatever bits you want to view as canon. Although I may dissagree or critique the bestiary a little, it’s a fantastic book!
With the Arduff situation, I was initially kinda sad and angry about it. I thought I would have to throw all of my creature design and character vulding out the window. Like I thought I had to do with my version of UrSen once the canon one came out. That’s my own problem I have since I’m much too critical on myself. But think of it this way, we now have two Arduff Subspecies like you said earlier!
My best friend @kaijukian put it in a funny way. Using a meme about worrying who’s cake was made better. We don’t need to fret about who’s cake is better, There’s two cakes!! More content to enjoy! And just because you don’t like a certain direction things went doesn’t mean your opinion is invalid!
I’m also a huge Manga!Arduff fan, and Lach’s main Arduff pack will still be of that kind for me. I’m gonna incorporate some of the new ones in there for variety, but ultimately the originals will always be the true ones in my heart.
𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖊
~A Skekling Headcanon~
If you’ve been following me for a while now or talking to me on discord, you’ve probably heard me use the term “Thraborne” every once and a while when I talk about skeklings or urlings. For Example:
So what does that mean specifically? Well the short answer is: "Thraborne” is a term I came up with to describe my interpretation of second gen (and beyond) Skeksis or UrRu. Since they are born, not split from an original being like their forebears were, they are technically born of Thra. Being native to the planet since they were born there. Hence the term, “Thraborne!” ((By the way, whoever wants to use this term or use this HC for their skek/urlings is 100% allowed to do so!))
What makes a Thraborne? A Thraborne Skeksis, or a Thraborne UrRu; is the offspring of two of the original 18, (now 16) UrSkeks that were split. As they were now given physical form, their bodies were also now able to reproduce. Athough Thra had prevented this possible infestation for countless trine. However, now that the crystal grows darker and weaker by the day, the possibility of new life seems to be creeping into Thra. What else is there to know? 1. First off, the most important part. Thraborne Skek/Urlings have no counterpart. They have a full soul and are connected to Thra itself. Just as the gelfling, podling, fizzgig or nurloc are! Although their presence is... complicated to say the least. Their very existence is something that shouldn’t have ever happened. and yet... here they are. Their birth inserting sudden a sharp note into Thra’s song. A chaotic disruption, but a part of it’s song none the less. 2. Thraborne are not limited in the same way their parents are when it comes to nature and morality. As it stands, the Skeksis and Mystics are opposing forces. One presenting a negative force, while the other positive. One aggresive and the other, passive. As their respective species are two severed parts of one whole original being, this chaos naturally makes them sway to one part of the flaws and personality of their original full form. That’s not to say that one can attempt at changing their nature such as the Heritic... But you’ll always be fighting with that natural aggression that the skeksis hold. Same goes for more active mystics like the Archer, Swimmer, or Wanderer. Although more involved with Thra’s fate, they stil stay mostly out of the way of anyone else. Where Thraborne come into play in this is rather unique, They aren’t stuck with this limitation. Although born of splintered beings, They have a complete soul and a whole sense of self. A Thraborne regardless of species has a much broader form of the ability of choice.Their compass being much more of a grey. While enviroment is a major factor as to how one will turn out much like anyone on this world, A skekling can turn out to be one of the kindest people you have ever met. And an urling may turn out to be a power hungry warlord. Like us humans, a Thraborne has much to do and say about their own autonomy and place in the world. Should they choose to do so. 3. Thraborne are EXTREMELY rare! The fertility rates for skeksis and mystics are very poor to say the least. And to have a couple produce offspring of any kind is a miracle unto itself. Very much so for the skeksis. As there are very little of them who actually genuinely care for one another. Especially if there is nothing to gain. The desire and possibility to conceive a child with someone is also extremely low. As they view themselves as the immortal ultimatum. Perfect beings. To them, childlings are only a burden. Although there are a select few who do have the desire to be a parent. The most adamant about his desire to become a father in the little universe I made for myself, is a special little connoisseur of the written word. You may have heard of him.📚📜 4. Thraborne can dream. Although if they tell this to their parents, they’ll just assume this is a nightmare and their childling doesn’t understand what they are. Thraborne are also much more prone to visions from Thra. As they serve a unique purpose that not even Aughra seems to know yet. 5. Speaking of Augrah. When she inevitably finds out about one of these little one’s existence, I feel like She is going to be involved. Even if it is reluctantly. In a way they’re kind of like her stepchildren. Being a part of Thra, and yet... so far removed from it. She doesn’t know how to feel about them. And their fates are uncertain. Such a thing existing is a miracle in of itself… or maybe a curse? I made a few test comics with this idea a while back when I was first expanding upon this idea.
A constant quote that rang through my head while making this was: “Aughra cares for all the creatures of Thra. Even the foolish ones!” 6. If worst should come to worse and one of the Thraborne is to pass away... They don’t crumble to ash or peacefully fade away. They’ll leave a corpse. As they are a part of Thra, they’ll return to Thra when they die. Leaving behind a cold body and shattered dreams. 7. The Average lifespan for a Thraborne of any kind is about 1,500 to as long as 3,000 years old! That just about sums up the basics! If you have anymore questions, delving more into Skekling or Urling biology and characteristics, or perhaps some darker headcanons, please send me an ask and let me know! Hope you have a wonderful day, and thank you so much for reading this the whole way through!
candythemew reblogged
A Somewhat Dark SkekLach the Collector Headcanon/Theory
This will go into some darker subject material, so if you dont like that kind of stuff, I’ll give a quick summary upfront. As well as a read more for people who are interested in reading a hypothetical scenario I cooked up! Basically the HC I thought up, Is that SkekLach lost a part of her tail. Why do I think this? I’ll elaborate some!
The main inspiration for this HC is that Her counterpart, UrSen the Monk seems to have a stubby tail. Very rare for mystics. I personally enjoy drawing Lach with a short tail, and that may be all it is… But what if there was more than that? It’s interesting to think that she may have lost a part of it during some season of her life. And if this is the case, I have an idea for what might have done it. Do you remember when the Skeksis were discussing forms of punishment to put the Scientist under? The Gourmand suggested a Bizzare sounding punishment called “Dangle the Tail”
This punishment is what I believe did the job.
Now the torture itself isn’t meant to remove a skeksis’s tail. Heavens no! It is only meant to humilate and cause pain to the guilty Skeksis for a while. They are then removed from their restraints while the other Skeksis mock and jeer. Unfortunately, for the Collector, this didn’t end as nicely as it could have for her. I’ll leave the read more here for sensitive content and slight gore, descriptions of torture, and storytelling/speculation.
Caaaandy aaaaaa D:
That, and making things unintentionally cute are my two talents!
I was remembering some of Var and Lach’s interactions while trying to sleep last night and now I’m just crying because I thought of so many hcs about them being/used to be friends or at least warbuddies and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! Mostly bc they seem to be on good/nuetral terms, and When SkekVar goes Arathim hunting he specifically chooses Lach to come with him. And when she complains about not wanting to go, instead of just choosing another Skeksis, he asks her again. This time encouraging her going, “Come Now! It’ll be fun!” In which Lach replies in her trademark Eyore-like attitude: “Ugh. I doubt that…” Now I’m just thinking of them being goofballs together in their youth or just doing stupid stuff and sparring… Reminiscing about the good ol’days and various wars and it’s got me like:
Since I just made a giant UrSan post, here’s my voice claim for Her~