You are most cordially invited to celebrate Thra’s favourite grandpas during GraGoh Week 2021 April 19th - 25th! Wonderful!
Join in with art, doodles, fics, oneshots, drabbles or anything else you can think of that includes our beloved Heretic and Wanderer <3
Here are some prompts for the week to get your creative juices flowing:
Day 1. Fast and slow
Day 2. Amateur dramatics (Bonus prompt since it’s 4/20: Altered minds)
Day 3. Difference of opinion
Day 4. Arts & crafts
Day 5. Alone but together
Day 6. Silence/meditation
Day 7. Unity
There are only a couple of rules:
- Any NSFW content must be tagged accordingly (mainly talking about fic as NSFW art isn’t permitted on tumblr)
- Content must include both skekGra and urGoh
- Tag this blog and #GraGoh2021 :)
Is this compulsory? No! If you just want to enjoy the content, enjoy my friend :)
I don’t ship them, can I take part? Of course! This is open to everyone whether the Heretic and Wanderer are your OTP or just your favourite theatrical, desert-bound, urdrupe-sampling hippies!
Do I have to follow the prompts? Not at all - they’re just there to give you some inspiration, but go as rogue as you wish!
Can I include other characters in my art/fic? Absolutely, but please make skekGra and urGoh the focus of the piece :)
I’ll be reblogging GraGoh Week content here each day of the week so remember to tag this blog and use #GraGoh2021 in the post tags so I can find it! If you have any questions at all please DM me @mystics-and-chill
Let us all gaze upon their wonder!
Finally to the last day of GraGoh week 2021, to the long awaited unity. Based on @mystics-and-chill 's headcanon (Thanx for making me cry ugly tears😭) about Skekgra and Urgoh living out the last of their days with one another, and might have passed before Jen's journey. While they may not have been able to achieve their goal of becoming one being, I would like to think they left the world in peace, knowing that in the life beyond the flesh, they will become one in spirit. Thanx again for the opportunity @mystics-and-chill , and hope you guys enjoyed this small Journey with me into nostalgia.
I don’t know how controversial a HC it is or not but it’s one I’m partial to; their ending coming not from the rejoining of their split halves to form their radiant one-self again, but in the centuries spent waiting for and working toward it, whiling away their long lives in orbit around one another in ever-decreasing circles until the three suns begin to spin toward one another in the sky in mirror, and they, together, ancient and tired and too frail now to make the journey to the Crystal, decide that their entwined lives are as near to unity as they’re going to get. That this was close enough 🧡
GraGoh, being whole once again, shows his brethren a different form of an urskek that helped to unify SkekGra and UrGoh in a different way.
(I couldn’t decide if I wanted to just draw GraGoh or UrGro, their son, so I went for both and I just–I got cuteness overload!)
Thanks @mystics-and-chill and @gragohweek for the amazing prompts! I had such a blast with this and I’m glad to see there’s still people who ship these two lizards!
And just like that, the week draws to a close! But(!) this doesn’t mean we’re done and dusted; if you’ve got something you are working on for any of the prompts, or want to post something for this week but just didn’t get the chance yet, never fear! GraGoh Week is eternal - there are no deadlines and I’ll keep checking the tag for more beautiful submissions to reblog! 🧡
Now, what prompt could we end on other than the perfect description for how we’ve all come together to celebrate skekGra and urGoh with such wondrous art and writing? It’s nothing less than 👥 Unity 👤
Day six of GraGoh week "Silence/Meditation" is complete. While complete silence is not exactly attainable, Urgoh doesn't mind the background noise as he attains his inner peace (Even with Skekgra being high as a kite from the urdrupes). Hope ya like!!
Just a quick PSA as we near the end of this most wonderful week!
If you were wanting to post something for GraGoh week, but didn’t get it done on the day of the prompt or even during the week for whatever reason, please don’t worry or stress at all. Just post when you’re ready whenever that may be, and tag #GraGoh2021 - there are no deadlines! 🧡
Meditation did not come naturally to a skeksis. It could hardly be said that anything at all came naturally to a skeksis. What Thra had not the divine affluence to gift to them, they gave unto themselves through sheer willpower and spite. SkekGra knew he was no different, even now, after everything had changed.
It took time to get used to; and yet a state of normalcy had somehow been achieved through daily ritual and constant company, around the Circle and day by day like clockwork. UrGoh mainly had been responsible for the order of things here now. Habit and ritual were all too common to urru, and through the light blueprints UrGoh had (perhaps unwittingly) laid down, SkekGra was able to build the framework of a schedule.
He had watched UrGoh during these daily practices of his, envying him- though he would not admit it- for the tranquility. Was it some quality of the urru, to always be able to tap into that well of peace whenever needed? To neglect the daily turbulence the simple action of life caused and retreat into themselves?
SkekGra sat and watched, yearning. UrGoh was sitting upon one of the many cushions they had accumulated over time, legs crossed, all four arms held palm open for another practice he had introduced into their lives. He had been at this for awhile now, too many still moments for SkekGra's impatient mind to consider. An hour? Two? It didn't matter to UrGoh. Time passed, but he laid still as if utterly unaffected.
A huff of annoyance escaped his Other. SkekGra's claws reached out, grasping for a hold on UrGoh's robes before he stopped them. Would he dare?- Of course not. He wouldn't disturb UrGoh and disrupt such a sacred ritual. He couldn't. Not when UrGoh looked so...peaceful.
It mattered little. SkekGra did not need his attention; he had found ways to entertain himself while UrGoh disappeared into that inner state. He built puppets, painted sets, or any other number of things just to get his claws moving, just to forget what laid behind that curtain; but curiosity was too much. Each time it burned him until it could burn no more, and then he inevitably found himself drawn to the urru's still form like an unamoth to a Sifan torch, just watching.
Today when he had done this, UrGoh finally took notice.
"...Do...you...want...to...join…?" He asked, eyes still closed.
SkekGra was mildly startled by this, but wouldn’t dare show it. He huffed indignantly and shook out his feathers.
"You?" he finished, "No!...But...Er...What are you doing?"
UrGoh opened his eyes, his back relaxing into the familiar slump SkekGra knew. His smile was peaceful, placid as always even when faced with his Other's impatience.
"...Meditating."
SkekGra cocked his head to the side, this way and that.
"Meditating?" His eyes rolled about as he mentally dissected that topic, and then he rolled them again.
"Bah! Mystic nonsense! Dousan dribble!"
Yet he didn't storm off immediately. He stood there, swaying on the line between leaving or staying. UrGoh saw his indecision and took full advantage.
He patted a cushion beside him.
"Stay...awhile...Try-"
"-It? You want me to sit here, close my eyes, and...what? 'Seek my inner peace'? Good luck with that."
He crossed his arms, though the way he looked at the cushion UrGoh offered betrayed his interest. UrGoh smiled, just the faintest bit. He patted the pillow again.
"Just...try."
"What for?! All you do is sit there and close your eyes. Sounds like napping to me, which you do enough of already, mind you! What's so special about it?"
UrGoh understood what he was really asking, as plainly as if he had actually said it aloud: "Why should I waste my time? Will it even work for me?"
He patted the cushion again, more to clear it of dust than make an invitation; SkekGra was already drawn in hook, line, and sinker. No need to exert himself there.
"Try...it...and...see."
SkekGra's eyes shifted between his other half and the cushion before him, still uncertain. UrGoh smiled and tilted his head to the side, the slightest of goading gestures a mystic could afford. The former Conqueror would not let it pass.
"You know what? Fine! Fine!" He snapped, throwing his arms in the air with all the exasperation he could muster, "I'll play your little mystic games! Why not?"
He plopped down on the cushion with both his legs and arms crossed and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed, and then:
"Am I doing it right? Have I achieved inner peace?"
It was sardonic, but UrGoh could catch the faint notes of hope held therein. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.
“It’s...not...that...-”
“Simple?”
With surprising speed for a Mystic, one of UrGoh’s hands came up and closed about SkekGra’s beak. SkekGra squawked in outrage as best as he could in his position, but when seeing the look upon his Other’s face he promptly quieted himself. UrGoh’s brow wasn’t even furrowed, but he could sense the lightest irritation radiating from him anyways.
“Patience,” UrGoh said, “Patience...is...key.”
SkekGra wanted to roll his eyes again, but knew better than to make any more snarky comments when his mouth was being held shut. He tapped his Other's hand gently with a claw, and UrGoh conceded his grasp.
“Well what do I do, then?”
UrGoh made a light chuffing noise SkekGra had over time learned signaled amusement. He made his way slowly, then resumed the cross-legged sitting position he had been doing before. All four hands gracefully spread their palms, a pair resting together in his lap like a blooming flower, the other pair on his knees.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “...First...you...must...breathe…”
“I do that every minute of every day!”
“...Breathe...deeply...and...calmly...”
SkekGra huffed, but did as well as he could, making his own attempt at replicating UrGoh’s posture. He tried to breathe in and out as UrGoh suggested, but his thoughts still ran rampant. He scrunched his brow, becoming irritated with himself.
"How do I make my mind quiet? How am I supposed to meditate if I can't even focus?! There's too much wonder in this noggin to contain!"
UrGoh let out a soft sigh. "Try...humming."
SkekGra grumbled and closed his eyes again. He hesitated, trying to recall the exact cadence his Other used during his meditative practice…tried to replicate it...a little louder, a rumble building up from his chest, up his throat…
SkekGra huffed and got up, throwing his arms in the air in utter defeat.
"Oh, forget it! Nevermind! Aaggggh!"
To anyone else, this exclamation would have sounded final; UrGoh knew better. In the days that followed, he found SkekGra on the same cushion, trying to replicate the same pose UrGoh often took; occasionally UrGoh gave him a few hints or tips, hidden within riddles as was his way. SkekGra would grumble at him or swat him away, making one exclamation or another about how he didn't need help.
Weeks passed. There were days when SkekGra didn't hit the pillow at all, fearing another failure. Others he stayed even longer than usual, with or without UrGoh, determined to pick up a hint of success. Sometimes he lit incense, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he spent only a few minutes there, but then as the days dragged on, his time extended.
UrGoh sat beside him now, almost four unum after his first attempt. SkekGra's expression was tranquil, his brow not even the faintest bit furrowed. He did not hum, his breath flowing in and out of him in a deep rhythm. Even his hands had stopped their endless fidgeting and twitching, succumbing to the calm to lay motionless on his knees, palms up.
The Wanderer mused to himself how it seemed that their roles had reversed. Now he was the impatient one, waiting around for his Other to finish meditating so they could work on a new art piece; but he would not interrupt at such a crucial point. He could feel some energy stirring in the air, unlike anything SkekGra had exuded before.
It was familiar to him in some way he could not name. He scratched through his memory, trying to recall the last time he had felt such a presence during the centuries-long course of his life. Suddenly it occurred to him: the Valley had felt this way, carrying the energy and power of the mystic's meditative thought.
He looked towards his Other again with a new respect. No other non-urru had ever gotten this close to that mythical aura. If SkekGra succeeded, he would be the first. Pride seeped into his being. He sat a little taller, inhaling a particularly long draw of pipeweed to mark the occasion.
Some of the pungent smoke floated towards SkekGra's face. Usually, UrGoh's other would have coughed and made some sort of loud exclamation, but now he remained utterly silent. That was truly almost unsettling; and yet UrGoh still did not hamper SkekGra's progress. He could feel the energies shifting again, becoming more focused and powerful all around the Circle.
It fixated upon SkekGra, and then- only then- did his brow furrow. The energy condensed, tightening in a spiral until snapping and dispersing once again. SkekGra opened his eyes, blinking as if awakening from a trance. When he turned to UrGoh again, half-dazed, mouth open as if to ask a question or utter a curse, it was UrGoh who interrupted in a quick burst:
"SkekGra! Your face!"
The Heretic blinked slowly for a few heartbeats longer. Then it seemed to have finally registered in his head what exactly UrGoh had said, and his usual cantankerous expression returned. He reached up to pat his face, seeming almost offended by his Other's remark.
"What? What about my face? It's wonderful, as usual?"
UrGoh shook his head, too awestruck to even come up with something clever to say back. One of his hands reached for a mirror absent-mindedly, and he showed SkekGra what he had seen. SkekGra squinted at it, and when he saw what UrGoh saw, he let out a squawk of delight.
"UrGoh! Look! A spiral!"
He sprung up and grabbed the mirror just to examine the little shape again; indeed, a small thought spiral had been engraved into his skin, right over his jaw. He ran a claw over it gingerly, as if in disbelief.
UrGoh couldn't blame him if some doubt lingered; he could hardly believe it himself- and yet it had happened. SkekGra the Heretic, formerly the Conqueror, who killed and hurt and maimed, writing his name across the lands in fire and blood, had formed a thought spiral. He gazed into the mirror for a long moment, unable to look away.
When he finally pulled his eyes away again, he was grinning. It was broad and bold, displaying each and every sharp tooth he had.
"I did it! I did it, UrGoh!"
He laughed and dropped the mirror, then rushed towards UrGoh to wrap him in a hug. If there had been no severe difference in their respective weights, SkekGra would have lifted him and spun him all about; but that was not a possibility for them (Thank Thra, UrGoh could not stand dizziness).
After he had released UrGoh he picked up the mirror again just to admire the thought printed upon his face.
"What does it mean? Can you read it?"
It was a sad fact that he couldn't. UrZah had been the one to construe the signs and spirals, and UrGoh's part had been to roam, never bothering himself with engagement in what seemed another's territory; a shame now, for he very much would have liked to know what that sigil upon his face meant. He shook his head.
"No...I...Cannot…"
SkekGra only faltered a little; but that dim disappointment was quick to fade with a wave of his hand.
"Well who cares? It's there! There will be many more to come! We should celebrate! The urdrupes are ripe for harvesting, and I think we still have some nectarwine. Come!"
He ran off to another corner of their little world, rambling and making his happiest noises as he scrambled to make the preparations; UrGoh would help him in a moment, in his own way. But for now he savored the moment and the accomplishment, more so for the changes it had wrought in the both of them, always bringing them one step closer to unity.
He smiled at the cushions, already making mental notes for their next meditation session: maybe he could convince his Other to use Wellspring incense next time.
"How long...How long until together become one Urgoh?"
"Patience. We will be ...forever...one....soon. Until....then....at least...we...have...eachother"
My piece for the Fifth day of GraGoh 2021 week "Alone but together." Two halves of one whole has always been a favorite Dynamic of mine, and while they had limited screen time, you can easily tell how they hated being separate, but happy they were together. Hope ya like!
