i can't fucking believe nobody has given me a huge antique quarter-sawn oak map cabinet with brass hardware and galley rails and elaborate mortise lock mechanisms operated via skeleton key which secure a substantial and symmetrical array of various drawer sizes on the bottom
I remember soft. bouquets plucked from the backyard, humming in the kitchen; every well-intended promise of no matter what. laughing through the summer, teaching my mouth to twist a held tongue into a smile. benefit of the doubt has such honeyed-brown eyes and I promise to do better. maybe I say soft and mean submission.
I have growing pains from my spine standing stronger. I’ll take back the excess of my apologies. trade each in for the holy water my sweat’s become; running in the morning light, from snowfall to heatwave. maybe all I want to be now is just a little bit frightening. that shiver rising in your spine, the sudden thrill of possession when my words fall out before I can overthink them. the way it feels too freeing now, to be louder, sharper, honest. maybe I say scary and mean myself.
Artwork by Lova-Gardelius in 2015/2016.
It’s a 2-part comic, I have the original HD pictures she posted before her account got banned on DeviantArt, if you want them, send me a PM/DM.
SkekSil actually *does*...*mostly* want what's best for Skeksis.
[Because it apparently can never be posted enough: #allHCsarevalid. I don't invest any but the most minimal ego in my HCs and even your strong disagreement with them does not hurt me. Long as you're not an asshole about it and can distinguish reality from fiction. ^^]
[And because it tends to come up in discussions of antagonists: mentally walking in a character's POV shoes is not endorsement of that character's actions. It is in fact...writing. Convincing characterization of villains/terrible peoples absolutely requires the ability to reframe the story from their perspective, regardless of whether you ever actually write in their narrative voice or show a visible authorial attitude toward them, or not.]
[spoilers; CW for canon-depicted violence and general awfulness, etc]
Okay, so hear me out. Obviously Chamberlain's also an arrogant little shit who was driven to murderous rage when another Skeksis claimed their official spot at court as royal vizier, so I'm certainly not saying there's no individual ambition there.
But a Skeksis who *only* cared about *personal* glory would've taken credit for coming up with the essence-draining idea. (Chamberlain IS smart like Scientist!) Whereas SkekSil let not only SkekSo but Beloved Scientist think that Beloved Scientist had come up with it. The only selfish motive I can think of is if they were seriously worried the experiment would fail? But that seems unlikely. Seems much more probable that the C. wanted SkekTek to get credit, so that the Scientist never got SO high on the Emperor's shitlist as to end up actually incapacitated -- imprisoned, replaced with some numbskull, extreme maiming, exile, who TF knows. Which IS a valid worry, given that as calm and confident as 'So pretended to be at the Ceremony, SkekSil witnessed the Emperor completely and violently freaking out all over SkekTek about it just a few moments later (when they thought they were unobserved).
I mean, if SkekSil had told *SkekSo* their idea instead, so that it then had to be given to SkekTek as an imperial order, that'd be some shine on the Chamberlain's escutcheon sure -- but it would've made the Scientist look pretty darn bad at Sciencing, wouldn't it? ("The freaking court toady came up with our species-saving idea instead of you, Tek? Really?")
SkekSil's the only court Skeksis who ever acts in the whole group's interests (even counting the Emperor, who you could argue makes attempts to do so, but also completely, repeatedly sabotages their own agenda). Whereas all the others either just loaf about the Castle being deadweight, or wander into a situation specifically to make it worse (...*General* -_- ).
SkekSil spins on a freaking dime to come up with the whole anti-Rian propaganda campaign, thus saving SkekVar and possibly SkekSo from almost destroying the Lords' good-guy image right there in front of Ordon. -_-
And instead of letting SkekTek suffer whatever someone else might come up with to inflict on them after the vial incident, the C. suggests a punishment that...while it's sadistic and violent and absolutely sends the message of "*Don't narc* on SkekSil, man. It ain't worth it!"...once again preserves the Scientist's ability to work. And again, I consider this a legit worry, because again, all the other Skeksis including SkekSo have more than demonstrated that Schadenfreude UTTERLY trumps common sense anytime they're in the mood for bloodsport. In the heat of that frenzy, it honestly might NOT occur to anybody else that "hey, if we take off a major limb or put SkekTek in a coma, that miiiiight cause a problem with our lifesaving essence supply lines!"
Again, someone only concerned about their personal prestige would've either kept silent and not risked speaking up in the scapegoat-of-the-moment's defense, OR spoken up to propose something *extra* diabolical -- just to teach foolish Scientist a real lesson. As opposed to reminding everyone that while suitable chastisement is needed, oh yes, Scientist is still Lord of Crystal, hmmm? So we arrive at balanced solution for all. ;-P
[ETA as a side note: seriously, Tek, what *were* you thinking with that narc? You're supposed to be smart FFS! You could've kept your beak shut and *none of the others would ever have known* how Rian got out, or even that you lost your small experimental vial! So when you run straight to the Emp to report it, what the hell is SkekSil supposed to think but that you *actively* *wanted* to get *them* in the headcage with a Peeper beetle, or whatever? So of course they flip the script on you. I mean -- DUH. Any Skeksis with the brains to do so would've! You would've! -- Well, except that you legit seem to be the one Skeksis to whom it seemingly never occurs to just...LIE. Which IS remarkable.]
SkekSil *also* brings SkekTek the Gruenak. A crucial part of their own cunning plot to get their seat back? Why yes. But why Gruenak? It must have been a fair bit of trouble, getting down to whichever port it was to trade with the Sifa to buy an *extremely* rare type of slave. If all 'Sil had needed was spies in the lab disguised as 'help,' Podlings or Gelflings would've been MUCH easier. But no, they wanted these slaves to have technical ability. Which means they actually wanted the repair to go as well and swiftly as possible, and no hard feelings for friend Scientist. Who says you can't serve the Empire while also serving yourself (and by golly, you'll have earned it won't you, you debonair bell-voiced murderbird ;-) )...?
SkekSil is the one who Dares Summon the Hunter. Another part of the cunning personal plan, yes? -- well. Sort of. It's more like the backup plan. But SkekMal *is* by far the likeliest option for retrieving Rian IF you can't get any deluded Gelfling to turn him in first. And everybody else at the Castle did literally fuckall about that whole situation, btw. (Hell, SkekVar never offered any actual *plans* as SkekSo's new 'adviser.' SkekSo themselves had the one good strategy idea of raising the Arathim as mercenary troops.)
On that note: SkekSil was the only one still seeking an (::ahem:: ::scare quotes::) 'nonviolent' solution to things at that relatively late point in the story. Which, leaving all moral issues aside, 100% *would* have been the objectively safest, most comfortable and least self-sabotaging course for the Skeksis. (...Short of, you know, not doing the evil essence thing at all and seeking some other path, but.)
The C. saw that a hot war between the two species had genocidal potential, not just for Gelfling, but for Skeksis as well. ("War is END." They're.....not wrong.) At minimum, it'd certainly put paid to the Skeksis' longstanding, luxurious lifstyle!
That's why I've little doubt that if 'Sil had been Emperor, they'd have been more than happy to work out some kind of 'Faerie's yearly tithe to Hell' arrangement with Seladon. Which would still have been a parade of horrors, of course -- but wouldn't have, like, wiped out an entire species...who also happened to be the Skeksis' only real allies...and massively accelerated the Darkening and thus destroying the planet everybody had to live on, *including* the Skeksis.
Chamberlain is also the only one who tries to point out the existence of, y'know, *mathematics* to Skeksis. I.e. "Hey guys, if we eat ALL the Gelfling at max speed...then there...won't be any more Gelfling? To...make more Gelfling...? And then we're kinda...up shit creek on this whole 'Gelfling essence as our main survival plan' thing?"
In fact, SkekSil is pretty much the only one who dares even try to restrain SkekSo. ...Until it becomes obvious that that's getting exponentially less possible by the second, because SkekSo's truly off the chain now and not entertaining any more non-genocide options.
At which point, having now done the 180 because it's their only option for staying in a position of power -- and they are after all the *only* Skeksis with half a BRAIN left, so they *need* to be in a power position! -- SkekSil goes balls-out for it and comes up with the inordinately evil Garthim idea.
BUT which I will once more note, *is* the best survival strategy for Skeksis *AFTER* everyone else has gone and fucked up the situation to the point where war is unavoidable. Again, Chamberlain IS smart like Scientist; indeed, while I'm sure SkekTek's better with the mechanical ins and outs, SkekSil is arguably a better scientist on the innovation/creativity front. O_o Really, 'Sil's a creative little fucker for all the things they set their mind to, too bad those things are just so often terrible. (At least in this era.)
Long story short -- IMHO, SkekSil just doesn't act like someone only interested in themselves and their slice of office politics. They always have their eye to species survival, and also the question of "um but really no joke, what do we want the future to look like?" And they're willing to take an unusual (for Skeksis) amount of time/risk/labor to personally see to it, even as others sit inert. They even pass up visible opportunities to one-up when something more important to preserving Skeksis and their rule is happening. (Though of course, when it IS possible to help both Skeksis and Chamberlain, as it so often is, Chamberlain *will* devise the way!)
That's why my personal thesis of the character is a little bit off-gauge from the usual take: my take is that their ego/ambition shows up *not* just in their zillionty court intrigues, but in an actual vision (however fucked up I'm sure it is X_X ) of a Glorious Civilization and Eternal Empire they see themselves as building. This is the project that takes up what's left of their once-astounding creative powers: a Civilization to outshine all others *evar* -- which Chamberlain will have the personal satisfaction of knowing could never have happened without aaaallllllllll Chamberlain's trine of quiet THANKLESS work behind the scenes. :-)
And what's left of the *performer* in SkekSil even after the music is totally gone rests in this idea as well, that once they get all the cats herded and every last bit of furniture in place just so, all Thra will stand and cheer in primeval awe of what the Skeksis have achieved (that is, what *SkekSil* has achieved) on this miserable dirtball. While some direct personal credit will of course be sought...and while if the Imperial throne ever WERE somehow to end up empty O:-) , well obviously Chamberlain is the only non-idiot Skeksis to occupy it...what's most important to them is that what they've created, what they see as their very own Magnum Opus, be hailed with universal ecstasies. Heck, it might even become one of the most revered regimes in the realms of the Crystal! That'd be a nice tack-on for sure, hmmmm? (Hahahaha suck it, Homeworld.) :-)
“No more saving people until your room is clean! You can’t stuff everything in your closet or under the bed and call that clean. Being a super hero-”
“Vigilante, mom.”
“-is going to have to wait. Responsibility extends far beyond the greater good of everyone. Now, clean your room now before your mom turns villain again.”
