HOME | DD

Description
I had done some sketches of a bunch of random Skeksis characters and was just playing around with the designs and ended up eventually creating this character. I loved drawing her and designing the gold embroidery on her robes but she was even more difficult to draw than SkekNit (the other skeksis oc I made)

Name: SkekEm
Title: The Artist
Race: Skeksis
UrRu counterpart: UrRin the poet
Urskek name: EmRin
Sex- hermaphrodite (goes by she/her pronouns)
Age- around the same as the other Skeksis
Occupation- Court Artist and painter
Eye colour: orange
Skills: Painting, drawing, writing stories and poetry, multitasking, some skill with swords, writing in different styles
Peeves: Others disturbing her alone time, being talked over or ignored, her schedule being interrupted by meaningless things
Habits: bouncing her legs when feeling restless, scratching the back of her head when stressed

Trivia: her favourite season is the fall. she has a a very big sweet tooth

Likes: drawing, listening to music (especially violins), birds, going for walks in freshly fallen snow, sweets, walking on the beach, collecting strange items like seashells, feathers, bones and skulls, interesting rocks, driftwood, etc, sleeping and reading, making others laugh at her jokes, telling stories.

Dislikes: Being ignored or talked over, others touching her stuff, people looking over shoulder as she draws, her work being insulted, the Chamberlain's whimpers.
Fears: Getting punished by Skekso, The Gelfling rebellion succeeding in overthrowing them.

Personality: SkekEm is a very short tempered Skeksis with little patience with others. When angered or annoyed she will often shout and threaten the other skeksis and has started many hissing matches even with her mate SkekUng but they are usually quelled when someone interfers before things get out of hand. She knows physically attacking another skeksis is against their law and even though she will hiss and shout she will keep her talons to herself. During the war she would occasionally accompany the Garthim Master and reveled in the excitement of combat, not physically imposing as some of her comrades she is still strong enough to make others think twice before deciding to fight her.

She finds great enjoyment in drawing and painting all manners of animals and landscapes but finds it very long and boring to paint portraits of the other skeksis. Even though she would like to put those projects off to the side and procrastinate on them she knows that that isn't an option, especially if it was commissioned by the Emperor. She hums songs she's heard when she's in a good mood and its common for her to do so while she paints. She is also highly curious and anything new always catches her attention whether it be a new servant or interesting or rare items that the Mariner, Hunter and Collector bring to the castle. She is very blunt and witty towards her fellow Skeksis and she speaks with an undertone of sarcasm. She is however not as deceptively smart and cunning as the Chamberlain and has been caught several times in his webs much to her great annoyance.

SkekEm thinks the Gelfling are too nice for their own good but graciously accepts their kind comments about her artwork when the other Skeksis hardly say anything about her talents. She enjoyed their service to build her more canvases and paints for her work and was unsure of how to feel when the emperor decreed that all Gelfling were to be captured and drained as she did want to live forever like the rest of her kin but did not agree to the skeksis draining them all and actually agreed with the Chamberlain about not draining all Gelfling at once in order to have enough until the next great conjunction. When the prophecy came into light she like the others wanted the Gelfling gone and aided the Garthim master during the raids.

She shares a strong bond with SkekUng the Garthim master, even before the division between Skeksis and Urru. Their relationship ran deeper as the centuries passed and the two had a child together, who would be eventually given the title SkekTen the Warrior. SkekEm was fiercely protective of her son since he was born and he was always at her side or on her back. She was firm but patient and would correct his behavior if he did something he wasn't supposed to. She gets annoyed with his reckless attitude but is very proud of him earning his title and defending the skeksis lords. When he was old enough she stopped treating him like a child and more like a proper lord of the crystal to make him less dependent on her and to fight his own battles. They are both in the same alliance with the Garthim master, Slave-master, and scientist and are strong allies and she gives him the occasional advice.

Relationships with other skeksis------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SkekOk the Scrollkeeper:
SkekEm would illustrate for the Scrollkeepers books and they would always talk to each other about art and history or what their next project will be. Since the two dine next to each other at every meal they talk about their work or just eat in comfortable silence. The Chamberlain almost never eavesdrops on the two since that's all they ever talk about and Skeksil finds it boring to listen to. SkekEm is used to SkekOk's lateness and tendency to sleep at odd times, and his weird mumbling. The two work very well together and will even gossip or criticize others for amusement. She's the muscle, he's the brain.

SkekSo the Emperor: SkekEm respects the Emperor and is fiercely loyal to him but she's very bunt at the same time, she says the kind of things to him that no one would dare ever say to their boss and has been harshly reprimanded for her actions more than once. Over time SkekSo has gotten rather use to her blunt honesty and straight forward attitude and has even asked for her honest opinion more than once. He does get fed up with her yelling and quick temper when she's riled up over something and has punished her for that too. Mostly by having her do servants work when she gets to bold or locking her up in her room for 3 days without food. Over the many trine that followed after the gelfling rebellion she noticed the Emperor grow increasingly violent and paranoid to the point where she truly believed he was losing his grip on his sanity and believed that the death of Skekso would be in the best interest of the Skeksis empire and joined SkekUng's alliance and just patiently waited for Skekso to die.

SkekNa the Slave master: SkekEm is unnerved around the slave master because of his mangy appearance with his hooked hand, missing eye and unnecessary cruelty but she knows better and just leaves him to do his job. She is somewhat intimidated by him despite her standing a foot or more higher than him. They share a mutual respect as they are both loyal to skekUng and both vouch for the garthim master to be the next Emperor. SkekNa is also SkekTen's mentor in handling the Gelfling.

SkekLach the collector (Comic version): Before the beginning of the Garthim wars the Collector and Artist had a neutral relationship in that they would trade with one another. SkekEm would do a painting of any kind in exchange for odd items she wasnt allowed to go out and get herself such as bones, feathers, rocks, plants, seashells, etc. This went on for a while until SkekLach became high in favour with the Emperor and started manipulating the other skeksis, her included and she despised him for it. She knew SkekLach's true goal was to become Emperor himself and SkekEm desperately wanted to inform SkekSo of the Collectors treachery but SkekLach twisted the words around and almost had her banished as a result. So she silently waited for his eventual downfall.

SkekZok the ritual master: SkekZok was the first to be offended by SkekEm's bluntness towards the Emperor and wanted to punish her for such behavior but was dismissed, when SkekEm is riled up he tries to be her voice of reason and calm her down, but it annoys him to no end when she acts like this. SkekEm either rolls her eyes at him and just brushes him off and she has often criticizes his rituals, especially the over the top ones. He only respects her for her craft and her loyalty but wishes she would think before acting on impulse.

SkekUng the Garthim Master: SkekEm and SkekUng have known each other for centuries, even before the division. It was a friendship that developed int something deeper as the trines went on. Eventually the two of them had a child together, SkekTen. Both of them raised SkekTen together and SkekUng was the one who trained their son to fight as well as taught him battle strategies. SkekEm supported the Garthim Master in his bid to becoming Emperor along with SkekTen and SkekNa. Both skeksis have fought alongside each other during the Garthim wars despite having a child to take care of and raise back at the castle and both shared the struggles of parenthood. They have gotten into fights with one another more than once but they are usually very brief and they make up for it later.

SkekTek the Scientist: Like the other skeksis she finds enjoyment in tormenting the smaller skeksis and criticizes him for being so weak and cowardly and through her rare moments of kindness gives the scientist the confidence he needs to become motivated though its a very tough love approach. When Skektek talks about his work she is instantly lost and just stares at him blankly not comprehending anything he says much to the scientists annoyance. He was reluctant to accept SkekEm into Skekungs alliance at first but welcomed it as extra muscle.

SkekSil the Chamberlain: SkekEm does not like nor trust Skeksil at all and the way he schemes and plots the fall of other skeksis. She isn't cunning enough to outsmart him by any means but she does show off her physical strength in front of him by crushing a metal goblet in one hand while making eye contact with him when he says something about her that she really hates. This usually shuts him up and he is quick to change the subject. Chamberlain has tried to persuade SkekEm into joining his alliance but she refused, instead joining the Garthim Master.

SkekEkt the ornamentalist: SkekEkt are not the closest when it comes to relationships but they have a great respect for each others artistic talents, where SkekEm's talents and interests lay with paints and canvas and SkekEkts is in textiles and sewing. They both share ideas for their respective works, such as choice of colours, patterns, designs, etc. SkekEkt was disappointed when SkekEm didn't ally herself with him, the gourmand and the Chamberlain but it never stopped them from talking or enjoying each others company

SkekAyuk the Gourmand: There is rarely any interaction between these two other than SkekEm desiring sweet foods as a snack for when she works.

SkekShod the treasurer: SkekEm often hisses at the Treasurer when he gets to close to her pockets or personal chambers searching for anything shiny to take. After a while he stopped going near her room unless he was sure she was not around after she had reported him to the Emperor whom he already had a bad relationship with from when SkekSo decreed himself as Emperor and bashed SkekShod's head with the royal scepter. He scuttles away from SkekEm when she's near.

SkekTen the Warrior: SkekTen is the son of SkekEm and her mate SkekUng the Garthim master. He was an unexpected surprise to the residents of the castle but still a welcomed one. SkekTen and SkekEm shared a very strong bond since he was born and she was highly protective over him, even snapping at SkekUng more than once. As the years went by she began to coddle him less and less until he learned to take care of himself and become almost entirely independent from her. They still greatly care for each other but SkekTen must act like a grown lord of the crystal and perform his duties for the empire. He still occasionally comes to her for advice or if he's off guard duty and wishes to paint with her. SkekEm taught him to paint growing up, a hobby which SkekTen still greatly enjoys. When he was a child SkekEm would get annoyed at skekTen's habits of destroying things and wandering off without supervision most times he been found by another skeksis.

Banished or Deceased skeksis

SkekMal the hunter: They never interacted much since she always remained in the castle and he was always out hunting but have always found random traces of his kills in the hallways, either it be blood, fur, bones or feathers, which she would silently take to add to her collection. She did see him running through the trees once and wished she could move that agile.

SkekLi the Satirist: Before the Satirist was banished he would play pranks mostly on her which frustrated her to no end and has threatened to kill him more than once but deep down she does find his jokes and pranks a bit funny but will never admit it. She was a bit disheartened when he was banished and often wondered to this day what came of him.

SkekGra the Conqueror: SkekEm never interacted with the Conqueror that often even when he returned to the castle but she was furious when he told her and the other skeksis that they need to become one with their other halves and she did not hesitate to cast him out alongside the others. She likes to forget he ever existed.

SkekVar the General: Despite their similarities in their loyalty to the Emperor and warrior like behavior he views SkekEm like she would be too weak in a fight because of her occupation as an artist even though she towers over him in height is not afraid of combat. SkekEm is not deterred by his behavior and just ignores him because he is not the boss of her.

Art and character done by me
The Dark Crystal belongs to the Jim Henson company

Description
I had done some sketches of a bunch of random Skeksis characters and was just playing around with the designs and ended up eventually creating this character. I loved drawing her and designing the gold embroidery on her robes but she was even more difficult to draw than SkekNit (the other skeksis oc I made)

Name: SkekEm
Title: The Artist
Race: Skeksis
UrRu counterpart: UrRin the poet
Urskek name: EmRin
Sex- hermaphrodite (goes by she/her pronouns)
Age- around the same as the other Skeksis
Occupation- Court Artist and painter
Eye colour: orange
Skills: Painting, drawing, writing stories and poetry, multitasking, some skill with swords, writing in different styles
Peeves: Others disturbing her alone time, being talked over or ignored, her schedule being interrupted by meaningless things
Habits: bouncing her legs when feeling restless, scratching the back of her head when stressed

Trivia: her favourite season is the fall. she has a a very big sweet tooth

Likes: drawing, listening to music (especially violins), birds, going for walks in freshly fallen snow, sweets, walking on the beach, collecting strange items like seashells, feathers, bones and skulls, interesting rocks, driftwood, etc, sleeping and reading, making others laugh at her jokes, telling stories.

Dislikes: Being ignored or talked over, others touching her stuff, people looking over shoulder as she draws, her work being insulted, the Chamberlain's whimpers.
Fears: Getting punished by Skekso, The Gelfling rebellion succeeding in overthrowing them.

Personality: SkekEm is a very short tempered Skeksis with little patience with others. When angered or annoyed she will often shout and threaten the other skeksis and has started many hissing matches even with her mate SkekUng but they are usually quelled when someone interfers before things get out of hand. She knows physically attacking another skeksis is against their law and even though she will hiss and shout she will keep her talons to herself. During the war she would occasionally accompany the Garthim Master and reveled in the excitement of combat, not physically imposing as some of her comrades she is still strong enough to make others think twice before deciding to fight her.

She finds great enjoyment in drawing and painting all manners of animals and landscapes but finds it very long and boring to paint portraits of the other skeksis. Even though she would like to put those projects off to the side and procrastinate on them she knows that that isn't an option, especially if it was commissioned by the Emperor. She hums songs she's heard when she's in a good mood and its common for her to do so while she paints. She is also highly curious and anything new always catches her attention whether it be a new servant or interesting or rare items that the Mariner, Hunter and Collector bring to the castle. She is very blunt and witty towards her fellow Skeksis and she speaks with an undertone of sarcasm. She is however not as deceptively smart and cunning as the Chamberlain and has been caught several times in his webs much to her great annoyance.

SkekEm thinks the Gelfling are too nice for their own good but graciously accepts their kind comments about her artwork when the other Skeksis hardly say anything about her talents. She enjoyed their service to build her more canvases and paints for her work and was unsure of how to feel when the emperor decreed that all Gelfling were to be captured and drained as she did want to live forever like the rest of her kin but did not agree to the skeksis draining them all and actually agreed with the Chamberlain about not draining all Gelfling at once in order to have enough until the next great conjunction. When the prophecy came into light she like the others wanted the Gelfling gone and aided the Garthim master during the raids.

She shares a strong bond with SkekUng the Garthim master, even before the division between Skeksis and Urru. Their relationship ran deeper as the centuries passed and the two had a child together, who would be eventually given the title SkekTen the Warrior. SkekEm was fiercely protective of her son since he was born and he was always at her side or on her back. She was firm but patient and would correct his behavior if he did something he wasn't supposed to. She gets annoyed with his reckless attitude but is very proud of him earning his title and defending the skeksis lords. When he was old enough she stopped treating him like a child and more like a proper lord of the crystal to make him less dependent on her and to fight his own battles. They are both in the same alliance with the Garthim master, Slave-master, and scientist and are strong allies and she gives him the occasional advice.

Relationships with other skeksis------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SkekOk the Scrollkeeper:
SkekEm would illustrate for the Scrollkeepers books and they would always talk to each other about art and history or what their next project will be. Since the two dine next to each other at every meal they talk about their work or just eat in comfortable silence. The Chamberlain almost never eavesdrops on the two since that's all they ever talk about and Skeksil finds it boring to listen to. SkekEm is used to SkekOk's lateness and tendency to sleep at odd times, and his weird mumbling. The two work very well together and will even gossip or criticize others for amusement. She's the muscle, he's the brain.

SkekSo the Emperor: SkekEm respects the Emperor and is fiercely loyal to him but she's very bunt at the same time, she says the kind of things to him that no one would dare ever say to their boss and has been harshly reprimanded for her actions more than once. Over time SkekSo has gotten rather use to her blunt honesty and straight forward attitude and has even asked for her honest opinion more than once. He does get fed up with her yelling and quick temper when she's riled up over something and has punished her for that too. Mostly by having her do servants work when she gets to bold or locking her up in her room for 3 days without food. Over the many trine that followed after the gelfling rebellion she noticed the Emperor grow increasingly violent and paranoid to the point where she truly believed he was losing his grip on his sanity and believed that the death of Skekso would be in the best interest of the Skeksis empire and joined SkekUng's alliance and just patiently waited for Skekso to die.

SkekNa the Slave master: SkekEm is unnerved around the slave master because of his mangy appearance with his hooked hand, missing eye and unnecessary cruelty but she knows better and just leaves him to do his job. She is somewhat intimidated by him despite her standing a foot or more higher than him. They share a mutual respect as they are both loyal to skekUng and both vouch for the garthim master to be the next Emperor. SkekNa is also SkekTen's mentor in handling the Gelfling.

SkekLach the collector (Comic version): Before the beginning of the Garthim wars the Collector and Artist had a neutral relationship in that they would trade with one another. SkekEm would do a painting of any kind in exchange for odd items she wasnt allowed to go out and get herself such as bones, feathers, rocks, plants, seashells, etc. This went on for a while until SkekLach became high in favour with the Emperor and started manipulating the other skeksis, her included and she despised him for it. She knew SkekLach's true goal was to become Emperor himself and SkekEm desperately wanted to inform SkekSo of the Collectors treachery but SkekLach twisted the words around and almost had her banished as a result. So she silently waited for his eventual downfall.

SkekZok the ritual master: SkekZok was the first to be offended by SkekEm's bluntness towards the Emperor and wanted to punish her for such behavior but was dismissed, when SkekEm is riled up he tries to be her voice of reason and calm her down, but it annoys him to no end when she acts like this. SkekEm either rolls her eyes at him and just brushes him off and she has often criticizes his rituals, especially the over the top ones. He only respects her for her craft and her loyalty but wishes she would think before acting on impulse.

SkekUng the Garthim Master: SkekEm and SkekUng have known each other for centuries, even before the division. It was a friendship that developed int something deeper as the trines went on. Eventually the two of them had a child together, SkekTen. Both of them raised SkekTen together and SkekUng was the one who trained their son to fight as well as taught him battle strategies. SkekEm supported the Garthim Master in his bid to becoming Emperor along with SkekTen and SkekNa. Both skeksis have fought alongside each other during the Garthim wars despite having a child to take care of and raise back at the castle and both shared the struggles of parenthood. They have gotten into fights with one another more than once but they are usually very brief and they make up for it later.

SkekTek the Scientist: Like the other skeksis she finds enjoyment in tormenting the smaller skeksis and criticizes him for being so weak and cowardly and through her rare moments of kindness gives the scientist the confidence he needs to become motivated though its a very tough love approach. When Skektek talks about his work she is instantly lost and just stares at him blankly not comprehending anything he says much to the scientists annoyance. He was reluctant to accept SkekEm into Skekungs alliance at first but welcomed it as extra muscle.

SkekSil the Chamberlain: SkekEm does not like nor trust Skeksil at all and the way he schemes and plots the fall of other skeksis. She isn't cunning enough to outsmart him by any means but she does show off her physical strength in front of him by crushing a metal goblet in one hand while making eye contact with him when he says something about her that she really hates. This usually shuts him up and he is quick to change the subject. Chamberlain has tried to persuade SkekEm into joining his alliance but she refused, instead joining the Garthim Master.

SkekEkt the ornamentalist: SkekEkt are not the closest when it comes to relationships but they have a great respect for each others artistic talents, where SkekEm's talents and interests lay with paints and canvas and SkekEkts is in textiles and sewing. They both share ideas for their respective works, such as choice of colours, patterns, designs, etc. SkekEkt was disappointed when SkekEm didn't ally herself with him, the gourmand and the Chamberlain but it never stopped them from talking or enjoying each others company

SkekAyuk the Gourmand: There is rarely any interaction between these two other than SkekEm desiring sweet foods as a snack for when she works.

SkekShod the treasurer: SkekEm often hisses at the Treasurer when he gets to close to her pockets or personal chambers searching for anything shiny to take. After a while he stopped going near her room unless he was sure she was not around after she had reported him to the Emperor whom he already had a bad relationship with from when SkekSo decreed himself as Emperor and bashed SkekShod's head with the royal scepter. He scuttles away from SkekEm when she's near.

SkekTen the Warrior: SkekTen is the son of SkekEm and her mate SkekUng the Garthim master. He was an unexpected surprise to the residents of the castle but still a welcomed one. SkekTen and SkekEm shared a very strong bond since he was born and she was highly protective over him, even snapping at SkekUng more than once. As the years went by she began to coddle him less and less until he learned to take care of himself and become almost entirely independent from her. They still greatly care for each other but SkekTen must act like a grown lord of the crystal and perform his duties for the empire. He still occasionally comes to her for advice or if he's off guard duty and wishes to paint with her. SkekEm taught him to paint growing up, a hobby which SkekTen still greatly enjoys. When he was a child SkekEm would get annoyed at skekTen's habits of destroying things and wandering off without supervision most times he been found by another skeksis.

Banished or Deceased skeksis

SkekMal the hunter: They never interacted much since she always remained in the castle and he was always out hunting but have always found random traces of his kills in the hallways, either it be blood, fur, bones or feathers, which she would silently take to add to her collection. She did see him running through the trees once and wished she could move that agile.

SkekLi the Satirist: Before the Satirist was banished he would play pranks mostly on her which frustrated her to no end and has threatened to kill him more than once but deep down she does find his jokes and pranks a bit funny but will never admit it. She was a bit disheartened when he was banished and often wondered to this day what came of him.

SkekGra the Conqueror: SkekEm never interacted with the Conqueror that often even when he returned to the castle but she was furious when he told her and the other skeksis that they need to become one with their other halves and she did not hesitate to cast him out alongside the others. She likes to forget he ever existed.

SkekVar the General: Despite their similarities in their loyalty to the Emperor and warrior like behavior he views SkekEm like she would be too weak in a fight because of her occupation as an artist even though she towers over him in height is not afraid of combat. SkekEm is not deterred by his behavior and just ignores him because he is not the boss of her.

Art and character done by me
The Dark Crystal belongs to the Jim Henson company