Sky Lore - Tumblr Posts

oooh my god this is cool i’m actually a little ashamed that i never knew about this or that happening but GAH all of that is so cool!!!!

Um question

during one of my “endlessly scrolling through tumblr looking at people’s opinions on Sky lore” nights I noticed one of your posts about a Valley Priestess? Several other people had drawn/talked about Valley Priestess and I am incredibly confused as to who she is

*RUNS FULL SPEED AT YOU *GRABS YOU OH MY DEAR FRIEND YOU HAVE **NO** IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE JUST AWAKENED. PRIESTESS IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER EVER AND MY HYPERFIXATED ASS WILL TALK ABOUT HER JUST GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY.

SIT DOWN FELLA THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE.

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Let's go back in time, circa 2017-2018, when Sky was still in development, and was yet to hit the shelves. During that time, TGC presented their pre-release concepts of what was back then known as Sky: Light Awaits, at CAFA GAME ART 2018 exhibition, held at Cetral Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China from september 8 to October 7. In that exhibition, TGC presented the crowd with a bunch of concept art, story directions and ideas, and some world-building of their upcoming game. If you are interested in seeing the exhibits TGC put up, you can check those links:

1. Layout 2. World overview 3. Storyline 4. World Map 5. Character Designs 6. Level designs 7. Interaction and customization 8. Journey comparison 9. Bits and pieces

However, for the specifc question you asked, we need to focus on number 3. Storyline. More specifically, this bit right here:

You see this? Right here? "Descendants summon and challenge and ancient (priestess)" YUP, THERE SHE IS, RIGHT HERE!! That is one of the first, and frankly, the last times she gets officially mentioned. Why? Because she was replaced by the Valley twins. That is also why the twins share one name: Samekh, because they used to be one elder, to whom this name belonged. How do we know this? Because in the concept art where the twins start to appear, they are both labeled Samekh... Just like in this very little and crunchy concept art:

You see her? In the corner?

There she is! As we can see, this singular figure is also labeled Samekh. And since we know that Samekh is the name of the valley elders and the singular Valley elder for the Priestess, we can conclude this is a concept art of her :) if you want to know more about elders' names, you can always check out Grandpa's (@grapeless-seeds) very neat doc right here!

Now, you may be asking: "If she is just a scraped elder that was already replaced by other elders, how did she resurface again?" That is a very good question! And it has a VERY long and VERY interesting history behind it.

Despite her being in the concept art, not many acknowledged her existence, moreover being anyway related to the current Valley elders. Even though many asked themselves the question "Why were there two Valley elders, and why are they so much younger than the rest of them?", a big part of the fandom agreed on the headcanon that the twins were simply two parts of one being who got split. And so, Priestess laid dormant in the discarded concept art. But things were about to change.

Let's jump into the future, circa 2020-2021, when the fandom's love for lore and elders was at it's height. Theories were flowing left and right, and as you know, Sky lore enjoyers often dig through countless concept art for crumbs of lore we usually don't get in the game. And one of said concepts through which a certain group of people dug through was the concept of Priestess. Unconciouslly, her image rooted itself in the minds of elder lore enthusiasts.

In 2020, Grandpa, who was a pretty influential Sky artist and theorist on Skyblr and the western Sky fandom, posted this headcanon on her twitter:

This, as far as I'm aware, was one of the first instances of the idea that not only the twins aren't just two halves of one being, but that they are actually children of an elder long gone: the Priestess.

Soon enough after it, a sketch by @artificial-radiance Was posted on Skyblr, featuring this idea yet again.

While the headcanon was still really obscure, it did manage to trickle down into the hearts of some very passionate (and lowkey insane) people, like me. I mean, How could it not! It was a perfect setup for drama, mystery, and the "dead mom" trope! It could finally give a much spicier explanation for the twins being younger than the rest of the elders than the "split theory" we knew beforehand. And a few more fan arts and headcanons started showing up, here are some examples:

(two old sketches by me, inspired by artificial radiance)

(a short comic by @dogedepan also inspired by artificial radiance)

As you can see, back then the design for her was really close to the single concept art piece we had - a hooded silhouette with not a lot of unique features.

The awareness of Priestess and the idea of her being the mother of the current Valley elders rooted itself stronger. But you know what really made it bloom?

Eldertwt.

Eldertwt was a joke roleplay a bunch of sky fans started on Twitter dot com, where each created a profile after an elder or a Sky spirit, interacting and making a bunch of shenanigans. The whole thing was filled with deez nuts and gay jokes, and it really didn't seem to be going anywhere serious...

Until, Grandpa, yet again, dropped a priestess bomb. In a, surprisingly, heartwrenching Eldertwt storyline (no I'm serious, you HAD to be there when it went down), Grandpa introduced Priestess again, finally forever basing Priestess as an existing character and the mother of the twins. With Grandpa drawing her in her style, a change in the way she was drawn was done

(credit to @grapeless-seeds)

And many who proceeded to draw her for Eldertwt based on Grandpa's design really hammered it down. Here are some examples

(credit to @dogedepan)

(credit to @fiomeras)

(credit to @krillcandles)

(credit to @thatskymoz)

As you can see, Priestess went from a hooded silhouette in a crunchy concept art into a full-fledged character with hair, face, and personality. With Priestess stopped being an obscured piece of concept art, she found her way into the hearts of many.

Before long, the simple little headcanon grew into a full-fledged fanon, with fanart, theories, ships, and fanfics being produced with priestess as a character in them. And honestly? This perhaps was one of the most favorite things I got to experience in Sky fandom. How a bunch of strangers came together and out of pure love and interest took a piece of concept art and a little text that never made it past development, and turned it into a full, recognizable character. And yes, this fanon might not be the most popular, and most people still go by the "split elder" theory for twins. But Priestess is THERE. She is no longer a forgotten and discarded piece of art. She is a character who holds importance to many, including me.

And you might say "Well, isn't it silly, to turn a character that doesn't even exist in the final game into a full-fledged fanon?" And you would be right, it is silly. But it's fun. And in a game like Sky, where most of what we know is through concept art, is it really a stretch to give importance to a piece of it?

Besides... Once you learn about Priestess...

You start to notice that perhaps, she isn't gone from the game entirely 😉

Anyway, I hope I answered your question! SOryy for making this SO long, it's just I love this character so so so so much, AND the history behind her is fascinating!!!

the sky concept art masterpost!

i compiled a bunch of official sky concept art in a google drive folder because i got incredibly sidetracked looking at elder references. it’s not all illustrations; there are a few 3d images from the game’s development. i also included dev notes when available as well as the slides from the art of sky presentation.

Keep reading

Eden; The Eternal Return

It's the first time I attempt something like this, but . . I have always wondered if the Elders ever felt any sort of guilt regarding what Sky kids would have to endure, in order to bring Light back to the Kingdom. It is my personal headcanon that Mekh sees this as some sort of eternal curse, and that the world is somehow bound to this endless cycle. . . Because, the Storm is still raging, and not one has been able to put an end to it.

Hope you enjoy!!

Dubbed version of the video I posted a few days ago ! I tried to make their voices sound as accurately as possible to what I envision :) hope you like it!

Second part of the Elders' Meeting ! I've really enjoyed voicing this one, and my wrist is broken but . . It was so worth it ! I really want to dive in more into what could've happened before the Shattering, and the events that led up to the end..

More resh doodles because why not 🫶🏻 actually they were meant to stay doodles but i ended up inking them . . Since i love inking

And now he has luscious hair 🫵

More resh doodles because why not 🫶🏻 actually they were meant to stay doodles but i ended up inking them . . Since i love inking

And now he has luscious hair 🫵

Awakening 🕯️

as if it wasn't enough to have dragged my friends into my sky hyperfixation, we've been building a story that keeps getting deeper and deeper . . and it's far from done yet ! it is definitely based on the lore itself but also on our own theories and additions . . so I decided I also wanted a visual of it. Maybe of some important parts ⎯⎯⎯ we'll see how it goes. I'll be calling it "Awakening", since it ties very deeply into the characters involved and their arcs.

This is Kid ! a skykid which seems to be quite like all the others. born in the forest, the first thing he does, or that he remembers to do, is to wake up the Elder of the Forest for some reason . . but he is quite confused by the expression on her face upon seeing him. It was the first time they had seen each other, why would his presence be so upsetting ?

Awakening 🕯️(2)

After Kid awaked the Forest Elder, it seemed to him that she was upset, for a reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on . . But neither of them dwelled on it, and he recounts how she taught him lots of things. He doesn't understand why other skykids find her mean and scary . . She is kind and beautiful. After quite some time, another attempt was made ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ but he still couldn't remember his name, nor who she was. Was he supposed to ?

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I really enjoy working on these videos, and voicing them! They're taking quite some time to work on, but it's really worth it and I really hope that you enjoy them as much as I do 💕 It's not possible to include all the details that my friends and I have been working on regarding the lore, but I'm doing my best to incorporate them into this story form 🫶🏻

So I drew Resh again⎯⎯⎯

Inner Child

Alef / Resh

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I literally cannot stop speculating about who Resh was, and who he could've been. It's almost inevitable that given so much power, and considering how he was worshipped by the people around him due to his power . . that this might've eventually gotten to his head, to the point where, there was both a superiority, (or even a god) complex, and the intense apprehension of disappointing the people who believed in him and held him to extremely high standards . . . the corruption certainly didn't happen overnight and was a progression towards the point where it has gotten . .

((SPOILER BELOW))

I've been thinking so deep about the golden child we see in the Void . . in such a way that Alef has lost himself further and further until he became unrecognizable, but at the end of it, he's still there, but of course has to pay the price of what he's caused. AURGHHHHH 💔

Awakening 🕯️ (3)

Kid mentions that he went back to the Forest Elder—who he refers to as ma'am —every time he woke up. Upon finding himself in Aviary Village, he is faced with several gates, unsure which one to visit first. This is where he meets Howl and Florian, who he seems to refer to as his parents, according to his understanding of the word. Howl assures confidently that in his company, there is no worry to have in visiting the wasteland, even if Florian remains quite apprehensive. Kid really wonders about the sounds he's hearing coming out of the Wasteland Gate.

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WHEW this took me several days to finish drawing, but I am INCREDIBLY happy to be working on this series, and have so much fun voicing them! Howl is my OC, Florian is my friend's, pandorah, and Kid is Mel's. This is based on their interactions!

Late Night Doodles

I don't even know how to justify the obsession anymore

just have more doodles 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Sketches 🫶🏻

Two Halves and One Heart ❤️

I can't stop drawing them and I have so much to say about them 💔 also how much it ties into the series I am working on and all the lore . . . o<= the second picture is a bonus, it would've been angsty as usual but I thought, let's be merciful and give them so happiness first 💔☹️

Sunshine ☀️

Kid and Teth 💞

Kid doesn't like to see Teth upset, especially when it rains worse than usual. He thinks that flowers can make her smile 💞

Kid is a character in a series I am working on on Tiktok, called "Awakening", and it is also on Youtube. It's a series based on the lore created with my friends, adapted into a story. Do check it out ! It's still in the works and I promise it's worth it 💞

Awakening 🕯️ (6)

Despite being unaware of Teth's nightmare, Kid is still able to observe that something seems to be wrong. The Forest Elder appears to be restless, and is always checking her surroundings. He is unsure as to how to help, but he notices that her mood lifts a little when he talks to her about his adventures. It does sadden him that she doesn't seem to find happiness otherwise. What could possibly make her heart so sorrowful? Kid's thoughts are interrupted by the sudden appearance of a very shiny stranger, who refers to themself as "Moon". Kid immediately equates their person to that of the moon itself. Would he be correct in assuming so? If so, why would the moon suddenly show up in human form?

Corrupted King, Resh

I have quite a few headcanons when it comes to Alef / Resh, and I will mention them below ( PS: could contain spoilers, so please be aware of that )

like I mentioned in a previous post, I differentiate Alef and Resh as before corruption, and after corruption. So Alef is the uncorrupted Prince which later on becomes King. The corruption is gradual however, and doesn't settle immediately, hence the "semi- corrupted", where I see him as losing his former personality to be replaced by increasing coldness, and ruthlessness. That being said, Alef and Resh become like two different people. the way I see it, is that Alef becomes a very small part of light, lost in the darkness. metaphorically very similar to the lone golden child in the void, before we get reborn. the way I envisioned it is, the darkness seeped into the very core of his surroundings, to such an extent it may as well have been an extension of himself. in that sense, Resh "fused" with the darkness around him, and the mountain of Eden, is /alive/ and actively trying to destroy sky kids, even though Resh is not visible himself. when the Elders set on sealing the King away, because he is too powerful, he might have been as big as a mountain tbh, and the sheer power that was being let out on that day likely shattered the diamond. perhaps, Resh's intention was to overthrow Megabird and become the sole source of Light, hence directing the diamond towards the heavenly Light, but of course.. it turned out for the worst

in a way, perhaps Alef is watching himself becoming unrecognizable, but is unable to do anything at all against the all-consuming darkness, which is himself?

Shattering.

Alef / Resh has been living rent free in my head for a while and I just can't stop thinking about how everything led up to the shattering . . How Alef's person gradually slipped away until he was unrecognizable, and replaced by a corrupted version of himself, unreachable since he was trapped within his own darkness. Starting off with good intentions, only to be lifted so high he believed himself to be a god; aiming for eternal light only to be plunged in eternal darkness. A never-ending storm of rage and all-consuming darkness.

Awakening 🕯️ (7)

Meeting Moon seemed to be an exhilarating experience for Kid, as someone who had never met another so shiny before. And Kid's perspective remains quite limited. Someone else sees the Moon's arrival as some sort of sentence, a reaction born from years long guilt and remorse. But Mekh seems to know things that others don't. Moon's arrival has made her cross paths with the child she apparently had already seen a long time ago, before the events of the Shattering. How could it be that it was the same child who has reappeared so long after? Why could he have been hidden in the first place? What Mekh believes for sure, is that Teth has a lot of secrets, many upon which rests the Fate of the world.

Does Mekh's perspective paint the events as they were? and . . who really is Kid?