#Gelfling tug

[fishtail-tavra]

Dreamed of 1980’s animated adaptation of Age of Resistance (in the style of the last unicorn) and to be honest it was super fun

They pushed everything into one, hour and a half movie, so a lot of things that were secrets weren’t anymore and the set up got changed to move things right to the climax-

So everyone knows the Skeksis are evil and eating people, but the Skeksis are holding everyone hostage saying the Dark Crystal will die without them (taking all of Thra with it) and THEY will die without Gelfling essence, so from the very start tithes include sacrifices and the retuning of the drained people and

In my dream I cared more about the gays though, meaning Tavra and Onica.

Tavra got introduced arriving late to some big party Mayrin was hosting for the visiting Skeksis- no actually, it was for Brea? Some kind of coming of age thing?- anyway, Tavra trips and falls on her face coming in the doors and everyone’s very O_O; except her sisters who are already running over to say hi

She tripped though bc she saw ONICA in the crowd, disguised, and there were a lot of shots of her in the background during the main action of the party, looking worried and discreetly talking with Totally Not Onica while spilling things on herself absentmindedly or having to get tugged out of the way gently by Onica before she runs into/got run into by someone else

(there’s a morning scene later where we see them in bed together- very PG- both still fully dressed bc Tavra was up most of the night worrying- but Onica is watching Tavra sleep now, reaching out to touch her recently shortened hair (more on that later), and Tavra wakes up from that, smiling, and it’s the first time in the movie we see her really smile so)

In my dream I was mostly busy looking at screen caps and gifs of these two, but there was other changes I had fun with, like BADASS ARCHER NAIA

Naia showing up at the last big battle-

(right before the Skeksis get spooked into unleash the garthim and the clans all scatter desperately hoping at least one Gelfling survives the slaughter long enough to fulfil the Far-Dream that Onica led them into dreaming together blah blah)  

-with this MASSIVE bow, bigger than she is, (lots of cool shots of her arms and back muscles whenever she drew it) and to fire the thing she actually needs to be either standing on something (usually her brother) (or one time both Kylan and Amri stood in for a single Gurjin) or she needs to be airborne

She and Gurjin had this trick where he’d kneel down and she’d run and jump on him, he’d boost her up, and she’d use her wings to slow her fall long enough to get off a shot or two before landing again

She didn’t used it to kill anyone (except Arathim) bc movie Naia still was big on not having the Mystics as collateral damage for stopping the Skeksis,

But she did get a few really dramatic shots- once shattering a Skeksis’s jeweled staff when they were using it to hypnotized and then almost kill someone- and another where (after her own bow got broken) she picks up urVa’s bow (MUCH bigger than hers) and uses her legs while lying on the ground wounded to shoot a flask of essence out of a skeksis hand before they can drink it

In this adaption though Brea is the one who really gets the rebellion kicking, still by reading something, but not a book this time

The movie had Brea going through the trial by wing that her grandmother started as like a coming of age/proof of power to rule kinda thing, where the women who lead the Vapra have to fly the dangerous winds of Raunip’s Pass alone, reach this one high spot where Raunip left an inscription, read it and bring back a stone from the pile siting nearby

This rock pile and inscribed stone is actually the movie version of Lore,

only this time Lore was created by ye oldie Tavra (Raunip’s Friend) to keep her friend Raunip company long after she was dead, and as a way to show no hard feelings for the fight they had over the UrSkeks.

But when Raunip left for the last time (passing through the mountains of Tavra’s home and what would later get named Raunip’s pass) he left Lore behind in the cliffs overlooking Ha’rar, so the Dream-Stitched stone could watch over Tavra’s people even after he was gone

This choked me up every time dream me saw a dream post about it ngl

Anyway, Seladon the 1st, Mayrin, Seladon the 2nd, and Tavra had all just flown up there, seen some old oddly etched rocks, the dedication from Raunip to his friend Tavra, shrugged and grabbed a rock before leaving

(the size of the rock you could manage to haul back was also part of the trial and Seladon was feeling both worried for ‘airheaded’ Brea and insecure knowing her little sister was probably going to bring back a larger stone than Seladon- with her crooked wing- had felt safe carrying)

Only Brea actually takes an interest the ancient writing and the symbols and the odd carvings and she gets distracted clearing away some dirt and rubble

underneath she finds the Dream-Stitching, activates it, gets a lore dump from ye oldie Tavra’s memories AND gets Lore itself to wake up, when it turns out to be able to play recordings of Raunip’s voice etched into stone- Tavra’s real gift to him, a way for him to Dream-Stitch his memories and be remembered even without vliya- so Brea ALSO gets all of RAUNIP’S fears and confessions about his involvement with the second great conjunction and the UrSkeks and the shattering and how things have gone downhill since then and

Brea’s family is getting increasingly worried she’s taking so long, what if she got smashing on the rocks by the winds, what if she’s hurt and needs help-

and the Skeksis get a chance to be evil and manipulative commenting that if Brea isn’t strong enough to follow in her grandmother’s flight path then maybe it’s the will of Thra that she fails this challenge and never comes home

I think I remember this being one of those moments where you can see everyone’s different reactions in a single frame, and it went something like Mayrin: devastated, Seladon: flinching and cringing, Tavra: looking absolutely murderous.

This is when Tavra steps forward and when questioned says she’s going to go look for her sister, since it was the will of Thra that they BE sisters in the first place, and Seladon hesitates before also saying she’ll go with Tavra

But that’s when Brea comes home with an entire rock monster and sort of accidentally starts a rebellion by asking questions, so

The night BEFORE this, the party scene, with the tithing and the prepping Brea for her big day, there had been this moment when the drained Gelflings were returned home, and Mira was one of them

And so Rian had come too, because up until this moment the “crystal anointed” were kept in seclusion, hooded and veiled, to keep a general panic from breaking out, and they only were released back to their own family in the clan they came from

(an information isolation tactic, to help the Skeksis spread rumors of each clan paying more than the other, or of their offered Gelfling being less worthy of the Crystal’s light and THAT’S why they are Like That Now, but the other clans aren’t being effected, no no no it’s totally just you, and you’re also having to give more people because the richer clans are paying more in tithes to send fewer offerings, so really the ones you should be mad at are the OTHER CLANS, not the Skeksis, the Skeksis don’t care how they get their sacrifices, the Skeksis only care about maintaining the Crystal that maintains all life on Thra obviously-)

Rian followed them to Ha’rar (with Gurjin) (and Naia because Naia’s not letting her twin go off into maybe danger without her) to finally reunite with Mira, but she’s been SO badly drained he barely recognizes her and she DOESN’T recognize him,

Cue very sad scene of Rian trying to help her remember, and after a bit she does reach out to dreamfast, like its instinct, only nothing happens, and Naia (the healer) checks and declares she doesn’t have enough vliya to dreamfast with- in fact, she doesn’t have enough to stay alive with, even. She isn’t just old and drained looking. She’s dying.

Rian is horrified, Rian breaks down, Rian shouts at the Skeksis while crying and holding Mira close,

The Skeksis don’t like that and we get a fun dramatic party screeches to a halt scene as the General gets up and draws his sword

Dream me thought it was very fun that Gurjin still got his hero moment, causing a distraction by taking on the castle guards that came here with the Skeksis so Rian could get Mira away

(also callback to the first movie, with a drained and totally out of it Mira still managing to break her and Rian’s fall with her wings when he has to throw them off a cliff)

(he totally thought they were gonna die together and was fine with that)

(instead they land on a Sifa ship and WOOO YEAH TAE AND ETHRI ARE HERE totally not because Oinca had a feeling it would be good and convenient if they parked their ship in this very specific spot)

Back in Ha’rar, Gurjin is captured by the guard, a pissed Naia challenges and fights the general about it

(there was a scene were the Skeksis realize Naia and Gurjin are twins and get Excited about that)

So they make a deal with Naia, if she wins, her brother will go free, if she loses… they both will go to the crystal together.

And while all THIS was happening, BREA ran off to fetch Tavra, who’d slipped away at some point, and runs in on the secret that her big stern sister is very much kissing a Sifa, which these days is Very Very illegal, but Brea’s just shocked to see very serious soldier Tavvra actually kissing anyone-

She remembers to tell Tavra what’s happening at the party, Tavra dives out the nearest window to get there faster, Onica suggests she and Brea take a detour along the way

(the detour is to set up a small tricky sabotage that will let Naia escape in moment)

The first time we see Tavra do anything cool in the movie is when she breaks through a window, sword drawn, and slashes at the General’s hand to make him drop Naia when he has her by the throat

Tavra and the General duel, Naia uses this distraction to attack the guards holding Gurjin and they exit stage right pursued by more guards, Seladon is freaking out and Mayrin calls for Tavra to stand down-

And in the tags of one post about this, ppl talk about how earlier in the movie it was set up how Gelfling don’t normally cut there hair short, since hair is kinda like tree rings or roots to them, so getting rid of it is like throwing away your life up till then and wanting to forget/distance yourself from it

(a thing traditionally associated with criminals, outlaws, Gelflings who went against their families)

BUT lately short hair has ALSO been used by rebels, the rumored Gelflings who refuse to pay tithes or offer up people to the castle

So this scene comes up, Tavra's duel, where the General says something like “blah blah traitorous Vapra, blah, oath breaking Gelfling scum”

And Tavra’s just like, it’s not breaking a vow to defend the people I’ve sworn to protect- which makes the General so mad he tries decapitating her, only she just kneels in response and bows her head-

So the sword cuts off her braid of hair instead. Big crowd reaction shot and gasp

(also revelation that Tavra’s hair is really wavy/curly when it’s short and not tied back, I don’t know why dream me thought that detail was super fun)    

(tags on this post point out that this is kinda like, symbolism of how the Skeksis have being cutting Gelfling’s off from their actual old laws and traditions while making Gelflings bow to them instead)

And the other Skeksis sees this, hears the murmurs and muttering, sees the very bad PR image of a Skeksis about to kill a princess who is kneeling on the floor before him WHILE ALL THEIR PERSONAL GUARDS ARE MISSING and rushes in to pull the General back before he can split Tavra down the middle

The party ends… awkwardly, with the Skeksis placating the crowd by commending Tavra (through gritted beaks) for withstanding their ‘test’ of her loyalty and duty to her vows as a paladin, which they totally did on purpose, never would have actually killed anyone nope

They just barely restrain most of their rage when the guards come back (covered in odd powders that make them sneeze and slipping on boots covered in grease) to report that the three ‘criminals’ have escaped with their ‘abducted’ ‘prisoner’ (Mira)

annnnnnd they’re forced to accept Mayrin’s offer of Tavra leading her soldiers on the search, since they’re the only ones who know Ha’rar well enough to do it

(quick scene of Tavra directing her paladins to search the mountains and the cliffs and the village and the valley, and… no, not the seashore or the coast. Without the help of a Sifa they wouldn’t survive long there and would have to turn inland soon anyway. it’s not like there are any Sifa up here right now. Right? Right.)

I think I also remember that Deet gets introduced while she’s dreamfasting a giant taint-maddened nebrie-

(she can’t heal them, but as long as she’s dreamfasting with them SHE can take on the pain and horror of the taint, and when she sings while doing that they fall peacefully asleep, letting anyone nearby get safely away)

And it turns out she’s been working so hard to find out what’s going on with the tainted creatures of Thra she’s become sensitive to the presence of the taint, AND good enough at listening with her vliya that she can hear and understand what the Trees are saying, even though their voices have almost gone quiet

The trees lost contract with each other as the taint spread (some of them being taken over by it even) so Deet got sent out by her clan’s Tree to contact / warn / bring messages to the other trees and their clans

There was still that cool moment of Kylan dreamstitching the warning onto flower petals and everyone watching them fly off in a cloud so I guess Deet recruited him at some point… or no… maybe that was to summon the clans to what ended up being the big final battle?

I feel like there was a ‘lighting the beacons’ scene where all the clans lit their blue flames and a moment (echoing the opening of the tv show) where we saw their leaders all standing together in dreamfast on a map vision of Skarith land, reaching out to each other around a shared blue fire….

Anyway taking on the suffering of the taint was slowly tainting Deet herself, and she kept lashing out in pain more, or getting lost in the nightmare visions of the crystal’s breaking  

She got one cool scene at the end though.

After the Gelfling come together to Far-Dream the prophecy of how the Skeksis might fall and the Skeksis see this and, in a panic, unleash all their Garthim before they can even control them properly, leading to many Gelfling being killed instead of captured for draining-

Deet is one of the ones caught and brought back to be drained, but she’s laughing when they strap her into the draining chair, and when she calls out,

all the tainted creatures she’s helped over the movie wake up in time to cause havoc on any nearby garthim-

and so do the Trees, reconnected briefly THROUGH the spreading taint BY Deet as she’s being DRAINED by the crystal, and the connection lasts just long enough for their roots to soak up as much of the taint as they can while tearing up the ground around the castle, breaking the crystal (and the taint’s) direct connection to the rest of Thra-

The trees all die, burning up in a last blaze of vliya along with Deet, but the tainted creatures aren't tainted anymore, and outside the barren land around the castle everything else starts growing in healthy again

Turns out it was the world that was feeding life to the crystal, not the other way around

(another skeksis lie)

Which makes the skeksis ultra SUPER unhappy the garthim rampage killed off so many useful Gelflings before their essence could be drained

The stinger ending was Kylan finishing writing all this down and hiding the book just before garthim burst in, the shot of his hand desperately tucking the book away-

-jump cutting to Jen’s hand gently pulling it’s crumbling pages out of hiding who knows how many trine later

Final shot being a slow pull back and pan out of Jen calling to Kira about what he found, and her excitedly calling back that she thinks a small nearby sapling might have just talked to her, so maybe he could read the book aloud to both of them?

end credits roll over the scene as Jen reads and Kira clears away weeds from a young baby tree, while fizzgig gets chased around the clearing by a whole pack of little angry baby fizzgigs

And that’s it, that’s the movie adaption that doesn’t exist but I got to be in the fandom of for a few glorious minutes

The last unicorn animation style REALLY went well with the vibes. loved it.

[thanatasia]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Thralings!!!!

Here is my completed “Thanatasia’s Big Gelfling Oc Project”

Top left to right:

Giséle belongs to @deetcore , Bex belongs to @myfanartblogplusshippingtrash , Aya belongs to @creatureofmidnight21 , Gie belongs to @skekmal-hunter , Eri belongs to @nurloxx , Elaine belong to @juliejewel24

Bottom left to right:

Bryony belongs to @oreozfox , Ahrys belongs to @gelfling-oona , Thea belongs to @gelfling-saria , Tug belongs to @chimeowrical , Selvaria belongs to @selvaria-may-crystal , Reifa belongs to @thethirdstageofdeath , Zela belongs to @stonewoodsifa , Fleur belong to moi, and Lyr belongs to @simplysparrow14

Thank you so much to all of you for wanting to take part in this first big piece! It has been so nice drawing your ocs and I really hope you all like how your Oc came out in the end. Thank you all so much for adding to this fandom and making it enjoyable and full of life!

[dhachaigh]

That’s it I’m just gonna say it

Drenchen and Dousan lay the best pipe

[oz-the-sorcerer]

Create For Thra Day 6: "There are many paths laid before us, some good, most bad."

@createforthra

--

Here's a thing I have written months ago, which happens to be a perfect fit for today's topic!

Excuse my writing skills and enjoy!... Or cry.

🌟

Open Your Eyes

🌟

Kira tried to wipe away some of the blush from her freckled cheeks. She loved her reflection on the dressing mirror, but she thought her mom could do her make up a little bit less.

She heard her mom laugh.

"And here I was wondering how long would it take you to remove some of it."

"But it feels heavy, you know I like how I look."

"Yes honey, but this is a special occasion... Spare me this once?"

Kira rolled her eyes playfully as Brea braided her silver hair with beads. Kira's hair fell from her shoulders, she especially wanted side braids like her gorgeous mother, but had thin side braids instead of thick ones. She made them herself, then Brea offered help attaching the beads. Brea made two braids, connecting into one thick braid at the center.

"Looking good as ever." Came a silent voice. Kira turned to her aunt, whose body, spider body, was sitting on top of the counter. She couldn't help but blush, looking down.

"Don't move your head, sweetheart." Brea said, posing her head straight again.

"Sorry. I am just... Excited." She was terrifyingly aware of her heartbeat, tried to take a deep breath.

"I can sense your fear." Tavra walked with her thin legs and stopped between Kira and the mirror. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

"I can't help it." Kira explained. " I wish I could know what the future holds for me, like Mother Aughra. Maybe then I wouldn't be this vulnerable."

"You are not vulnerable." She felt her mother tug on her finished braid as a warning. She didn't like it when Kira dragged herself down this way. "Do you think I didn't feel afraid? I thought I was going to faint."

"Ah yes, glad that you only puked and didn't faint."

"Tavra!"

Kira started to laugh. Well, this story was new.

"You puked?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I didn't want my daughter to know this ridiculous fact, thank you very much."

"She was so excited, so she ate whatever she could find from the kitchen and made herself sick." Tavra spoke mischievously.

"I had to keep myself busy!" Brea argued with her big sister. Kira loved their bickering. They were almost never serious with it, that's why Kira even started some of them on purpose.

While they were stating opinions on how to cope with these kinds of excitement, Kira looked at the mirror once more, and decided her fear was a good thing. She would always have her loved ones by her side, possibly talking nonsense like this and she realized, there was nothing to be afraid of. Her future, their future was filled with hope and laughter, she just knew it.

Another deep breath. And a big smile.

"Alright, all done here." Her mother said. For final touch, Tavra brought her golden coronet, which Brea placed on Kira's brow.

A knock on the door which made Kira's heart flip. Only Onica's wild red hair could be seen since she opened the door ajar while talking with someone outside the dressing room. Tavra's tiny body bounced with joy. When Onica came in, they also saw Tae outside, waving at them.

"We are all set. You can come out whenever you want." said the Far-Dreamer.

"Thra's Mighty Hooyim King, you look amazing, Kira!" Tae cheered.

Kira thanked her while she got up from her chair. Her white gown with gold and silver rands fell smoothly behind her. Embroidered with both Vapra and Spriton symbols, she was very proud of this dress she made herself.

One last glance at her reflection, one last deep breathe.

Brea reached to fix her bangs while Onica put out her hand for Tavra to climb on. Tavra wished her a good luck with: "Go get him!" while moving her legs exaggeratively, causing a big laughter in the room.

Then they got out, it was only her and her mother now. Brea's eyes were shining, her little fizzgig was now all grown up, taking another big step in her life.

"Mother, I will be okay."

"I know, baby."

"So, don't cry."

Brea abruptly wiped her tears on her long sleeve, trying not to smear her make up. Then she held Kira's hand and squuezed. Supposedly, they promised each other just this morning as a family that they weren't going to cry.

But all those hardships back in the trines, almost getting killed by a Garthim several times... Brea still couldn't believe it was all over. Skeksis no more.

Another knock on the door, and this time both of their eyes sparkled, as the legendary songteller stepped in to the dressing room with a blinding smile.

Kylan stopped in his tracks and stared at his daughter in awe. Kira laughed and went to hug him.

"Please don't start crying like mother did just now."

Kylan chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and spinned once. Then he sent a playful smirk on Brea's way and said: "It seems you lost our bet, love."

Brea pretended to be angry with a pout, but when she glanced at her little family, she smiled until her cheeks hurt.

"I want a hug too!" she said as she took big steps towards her husband. Kylan opened one arm for her and immidiately in she was. Kira leaned on her father's shoulder, which always felt like home. After some minutes, Brea sniffled once more, and Kira reached and hugged her as well. This is nice, she thought. It had been a while since they could be like this because of the fussy preparations.

When they let go, Kylan placed both hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead. Kira could see his eyes becoming misty with emotion as well. She smiled widely with the same eyes she has as her father.

Brea took his arm and started to lead him toward the door.

"Aww, I don't want to give her to Jen yet!"

Brea raised a laugh. "You are not giving her to anyone, honey. Let's give her a moment and take our places at the balcony."

Then she flashed Kira a proud look, and they were gone.

Kira felt aware of her heart again. She couldn't stop this fuzzy feeling inside her stomach and bounced around happily. Calm yourself before you sweat inside the dress, she thought to herself. She let go of the fists she made without noticing, and reached for the door.

Citadel's hallways were empty. As she passed each one, she heard the Gelf folk outside, crowded and excited, just like her. The noise grew louder and louder, then she made a left turn, reaching the last corridor before the Citadel's balcony.

She already could see her parents, on the left side. Brea was already looking at her direction and when she saw Kira coming, she gently elbowed Kylan's arm, causing him to look at her too. And the smile he gave her was everything. Before she teared up, she took a right glance, and saw Rian and Deet, also waiting for her to arrive.

With all the rustling her parents caused, Jen turned around where he was standing at the center and their eyes met.

The flutter inside her chest made her think that she was really about to let go of the lunch she had at noon.

Even if he tried to, Jen couldn't stop looking at her until she was at his side. He awkwardly reached his hand out for her. She took it eagerly.

They both stood straight before her Aunt Seladon, who was going to perform their marriage ceremony. She smiled down at them lovingly, which, Kira didn't experience often much before.

Kira glanced down at all the Gelfling who attended their wedding. Besides the whole citizens of Ha'rar, she could see many faces from every clan. Well, if there is any left, at this point.

Her Uncle Gurjin and Auntie Naia were cheering loudly, as well as her Uncle Amri. As her closest family friends, they had every right to scream.

She couldn't even begin to count everyone she knew when her eyes locked with a figure, at the very back of the crowd. Her eyes widened as the old creature's crane's shard shined with light.

"Mother Aughra..." she let out before she could manage. Jen smiled knowingly.

"I also thought she wouldn't be here today."

Kira, not being sure if Aughra could see it, bowed her head slowly at her direction. Jen followed right after her, thanking Mother Thra for everything she's done for the Gelfling.

When they finally started the ceremony, Aughra snickered loudly.

"These kids..." she said to herself. She ignored the looks of some Gelfling who heard her loud and sudden snicker, and glanced at the endless sky.

"You spoil these children, old friend." She talked to Thra, jokingly mentioning the great weather today. Her tired eyes scanned her every children, happy and bonded with the song of Thra.

They deserved this, she thought.

Their future is brighter than the stars above, she thought.

Then she closed her eyes, listening to her children's voices.

She didn't want to open them. She truly didn't. However, she had no other choice. She counted every star she visited while she was sleeping, just to kill time. But, they also came to an end.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a Gelfling. Laying and unmoving, already returned to Thra. After every slow step she took, she saw another. And another.

She recognized one, two, three... Maybe all. Or maybe she didn't. She didn't know.

She wondered, why Thra showed her this vision now. Which didn't mean anything. She huffed, then coughed, trying to silence her pain.

She knew where she was. In which reality, in which possible future she was in. She had this reality as a vision trines ago, and there they were. Her children, poor children...

And she knew what she was supposed to do. Her feet took her to the right direction as if moving without her consent. But that was she. That was Thra. Already decided fate. Too late to return.

One tear dropped from her eye to the bloody soil as she stood beside the corpse of a certain songteller, his eyes are half open as he clutched into his magical firca, like a last hope.

She leaned down and grabbed it. With delicate care, she fully closed his eyes, careful of her crooked nail.

Without looking back, she made her way toward the already decided route again. She wished all of her children, for them to return to Thra safely, as that was all she could do.

Grunting while she walked, scolding Thra for showing her a vision this heartbreaking, for making her cry, off to the UrRu valley she went. With the firca around her neck.

[tofadeawayagain]

Create for Thra, Day 2: Original Characters (Post 2 of 2)

And now for my “baby gelfs”. I’m very nervous about introducing these to the wider world, so hopefully you all like them :). Once again, these babies are from my Maudra series. I can’t draw, and as such I don’t have any art to share - I hope you enjoy these little word sketches and the short excerpt from a piece I’m working on at the end.

Elidi – Drenchen

Elidi is the eldest daughter of Maudra Naia and Amri. She is the perfect combination of her parents. Her skin is like her mother’s, deep green with a hint of gold. Her eyes are bright blue with gold flecks – in the dark, her pupils get just as large as her father’s, rendering her iris nearly unnoticeable. During the day, her pupils are only slightly larger than a daylighter’s – it’s enough to make her sensitive to light, though, and she often wears clothing with hoods to drape over her head when the three suns are at their highest point. Her hair reaches to the middle of her thighs and is done in the traditional style of the Drenchen maudren with decorated locks and beaded braids. It is silvery-white just like her father’s, except for the streaks of deep Drenchen blue and a lighter Grottan teal. She is petite. She inherits her wings from her father’s side of the family, though they are black, purple, and indigo just like her mother’s. Elidi is cautious – though she is fierce just like her mother, she also has her father’s tendency to investigate her circumstances before charging into them. She doesn’t trust immediately, and she has a knack for reading people’s emotions and seeing through any artifice. Elidi studies vliyaya and healing with her mother and Aunt Eliona in addition to preparing to be the next Drenchen maudra. She is an extroverted introvert and prefers to spend time with family and close friends wherever possible. Although she is good in front of a crowd, being in the spotlight fills her with a nervous energy. Luckily for her, she looks less like she’s nervous and more like she’s on the prowl when she fidgets. The clan knows her to be a competent healer and leader and trusts her in her position as second-in-command to Maudra Naia.

Oria – Drenchen

Oria is Naia and Amri’s second child and is two trine younger than Elidi. She’s only a few inches shorter than her father. She inherited her intensity and her Drenchen wings from her mother, but the rest of her is all Grottan. Oria’s hair is the same silvery-white as her father’s. The humidity in Sog makes her hair slightly wavy, but by mid-day, it is almost always straight and heavy. She keeps it long, though not as long as Elidi’s, and she only keeps a few braids in her hair as a marker of her status. As her father’s star apothecary and alchemy apprentice, Oria can usually be found in the workshop, her hair messy and tied back away from her face, and goggles strapped over her eyes. Her eyes are bright gold, and her gaze is so sharp that she can intimidate people easily. Like her sister, her pupils can expand and contract depending on the ambient light. She doesn’t look much like either one of her parents, but she is a spitting image for Amri’s mother. Though she inherited her wings from Naia’s side of the family, they are a bright teal blue and glistening silver. With high cheekbones and skin that is closer to gray than green, Oria’s unique looks in the swamp of Sog make her stand out – and she loves it. While her older sister is uncomfortable in the spotlight, Oria lives for it. She’s the life of every room, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve. People know where they stand with Oria – she doesn’t wait for the invocation of hard-talk to express her feelings. She loves the water, and if she’s not in the workshop, she’s likely exploring the lakes and waterways of Sog. Oria is likely to get herself into trouble at any opportunity, and she treats rules more like guidelines. She is fiercely competitive with her younger brother, and though she is happy in her chosen career, she longs to see the world – but she can’t leave the swamp. No one can.

Zain – Drenchen

Zain is Naia and Amri’s third child and is only one trine younger than Oria. Zain is mostly deaf (except for low tones like thunder), and he uses the Dousan sign language to communicate. He is a carbon copy of his father, and during his younger years, he even wore the same hairstyle. As a young adult, he changes his style, shaving both sides of his head and keeping the rest secured back in a braided tail or bun. Zain’s skills with healing vliyaya rival those of his oldest sister, and he trains alongside her to become an advanced healer. Like Oria, he is extroverted; however, he keeps his emotions on lockdown. He values his family above all else, and though he is fiercely competitive with Oria, they have an intensely close bond. He also has a close bond with his baby sister, Zenna, and is the one Elidi goes to for advice due to his level head and calm demeanor.

Shiri – Grottan

Shiri is Deet and Rian’s second child. She was born only months before Oria, and they grew up as the best of friends. Shiri is very shy and doesn’t make new friends easily – as such, her circle is very small. Shiri’s childhood is marked by periods during which her mother is overwhelmed by grief at the loss of Shiri’s older brother, Jen. Shiri never gets the chance to know him, but she feels like she is always in his shadow. Though she is raised to follow in her mother’s footsteps as the next Grottan maudra, Shiri isn’t sure she wants to be a maudra at all. She’s got an ear for music, and she’d much rather become a song teller. She learns to play her father’s old lute in her spare time. Shiri’s got Rian’s tan skin and blue coloring, but she has Deet’s messy hair and long ears. Her eyes can adjust to the ambient light, and they are a deep blue color like her father’s. Her hair is a dirty brown with streaks of Stonewood blue, and her wings have the characteristic bright blue and orange coloring common among the Stonewood. She is the same height as her mother, and she’s quiet most of the time – unless she’s singing, that is.

Koa – Sifa

Koa’s parents are both Drenchen; however, they left Sog long ago to join the Sifa. Koa grew up on white sand beaches and on the decks of ships, but he’s always wanted to see the mainland and explore the swamps where his parents grew up. Koa is tall for a Gelfling, and he’s also bulky from his days manning the sails and loading/unloading cargo. He’s got Drenchen locks, but they are covered with Sifan bells and golden trinkets. As a young adult, Koa gets a job working on Elder Onica’s ship, which docks in Sog’s port city of Seaside, only a day’s kayaking distance from the Great Smerth.

Zenna – Drenchen

Zenna is Naia and Amri’s youngest child. Born ten trine after Zain, she is the baby of the family. She looks like her mother, though her eyes are Amri’s dark honey brown. Like her Uncle Gurjin, she is usually unruffled and steady of temperament. Though she isn’t yet sure what she wants to become, she knows she loves the ocean.

 And now, an excerpt from mah girl Elidi’s POV:

“She watches the ripples on the surface above as she drifts in the current. The water is cool along her neck, crisp in a way she isn’t yet used to. She knows the concept of cold, though she’s never felt it herself before. The water isn’t cold, yet, but it has certainly changed.

The rains have not stopped for three days. The waters surrounding Great Smerth have long-since spilled over the edges of the Glenfoot, and the islands Elidi grew up knowing have vanished beneath the surface of the swollen lake. It is almost as if they never existed at all. Like her people, they are hidden away, waiting for the storm to pass.

Has it passed? She looks at the line of crystal embedded in the bluestone on the lakebed. Though the vein went clear three days ago when the suns burned as one, Elidi still hasn’t touched it. She doesn’t think she ever will. She tried once when she was a childling. Her mother had been nearby and tugged her away. Naia had clung to her when they’d surfaced, and she’d shouted at Elidi as she never had before or since. She hadn’t been angry – she’d been terrified. It’s a sound that’s never left her. 

There is a great splash at the edge of the Glenfoot, and Elidi rights herself in the water column as her sister plunges to the very bottom of the lake. Oria’s at her side with two pumps of her wings, and she raises her hand immediately. Elidi presses her palm to Ori’s, and her sister’s anxious voice fills her mind.

They’re waiting for you in Mum’s chamber. They’ve been telling everyone that we need to leave Great Smerth.

Elidi’s brow wrinkles, and she looks past the ripples at the towering heights of her home. Her mother’s balcony is only three levels up. She’s accustomed to seeing her mother standing there, proud and wild. But the balcony is empty, save for the wind and the rain and stray apeknot leaves knocked loose in the deluge.

We’re not leaving Great Smerth. It’s just a bit of rain. Elidi kicks for the surface, and Ori stays with her, hand in hand.

Aunt Pemma is with them. She’s trying to keep them from starting a panic. She thinks we’re fine here in Smerth, but she wants to evacuate New Domrak.

Have they found Deet, yet?

Oria pulls her hand away. Her expression is all the answer Elidi needs, and the two girls continue to the surface surrounded only by the muffled silence of the water.

They glide over the submerged Glenfoot and toward the stairs that lead into the Great Smerth. Elidi plants her feet on the lowest stair and as soon as her head clears the water, her sense of peace is shattered. The glade is louder than she’s ever heard it. People are calling out to one another on the rope and wood pathways strung through the canopy above, and as Gelfling move their belongings out of the residences on the ground floor, the Stone’s Way echoes in a cacophony of anxiety.

She takes a deep, steadying breath, and then she climbs the staircase, exiting the lake and entering the great tree. She keeps her head high, attempting to project a sense of confidence that she doesn’t feel. When will Mother come back? she asks herself. Perhaps they’ll stop panicking when Mother comes back…

Oria remains at her side, only one step behind, all the way to the third floor landing. Elidi can hear the council members bickering all the way in the hall, and she exchanges a frustrated glance with her sister before entering the room.

She stands tall and says nothing until they all look at her and come to a silence. It’s something her mother taught her long ago, and with her short stature, it’s a technique she depends on to gain attention. Her Aunt Pemma gives her a firm nod of approval, and she can feel Oria standing behind her, tall and firm. She’ll hug her sister and her aunt later. For now, she has a job to do.

She catches every eye in the room, then raises a single eyebrow. “Which of you are responsible for all this huff-puff, then?”

[skekzok-the-ritual-master]

❓+ what is your opinion on skekSa the Mariner?

She is a remarkable Skeksis. Bold, clever, skilled at relations with Gelfling and the creatures of Thra, so strong and well-formed ... if only she wouldn't distance herself from our Empire the way she does. Even so, I consider her one of the best of our race.

[He tugs at his collar a bit] Rather warm in here, isn't it?

[nurloxx]

bloom

summary: the first flowers of spring open their buds to greet the sunlight, and jen is witness to many new and welcome changes.

a/n: this is technically a continuation of warmth, but can be read on it’s own. 

AFTER 84 YEARS IT'S FINALLY DONE!! 😭😭😭

“Make sure you stay where we can see you, Kairi!”

Jen laughed as he watched his daughter turn and flash him a thumbs up before running off through the tall grass. The turn of the season was upon them, and the land was ripe with rebirth. Day by day the leaves slowly returned to the trees and flower buds opened their petals to soak in the suns glow. Kira had been the one to suggest they seize the opportunity of such a perfect day and have a family outing. Jen was in the middle of some bookkeeping and admittedly, a bit reluctant to leave at first. But the impatient tugging on his robes by his two children eventually got him to cave.

"And that goes for you too, young man." He heard Kira tell their youngest behind him. Smiling, he turned his head just in time to catch a mop of shaggy blond hair quickly toddling past him, large brown eyes alight with enthusiasm to join his sister. The older gelfling managed one fleeting pat on the head before the grass had swallowed his son up as well.

"How much do you wager Kairi's going to try to fly again?" Kira asked from where she was sitting on the blanket they had brought out to lounge upon while they watched the children play. She patted the spot next to her with an inviting expression, and Jen didn't think twice about it.

"I don't know how that girl intends to fly with no wings." He sighed as he casually wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her snug against his side. "And I don't think jumping from the highest branch of every tree she comes across is going to help any."

Kira shrugged. "It's how I got my wings." She reached around to smooth her palm over her upper back. "I had been feeling the ache for days, and I knew they were going to pop out sooner or later. So I figured I'd let pure instinct speed up the process for me."

She brought her fingers up to her lips and giggled at the memories that had resurfaced. Of long drawn out childhood days and fresh purple bruises and dresses torn at the skirt. Kira would have done just about anything to fly back then, and she couldn't have been more overjoyed the day they had finally slipped out from the hollow divets in her shoulder blades. She didn't even care that the first few months of "flying" consisted of her gliding clumsily through the air before crashing into the dirt.

For a few moments, she was as free as a bird. Nothing on the ground could contain her when she was soaring past the treetops, the wind blowing her hair back in her face and keeping her aloft for as long as it could.

Jen regarded his wife fondly, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. "And what beautiful wings they are." He hesitated for a moment, his fingers hovering just above the slits in the back of her sundress. Kira rolled her eyes and guided his hand the rest of the way down, pulling back the fabric enough for the velvety appendages to slip out.

"You don't need my permission, Jen. You can touch them whenever you like." Kira said, leaning into her husband's touch with a delighted hum. Jen chuckled softly, his cheeks flushing a light pink.

"Just making sure, love."

Bringing Kira closer so she could sit on his lap, Jen glided his digits along the edges of her wings, from joint to tip. Occasionally they'd give a little flutter of gratitude when he brushed over a particular spot, and Jen would let his fingers linger there a bit longer. To this day, the sight of them still filled him with a sense of wonderment as strong as the moment he first laid eyes on them.

Of course, since the restoration of the Crystal and the birth of the new gelfling nation, he had seen other wings. But none could take his breath away quite like Kira's could.

The darker haired gelfling paused in his ministrations to let a hand trail to her lower back. He frowned at the sight of the faded scar that stood out against her pale skin. "Does it still hurt, love?" he asked gently, burying his face into her silvery blonde locs.

Kira merely shook her head, craning her neck enough to peck her husband between the brows. "It's mostly a dull throb that comes and goes. Doesn't even phase me anymore." When Jen didn't pull his face away Kira took his chin in her fingers and tilted it up off her shoulder until their gazes met once again.

"I'm fine, love. I promise." she assured.

Jen gazed adoringly into his wife's deep brown pools, and was about to say something when the sound of small footsteps approaching made him rip his eyes away. Kairi stood before her parents with her face scrunched in discomfort, tiny hands fiddling with the frayed ends of her grass stained skirt.

"My back hurts... like a lot this time." The girl mumbled, blue eyes big and watery. Kira cooed and brought her daughter into her arms, lifting up the back of her shirt with one hand while cradling her close with the other. A soft gasp, and a dazzling smile appeared a few moments later.

"Well look at that," Jen breathed. "It looks like your wings are finally coming in, little nebrie."

Indeed, poking out from the small hollows of her shoulders were two fluorescent wings wrapped in a thin layer of protective film. The immediate area around the wing joints had a bit of swelling, and looked sensitive to the touch.

"Really?!" Kairi tried to get a look at her new wings, but no matter how much she turned her head, they never came into sight. The only thing she managed to accomplish was nearly falling over onto her back. Luckily, both her parents caught her just in time.

Laughing, Kira stood and took her daughter by the hand. "Lets go inside and get them cleaned up." When Kairi let out a small whine she gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Maybe later if you're feeling better I'll take you out flying. How does that sound?"

Her suggestion was met with loud squeals and cheers, and the two walked back towards the castle, talking animatedly amongst one another. Jen smiled at their retreating forms, and went to stand as well. By this time his son had run up to him and tugged on the end of his long robes.

"Papa, will I get wings too?" He asked innocently. Jen snorted as he bent down to scoop up the small boy.

"Of course not, Su." He tapped him playfully on the nose. "We're boys!"

happy anniversary 🥰

[sweetiepie08]

The Wishing Fire (Thra-athon entry)

This was my 2020 Thra-athon fanfic contest entry. 

Rian invites Deet to the Stone-in-the-Wood Winter Festival and shows her how the celebrate the end of a trine and the coming of a new one. 

[-]

“Are you sure you’re not too cold?” Rian asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Deet laughed. “How could I be?” She was bundled up in a thick hat, coat, gloves, and boots. He even offered her his scarf and put a hot cup of mulled cider in her hands for good measure. It was cute really, the way he doted on her. He was so excited to show her the Stonewoods’ Winter Festival and he wanted it to be perfect, but she thought it already was.

The trees sparkled under a blanket of snow, lanterns glowed against the cold air, and a bonfire lit up the village square. Gefling enjoyed hot drinks and treats, children ran around having snowball fights or building snow gelfling, and couples cuddled by the fire.  The Winter Festival was a time to be with your loved ones and prepare for the new trine. To her, it felt magical.  

“And make sure to cover your ears,” he went on, tugging her hat down. “It’s important to keep them warm.”

“Rian, you don’t need to fuss over me. I can adjust my own hat, thank you.” Besides, having him near was enough to keep her warm.

“Sorry, guess it’s just a habit,” he said, blushing. “My mother used to scare me into wearing my hat by telling me my ears would freeze and break off like icicles.”

“That’s awful,” she giggled.

“Come on,” he said, leading her to the bonfire. “Let’s make our new-trine wishes.” Rian went to a pile of logs, chose two, and held one out for her.

“How do you do it?” she asked, setting aside her cider and accepting the log.

“Well, first you choose your wishing log, whisper your wish for the new trine, and put it on the bonfire. When the log crackles, it releases your wish into the air where Thra can hear it.”

Deet watched him as he made his wish. He closed his eyes, whispered to the log, and tossed it on the fire. The embers flew up behind him, his silhouette glowing against the light. Deet whispered her wish and gave her log to the fire as well. Seeing a pile of snow on the ground, she thought of a way to make it come true.

“Can I ask what you wished for?” she asked, straightening up and rolling something in her hands.

“Just to spend more time with you.” The way he looked at her made her heart swell. “And what did you wish for?”

“This,” she said, showing him what she held in her hands.

“A snowball?”

Snickering, she threw it at him, hitting him in the chest.

“Oh, are you challenging me?” he smirked. “Big mistake!” he said, packing snow into his hands.

Deet let out a delighted squeal and ran away. Rian chased after her. A snowball whizzed past her head and Rian’s laugh rang out behind her. When she looked back, she saw her wish: a big smile on Rian’s face.

[thebibliomancer]

Shadows of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 12

Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee because I got wrapped up in election obsession and now I need to get back to a more soothing world where powerful overlords drain the life out of the world and set people against each other. Something fantastical, y’know?

Last times on book: Naia is on a journey to Ha’rar to clear brother Gurjin’s name and to warn the All-Maudra about all these dark crystals popping up in this Dark Crystal book. She is joined by Song Teller Kylan who is on his way to Stone-in-the-Wood and wants to prove the Hunter is real. A broken bridge leads Naia to decide to go through the Dark Woods at night. A lot of spooky things happen and spookiest of all Gurjin shows up??

Chapter 14

Spooky things just keep happening forever. Why are the Spooky Woods so Spooky?

Naia doesn’t look a gift Gurjin in the mouth and hugs him but the hug is all weird and cold.

If this is a spooky ghost situation I’m going to be so mad.

Naia comes to a different conclusion, seeing that in the moonlight his clothes look tattered and his face is pale and eyes hollow. Obviously he looked on the dark crystals and is darkened! Oh no!

(I don’t remember this part from the show)

Spooky Gurjin keeps insisting that they go to the castle. Naia decides to just tug him along so she can find Kylan.

But, spooky or no, this is a good thing! It’ll be much easier to prove Gurjin’s innocence when she can bring the actual guy in front of the All-Maudra!

“Everyone will be so glad to know I’ve found you,” she said, smiling suddenly. “We can show everyone you aren’t a traitor to the Skeksis-”

“He is a traitor.”

And Naia finds to her alarm that Gurjin has slipped free and disappeared and now Tavra is in the woods.

Tavra is as spookily tattered as Gurjin had been.

And Spooky Tavra just keeps repeating that Gurjin is a traitor.

Then when Naia insists that Gurjin is innocent, Spooky Gurjin appears behind her.

Now Naia is realizing that maybe this isn’t Gurjin, maybe there’s some ghostly creature messing with her.

When she asks who or what Spooky is, Spooky Gurjin grabs her.

Naia’s breath left her when he grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her firmly in place with fingers that constricted around her body like vines. He fixed her with his blackened eyes, and she could smell the earth on his breath, soil and crystal and fire from the deepest reaches of Thra. When he spoke, it was as if he pulled the words from the corners of her heart, from the dark spaces where she’d hidden her secret fears.

Hey, it might not seem like it from me recounting it, synopsis-like, but this stuff is pretty creepy!

Spooky Gurjin taunts Naia that she can’t save him, that she’ll fail in front of the All-Maudra, that the Drenchen will be marked as traitors and the Skeksis will come for retribution.

Naia tries to stab Spooky but he vanishes and she finds that she’s only stabbed the root of a tree. The split in the bark spills out purple light.

Hmmmmm.

Spooky Tavra shows up again and sneers, telling Naia to run.

Which she do.

Dodging vines and roots that try grasping for her.

These Spooky Woods are so spooky.

The forest sends more apparitions at her, taking on the forms of people she knows and shouting and crying after her. But Gurjin’s voice stands out the most, saying treasonous things about slandering the Skeksis.

And she sees something weirder.

Amid all the other faces, she saw one creature she didn’t recognize. It was a hulking spidery thing, looming above the other Gelfling ghosts, with four monstrous arms and long square-tipped fingers. On every surface of its body grew sprouts of trees, weaving in and out of its flesh and bursting into branches and diamond-shaped violet leaves.The being stared into her with piercing otherworldly eyes, and when it tilted back its long-necked head and opened its mouth, it let out a sonorous moan so loud and miserable, it shook every tree in the wood.

I must rejoin the Heart of Thra.

This spooky apparition reminds me of something but whaaaaat?

Spooked by this, Naia take a wrong step and tumbles into a valley and kind of pratfall rolls into a tangle at the bottom.

Thankfully, Real Kylan shows up at this point but Naia is suspicious of him at first until he’s suspicious of her and she sees that he has real emotion on his face.

He was apparently also seeing spooky nonsense and he’s just exhausted by everything.

Poor bby.

In the valley they find themselves in, they find a really weird tree.

It was bulging at the base, in lumps and protrusions that looked like half-formed limbs or faces. Four knobby branches sprouted from it, two on either side, spread wide as if the tree were grasping toward the sky with four arms and hands full of diamond leaves. In the dark of the night, lit only by the moons and stars overhead, it looked as if it were moving, slowly reaching towards them.

Hey wait, that’s similar to the weird thing Naia saw. Naia draws the same comparison.

And also, this would be too much for me if I were in their shoes right now. I’d be like nope, I’m out. Weird tree is the straw that broke me.

Naia figures that the woods herded them here to see this for some reason. Hopefully not to eat them.

“It’s in pain,” she said, her mind clearing with the realization. “The tree - the forest - or something - it’s calling for help. I saw those shadows, the phantoms - but I also saw inside the root of the tree, and it was the same as the crystal I saw in Sog and in the Podling burrow...”

Galaxy brain.

She uses her Sweet Metal Knife to cut the roots at their feet to show Kylan that the wood grain in the root is veined with violet mineral.

ALSO APPARENTLY THE DARK WOOD IS JUST ONE EXTREMELY BIG BUT MORE ACCURATELY EXTREMELY WIDE TREE. Like those mushroom colonies, I guess.

Naia is like well this wood is way too spooky but ALSO ‘imma dreamfast with it’

She just has like so much empathy. She keeps thinking about the Nebrie that dropped dead.

Kylan almost tries to talk her out of it but changes tack and asks how he can help.

Kylan is a good friend.

She tells him to watch her back with a bola in case any danger happens. Although given Kylan’s skill with the bola, she’s really hoping that she senses the danger quickly enough to save them both.

Harsh, but fair.

Still, his determination to do his part was endearing... and maybe a little charming.

Darn straight.

Bracing herself, Naia closed her eyes, opening her heart and mind to the tree. It sensed her contact, and with a hungry, maddened surge of energy, it lunged to swallow her whole.

!!!!!

[aughraseye]

46. …out of envy or jealousy [kylan/Brea]

Thanks for the ask anon! This is longer than what I’d usually shoot for on a tumblr fic but I felt the prompt necessitated it.

Also if anyone has any title suggestions let me know, because as of right now it’s unnamed.

Kylan handed her a bundle of scrolls. He had been helping her go through old tomes and records as they looked for some way to reunite the skeksis and their mystic counterparts. Together, they skimmed over documents and crumbling leaflets dating back almost 900 trine.

Under other circumstances it would have been exhilarating - records from all across the skarith region collecting in the library where she had spent the bulk of her youth, Kylan nearby making the occasional excited noise as he came across something of interest. But time felt short. Just beyond the safety of Ha’rar’s high mountain borders their friends were building a resistance against the skeksis and their new garthim army.

“Didn’t I already go through these?” she asked, looking up at him.

Kylan tilted his head in thought before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

She pursed her lips and lowered her head back to the sheet of thin paper in her lap. As she tried to focus on her reading, she could feel his eyes on her. It made her cheeks warm. Peering back at him over her shoulder, she smiled.

Kylan’s face turned a bright shade of red, and he turned suddenly. But as he made his way into the stacks of books and aged folios Brea watched him thump into something and teeter backwards. She jumped to her feet, and touched his shoulder with an outstretched hand.

“Kylan! Are you alright?”

He nodded and looked forward to what he had collided with. Brea followed his line of sight to find Rek’yr standing tall and draped in blue among the high piles of brown and yellow pages.

“Hello Songteller.” he paused and turned to Brea with a small bow “Princess.”

“Rek’yr!” Brea moved forward past Kylan to embrace the sandmaster in a quick hug.

She felt Kylan stiffen behind her.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d still be out on the Crystal Sea.”

He smiled down at her. “The dunes were favorable, and I’m pleased to return to you with another set of tomes from the Circle of the Suns. skekGra and urGoh send their well wishes.”

Just as he finished speaking a smaller gelfling appeared behind him. She looked like a Stonewood, judging by her dark brown hair and the strip of blue coloring her forehead.

Rek’yr angled his head to look at her. “Ah, yes. I also heard much talk of the gifted Songteller, and we” he gestured to the girl still standing slightly behind him “have come to request a song for those who have taken refuge in Ha’rar.”

The girl blushed and averted her eyes even as a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

Brea turned to look at Kylan, whose cheeks were pink with surprise. Brea took one of his hands with both of hers.

“Oh Kylan, you should!”

His eyes darted back and forth between Brea, Rek’yr and the young Stonewood woman.

“Um, I suppose.”

At that, the Stonewood woman reached for his other hand and pulled him from the room speaking softly to him about how much she loved his stories and how delighted her friends would be.

As Brea watched them walk away she felt her now empty hands tingle, and something tugged in her chest.

Rek’yr placed a broad hand on her shoulder. “Should we follow then?”

She nodded, eyes still fixed on where the Stonewood and Kylan had vanished into the stacks of books. Starting to walk after them Rek’yr looked at her and said,

“The circle around your Songteller has certainly grown larger don’t you think?”

“What do mean?” She asked as she turned her head to meet his steady gaze.

He gave her a knowing smile, but she wasn’t sure what he knew or what he thought she knew. The tug in her chest grew a little tighter.

“I think it’s nice. Kylan deserves appreciation for his gift.”

Rek’yr hummed at her words.

“Well from what I’ve heard, it’s not just his voice they’re clamoring after.”

Brea felt her stomach lurch at that, but as she started to question him about what it was he was trying to say, they stepped out of the library and into the bright afternoon light. Blinking fast to help her eyes adjust, she did not notice Rek’yr step away to stand with his Dousan companions. She huffed, and turned instead to see Kylan already surrounded by a crowd of gelfling, many young women among them.

Listening from the edge of the crowd, Brea watched the way they sighed and whispered among themselves. Their eyes sparkled and fixed on Kylan as he sang and blew low tuneful notes from his firca.

It made her face felt hot, and she shifted from one foot to the other. Rek’yr’s words and his knowing look hung in the forefront of her mind as she continued to listen and bite the inside of her cheek.

When the song finished, Kylan stood, and the crowd tightened around him. Brea stepped forward without thinking, pushing her way past the other gelfling struggling to move closer until she could grab Kylan’s wrist and drag him away.

Catching Rek’yr’s eye from across the crowd, her face burned even hotter as he flashed her the same knowing smile he had earlier.

But she kept pulling Kylan along, ignoring the protests behind them, until they stood together again under the high ceiling of the library.

Finally away from everyone else, Brea stopped, her back to Kylan. For a moment neither of them said anything, and in the silence she felt her stomach knot. She had acted thoughtlessly on a feeling she didn’t want to name. Maybe Kylan had liked the attention. He did deserve it after all. He was a gifted songteller, kind, smart, and with another rush of heat to her face Brea let herself acknowledge that he was also very good looking.

But just as she turned to apologize to him, her hand still on his wrist, he sighed.

“Thank you. I know they mean well, but it has become a bit much.”

There were notes of nervousness in his voice, and once more Brea’s chest tugged.

“Mean well? Kylan, they’re interested in you.”

He laughed, and the uneasy feeling in Brea’s stomach flared.

“No, I’m sure that’s not…”

“It is!” She nearly shouted. “I can’t believe you don’t see it.” Then more to herself, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

She looked away as her mind raced, flicking through remembered pages in dictionaries and encyclopedias to find the word for this feeling - this aching almost possessive feeling that they shouldn’t look at him like that because, because…

Kylan stepped closer to her, and Brea’s hand slipped from his wrist so their hands were loosely clasped.

“Brea, even if that were true I -”

But she wasn’t listening, and before he could finish she stepped forward to press her lips against his.

The kiss was clumsy to start, their noses bumping together at her haste. But the softness of it, the rightness of it as their mouths shifted and fit together, made Brea’s unease melt away.

When she finally pulled back, Kylan’s eyes were still closed. Squeezing his hand, his dark lashed fluttered open, and he looked suddenly bashful.

“They may be interested in you…but so am I.” She said, voice wavering. “And I don’t want to share more than your sontelling.”

Then, worried she quickly added, “If that’s ok with you!”

Kylan nodded, his eyes full of wonder and open affection, and Brea felt her heart swell.

I can’t believe I didn’t see it. She thought.

And as they looked at each other, smiles shining on each of their faces Brea leaned back in to kiss Kylan harder and surer than before.

[thanatasia]

W.I.P update!

Everyone is dressed in one-piece bathing suits because, why not and everyone looks like a bare mannequin without their outfits lol

I have 7 layers to work with so it’s one new Oc added at a time but I’m getting into a groove now!

The Ocs above from left to right are:

Tug who belongs to @chimeowrical

Reifa who belongs to @thethirdstageofdeath

Zela who belongs to @stonewoodsifa

And of course Fleur who belong to me!

[a-corndog-named-schibbs]

The Favorite

Been a while since I’ve posted fanfiction, but as you can probably tell, I’m obsessed with the new Dark Crystal show and I figured I’d try my hand at writing everyone’s favorite Hermit Grandpas.

AU where skekGra and urGoh are raising Jen at the Circle of the Suns

Enjoy!

***

By now, skekGra had trained himself to spring into action at the slightest sound of Jen’s distress.

The little gelfling had been living with them for a few months now, ever since that horrible Garthim attack.  SkekGra had worried the traumatic event would leave the poor boy fearful and anxious, but, after a few weeks, Jen seemed to be as cheerful and friendly as any childling his age.

Except, of course, when he was injured.

SkekGra had just come in from taking out the rubbish when he saw Jen trip over the edge of a rug out of the corner of his eye.  The little gelfling fell hard with a loud “Oof!” and began crying from the shock of suddenly finding himself on the ground.

“Oh…” urGoh’s voice floated down from the loft and skekGra could hear his other half rouse himself from their bed, “Did…he fall…again?”

“I’ve got him,” said skekGra, setting down the waste-basket.  If urGoh got up to tend to the childling, Jen would stop crying long before he reached him.

SkekGra’s robes swept over the dirt floor as he crossed the room to reach Jen.  The toddler was now sitting upright on the floor, sniffling and looking down at his hands, the palms of which were scraped up by his fall.

“It’s okay,” said skekGra, in what he hoped was a soothing voice, “You’re all right, it’s just a fall.”  He reached out to take a closer look at Jen’s hands.

Jen looked up and shrieked at the sight of skekGra’s clawed hands reaching out for him.  He scrambled to his feet and was across the room in a heartbeat, making a beeline for urGoh, who had finally made it down from the loft.

SkekGra flinched.  He hadn’t meant to frighten the poor childling, he was only trying to check his injuries.

UrGoh, meanwhile, was using one hand to brush Jen’s dark hair away from his crying face, and two more to hold his scraped hands still while he checked them.

“Hmm…” he said, “Tripped…yourself…running…did you? That’s…what comes…of moving…too fast.”

SkekGra snorted, trying to move closer to the other two without startling Jen again.

Meanwhile, urGoh grabbed a clean rag from their pile of scrap cloth in the corner, dipped it into a nearby pot of water, and began cleaning the dirt and grime from Jen’s hands.

“There…” he said, “Just…be…careful…next time.”

Jen wiped his face off with his sleeve and wrapped his arms around urGoh’s long neck.  UrGoh chuckled softly and returned the hug, folding the boy into all four of his arms.

SkekGra would have liked to say the sight warmed his heart, but in truth, an uglier emotion bubbled underneath.

As Jen squirmed back out of urGoh’s arms and ran off again to play, the Mystic looked up and saw skekGra sulking nearby.

“What’s…that look…for?”

“How come he likes you better than he likes me?” said skekGra, crossing his arms.

“I’m…sure…he likes you…just fine.”

“Then why did he want you to tend his injuries instead of me?”

UrGoh held up his hands, “Four…arms.  Better…for hugging.”

“Whatever,” said skekGra, turning sharply on his heel.  This conversation was only making him more upset.

“Where…are you…going?”

“The gelfling puppets need repairing,” said skekGra.  They didn’t really, but he wanted something to do with his hands, rather than stew in his jealousy.

After some time spent fiddling with the puppets and doing paint touch-ups, he saw urGoh approach him again, “I’m going…to start…making…dinner,” he said, “Can you…keep…an eye…on Jen?”

“Why don’t you keep an eye on him?” skekGra snapped, “Seeing as you’re his favorite and all.” 

UrGoh frowned at him and made a low, rumbling sound deep in his throat, a sound that skekGra had learned centuries ago indicated a displeased Mystic, “I…shouldn’t…have to…take care…of two children.”

SkekGra turned his head away, stung.  “I’m just saying…” he mumbled, barely loud enough for urGoh to hear.

“Hmm…” urGoh shuffled away from him, toward the corner of their house where Jen was currently playing.  He leaned down and said something to Jen that skekGra couldn’t quite hear.

SkekGra turned his attention back to the puppet in his hand.  It wasn’t any of his business anyhow.

A minute or so later, he felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see Jen staring up at him.

“Ga!” said Jen, reaching up for skekGra to lift him, “Ga, up!”

“Oh,” said skekGra, “You want to sit up here?”

Jen nodded and skekGra lifted him up by the underarms and settled him into his lap.

Jen stared at the puppets skekGra was currently working on and skekGra lifted the puppet in his hand closer so Jen could see it better, “This is Rian, your father.  He was very brave.”

“Wee-an,” said Jen, using one hand to point at the puppet while sucking at the fingers of his other.

“That’s right,” said skekGra.  He turned his attention back to painting details on the puppet’s face.

Before long, Jen grew bored with watching skekGra work.  He turned himself around in skekGra’s lap and began feeling the soft downy feathers that grew along his neck.

SkekGra squirmed a bit, unable to stop a laugh from escaping his throat, “That tickles.”

Jen giggled too.  His eyes drifted higher and he reached up toward the nail at the top of skekGra’s head.

SkekGra took his hand and gently guided it back down.  “Don’t touch,” he said.

Jen tilted his head, confused.

“It’s an old injury,” said skekGra, “But it still hurts sometimes.”

Jen gasped and scrambled out of skekGra’s lap.  For a moment, skekGra worried he had upset the boy again, but then Jen came back with a wet rag in his hand, the same one urGoh had used to clean his injured hands.  He climbed back into skekGra’s lap and dabbed at the top of skekGra’s head around the nail as gently as he could.

SkekGra’s heart was moved and he pulled the childling into a hug.  “You are so good,” he said, holding Jen close, “Such a good, sweet boy.”

Jen made a soft, high noise and buried his face in skekGra’s soft neck feathers.

Out of the corner of his eye, skekGra saw urGoh smiling at him from across the room while he collected the ingredients for dinner.

SkekGra grinned back, “Looks like I’m his favorite now.”

“We’re…both…his favorite,” said urGoh.  And skekGra found he couldn’t disagree.

[dhachaigh]

Victory (1344 words)

AKA Gurjin is obligatory DD and Kylan canNOT hold his wine. (Here’s the song)

Stone-in-the-Wood was awash in light and sound. Night had fallen in the wake of the gelfling’s victory, and along with it came the lighting of lanterns, the opening of kegs, and the cacophony only created by an army united by triumph. Everything had been pushed out of the streets surrounding the Crucible to make way for the merrymaking. Stripped of armor, people of every clan cheered, and danced, and drank their fill. Even overhead, lasses weaved around each other in a skybound dance - and subsequently spilled ale upon those standing below.

Some splashed onto Gurjin’s head as he squeezed through the crowded fareway, holding three mugs above the, thankfully, shorter gelfling around him. Once he was clear of the worst of it, he shook himself like a fizzgig fresh from a bath. It may have been a bigger party than he was used to, but even that was familiar. Naia was waiting for him on the other side, leaned against a tree with a poorly hidden snicker-fit at her brother’s circumstance.

“I told you to fetch a drink, not bathe in it.” She snarked, raising her voice over the unrelenting noise. “Though the smell might be an improvement.”

“Ha ha.” He replied dryly and pushed the drinks into her hands so he could properly brush the ale off his shirt. “Where’s Rian? One of those is for him.”

His twin jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, nearly spilling on herself. “Hiding. He could use another drink. I don’t think I’ve heard a word from him all night.”

“He’s had a rough day.” Gurjin responded simply as he took two of the drinks back. Naia didn’t have a quip for that, just responded with a shrug and a long sip. She turned to watch the merrymaking. One thing he could always appreciate about Naia was her ability to mind her own business.

There were less people to shove through on the sidestreet, and Rian was easy to spot. He was sitting in the crook of a tree’s roots, gaze far away. Others had apparently noticed the slump in his shoulders, as there were already several empty mugs stacked on the ground next to the Stonewood by the time Gurjin approached. The pink in his cheeks was hard to miss.

“Got someone else serving you drinks now? Thought that was my job.” Gurjin said lightly and handed it over to his friend.

“Brea.” Rian said, taking the drink absentmindedly.

“Must be pretty bad if Brea thinks you ought to be drunk.”

A small, closed-lipped smile crept onto his face. “Guess so.”

The air sat silent between them, and Rian’s eyes wandered back to the path into the woods. The Drenchen followed his gaze. He’d only met Deet briefly, but Gurjin’s heart ached for her too. Even the short camaraderie of a shared mission had planted a seed of care between them all - maybe it was a soldier’s sentiment, but it felt wrong to be missing someone. He was sure Rian carried her absence heavier in his heart after what happened with Mira.

Taking a grounding breath in through his nose, Gurjin put a smile onto his face and clapped Rian on the shoulder. “We’ll find her. And, you know she won’t end up in anything’s belly - you saw the way she handled those Skesksis.”

His friend stayed quiet, so the Drenchen took his leave. The song had changed while he was talking, a twangy, upbeat ballad. Swallowing a mouthful of his previously untouched drink, he wandered back to Naia. Her eyes were locked on the music-makers, a funny smile pulling at her lips. 

“What?” He asked as he wiped the ale from his mouth.

She simply pointed. “Kylan’s drunk.”

He nearly choked - she was right. Kylan was standing atop a wagon flipped on its side alongside a ragtag group of Sifan singers, there even seemed to be a Vapran playing a flute vigorously. The Spriton’s heel was up on the wheel, strumming away at some stringed instrument that Gurjin thought was made out of a couple of sticks and braided hair. Kylan’s face was bright pink and he sang loudly along with the Sifan’s shanty. It was admittedly impressive that he was able to strum so well considering the significant slur in his voice.

“Woo, Kylan!” Naia yelled over the crowd, lifting her drink over her head. 

He spotted them and nearly toppled off the wagon with the force of his wave. The ginger-haired Sifan next to him managed to keep him straight, and the two leaned heavily against each other as they continued playing away.

“Hold that.” Gurjin sighed, pushing his unfinished drink toward Naia. “I should make sure he doesn’t fall off that thing.”

“I’m going to drink your ale while you play childling-sitter!” Naia called after him as he began making his way through the throng of dancing gelfling. 

“Bonnie lassie will you gang with me,

Bonnie lass will ye lie near me?

I’ll get all your ribbons reel

In the morning ‘ere I’ll leave ye”

It took several minutes, but he eventually found himself close to the wagon. Brea was already there, looking anxious and holding multiple cups. “Oh, Gurjin,” she sighed in relief when she saw him, scooting close. “I’ve been trying to get him to drink water all night.” It was almost impossible to hear her over Kylan and the Sifans’ crowing.

“She takes the trooper by the hand

And leads him to her chamber

She’s given him some wine to drink

And his love it flared like tinder”

Gurjin had to cup his hands around his mouth and shout Kylan’s name to get the Spriton to look their way. He tried gesturing for Kylan to get down, but the Song-teller dizzily waved instead, and hiccuped a “Hi, Gurjin!” Then he winked, and went back to the chorus.

“He just winked at you. He might have ale-poisoning.”

The Drenchen sighed, he really was a childling-sitter. “Wait here, Brea.” He rolled his sleeves up to the elbow and pushed his way up to the wagon, using his full Drenchen stature. “Come on, Kylan.” 

With a delighted gasp, Kylan pushed his flimsy instrument into the ginger-haired Sifan’s hands. “Gurjin! Hi!” 

“Hi, Kylan. Let’s have fun on the ground.”

“Hi, Gurjin!” He slurred again, and squatted on the edge of the wagon to wave him over with another wink. “C’mere, c’mere.” Gurjin did so, getting close enough for the Spriton to grab him by the shoulders. “Yer so tall.” He interrupted the Drenchen’s demands. At this angle, Kylan was indeed only about a head above Gurjin. “So tall. Big, strong Gurjin.” He mused, hands patting their way up to his sober companion’s face.

“Here, I’ll help you down-” Before he could finish his offer, the Spriton’s hands were tugging his face forward and smashing their mouths together.

Gurjin had never experienced his brain melting and pouring out of his ears, but Kylan kissing him with the taste of wine on his breath was probably the closest he’d ever come to it. He immediately heard Brea exclaim, “oh!” and Naia’s cackling laughter over the music, but he was stuck there like his boots were made of stone. It was at least several seconds before Kylan broke away to drunkenly greet Brea.

The Vapran coaxed Kylan down while Gurjin stood in shock. He’d always thought the bard was sweet, his company was enjoyable. Maybe he was even kind of cute, but in a way that the Drenchen wasn’t going to admit to himself yet. And, sure, maybe Gurjin thought about Kylan that way, he hadn’t expected to be kissed. It was so sudden - if he knew Kylan was going to kiss him, he could’ve at least made it romantic. Or, completely not romantic, you know, in the way one would set the mood to passionately kiss a friend in a totally friendly way.

“Gurjin.” Brea’s hand on his shoulder broke him out of the dizzying stream of thought. She smiled at him. “Don’t worry, he’ll probably forget by morning.”

Why was he disappointed by that?

[horas-lia]

I stole some gelfling OCs to draw and here they are, Kovina, Eri and Tug :)

Kovina - @amethystgelfling

Eri - @nurloxx

Tug - @chimeowrical

[simplysparrow14]

Watching Deet slowly lose herself to the darkening is going to be one of the most heartbreaking things Season 2 is going to give us if/when it comes out.

We already know that The Darkening completely changes you once your infacted. We saw this in both the peaceful Nurloc’s, Nebbries and Landstriders, as they themselves lost control of their minds.

I have a feeling that the more intelligent the creature infected by the darkening, the slower the infection process is. The little pluffum that tried to eat/tug on Aughra’s dress lost its mind pretty quickly and then died off fairly fast as well. Same with the nurlocs. We haven’t seen a darkend gelfling before, so we don’t know how fast the infection process will be with Deet. But I do have a feeling that Deet is going to suffer. A lot.

She’s most likely going to hear/see some crazy shit as she wanders the land. Like most people would do, she’s most likely going to try to fight off the creepy-ass voice in her head, and convince herself that any hallucinations that she sees ain’t real.

I’d like to imagine Her inner battle with the darkening will be like what happened to Katara from Avatar: Last Airbender in the Swamp. The swamp was known to show illusions of people you knew. It tried to convince you that what you were seeing was real, and lead you into a false sense of security.

One possible scenario I can see happening is that, she’s walking around, trying desperately to drive the voice she hears in her head. She walking and walking until she hears a voice... a very familiar voice... Brea’s voice. Excited because brea came to find her, she runs up to “brea”.

“Brea” has her back to Deet, so Deet turns her around. Turning around, “brea” Has been infected by the darkening, scaring Deet. Deet snaps out of the illusion to find that “brea” was just a tree-stump, it’s body infected by the darkening. Absolutely distraught, Deet falls to her knees and cries, allowing the voice in her head to gain the upper hand...

[cleverbreawisekylan]

Brea x Kylan

In which Brea is a terrible cook

“I know what I’m doing!” Brea insists with a roll of her eyes, “Do you know how many recipes I’ve read?” She continues to stir the gloopy, yellow mixture in the pot. Kylan smiles at the way she hums in concentration, until Naia chimes in with the hint of annoyance.

“Well, that makes me feel better.”

Gurjin frowns from where he sits next to her, peering between the spriton and the vapran with confusion in his eyes. “I still don’t understand why Kylan isn’t cooking?” His lips tug in an uneasy frown. “He always cooks.”

She narrows her eyes, making an undignified grumble. “Well, that’s why he should get a break. He might be tired of cooking.”

All heads turn to Kylan, who straightens under their intense gaze. He clears his throat, nervous. “I don’t mind either way.” He adds a shrug for effect, attempting to act cool. In all honesty, it is nice to have the pressures relieved.

“I think it’s important to share the responsibility.” Brea smiles, eyes settling on him. When he realises that her gaze isn’t wavering, he feels a jolt shoot right through his body, heart pumping away nervously. “And I’ve always wanted to learn cooking!”

“Did you really have to learn on my dinner?” Gurjin frowns likes a disappointed childling.

“Oh come on,” Rian insists, “leave her alone. I’m sure it will be great.” She sends a thankful smile Rian’s way before leaning forward to smell the aroma of her concoction. Her eyes close slowly, appreciating the simmering smell with a look of content.

“Okay!” She smiles softly. “I think it’s ready!”

The gelfling nervously get servings of the food, Kylan being the last. He sits down, waiting for it to cool in his hands. In the meantime, Brea occupies the spot next to him. Against the light of the fire, her delicate features host dancing shadows, yet he can still make out her serene smile.

He’s so entranced by her that he almost forgets to eat.

Kylan is poised to place the spoon in his mouth when he captures sight of Naia’s expression. If there’s one thing he knows about his friend, it’s that she is often unreadable, a closed book that he has to pry.

But in that moment there is no prying needed to detect the look of absolute disgust on her features. Her lips suck tightly together, eyes wide. Peering to Gurjin, he spies a similar reaction (only Gurjin is trying to restrain a gag).

Oh no.

Kylan’s heart sinks.

Turning, he catches a glimpse of Rian whose nose is turned up, face paling by the second. Then to Deet who, well, she actually seems to be enjoying it.

That’s a good sign, he supposes. With a surge of bravery, he pushes the spoon into his mouth and swallows.

Or, at least tries to.

The gloop seems to stick to the sides of his mouth, stubbornly refusing to move down his throat. He feels his eyes water, one twitching with effort as he fights his own body. Why on Thra is this so salty? Its viscous existence is his mouth is almost offensive and he resists the urge to spit it out.

“Why are you all so quiet?” Brea demands to know, head flicking between the group. She glances at her own bowl then back to the others. “Do you not like it?”

“No,” Gurjin coughs, “it’s, uh, it’s thick, isn’t it?”

“And . . .” Rian moves his spoon through it slowly, surprised when the utensil almost gets stuck. “It’s yellow.”

“It is not good.” Naia deadpans.

Kylan, still struggling with the mouthful, feels his heart sink as Brea’s shoulders being to slump.

“I like it, Brea.” Deet smiles, “it reminds me of a stew the Maudra used to fed the hollerbats when they were hurt. I tried it all the time when I was little!”

Brea nods slowly at Deet’s story before turning to him for his verdict. By now, he’s managed to swallow the small spoonful. And she is looking at him expectantly. Think of something, Kylan, think!

“It’s . . .” he begins with a thoughtful pause, “uh – I . . . it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten!”

She lets out a small gasp, ears twitching downward in disappointment. “You don’t . . . like it?” she whispers out to him as though it’s just the two sat in the middle of the forest.

He frowns, almost reaching to take hold of her hand and then wondering what had compelled such a thought. “I – ahh . . . it’s not that I don’t like it.” He blinks fretfully. “It’s just that I . . . think it’s different.”

But Brea isn’t stupid and she easily picks up on his tone, “but I read the recipe!”

Kylan smiles uneasily.

“Fine!” she begins dramatically, voice tense. “I was just trying to help.”

“And you did.”

She turns to face him once more, though her body moves stiffly. He can see the disappointment laced into her features.

“You just need . . . a little practise!” He grows with enthusiasm at the idea. “No one was perfect in a day.” This time, he does reach forward and gently place his hand atop hers. “You’ll get better.” He can barely stop the next few words as they tumble over his lips, “I could give you lessons . . . if you want?” He only realises the implication of his words when he sees Gurjin smirk.

“Private lessons?” He whispers to Naia, who glares back at him.

Brea, in turn, is staring at him in delighted surprise. “You would teach me?”

He nods, “of course. Like you said, it is nice to get a break once in a while and I could do with someone to help cooking.”

And before he knows it her arms are around him, holding on tightly. Her pounce is so quick that he almost drops his broth all over the floor (in all honesty, it might be a blessing) but he tightly holds the bowl with one hand. The other sweeps around to the small of her back. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She mutters into his ear. Brea’s hot breath turns said ear pink, followed by the rest of his surprised expression.

When she pulls back, he sits awkwardly before clearing his throat. “N – no problem.” Kylan’s eyes move down to the “food” in his hands then back at Brea. “Don’t suppose you’re ready for lesson number one?”

Brea nods eagerly, her own broth discarded.