#naia rant

[noisynaia]

Hey, hi, hello…

So, I’ve been gone for a minute (I say after not having posted a fic for 5 months lol…)

Life has been kind of crazy, I graduated in the spring and I’ve now started on a new chapter of my life which has taken some time to get used to, and which kind of threw me into a massive writer’s block.

I reached 1k followers back in August, which was the one-year anniversary of this blog, and that is so crazy to me. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and following so far, and to say that I’m slowly getting back into writing, which is so nice <3

I’m currently working on the next chapter of Dreaming of You, which hopefully will be out soon!

Love you all! 💕

#naia rants #<3

[vellichordragon]

I'm genuinely sorry for the mounds of unwarranted hate Naia has gotten from various sources (there is never, ever an excuse for KiwiFarms shit to be going on for example) but I'm really not loving the inconsistency and unreliability of the site's future while it's in her hands. It's gone down enough as it is. Like, I'm pretty sure I lost all my Bones (donor currency for fun e-presents like forum profile decors) after one re-host, and that was disappointing, even if I had no real drive to ask for compensation because I'm not gonna karen at my own community members over pixels. Still, it made me feel a little...idk, uncertain? It made me kind of question where my trust was being placed.

All I'm saying is, if you opt to be a pylon of a still quite-young identity community by hosting a forum where important history will happen, that is a big responsibility. I don't think she's equipped for that much pressure, despite her know-how with tech stuff and security doodads. Being in the public eye while trans (and alterhuman, and other stuff) is not easy as it is. Being a figurehead and, well, frankly celebrity (re: the meme) is too much.

Perhaps it really is time she relieves herself of the pressure and just lives her best life. I'd like to see a transfer of KM to a larger pool of responsible, focused people who can operate it instead of relying mostly on one person, especially if one person's stress can tank the entire site and by proxy tank a lot of the community's record-keeping.

If I had one request for her, it'd be to just... please take a break. It would do you some good. You're clearly not in a great spot and I'm sorry for that but please consider how it impacts alterhuman history. You're not a nameless nobody, and what you're doing has impact. Thing is, that can be good or bad depending on your decisions.

Please give yourself some space to make good decisions.

#alterhumanity rant #i am sympathetic to the shit she's endured but cmon naia...please stop this. #we just want places to exist together. why's it always gotta be a problem

[atsumulogy]

WHEN YOUR CO-WORKER CALLS HIMSELF YOUR “WORK HUSBAND”

synopsis: how he reacts to your co-worker calling himself your “work husband”

featuring: miya atsumu, oikawa tooru, & iwaizumi hajime. fem!reader.

content warning(s): jealousy, possessive boys, weird co-worker, suggestive at iwa’s part 😵 sorry my hands slipped lmao. also grammar mistakes … have mercy i wrote this kinda half asleep + use of wife

naia’s footnote: yk that work wife thing? yeah, that but with a twist with the hq men 🤭 jealous scenarios are my guilty pleasure LOL i wrote this when i was supposed to be doing smth actually productive 😓‼️also i got carried away w atsumu’s haha

REQUESTS ARE OPEN! rb’s & likes are appreciated

#01 — WHEN COMING AS YOUR PLUS ONE IN YOUR OFFICE’S FANCY EVENT, MIYA ATSUMU didn’t want to admit it but he kind of expected to be fawned over by your female colleagues — not that he wanted them to! It’s just … expected, seeing how absolutely hot your husband is (the expensive suit and tie and all). What he did not expect was being introduced to your … what was it? Ahh, yes, “work husband”.

The absolute audacity and sheer nerve of this bastard to call himself that in front of him, the actual husband on the documents and in your heart.

Work husband. He scoffs silently, face scrunching up in irritation, poking his cheeks with his tongue instead of making a fuss in this exclusive event where lots of important people are present. As much as he cares for obliterating this man in front of him, he cares more about you and didn’t want to cause you any issues with your workplace.

(Though, if this ugly scrub touches your arm again and joke about Atsumu being the side chick, he wasn’t so sure that he wouldn’t cause a scene.)

Besides, the 24 karat gold necklace hanging around your neck with his initials attached to the chains and the elegant ring on your finger makes it painfully clear that your self-proclaimed work husband has no chance against the Miya Atsumu.

BONUS:

Atsumu may have acted mature about the situation while in the event, but behind closed doors he was whining and grumbling about that annoyin’ scrub.

“— like I still can’t believe he had the guts to say that in front of me!” He scoffs, face scrunching up again, his mouth forming a scowl. “Work husband… tsk, i’m yer only husband! hell, i’ll be yer work husband, house husband, and every other fuckin’ husband title there is!”

Instead of informing your husband that it doesn’t work like that, you nod to every word he said every time he looks at your eyes to back him up on his rant.

“Yes baby, I know. Now why don’t we get you a trophy with all those husband titles, hm?” You jokingly offered, patting his fluffy blonde hair.

Next week a package arrived carrying a shiny gold trophy with the words “Miya Y/n’s only house husband, work husband, and everything else in between” customized on the front <3

#02 — OIKAWA TOORU SCOFFED AFTER SOME IRRELEVANT, MEDIOCRE, UGLY MAN introduced himself as your “work husband”, somewhat offended because someone dared crown themselves a self-proclaimed title as your work husband — like that bastard is even worthy enough to be breathing the same air as you!

He recognizes this man to be the man you ranted to him about that was inappropriately acting like he’s close with you and many other women of your office.

Wanting to do you and the other women of your office a favor, he decided to humble him.

“Last time I checked, there was no side piece. And if there were to be a side piece — which will never happen by the way! — my wife would pick someone better looking than you. As you can see she has great taste, since she married me and only me. But you should know that by now, hm? Our wedding was even on the news!” showing the ring on his finger, wiggling it even to show emphasis, his tone and his (threatening) smile was friendly, but you all know that it was anything but that.

Oikawa Tooru is an intimidating opponent, both in and out of the court.

#03 — NEVER IN HIS 25 YEARS OF LIVING HAS IWAIZUMI HAJIME met a more annoying and repulsive person such as the man in front of him that cockily and casually called himself as your “work husband”.

You felt his beefy arms tighten around your waist, he leans in to you closely, his hot breath heating up your ears as he asked you with low voice, however still (purposely) loud enough for the guy in front of you two to hear. “Baby, do you even know him?”

You nodded, “He’s just some guy in the finance department who’s really weird, Hajime. I don’t even remember his name. Sato? Aoki?”

The man before you deflated, his cocky stance nowhere to be seen as he scoffs defensively, “It’s Nakamura —”

“— Yeah, sure, well my wife and I have somewhere else to be now. So goodbye Ishikawa-san.” He purposely used a different name — politely even, to mock him and push his buttons.

“It’s Nakamu —”

“Bye Sato-kun!” You played along with your husband’s petty antics, waving him off before locking your arms around Hajime’s before snuggling close to him as you two walked away. The both of you bursting out laughing once you guys think the guy was far away enough to not hear you two.

“Have you seen his face! He deserved that humbling experience!” You snorted, Hajime rolling his eyes as he remembers the guy.

“Okay but who even is he really? Is he always so flirtatious with you? What even is a work husband? Last time I checked, I’m the one who gave you that new last name of yours.” He grumbled, irritated at the thought of that bastard flirting with you at work when your husband wasn’t there.

“Aw, babe, you know that you’re the only one for me.” you patted his cheeks affectionately, smiling at him while giggling.

He does. He knows it, a bit too well at times. So he sighs and he lets it go. Because he knows that at the end of the day, he’s the one you come home to, he’s the one you cling onto while watching your favorite shows, he’s the one that rests his free hand on your thighs whenever you two go for a drive.

And tonight, he’s the one that will lay you down on the bed and touch you, talk to you, and feel you in ways that only he can do.

© ATSUMULOGY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ANY FORM OF PLAGIARISM OF ANY OF MY CONTENT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x you #miya atsumu x reader #atsumu x reader #oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa x reader #iwaizumi hajime x reader #iwaizumi x reader #atsumu fluff #oikawa fluff #iwaizumi fluff #haikyuu drabbles #hq x reader #haikyuu!!

[pageofnaia]

I. Who's Naia?

Hey there! I go by Naia. In the past, I went by Fetunia and Lilith, but I'm switching it up to Naia now. Shoot me a message in the DMs if we're acquainted!

I use she/her pronouns, I'm an INFJ, and I'm an Aquarius. I mostly tweet in Bahasa, but I sprinkle in some English too. Sometimes my tweets include rants, so don't be surprised if I get a bit "random" on the timeline.

I'm kinda forgetful, so if I blank out on your name or where we met, my bad in advance. Just hit me with a reminder, and I'll totally recall. 😅

I'm into vibing on Spotify, watching movies, and swapping playlists. If you're down to be Spotify or Letterbox buds, let me know!

Hey, just a heads-up – I'm a roleplay writer, so if my RP tweets aren't your vibe, feel free to hit that unfollow button. No hard feelings!

II. Naia’s faves

Taylor Swift, IU, One Direction, Adelle, Aespa, BoA, All k-girlgroup gen2 and gen3, marvel, Stranger things, Little women, Enola Holmes, The Queen's Gambit, GOT/HOTD

III. Naia’s handle

Open rp

@/aiyyu

@/tayloraalison

@/ayiu

@/yosnjung

@/KIMNSUHO

CA RP

TheLaporPak as Aurelie Moeremans

LittleBIueBoat as Go Younjung

DearlySolace as Go Younjung

rapid__eye as Anne Hathaway

100Ways2LoveU as Karina Yoo

atmaranello s2 as Louise

1988withUs as Lee Jieun

ReveredFate as Lee Saerom

BaddieAlliance as Ningning

OA RP

OurReputations as Kim Jennie

LifeOfRunways as Gigi Hadid

NewYorkFolks as Gigi Hadid

Dittours, OdeOfYouth, Lonersclub, ClassicalHaven, TownofThales, WeIImarks, melodramacom, TheBlissGalore, Tduminc, TheLoveGlow, TheSacredLines, TheSittersClub, ModestHeroes, VoIeursRouge, StrangerHeals, TheFilmSociety, SQUIDGEIM, DeOudheids, laissefaire_co, INMARCESlBLE, THENOBENC, ofYellow, SummerClique, OdeOfYouth.

IV. Don't follow or interact if :

Don't hit that follow button if you're into dissing my faves, spreading negativity, being a drama llama, homophobic vibes, underage (sometimes my tweets get spicy), or spewing racism and support isriwil.

[opaljm]

not gonna lie, but i liked you better when you were just doing your own little thing on tumblr. youre hybrid stories were so good and your hades!taehyung story was so promising. but now instead of writing and posting fics- literally where is eye of the tiger it's been more than a year since you teased it and where is turbulent part three?! your becoming a shooter for people that dont even like you as much as you like them. why do you hype up hantaev and chateautae when they never hype you up naia. i dont think they've ever read a single thing by you either. naia their never gonna become your bsfs and its pathetic to see you keep trying 💀 you should just write and post your fics (you know the ones that we ACTUALLY WANT) why did you even release yours truly. just give us eott youve had more than a year to work on it i dont get it. the more you draw it out the less people will care when you finally post it.

Um wow. Okay so, my readers know I have a policy of not answering hate asks and in general the treatment I get from my readers is so good and so pure and I'm always grateful for it but it seems like this motherfucker wants to ruin that relationship, but you know what? I have thick skin and I don't even know if you're actually one of my readers or you're one of those toxic anons that @hantaev and @chateautae have, that decided to come over here and bother me now.

The reasons why I'm suspicious whether or not you're even one of my followers or just fine combed my blog to find ways to hurt me is because I have actually explicitly stated why there is no Turbulent part 3 yet (It's a drabble series that I work on when I have inspiration for it or when I am not working on other works. But I literally have so many WIPs right now. All my readers know that Turbulent is the least of my priorities and they're so respectful of that).

And when it comes to Eye of the Tiger, I've literally stated that I've lost over 20k words of the fic when the file got corrupted and that actually put me into a slump and not want to write that fic anymore. Since then I've decided to completely rework the plot into something that I would want to write again. I had made it into a chaptered form before changing it back to a one-shot. It's even on my list of WIPs for this year. But let's assume for a second that you actually have read my stories and you're not a random anon from the depths of hell. Congratulations! You have delayed Eye of the Tiger for everyone. I was going to work on it next month but now it looks like everyone is going to have to wait until August at earliest. I also don't care if you think that Eye of the Tiger's anticipation is going to die down and no one ends up reading it when I finally do post it. It's not like you have clairvoyance and can see the future.

Now moving onto you insulting Yours, Truly and saying no one wants it. Anon, just because you love Taehyung to the alarming degree that you keep harassing creators for their Taehyung fics just cuz it's not set to your specification or whatever the fuck does not mean that everyone else is such a rabid crazy Taehyung stan. It literally makes no sense for me to put more importance onto your opinion of Yours, Truly over the hundreds of people who have reblogged and hearted it and even asked to be on the tag list. Not to toot my own horn but I really like Yours, Truly and I wish you would open your eyes so you could enjoy it like everyone else. Except I don't know that I want someone like you on my page so 🤷🏻‍♀️ maybe it's a blessing in disguise that you don't like Yours, Truly and won't be able to bother me about it in the future.

I left this for last because it's literally so stupid that I even have to address this. Anon, I don't think you realize this but Hads and Sammy are friends in real life, they are the type of friends that talk every day, facetime and text, and send each other presents. Not only that but they are also the same age. IN contrast, I am... get this... their online friend. I am not as deeply involved in their lives as they are in each others lives. And you know what that's perfectly fine and I'm okay with it, maybe one day it'll turn into something IRL maybe not, it's cool we're chilling either way. Also, I can't believe I even have to say this but anon do you realize that Sammy and Hads are both 19 and I am 23? I'm actually rubbing my forehead right now because there is literally no situation where it's normal or acceptable for a 23 year old to be jealous of a relationship that two 19 year olds have with each other. I just treat them like my little babies that I'm so so proud of.

If you think I'm trying too hard to be their friends, I feel like you genuinely have never seen people act kindly towards others without expecting anything in return. It literally costs me nothing to interact with them and brighten up their days. Also maybe it's my age but I'm not insecure about whether or not my mutuals read my fics or constantly reblog and promote it. We are all so busy I'm never going to ever demand that from someone. Sammy and Hads don't demand anything from me either. How can you say Hads as never read anything by me when she's listed as the beta reader of Yours, Truly (yet another reason why I think you have never read it but are just insulting it because you can)? Sammy has given me private updates of how much she's enjoyed my work. Just because she or Hads never posted a review for YOU to see on multiple works doesn't mean that they don't read and support my stuff. And it's so weird that you're claiming that about them but you're not holding me to the same standard? The last time I reviewed one of Sammy's Maybe I Do chapters was probably for chapter 4 but I've privately been keeping her updated on my progress with reading her fic. I haven't even read Hads' Before Dawn yet. But you know what? It's fine. We're all okay with it and we don't have insecurities like that, we understand that we will all read and support each other's fics when we can and when we're free. I feel like as you get older you realize that friendship is not just what you can physically show off to others its more so all the ways you can be there for someone. I thank Allah that Sammy, Hads, and I are all so much more understanding than you are and that there is not even an ounce of toxicity in our relationship.

Lastly, maybe I'm not jealous of Sammy and Hadiyah being best friends because I have my own best friends? @vivian146 is literally the light of my life and we're going on strong for almost 7 years 😭😭😭

#chatty!naia #asks #anon #naia rant #toxic anon

[sifanjewel]

Reasons Maudra Mera is the most disliked Maudra

So I know Maudra Mera shouldn’t be counted as a “villain” of The Dark Crystal but her behavior through most of her time in the books and the small bit we get in Age of Resistance definitely lands her on many TDC fans’ shit lists, and there are very valid reasons to this. Let’s go in order, shall we?

Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t read the books/hasn’t finished them

1. She’s racist/xenophobic. It’s pretty much the first thing we learn about her. When Naia first encounters her in Shadows, Mera makes some not-so-subtle judgements toward her appearance (which included touching her hair. the fuck) and backhanded remarks about the Drenchen. She even went so far as to say the Drenchen mattered the least of all the clans (I’m paraphrasing but that’s pretty much exactly what she said). Even when she does act cordial and gives Naia supplies she needs for the rest of her journey, it’s all to make herself look good for treating a fellow Maudra’s daughter with hospitality and respect.

And her calling Naia her “Soggy Dear” is just... stop. Just stop.

2. She’s a horrible guardian to Kylan. While it seems good on her that she took in a young orphan after the sudden deaths of his parents, she did the bare fucking minimum of raising him. She gave him a home, fed him, taught him the Spriton way of living, but there was definitely a lack of compassion for him. It’s bad enough that she never believed Kylan’s parents were taken by the Hunter, but in doing so she denied him the ability to cope with his trauma by not giving him any emotional support. Not to mention the fact that their deaths were partly if not mostly her fault. Kylan’s mother was Spriton but his father was Stonewood, and it’s canon that those two clans have rivaled for ages, so in order to preserve her clan’s image, Mera likely had a hand in pushing them to live in dangerous territory near the Dark Wood. The most likely reasons she took Kylan in were:

a) she felt at least some guilt for what happened to his parents as a result of her actions and raised him as a way of possibly redeeming herself

b) It’s stated in the Seven Clans book that it is a Maudra’s duty to take in a childling of their clan if the parents are unable to support them for whatever reason, so he would have become her responsibility regardless

c) he had nowhere else to go, because it doesn’t seem like any other Spriton or Stonewood would willingly raise a childling that is half of the clan they despise most.

Oh, and backing off that last point, Kylan is constantly teased and pushed around by the citizens of Sami Thicket, and Mera doesn’t seem to do shit about it or try to defend him in any way. I mean no fucking wonder he ran away the first chance he got, she practically pushed him away.

I think some part of her must have cared for him, seeing how she greets him upon his return to Sami Thicket in Flames, but she really shouldn’t have been all surprised Pikachu face when he up and left in the first place. She and the rest of that village made the Skeksis feel more welcome than him.

3. She nearly betrayed her own kind for her own clan’s safety. She basically pulled a Seladon and initially sided with the Skeksis even the she knew exactly what they were doing. Even though Mera never touched Kylan’s petals she knew that the Skeksis were capturing Gelfling, they even kidnapped a bunch right before her fucking eyes and yet -- SHE WENT CALLING FOR KYLAN'S RETURN SO THAT NO ONE ELSE WOULD GET TAKEN

HOLD UP

I’M JUST NOW REALIZING THIS

SHE WAS GOING TO FUCKING TURN HIM IN TO SAVE HER ASS AND EVERYONE ELSES

I HOPE I’M LOOKING AT THIS RIGHT IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I’VE ACTUALLY READ THE BOOKS BUT HOLY FUCK

DID SHE REALLY CARE ABOUT HIM??

FOR FUCKS SAKE MERA

GOD

SHE KNEW THE SKEKSIS WERE LOOKING FOR HIM AND MESSAGED THE OTHER MAUDRAS ASKING WHERE HE WAS SO HE WOULD COME BACK AND FOR WHAT?? DID SHE THINK THE SKEKSIS WERE GOING TO GIVE THE TAKEN BACK??

I MEAN YEAH I’M SORRY SOME VILLAGERS GOT TAKEN BUT ARE YOU SERIOUSLY WILLING TO TRADE IN THE BOY YOU FUCKING RAISED FOR... PROTECTION FROM THE SKEKSIS?? BY SKEKSIS???

I’m actually fuming right now. Whether or not she had known the full truth it’s completely possible she would have turned him in. At that point in time she would have handed Kylan to the Skeksis on a silver platter GOD FUCKING DAMMIT--

Oh and, she wouldn’t let the Drenchen pass through her territory to fight the Skeksis and avenge the Stonewood clan, and that she was gearing up her soldiers to go into all-out war just to keep them out under SkekUng’s orders. How desperate do you have to be to fight your own kind in favor of the Skeksis? How far was she willing to go to protect her clan? Yes, Maudras should fight for the well-being and safety of their clan but if she’s going to let the other clans fall so her own can prosper?? Bitch that’s just a whole new level of selfish.

AND NOW FOR SHOW CANON

So Mera didn’t have much of an appearance in AoR except for episodes 6 and 10, but we didn’t need much to know how she is.

Her first and obvious mistake was siding with Seladon instead of Fara and Laesid after the coronation. I know Ethri and Seethi did too but at least they ended up fully believing what was going on in the end, while it seems it took Mera much longer, because Kylan tells Fara in ep. 9 that the Spriton wouldn’t listen to him when he tried to rally them against the Skeksis. This doesn’t surprise Fara, because she knows Mera’s an expert in ass-kissery, given what happened at the coronation and the fact that their clans rival enough as it is. Just another reason we stan Maudra Fara, she knows how to call out fellow Maudra’s when they’re clearly in the wrong without fear of repercussion. Vala didn’t raise no bitch

I like to think Fara is the Maudra that Mera thinks she is, but even she knows that’s bullshit XD

OKAY. That’s my rant on Maudra Mera. If I missed anything by all means, please, do tell.

If anyone is just going to defend Mera, please note that I know she does truly turn around in the end, I just needed to remind everyone why there is slander on her character to begin with. Hope this was enlightening somehow.

#the dark crystal #dark crystal age of resistance #shadows of the dark crystal #flames of the dark crystal #maudra mera #maudra fara #spriton clan #stonewood clan #kylan #wise kylan #naia #fierce naia #character rant #it should have been her not fara

[thethirdstageofdeath]

My brother just said to me: "Don't start thirsting over characters. That's not okay."

While I'm just sittin' over here thinking like:

#naia #dark crystal naia #naia thirst club #fierce naia #the dark crystal #the dark crystal age of resistance #tdc aor #gelfling #rigor rants

[geek-life-or-bust]

Just started playing the Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics. Normally I don't like Tactics type games but I love everything the Dark Crystal and this game is pretty fun. Except I'm stuck on the Podling Tavern part. Because Tavra won't stop stalking and killing my goddamn healer.... -_- like seriously, fuck off, you psycho Vapran bitch....jfc

#gaming #the dark crystal #age of resistance #rant #ragequit #Tavra #Vapra #Naia #Kylan #Drenchen #Spriton #fuck this fight #Podling Tavern #Age of Resistance Tactics #Thra

[the-experimental-writer]

The palace of Ha’rar was shrouded in complete, sepulchral silence, the constant rambling and political rants amongst the many nobles and elders had ceased as the first brother had begun its descent behind the crystalline and etched windows of the citadel. In the eastern wing of the castle, sitting upon a marble-etched bench, sat a young Spriton, head back down to the ground, allowing his long, ebony hair to fall around, concealing the morose, worried look on his face. He reached out for the Firca around his neck, sliding his fingers down the single new crafted rune upon it, finding a semblance of comfort in its feel.  The marked carvings upon the bone, the golden, dried ink lining the runic patterns;  it was a symbol his love had made for him, a comfort in this dark time.  The sound of steps over the finely polished stone and marble floor echoed through the room, yet the young man did not tear away from his thoughts, too embedded in the texture of the rune to do so.

“Kylan?” a voice uttered gently over him, the Spriton held tightly to the Firca for a moment, as if letting go of it would bring his most dire fear to life, that the banishment of the thought could bring a much darker fate upon him. “Kylan…” the voice said again, just before the Song-Teller felt a hand slowly reaching down to his shoulder. The trembling Spriton slowly lifted his gaze to meet his friends’ faces.  Gurjin’s alert, intense yellow eyes and Rian’s gentle, azure eyes looked at him with matched concern. The well-built Drenchen gave him a calm, gentle smile, yet despite his own efforts the Song-Teller could not return it, the same barren, fretful expression on his face, concealed between the strands of loosened and mussed ebony hair.  “How are you holding up?” the broad-shouldered Gelfling questioned amicably, clearly trying to cheer up his friend. The dark-haired Spriton let out a sigh. There were no words needed to express his feeling, a cruel irony of fate, one that he and his friends could see.  It had been the grief of loss that had made him become a Song-Teller, the need to express through the music of instruments and the stories of old, and yet it had been the same feeling that had rendered him speechless now, mute and unable to even respond to the simple question. He had been as such ever since the pain began a few hours back, when Brea had awakened in the middle of the early-morning, seized by a sharp pain. He had helped her get to the medic wing before being pushed out by Naia and the rest of the attending healers. The rest of the Castle had been awakened by the commotion, all attending and awaiting the moment.

“Kylan, I know what you think, but you know Naia is a capable healer; this isn’t the first birth she has tended to,” Gurjin reminded him, “She’s in the most capable hands…” “She had to attend many refugees during the war,” Rian agreed with a nod, “Honestly, this should be a breeze for her after so much conflict…”

Kylan nodded somberly, trying to take in the words of his friends and swallow away all the dread.  They…they’re right , he thought, trying to reassure himself, reminding himself of the time he had spent at the many camps, accompanying the Drenchen healer to treat the injured refugees, the many times she had been called upon to tend to a birth.  At times he had been forced to help, with the number of healers stretched thin, remembering as Naia talked him through a complicated birth, patiently and calmly navigating the blood, internal fluids, and soothing elixirs while he tried his best not to faint or vomit.  Despite her young age, she had delivered more of them during the entire trine and half that the war had lasted. And yet…she was not infallible, no one was, the war itself had taught them as much, that even beings of supposed great power like the Skeksis and the horrid constructs of flesh and metal their twisted wills had brought to life were not flawless, and so the Gelfling themselves were not, and the young Song-Teller could remember despite her best efforts one of the expecting mothers, a young Stonewood woman, barely reaching her twentieth trine.  She had been too tired and weakened, and no matter how much Naia tried…they had lost her, and the child had died within the healer’s own arms. The feeble, withered, bloody form of the infant had haunted the young Song-Teller’s mind. A sudden, painful scream reverberated within the high, vaulted walls, wrenching Kylan away from his thoughts. Unlike the first time, he did not turn his eyes, not even to look back into the worried faces of his friends.  He did not gasp, he stood in complete, utter, silence, waiting for it to pass, holding onto the native instrument, onto the one semblance of peace and tranquility he carried.  Please…please be safe, my love , was all he could think, slightly turning his head, looking to the closed door by his side, not wishing to imagine the horrors that lay within. My Brea…

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brea let out a sudden sigh as the pain dimmed, the Princess breathing in quick, short breaths, trying to regain air as the stinging feeling ebbed, her throbbing muscles slowly returning to calmness. Her clasped hands slowly let go of the ragged, bloodied unamoth silk underneath, leaving behind a few dented marks of her nails in the fine textile.  She tried to raise her head, the tensed muscles of her neck and even the thin strands of messy hair that fell behind her like a waterfall of tainted silver seeming like a weight of lead, and her elbows struggled to even lift her weakened form.   “I….” she tried to speak through the exhaustion, struggling to pull herself up against the headboard. She didn’t know how long she had been doing this, her mind had been too focused on the slowly growing pain inside of her, on the sensations that had taken over her petite frame. No amount of knowledge within the medical books, no talk with specialized physicians or even soothsayers and shamans of all clans who had come as envoys upon the news that she was with child could have prepared her for what was to come, not even the pain she had lived through her time at war could have prepared her for what was to come. “My lady, here!” a young Vapran nurse said, quickly rushing to her side, helping her sit up against the soft, cotton, unamoth-silk pillows. The Princess breathed deeply, feeling the air uncharacteristically cold, brushing sharply against her nose and her lips as she slumped back, head barely gracing the pillow behind her, one of her hand reaching down to caress the rounded, protruding womb, hard to believe it had only been three months since the midwives and healers had told her she was with child, hard to believe how much she ha changed at that time, her movement becoming to constrained, as if tied down, her own wings unable to lift her weight into the air. She had felt helpless, drained, prone…much like the ancient ceremonial stories had said. “We are almost there, Brea!”, a voice said from the far end of the bed, the young Vapran rose her eyes away from her form to see Naia rising up, she had to force her sight to completely make out her form. “My…my baby…”, the Princess uttered upon her exhaustion, in this state even attempting to articulate words tired her out, it had been an extremely frustrating process, to slowly lose the will and strength to do sometimes even the simplest task, reading by candlelight or creating murals on her journal and helping at the library had turned nearly herculean, and it had only gotten worse over the trine. The amount of activity she had seen during the war had not calmed her enough, the help she had lent in her efforts to rebuild the lost towns and vestiges of their culture had to cease upon the news, while she had been overjoyed to know the effect of seeing her become more and more dependable and unable to perform frustrated her to no end. “I know it hurts…”, the Drenchen healer said, the tone was the kindest she could muster in her voice, her own trine of experience had not prepared her for the task of tending to the pregnancy of her own friend, most of her own patients and charges had women from far villages and towns, none she had known too personally, the love that extended to them the same as was expected from a Maudra, the profundity of what this meant was wounding, to think that the possibility of losing the two or delivering the withered body sent shivers down her spine. “I know it hurts, but we are so close!”, she repeated, stiffing her tone, “You gotta push, your child is almost here!” The Princess took a moment to take in her words, her exhausted mind processing her words slowly, time had lost all meaning the moment she had been taken into labor and the dim sunlight penetrating through the upper, gold and purple stained glass window was barely, the eyelids feeling like weights of lead and the bags beneath her eyes bloated and profound.

Almost there… , the Vapra thought to herself, caressing the prone skin of her exposed stomach, she couldn’t tell if the feeling of the child insane was real or her own mind playing illusions from the long hours of toil, her small hands clasped together, lifting herself up and lying back against the pillows, “Al…alright…” Naia nodded, giving her friend a comforting smile before re-aligning herself in front of Brea’s birth canal, “Now push…we are almost there…” The Vapran nodded, placing her hands at the side and itching herself slightly towards her Drenchen friend. Remaining quiet for a few moments, the Princess took a deep breath, slowly feeling the pain filling again, her lips curling at the sudden contraction of her muscles, it was unbearable, as if she was being rent asunder, her lips parted to let out a scream.

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In the courtyard, Seladon phased back and forth, her elegant, azure robe flowing down, dragging through the thick, snow-covered grounds, her eyes open and unease as they turned to look through the windows that peered into the Citadel and her hands , hidden beneath the long sleeves of the ceremonial dress she had received from the Maudren as a sign of their new unity upon the end of the war and the healing of the heart of Thra trembled intensely. She opened her lips, attempting to let out a sound, but the air rasped against her sore, throbbing throat, causing the young All-Maudra to grasp her throat. She had entered a panic attack mere moments after Brea had gone into labor, the screams of pain reverberating within her mind had awakened the dreadful memories of her mother’s and Tavra’s deaths, both ran through by the wicked blades of the Skeksis before her very eyes, the fear of losing her sister, the last of her family, of her blood was too much to bear, she had already feared what would happen if Brea followed them to Thra…much as it was improper for a leader, Seladon wouldn’t know if she would have the courage to continue walking amongst the living. “You should sit, All-Maudra”, A voice said from the right, causing the Vapran woman to let out a sudden gasp, a plume of smoke escaping her lips before she turned back.

Behind her and a few meters, sitting close to the flowing but cold, small garden river was a sight that would have confused many, a Skeksis, a strange appearance indeed, the Great Conjunction had occurred little more than a trine back, reuniting all the Skeksis who did not fall on the war, with only The Mariner and the Scroll-Keeper being granted amnesty for siding with them in the war, but the former patron of the Sifa had long departed Skarith, too guilty of her failure to the sailor clan, seeking islands beyond, whereas the former court scholar had remained in Ha’rar to run the local library but had been sent on a program to educate the still many illiterate Gelfling and the news would take time to reach him in the borders of the Endless Forest and close to Sog, where a cabal of Vapran scholars and Spriton Songtellers had joined him. The creature itself didn’t resembled the withered and broken reptilian beasts that had taken the heart of Thra, no, this being stood tall and proud, in a way that not even the still elegant and fresh Mariner could not hope emulate from the prime of their youth, when they had been birthed by the Crystal, a muscular, well built form towering like a massive statue above the All-Maudra, clad in what seemed a relatively simple apron of Gelfling design, a few sprinkled of dried oil and charcoal staining it and the naked, four arms showed a collection of crimson and orange feathers. “The healers got it under control, everything is gonna be fine…”, the Skeksis continued,  If a stranger had heard the rich, profound and slightly rasped tone of the voice one would not have been able it was a female, “Besides, your own issues with your back and wings due to overworking haven’t been solved yet…” “And she still refuses to use that wheelchair we designed for her…”, pointed out the Mystic by her side, a long yet bent creature holding into an intricately decorated staff, but unlike many of the wooden canes used by the Mystics she had dealt with, this one was metallic and heavily decorated with sigils. The All-Maudra curled her lips, clenching her fingers as if she wanted to immediately retort but she could not, it had been an entire trine since she had formally taken the position of All-Maudra, being forged, hardened by the former war and the rough politics of the now independent Gelfling, yet the re-establishment of order, creation of a new system of laws and negotiations to avoid infighting, plus the fear of losing her sister had worsened her already frail health overtime, Nothing I can’t handle , she had thought to herself, Mayrin hadn’t allowed for special measures to be taken to help her crippling scoliosis and despite the council the court healers and the Engineers the idea was still hard to come by.

“We agreed I would only use it outside court appearances and only when in extreme cases!”, Seladon finally managed to retort, her voice barely above a whisper but she knew well the Skeksis and her mystic counterpart heard, “Not like I need it here or can use it anyway…”, she muttered. “Still think you can fool us, All-Maudra?”, the lumbering creature questioned with a chuckle, raising a feathered eyebrow, “We know full well how you feel about this, or have you forgotten we have been leaving with the clans longer than any other?”. The young Vapran woman let out a sigh, placing her hands on her head and rubbing her temples, “No…no I did not”, she recognized, suppressing a shudder as another wave of pain shot down her form, the woman hugging her arms around herself. “Trying to suppress the pain with another pain will not help, All-Maudra”, the Mystic insisted, slowly walking over to the woman’s side, deciding against placing a hand over her shoulder, aware of the zones that most ached when she tensed, “You should not be this cruel to yourself…” The All-Maudra nodded weakly, “I…I just don’t wanna lose her, urMyr”, she confessed with a hoarse voice, gently turning, the wings on her back feeling like they were made of pure, carved stone, threatening to drag her into the snow, “She’s all I really got in life…”. skekOr and urMyr shared a glance and nodded somberly, in a way they knew it was not true, the All-Maudra had found love in the arms of the Prince of the Drenchen during the war, finding his humor refreshing, but hearing all she had lost in her family and how much the relation between the two had grown in the war, how much Seladon struggled to protect her, they could only agree with her. “She’s all I have…”, Seladon repeated, holding her chest, her voice breaking slightly and her words barely audible, thoughts of her sister perishing flooding her mind, of her from slowly closing her eyes as They claimed her, like it had claimed all her family before her, “No…”, she said, trying to hold back the memories, tears beginning to slide down her pale cheeks. “All-Maudra…”, skekOr said, noting the sudden shift and sudden distress, “All-Maudra you gotta calm down, the healers said…” “No…”, Seladon interrupted but she hadn’t even heard him, too focused on her thoughts, on the pain of her, “No, no, no, she’s going to die…”, the Vapran noble exclaimed, holding the sides of her head and collapsing on the snow-covered ground, “Brea, Brea, no, no…”, she said. “Seladon, you gotta calm down!”, skekOr said, “She’s gonna be alright, please, remember the diagnosis…” “She’s going to die!”Seladon shouted, clasping her hands and burying her fingers under the platinum strands of her, “She is going to die!”, she yelled, “No, no, no…you can’t leave me, Brea, not after father, not after mother, not after Tavra!”. At the sudden sight, the Skeksis woman couldn’t keep away anymore, she scooped the All-Maudra up and hugged her, careful not to excel much pressure and avoiding the particularly tense shoulders of the woman, where she had read nearly all of her pain concentrated, “Seladon, it’s alright…it’s going to be alright”, she reassured her, the rasped profound voice still filled with tenderness, she held the suddenly silent woman against her chest, the only sound being her muffled cries. “There, there, let it all out”, skekOr continued, reaching out to gently pass her hand along the cascade of silver hair, she had seen the All-Maudra grow during the time they had served together in the war, watching the insecure girl become a true leader, rising above all adversity and standing for her people, still the subject of family was dear to her, she could understand what, losing them all and not being able to truly express how she felt about them her entire life, not able to show her affection as often as she would like wounded her, “Deep breaths…deep breaths…”, she indicated, pulling away the young woman and slowly placing her back on the ground, looking as she let out harsh breaths. “Slowly…”, the Skeksis woman indicated, raising a taloned hand, beckoning her to stop, the Gelfling woman sniffling and stopping to cry, “There you go, take it slow and easy…”, the engineer beckoned, “Slow breath…”. The Gelfling woman inhaled, feeling the cold air brush the insides of her nose, almost cutting painful but she followed, trying to follow the instructions she had been given, “There you go”, the creature said with a smile on her short beak, “Exhale now, slowly…”, she beckoned with a gesture that looked strange from her massive, muscular hand, the Vapran however, followed her instructions, exhaling, “Again…”, she followed almost as she let out, trying to prevent Seladon from shuddering again. After a few deep breathing exercises that felt like an hour to Seladon, the young Vapran noble lowered her head, all the anguish and fear slowly dissipating from her mind but clarity would take a while before fully manifesting in her, leaving her to still worry. “I am sorry, skekOr…”, Seladon apologized, still too hurt, too worried to care about protocol again and still knowing that the woman prefered to be called by her name, “I…I shouldn’t have reacted like that again…I…I lost control”, she admitted with a polite nod of recognition, “It was immature, it was unworthy of the All-Maudra…” “It was a perfectly normal thing, Seladon, no need to apologize…”, the Engineer dismissed with a comforting smile, “You love your sister more than anything in this world and that is enough, your worry is understandable…”, she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you should hurt yourself”, the Mystic behind added, “You should take care of yourself and trust in the ability of the healers and the strength of your sister, she has always been strong…”, she insisted, gently brushing the Gelfling’s robe on the arm, “Come now, sit…we should order one of the cooks to bring you some relaxing Ta” Seladon nodded, allowing the two halves too escort her to a polished bench, the Skeksis and Mystic brushing the snow with their talons before allowing the woman to sit, her sight losing itself in the single mosaic window that allowed her to into the citadel, hoping her sister would be well.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brea screamed as she pushed once more, her hands clasping the sides of the bed and her wings flapping franatically, feeling every nerve, every muscle contracting and parting, she stopped, letting out brief, choked breaths and swallowing bitterly, her forehead was drenched in a layer of sweat from the sheer efforts, she couldn’t keep it much longer, the pain was just too much for her, “I can’t…I…I can’t…”, she uttered. “Brea, we are almost there, you just gotta push a little bit more!”Naia said at the edge of the bed, raising her head and giving the woman a look, “Come on, you gotta do it, you can’t stop now!” The Princess licked her lips, a bitter, salty taste briefly before trying to mouth something, “I…I can’t…Na-Naia…”, she said through her exhaustion, “It’s…it’s…” “Brea, I can see the head, you are almost there!”, the Drenchen healer interrupted her friend, the voice deviating from the calm, collected attitude she had presented, even in her tired state Brea could notice she was more frantic, “You can’t stop, just a little more and your child will be here but you gotta go on!” At the sudden news the scholar felt a sudden warmness washing over her, a gentle caress, a feeling of renewed strength and purpose on the current situation, My child…our child is here, it has come… , she realized, a part of her feeling strange for doing so, after all the time she had spent educating herself with book in the library and talking with Seladon over her observation of Mayrin while pregnant with Tavra and her and helping raise them that she was giving birth now, that her child was no longer just a concept that she carried but a very real life that had been growing inside her womb and was ready to come into Thra, into their arms. “Brea, please!”, Naia yelled, raising her voice, “No time to stop!” The Princess raised her head, a determined look upon her face as she turned to the Drenchen healer and beginning to push again, the feeling of pain, of her body being rent asunder that was slowly dissipating now rising again, invading every nerve, it was unbearable, a part of herself begging her to simple give in, to abandon, it was too much. No, I can’t give in , Brea told herself, opening her lips to let out another groan of pain, her thoughts being harder to keep in proper order through the feelings invading her, I cannot give in now, our child is almost here and I have to deliver her, have to bring her, she insisted pushing harshly. From the border, Naia’s eyes remained firm on the young Vapra’s bird canal, her hands, protected by thick but soft and flexible Nebrie leather gloves struggling not to tremble in the sudden knowledge of what was to come, the small head of the newborn slowly emerging, a moment later a cry filled the room, almost causing the young but experienced healer to doubt herself, Nearly there , she thought. “Come on, Brea, push!”, she insisted, “Push!”, she commanded, trying to speak over the newborn’s cries. Brea nodded, just when she felt that even with her renewed feel the pain was going to kill her she let out a final push, her lips parting to release a massive squeal of pain that reverberated across the Citadel, the feeling of all her form parting, making way for the new form becoming unbearable, she felt her blood run at an extreme level to her lower half , gushing out down. And then, as soon as it had began, it ended, Brea allowed herself to fall into the pillow as the pain subsides, her lips trembling as she suddenly could hear, interrupted by her own pain, by her own yells, the cries, she slowly tried to rise her head again, feeling her bones aching at the slightest move. “Careful, milady…”, the nurse said, gently helping her rise and placing the pillow in a way she could lie against it, “You have been through a lot, better not to force yourself”, she warned, gently caressing the messy strands of hair. “M-my child…”, Brea stuttered, “Is…is it…” “All is well now, Brea…”, Naia said, slowly approaching her friend, holding a bundle in her arms, a gentle expression on her face, “Your child is fine, everything went well, thank Thra…”, she said with a sigh, reaching down to hand over the newborn to her mother, “It’s a girl…” Brea gently stretched her arms, grabbing the baby wrapped in a blanket, her eyes looking down to see her child, incredulous, the child had a tanned complexion, akin to those of a Spriton, with lightly freckled cheeks and a thin layer of orange hair with a small strand of graying blue. The baby’s eyes opened, they were a deep bronze like her own and she smiled. “She’s…she’s so beautiful…”, Brea uttered in disbelief, gently reaching down and caressing the child’s cheek, a single tear streaming down her face, “So perfect…”, she said before breaking down into tears of joy. “I shall notify the others of the situation”, Naia said with a polite bow before leaving the room, giving the young Vapran nurse by her side a look to accompany her, leaving the Princess alone with her daughter in her arms.

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Kylan and the rest remained silent for the reminder of the time, muffled as Brea’s screams were they were still heard along the long passages of the Citadel, the young Songteller hugged his arms around his form, trying to suppress the feeling of dread and loss, of the pain that his lover must have been going to bring their own child to the world, he was going to be a father, that and the illusion of seeing his love again and forming a family where the only things keeping them at bay, the rest of the group around them could not do much more, their own powers of persuasion and attempts to relieve him of his fear had only done so much. The sudden door opening caused Kylan to snap out of his thoughts, startled at the sudden sound, his head quickly turning to the side and seeing the Drenchen healer emerge, hands behind her back. “Naia…”, the Spriton hurried to say, rising up from his seat and limping, “What happened, is she alright? Please, tell me she is alright!” The young heir to the Drenchen nodded, “She is fine, Kylan”, she declared, placing her arms around his shoulder and patting him, “She is fine and has given birth to a healthy little girl…” The dark thoughts inside his mind seemed to slowly banish at the sudden knews, the tormenting melody inside of his heart replaced with the dawn of peace, of love at the knowledge of his beloved and his daughter being well, the young man immediately threw his arms around his friend. “Thank you, Naia!”he thanked through a sob, “Thank you!” “Hey, just doing my job”, the Drenchen said with a chuckle, “You better come inside and see the two of them…”, she continued before turning to the her brother, “Gurjin, be so kind to fetch Seladon, the Engineer and the Artificer!” “Sure thing!”, her twin said with a nod, “Sure Selly will be pleased to hear of her sister but the two stooges are gonna have a hard time fitting inside again…”, he said with a chuckle. —------------------------------------------------------------- Kylan walked into the healer’s room with a heavy heart and a heavy mind, he wasn’t sure what to think or feel, even with the joy he had experimented upon hearing the good news the idea of being a father, that his own child was here now, his life had taken a strange turn, from being the son of two social outcasts merchants, rejected from their clans for simply loving each other to being one of the heroes of the Resistance and the husband of the young Princess of Ha’rar and helper at the newly formed scholar program, it was hard to process it all now, seeing how much things had changed. He raised his head, seeing Brea lying on the mattress, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms, her face was pale and tired, with heavy bags under her eyes but a wide smile on her face as she looked down at it with loving eyes. “Brea…”, the Spriton uttered, causing the Princess to tear away her gaze from the child and to him. “Kylan!”, she exclaimed, her voice weak but filled with happiness. “How are you feeling?” the young Songteller questioned with a gentle voice, walking to his lover’s side and gently caressed her face The Vapra chuckled before kissing his on the palm, “Tired, more than I have ever been before but happier than ever too…”, she described, holding the little girl close to him, “Come, meet our girl…”, the young scholar said, passing the bundle to Kylan, the Spriton looked down upon the child as she squirmed in his arms, he was mesmerized at the sigh, mouth hanging agape and trembling, as if he was attempting to form words but the situation wouldn’t just let him.

This is our child… he realized, it had been strange to think about the idea of being a father, of being that which he knew so little about, barely having known his own before he was taken from him when he was but a few trine old and yet it was even stranger looking upon their own daughter, their own blood, what it all meant.

“Hello, little one…”, he said shily and gently rocking the baby in his arms, “It’s me your..your…”, he struggled to say, feeling tears beginning to slide down his face and his voice breaking down into sobs

Brea’s eyes widened at the sight of her lover’s sudden reaction, “Kylan…are you ok?”, she asked warily, sliding gently to the side of the mattress.

“She is so beautiful, Brea!”, the Spriton practically wailed, turning back to his lover and leaning down to her side, his eyes and face reddened from his cries, “So beautiful…our little girl”, he uttered, gently caressing the childling’s face with his thumb, careful not harm her, “I…I never thought we would…” “I know, Kylan…”, Brea complimented, gently placing a hand on her lover’s shoulder and massaging it, her own eyes still filled with tears, they had both lost so much, nearly their entire families taken in the bloodied conflict with the former lords, the thought of having a child, of a better tomorrow seemed strange, impossible amidst the despair, even after their victory at the Castle of the Crystal.

He handed over the baby back to her mother as the two gazed upon their newborn girl as she squirmed between their arms, snuggling against her mother’s chest, her small hands grasping for the warm blanket wrapped around her form, as if frightened it could be taken away. “What should we call her?”, Brea suddenly questioned, gently rocking her. “Oh, I thought you would have a name for her”, the Spriton said gently, “You spent so much time looking into the old times with the specific purpose of finding a name…”, he reminded his wife with a sly smile, “Even went to Onica for answers and to see her scrolls on numerology and star reading”. Brea chuckled sheepishly at his reminder of the search they had entailed, while her lover had agreed that they wanted a name to hold a certain meaning for their child they didn’t wanted to make her after some historical figure, something that had suppressed many when revealed but the fact that the royal family had to deal with carrying a questionable name after Mayrin had named her eldest child after her own mother. The young Vapra pondered for a few moments, gazing down over the sleeping baby girl, searching her mind over the many names she had found in the months, “Hmmm, perhaps…”, she began, reaching with one of her hands to click against the side of her face, still pondering, Something that can encompass her without putting pressure…names have power, after all . “Anekka?”Kylan questioned, despite his earlier assertion he wanted to participate, knowing his beloved might have been too tired, “It stands for an ancient warrior bard in Stonewood myth, a companion to Jarra Jen…” Before the Vapran woman could answer, the infant shifted with slight discomfort over, emitting a groan, “Oh…don’t think she likes it…”, she said, as sweetly as she could, Kylan simply shrugging and emitting a chuckle, “How about…Wynne?”, she proposed then, “Name of an old Scroll-Keeper who wrote many of the Crystal Scrolls we used for magic and research”. The crimson-haired girl wiggled inside, an uncomfortable look on her face at the mention of the name. “Hmmm, she didn’t liked that one either…”, Brea said with a weak smile and a chuckle before falling silent and starting to think of more names, gazing down into the face of her daughter, at how her bronze eyes studied her mother with curiosity and then…it came to her. “Ariya…”, she uttered almost as soon as the idea germinated within her mind, sounding softly as she escaped her lips, and in that moment the world seemed to stop around her but the child opened her eyes, “Ariya…”, she uttered again. “Ariya?”, Kylan questioned with slight confusion, “I…I think I heard it once from you but I don’t remember what it means”. “It’s an old Gelfling word…”, the scholar explained with as much passion as she could muster in her weary voice, “It was used for traveling scholars who were also trained as bards in Vapra culture, back before the clan was propelly established”, she explained, “They were inspired by the Spriton songtellers to bring the knowledge in a way the ones who could not read could understand…they were named the Ariya”. At his lover’s explanation Kylan smiled, “That’s a nice name…”, he admitted with a shrug, leaning over the Vapra and placing a kiss on her forehead, “I like it, really exalts the smart she inherited from you”. “Oh, hush now, Kylan”, the Princess said with a chuckle, “She inherited those from you!”, she declared, placing a kiss on his lips and pulling him close. The two lovers remained in embrace together and close to their newborn daughter, holding her close to their chest warmly, not wanting to part for that moment, wishing it would remain forever. —---------------------------------------- “So, that’s the babe then?”, a profound, raspy voice said from the door, wrenching the two new parents from the moment, their eyes opening and the child in their arms turning as best as her mother’s gentle but firm grip allowed her to see the massive form of skekOr and urMyr struggling to enter the room, “Just…just a minute!”, the creature said in a loud and growling voice, “Can never fit here!” “Remember to pull yourself against the sides!”, the Mystic behind him said, “And hurry up, others are waiting to see her and you’re taking up all the view…literally”. The Skeksis growled, reaching out to the sides and clasping the finely sculpted marble wall, “Alright…like something struck between two engrained or cogs…”, she reminded herself of the process they had devised to get through the less-than-ideally sized Gelfling doors. “urMyr, I’m gonna need you to push from behind!”, the Skeksis woman ordered, “Same for you, Seladon, Gurjin and Rian…”, she said, the muttering behind letting her know they were less than thrilled with needing to do so. “Oh, come now!”, the Engineer said with exasperated sarcasm, “Next time I won’t attempt to come in first…I am sorry…”, she added, scratching the back of her head and rustling the large, black and orange feathers, “Help me out and push!”, the Skeksis then ordered, clapsing the sides tightly and comenzing to push. She felt the many hands on her back, pressing against her muscular form and pushing forwards, both the small Gelfling ones, and the ones of her Mystic other, gnarled as if they were more stronger than ever her own, the natural strength of her Urru heritage. “Come on…almost there!”, she said, clenching her teeth and feeling the short and sharp ends of her beak gnashing together, slowly feeling the sides of her body sliding out of the cramped passage into the room. In a moment, there was a loud groan as the Skeksis was pushed inside, her entire body trying to balance out and waving her four, thick as beams of steel arms before she reached to clasp for a table and tripped to the ground. “Oh, dear Thra!”, the voice of urMyr said from the entrance, the Mystic quickly entering to help out her other half, her blunt teeth clenching at the feeling of the cold groan struck the Skeksis, “skekOr, you ok?”, she questioned. The feathered creature lifted an arm and raised her taloned and curved thumb before mumbling something. The azure colored Artificer huffed, a mixture of relief and annoyance, “She’s alright!” “What I don’t understand is why don`t you, girls, just invent some sort of shrinking device or look for a spell?”, Gurjin posed, shrugging his shoulders and walking into the room. “I’ve told, Prince of the Sog…”, urMyr said, crossing her arms, “Magic and inventions don’t work like that and we are still developing that rod of concentrated Crystal Magic to carve out larger doors…” “Yep…gotta focus the beams into a more focused one…”, the Skeksis said, rising from the ground and dusting off her armor encrusted and oily robes. The couple couldn’t help but chuckle at the moment happening before their eyes, the Vapran woman in bed taking one of her hands to mask her smile. “Brea…”, Seladon finally said, causing the young Princess to turn to the entrance, her sister slowly walking to her side, her pale-golden skin reddened and her eyes hugged by thick, bloodshot veins, “You…you are alright”, the All-Maudra uttered, approaching the bed. “I…I thought I was gonna lose you…”, the older Vapran confessed, almost feeling herself about to break into tears once more, “Like mother…like Tavra”. “Seladon, I am well…”, Brea reassured her with a smile, “I wasn’t gonna abandon you or Kylan…”, she said, slowly raising the childling, “Come, come meet your niece…” As the eldest sister approached she slowly took in the look of the girl, her tan skin and red hair, the small, almost unnoticeable freckled that lined her cheeks and upper nose, her jaw dropped down at the recognition, “Oh, Brea…”, she said as tears began falling down from her cheeks, she gently reached down to grab the childling. “She…she looks so much like father!”, she said, unable to contain the feeling that the awakened memories stirred within her, the thoughts of her long forgotten father being too much for her, “I…I…” “It’s alright, Seladon…”, Brea said, slowly incorporating and embracing her sister, “I miss him too…” “He would be so happy to see her grandchild…”, Seladon moaned, “It’s…it’s just sad that neither he or mother are here…” Kylan, who had managed to overhear the conversation lowered his head in slight pain, “Yes…I too wish my parents could have been here to see us”, he pondered, much as he loved his adoptive mother, Mera, there was always a longing for what could have been, “But you are here, Seladon and this childling will grow to meet you…” Seladon nodded, gently handing the child back to Brea. “Well, well, let us see the little one…”, skekOr said, her entire form towering above the bed, shadowing the three Gelfling, “Hmmm, red hair…like your father, you said?” “Kinda…”, Brea admitted with a shrug, “Father wasn’t completely red-haired, he had Spriton and Stonewood ancestry and his hair was dark…there is no precise way to understand how the pure Sifa gene manifests yet, given the high concentration of mixed-blood individuals in the clan”. At this the Skeksis raised her eyebrow with, “Interesting…skekSa never told me how that one worked…”, she said with slight confusion, “The way Gelfling adapt is a fascinating process and yet one I can’t fully understand”. “Whoah, Engineer, I hope you’re not expecting to do any experiments to find out”, Gurjin chuckled, gently punching the woman on the shoulder. At the suggestion, the feathered creature smirked, her glistening, sharp teeth showing threateningly, “Maybe I will…care to help me out?” “Uh…”, Gurjin said, turning his eyes to the side with discomfort, “Uh…no thanks!” “Thought so…”. skekOr chuckled, winking an eye. A sudden cough interrupted the moment, the entire group turned to see Naia and the Vapra healer behind them, a stern look on her face, “I am sorry to interrupt the moment but the patient needs time to rest…so everyone except Kylan, out!”, she ordered, not afraid to even bark orders and instructions to the All-Maudra and the Skeksis and Mystic pair, they might have had authority over her but in Sog and in the medical wing they all answered to her. As the room was emptied, Brea and Kylan remained together, both looking with love upon their child, the one being they loved most.

#royalmelody #princess brea #kylan #clever brea #wise kylan #seladon #loyal seladon #fan character #skeksis #mystic #gurjin #rian #Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #the dark crytsal: age of resistance #Dark Crystal #baby gelfling #kylan x brea

[gummygowon]

ok imma rant so read below lol

ok so yesterday one of the girls on my highschool team asked me if i was committed yet to play in college since im like one of the only seniors still not committed yet (we have like 8 seniors on our team WHICH IS A LOT) and said it in this snarky ass voice and i was like "i could be" and then my friend got mad asf for me and was like why did you ask you that she's not even good. and the girl who asked me that is going to a naia school in iowa i think and i could possibly play in hawaii at a d2 school so its like why u talking miss girl yk.

for those who aren't familiar with american college sports division colleges/universities are higher than naia and the rankings go from d1-4. however i will admit though some naia schools are better than lower division schools and that getting recruited either way is still amazing regardless of the school but don't get all snarky with me miss girl. one of my other friends who committed to hamilton which is like amazing education wise like mini ivy league quality education was like she's only committed to naia so she could talk about her comittment and ngl i died at that a little.

now personally, i don't know if i wanna play college ball because i've been trying to quit for so long but its such a great opportunity to play though because i get perks like first in line for dorms and picking classes yk but the idea of having to go to 6am lift and practice everyday and it being my whole life AGAIN FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS is a little gross bruh. i know no one can tell me the right answer on what i should do because it's me going not anyone else. but anyways thanks for reading this if u did lol

#hahaha #nice #mai says

[sweetiepie08]

All I Ask of You (Chap 2)

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance fic

Deet x Rian

She walked into his life when all seemed lost. He accepted her when the other surface dwellers didn’t. She was gentle. He was brave. Their first impressions dwelt in their minds and their feelings grew as their journey wore on. They supported each other, comforted each other, and gave each other strength. Together, they were a light in the darkness.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3.  Chapter 4. Chapter 5.

[-]

The night brought a much-needed chill to the Crystal Desert. The suns bore down on them during the day, harsh and unforgiving, but the moon and stars granted them relief. They gathered around a campfire, preparing an improvised funeral ceremony for the fallen, though specifically it was for Brea’s mother, All-Maudra Mayrin. It was Deet’s suggestion. Brea lost her only a few days ago and the pain was still fresh. Rian understood. He knew what it was like to lose someone dear, then need to run with no time to mourn or reflect. But now, on the cliffside, they could finally slow down, rest, and feel the weight of their losses.

Kylan lead the ceremony. He gave Brea a Dream Stitch and told her to bind her mother’s memory to it. She hesitated. The others tried to encourage her, but she was overwhelmed, unsure of what to say. So, Rian stepped in. He’d been silent about his own grief until now. This was meant for the All-Maudra and he didn’t want to overshadow that. But Brea needed support. He wanted to show her she wasn’t alone, that someone else knew the pain of losing a parent to the Skeksis. So, Rian told them of his father.

He let out more than he intended. Gurjin knew how he felt about his father, as did Mira. He’d gone on enough childish rants over the years about how strict his father was. Though, Rian had to admit, he didn’t make it easy. Mischief was something of a specialty of his, especially as a childling. Breaking rules, particularly ones that seemed unfair, was a constant temptation. It got him in plenty of trouble growing up, as could be expected. Who’d have guessed that talent for breaking rules would work out for him now?

But his father did not always see it that way. “He is a challenge,” he overheard his father say to his grandparents once when he was a childling. Rian remembered running outside, his heart lodged in his throat and terrified he might cry. It wasn’t the words that hurt, necessarily but the way he said them; cold and impersonal, like he was giving a report on a new, disappointing recruit. He got in trouble that night for staying out after dark. He never told his father what he heard. They never talked about it, about anything really. How might things have been different if they had?

But his father did teach him something. He learned to fight, and not just with a sword. He knew the value of justice, of Thra, of the lives of those around him. And he knew the importance of protecting those things. When he and his father fought the Hunter, they were not just fighting for their lives, but for the future of Thra, and they fought together.

His father’s final message was to be brave. So he would. He’s take those simple words and make them his mantra. He would not give up. He would fight on for Thra, for the gelfing, for his father.

Brea spoke next. She had kinder things to say. Her mother was more affectionate and openly loving. She said “I love you” often. His own father was a man of action, not words. And his father’s final action was one of pure love. Still, Rian wondered what it must be like to have a parent who said the words at any chance.

Once Brea finished speaking, Kylan began a funeral dirge. Deet joined in first, then others. Kylan took out his flute and accompanied them. Hup began singing a podling dirge as well, his melody blending beautifully with the others. Rian was as comfortable singing as he was dancing, which is to say not much. He watched the others sing, all the same song, save Hup. They were gelfling from all different clans. Each had their own culture, their own traditions, their own way of life. But this they shared. They all lived, they all died, they all felt, and they all loved. And so, they all mourned, together.

Rian joined the song. As he sang, his gaze fell on Deet. They locked eyes across the fire. He focused on her voice. It was lovely and sweet, like her. The thought snuck up on him and it surprised the song from his lips. He watched her in the fire light. Her face was soft and serene as she sang. The embers reflected in her soulful eyes. She noticed him watching her and she paused as well. As she looked back at him, they shared a moment of silence.

I am so thankful to have met you, he thought, as if he could convey it through his gaze alone. She smiled at him, then continued singing.

The dream stitch began glowing in Brea’s hands. It unfolded its wings, rose into the air, and drifted away on the winds.

[-]

After the ceremony, the gelfling stayed up a while longer. They split off into smaller groups. Gurjin and Naia bantered as siblings do, Brea wrote in her journal by the fire while Kylan played his flute, and Deet and Hup chatted quietly as they stargazed. Rian took a place by Gurjin and Naia and listened as they talked. There was something comforting about their back-and-forth. He’d only met Naia a handful of times before all this, but he was familiar with Gurjin’s dry sarcasm and it reminded him of simpler times. Though, as he listened, he found his eyes drifting over to Deet and he noticed her stealing glances at him as well.

One by one, they drifted off to sleep. Almost the whole camp had gone to bed by the time Rian decided to turn in. However, he saw Deet still sitting alone by the cliffside. “Deet?” he said, approaching her, “are you going to sleep soon?”

“In a minute,” she answered, her eyes transfixed on the stars. “I want to look at the night some more.”

“The night?”

“Yes, Grottons have sensitive eyes,” she explained. “We learned to see in the dark, but the suns can be quite harsh on us. My eyes have adjusted to the sunlight, but they still hurt sometimes at the end of the day. It wasn’t so bad in the forest, with all trees around, but the desert is much brighter. Looking at the night feels very refreshing to me.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” He sat down next to her, letting his feet dangle over the cliffside. She looked at him and he could see her eyes clearer. They were so deep and expressive. Looking into them was like looking into Deet’s gentle (beautiful) heart. “Maybe you should wear a hat or something? You know, with a brim? To keep the sunlight out of your eyes?”

“Oh, so it’s like carrying shade around with you all the time?” She smiled like she just discovered something new. Maybe she had. There would probably be no need for a sunhat in the caves. Her world be as different to him as the surface was to her.

“Yeah, I guess it’s something like that.”

“That’s a good idea. You surface dwellers come up with some clever things.”

“Clever things come out of your caves too,” he said, remembering her campfire moss trick.

Her smile softened and she turned her gaze back to the stars. “You know, I’ve never truly seen the stars before I came to the surface. They look so beautiful tonight. The way they reflect in the crystal sands makes it hard to tell where the night sky ends.”

“I never thought of it that way,” he admitted, “but you’re right.” And she really was. Deet had a way of turning simple things into wonder. It was all in the way she approached them. She had compassion for everyone and everything around her and she saw the best in it.

“By the way,” she said, “I though what you said about your father tonight was very touching.”

“Oh that,” he felt himself blush for some reason. “I just said something to help Brea get her thoughts together.”

“Still…” she began hesitantly, “I was there that night. I saw what happened…”

“I remember.” The sheer memory felt like a knife in his heart.

“I never knew him, of course, but I think your father would be very proud of what you’re trying to do.”

He let out a ragged breath. “You know, you might be right about that. At least, I hope I can make him proud…” Finally.

“Tell me about him,” she said, “I mean, if you want to.”

“Well, my father was a hero,” he began, reciting the refrain he heard his entire life. “He lead the Stonewoods to victory in the Arathim Wars. He was stern, disciplined. He wanted me to be the same but…” His heart clenched.

“But that’s not you,” she finished for him.

He shook his head. “No…that’s not me…”

“Well,” she said, her voice soft, “I like you the way you are.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Thank you.”

“I guess I’m lucky. My family never wanted me to be anything except what I am.”

“That must be nice,” he answered before unconsciously letting out a forlorn tsk.

“What is it?”

He hesitated a moment, wondering what to say. He rarely talked about his father to anyone but his friends. Was Deet not his friend? He knew she was kind and gentle, but still brave enough to leave her home to save Thra and rush to the aid of a friend in need. She was a good person and I good friend. He was sure he could talk to her without judgement.

“Whenever I think about my father, I can’t help but wonder what might have been. His last moments showed me that everything he did, he did out of love for me. Still I wonder, what if he was more affectionate, or more encouraging, or said the words more…” His voice broke as guilt overwhelmed him. “It’s awful. He gave his life for me. How can I still want more?”

“Is it about wanting more?” she asked, moving closer to him. His own sorrow reflected in her eyes. “Maybe it’s what you said, wondering about what might have been. From what you said…” she stopped to finds the right words, “it sounded like you were just starting to form a great team. The Hunter stole that from you both. It’s only natural to wonder. Besides, you must have had some other good times together. Did it always feel like you were just a soldier?”

He took s breath to collect himself. “Well, when I started my training, it did. He didn’t want to show any favoritism, so he treated my like any other recruit. And when I was a childling, he was usually too busy leading the castle guard to spend much time with me. So, I got up to a lot of mischief. It seemed the only way to get his attention when he was on duty. I understand now that he had a job to do, but still, growing up was a little…”

“Lonely?”

“Yes…” he admitted. “It wasn’t all bad, though. I spent my summers at Stone-in-the-Wood with my grandparents. I looked forward to it every year. I could run and play anywhere I pleased and I didn’t have to be mindful to stay out of the Skeksis’ way. Even better, my father would come visit me for one week every month and we’d spend all our time together. We’d go fishing, or camping, or fizzgig hunting. He taught me how to use the stars as a map, how to make a campfire, how to live off the land… He’d show me a new skill once, maybe twice, then tell me to keep trying until I figured out how to do it myself.” A small laugh escaped his lips. “You know, part of me is surprised that, on the day I came of age, he didn’t drop me off in the middle of the Endless Forrest with nothing but a hunting knife and tell me to find my way back.”

“What did he do?”

“He gave me my first drink, well, as far as he knew, as my first sword. He congratulated me on graduating my training and said he was proud of me.” A smile came to his face as the memory warmed him. “My father was a soldier to the core, but he did have a softer side. I think I got to see it more than anyone.”

“I saw him fighting alongside you. He seemed very brave. I see that in you as well.”

The smile of his lips stayed as pride grew in his heart. “I’m not much like my father, but he taught me a lot. I don’t think he expected me to apply his lessons quite the way I am, but I will keep fighting as he taught me, for him, for the gelfling… and for Mira.”

“You cared a great deal for her,” Deet said, moving closer to him.

“I loved her,” he answered firmly. He didn’t want that fact to get lost in the story. He wanted people to remember who Mira was. She was more than what the Skeksis did to her. She was a person with a great laugh, a taste for adventure, people who loved her, and a brilliant future that was stolen from her.

“Actually,” he went on, “before she died, I was planning on going to Stone-in-the-Wood on my next leave and bringing her back a stone.”

“A stone?” Deet asked, a trace of amusement in her voice.

“It’s a Stonewood tradition,” he explained. “When a gelfling proposes marriage to another gelfling, they bring their beloved a stone from a special place where their love bloomed.”

“What was your special place?”

“Well, she’d heard so many stories about my summers in Stone-in-the-Wood, she insisted on seeing it with me. So, the next time we had leave together, I took her with me. I showed her all my favorite places. We went to the open-air brewery which makes the best ales. We went ziplining down the tallest trees. I introduced her to my grandmother and they got along great. Her favorite place, though, was a swimming hole just outside the village. I took her there for a moonlight swim. I remember, she’d just jumped out from behind a waterfall. She was laughing. She always seemed to have a joke in her head. The moonlight bounced off her hair, making her glow. I thought she looked so beautiful. I told her I loved her. I didn’t plan it. It just came out. She kissed me so hard I we fell beneath the surface of the water. I was planning to bring her a skipping stone from the water’s side and aks her to marry me on the castle’s observatory.”

Tears came unbidden to his eyes. He’d only noticed they were there when he felt them on his cheeks. Deet laid a hand on his back, gently as she was named. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. This was exactly what he needed. He needed to stop, to think, to grieve, to cry. There was never time before. Tears always came to his eyes when he dreamfasted that horrible day, but every time, he needed to wipe them away quickly and carry on. Now, he could let them fall, let them dry on his cheeks and leave their salt behind. Having Deet there, feeling her touch and knowing she listened, just made him feel safer.

“Feeling better?” she asked after his tears slowed.

He wiped the remains away. “A little.” His pent-up sorrows had drained with his tears, leaving relief in its wake. The pain of loss was still there. That sort of grief left a scar. But it dulled and left room for him to feel other things again.

“I can tell you loved them, and miss them. I’ll be they know it too,” she said, moving her other hand to his. “I’m sorry, I wish I had something better to say.”

“Don’t be,” he said softly. “Just talking to you helped a lot.”

“If you ever need to talk again, I’ll be right beside you,” she said, and she meant it.

“Thank you, Deet. It means a lot to me.” He curled his fingers around her hand. “Maybe I’ll get to return the favor someday. Hopefully not under the same circumstances.”

She let out a sad, but amused breath. “No, I certainly hope not.”

“But if you ever need anything, you can always ask me.”

“Thank you, Rian,” she said, a smile coming to her lips. She looked back up at the sky. “And maybe I will get one of those hats you suggested. Though, your sky lights aren’t all bad. The stars and the moon really are beautiful.”

“Yes,” he said, his gaze still fixed on Deet. He watched the stars glittering in her eyes. They really were… “Beautiful.”

He turned his had back to the night sky. She was right. It was beautiful, but not just the stars. The night breeze cooled the air. The world was painted in shades of blue. Everything was quiet and still… Peaceful was the word he was looking for. Funny, in all the chaos he somehow forgot. But that’s what it was, peace. Not the false peace the Skeksis promised, but true peace. Everything in Thra working in harmony as it should. This is what they fought for, the chance to bring Thra back into balance.

He felt something heavy land on his shoulder. He looked down to see Deet’s head leaning against him. “Deet?”

“Oh,” she gasped, suddenly lifting her head again. “I’m sorry. I must be getting sleepy.”

“We should both be getting to bed.” He swung his feet back onto solid ground and stood up. “Come on,” he said, offering his hand. “The edge of a cliff is no place to be nodding off.” She smiled as she took it and he felt her warmth radiate off her.

They joined the others by the campfire and fell asleep alongside the rest of them. As he drifted off, Rian thought about their conversation. It was a simple thing, just one friend listening to another, but he was finding he needed simple things in his life. In the midst of all the fighting and heartache, peace was what he longed for most.

#the dark crytsal: age of resistance #the dark crystal #age of resistance #the dark crystal: aor #aor #the dark crystal: age of resistance fanfic #aor fanfic #deet x rian #stonegrot #stonegrot fanfic #deet #rian #brea #hup #kylan #gurjin #naia #all I ask of you aor #all I ask of you chapter 2 #tdc all I ask of you #sweetiepie08 #sweetiepiewrites #sweetiepie writes #sweetiepie fanfic #sweetiepie08 writes

[noisynaia]

Please, someone yell at me. I want to write tonight, but I keep getting distracted.

#naia rants

[lilac-city-skylines]

Can we have some Pregnant!DeetxRian headcanons (The reveal, the Birth and the First few days as New parents)

Of course! I broke this up into the sections that you specified, I hope that you don’t mind! 

More Pregnant Deet x Rian Headcanons for Your Reading Pleasure!

The Reveal 

It wasn’t exactly planned

But it wasn’t unplanned either

Deet just thought it’d be super nice to have a baby 

They did the thing and thus Jen was created 

It wasn’t obvious at first 

Deet was getting super irritable for no reason 

She’d check herself and apologize before quickly going off to cool down 

Her wings got droopy and she wasn’t able to sleep through the night 

At first, Rian thought she had some kind of illness

Maybe Grottan just weren’t used to topside illnesses? 

When he figured that out, he sprinted to Maudra Argot 

She sat him down for a bit of tea and moss and let him yell 

He literally yelled 

Going on and on about how worried he was about Deet and how he needed her help 

Argot could tell what was going on with Deet within seconds of his description 

But she let him rant all he wanted until he finally calmed down 

“I think I know the cure for what ails her if you really want the answer.” 

Rian begs her to tell him. 

“I’d suggest you find a Spriton and ask them to make you a crib. A nice one too.” 

He didn’t speak for about three minutes, just staring at Argot 

While this took place, Deet went to seek the counsel of her fathers

They sat calmly and listened to her 

She said how irritable she was, even when she didn’t want to be

She showed them her wings and told them how she couldn’t ever seem to sleep 

They let her finish before asking her if it was harder to fly 

It was

If she had strange cravings

She did 

It took her a second to work it out for herself, but she thanked them quickly and ran out of their home and straight to find Rian

At around this time, he was also running around to find her

They slammed into each other in the middle of the village center 

“DEET DID YOU KNOW YOU’RE-” “RIAN DID YOU KNOW THAT I WAS”

A lot of yelling and sputtering and falling over words 

When they finally sorted it out, they hugged for a long time 

Rian did go out for a drink with Gurjin later that week, celebrating the new father and all that 

The Birth 

Rian made it very clear that Deet didn’t have to follow Stonewood tradition if she didn’t want to 

Stonewood tradition usually asks that the mother avoid any work or stress and just go collecting herbs that will make pain-soothing remedies for labor 

Deet understood how dangerous her position was

Grottan were easily killed in labor and it was almost always the pain and the blood loss that took them out 

She didn’t want to do any strenuous work 

Stonewood babies were larger than Grottan babies, so her risk of death was fairly high 

Brea came over often, they read books on medicine and names to calm Deet’s nerves 

Naia helped Deet collect herbs when her belly became too big for her to bend over without a struggle 

Rian had to balance being a soldier with now being a father

He wanted more than anything for his father to be alive, to ask his advice 

Shoni was more than willing to give him gentle advice on how a father should behave 

He even asked the Stonewood midwives to collaborate with Maudra Argot, who insisted on being there

She’d delivered every successful Grottan baby and she wasn’t going to stop 

Deet and Rian had a rather long discussion on the topic, and Rian felt it was appropriate that he at least follow the Stonewood tradition of sharpening a sword outside the home during the labor 

It was something his father did and something his grandfather did 

Deet was fine with it

After all, Maudra Argot and all those midwives would be there to keep her company 

She was secretly grateful he wouldn’t be in the room, just on the off chance that she miscarried or died herself 

She went into labor unexpectedly 

Rian was in charge of getting her safely to the bed before alerting Maudra Argot and the midwives 

There were two midwives carrying Maudra Argot who was already yelling orders around 

Rian felt a lot of indecision about whether or not he should stay on the stops of his home

Eventually, once Gurjin and Kylan came to sit with him, he relented and sat down 

It was when Deet started screaming that it became really difficult 

Gurjin had to hold him in his place on the steps “Rian, you promised her you wouldn’t go in there. You promised.” 

The labor lasted all morning, all afternoon, and well into the night 

Passing friends would nod and congratulate Rian, who was miserably sharpening a sword 

Kylan brought food for him to eat and the three sat 

They talked about all the different aspects of fatherhood that seemed so strange to them 

Suppose it was a girl? Or a boy? 

Eventually, Kylan resorted to telling stories about his favorite hero, Jarra-Jen, to calm everyone down 

When Argot finally let Rian into the house he was more scared than he’d ever been in his whole life 

But there was Deet, covered in blood and sweat, but more beautiful than she’d ever been before 

In her arms was, in his opinion, a very tiny baby 

In Deet’s eyes, this was a fairly large child 

Paler than the average Stonewood and dark hair just barely sprouting out of his tiny head 

The baby’s eyes were screwed shut and he was sleeping peacefully 

Argot made a point to hit at Rian’s legs with her new walking stick and complain about Stonewood genetics and how he needed to be a good father in return for all the trouble Deet went through 

Deet was the one to tell him that the child was a boy, carefully showing Rian how to hold a newborn

He cried harder than he had in years, holding his baby boy close to his heart 

Kylan and Gurjin meandered in when they heard the crying stop 

Both of them were immediately taken with the child and congratulated Deet on the safe delivery 

Naia and Brea were quick to follow, each with traditional gifts to give a new child 

Brea had brought silk to wrap the child in for formal occasions and Naia brought little beads for his hair 

The First Few Days as Parents 

Of course, there was a NewLife celebration 

Rian and Deet told Shoni and Deet’s fathers the child’s name first 

A huge bonfire was made in the center of the town 

Since the Stonewood lacked a Maudra, Seladon was asked to fill in 

She was hesitant at first, she was All-Maudra, not a midwife! 

But when they explained the traditional Stonewood blessings and how important it was to Deet and Rian, she relented 

The day after the birth, Deet and Rian took Jen to Seladon for blessings 

Seladon was immediately in love with the baby and, once she held him, demanded that Jen call her “Auntie” from that day on 

She kissed Jen’s forehead and gave him both Stonewood and Vapra blessings 

She also gave Rian and Deet the Vapra blessings as it was “only proper” 

The bonfire that night was insane 

Jen was the first baby born during the revolution

And to the leader no less! 

Gelfling were practically falling over themselves to see the new baby 

Kylan was particularly lucky, in the Jen loved listening to his firca 

Deet sat between Rian and Kylan, resting her head on Rian’s shoulder for most of the party and letting Jen giggle and reach for the firca 

Jen was actually an insanely easy baby 

He loved to sleep and eat, growing fairly quickly 

Rian lovingly called him “my little soldier” but Deet had the feeling that this child wasn’t going to be involved in too much fighting 

She could tell in the way all gelfling mothers can tell things about their children 

It was in the way he giggled and never pulled on hair 

How he only cried when he really needed something 

How he never threw or hurt his toys, always cradling them and playing gently 

His favorite toys were from Brea and Kylan 

Brea gave him a tiny journal for when he learned to write, partly filled in with colorful paintings and drawings that she’d made just for him 

Kylan had made him a firca out of the smoothest wood he could find 

They both admitted later that maybe those weren’t the best toys for a baby but he loved them all the same 

He would cuddle the firca while staring at the pages of the colored journal for hours 

Deet loved telling him stories until he fell asleep, which was very common 

Rian would sometimes take Jen to work with him, proudly showing off his son to anyone who would look 

He would point out his Stonewood and Grottan traits with pride 

Specifically, his hair and skin and eyes 

“See that? Just a little paler than me? That’s his mother. Those eyes too. Look at how big and dark they are. All his mother, just perfect. That hair is mine though.” 

#The Dark Crystal #the dark crystal age of resistance #the dark crystal deet #the dark crystal rian #the dark crystal headcanon #age of resistance headcanon #the dark crystal age of resistance headcanon #Age of Resistance #tdc aor headcanon #tdc #tdc aor #aor headcanon #aor #baby jen #jen #the dark crystal jen #gentle deet #rian x deet #deet x rian #deet #Rian #brave Rian #dark crystal rian #stonegrot #ask #request #thank you!

[beanie-on-a-string]

Dark Crystal AOR Modern Au Headcanons

Rian

So like

I’ve said this before but

V-necks everywhere. Also flannels. He likes flannels. And on an especially good day... flannel on top of v-neck.

He’s like... average height, maybe a little taller

His dad put him in fencing when he was super teeny and now he loves it and is really good

Also just a side note but MIRA IS NOT DEAD IN THIS AU SHE JUST HAD TO MOVE AWAY OK

They’re not dating anymore but they’re still friends and keep in contact

Anyway

He’s just a smartass. This guy won’t keep his mouth shut.

This guy takes amazing care of his hair. Like, it’s not even funny how well cared for his hair is

But sometimes you wonder if there’s a brain under that hair of his

Once he considered dyeing his whole head blue like the color of his streaks and Gurjin was like “...dude no”

Picky eater

Is in love with Deet and it shows

Is also convinced that she doesn’t like him that way

Has tried a man bun once. Does not like it.

Will let Deet certain people braid his hair

Very tactile when you get to know him

Even when he’s just met you he’s a little more tactile than the average person

Gurjin

HOODIES

Out of him and Rian he’s the one that usually holds the braincell

Always keeping Rian from making stupid decisions

He and his sister both had dreads

Pretty tall

He used to fence with Rian but didn’t really enjoy it

He used to swim on the side but now it’s his main sport

Man buns man buns man buns

Rian is confused on how he can stand them

“They HURT though”

Mom friend

Shakes his head at everything

A lot of the time he gets pulled into situations he doesn’t really know about, but he helps his friends no matter what

Keeps trying to tell Rian it’s obvious Deet likes him but the attempts are ignored

Him and Brea are trying to get them to realize it but it’s sO HARD

Can cook

Brea

Obviously keeps a diary

Denies being a good artist

Also she’s one of those people that has so many books on her bedside table that they look like they’re going to fall any second

She wears knee-high socks and is into pastels

Headbands and ribbons

She can and will give everybody hugs all the time

Bakes a lot

Her and Gurjin will usually provide food

Gurjin and Brea just have a great friendship ok

Looks cute but she could really kick your ass if she wanted to

Laughs at everything

Kylan is teaching her the flute

She’s close with Kylan but at this point she only likes him as a friend and is oblivious to his huge crush on her

When she helps Deet garden, she complains about getting dirty but does it anyway

Has a vendetta against pigeons

Sometimes it feels like she never sleeps

Just a little shorter than average height

She can be surprisingly dirty minded at times and everone will be like “ *gasp* BREA” but Rian would be in the corner snickering

Seladon

Moody ™️

Great at makeup

ROCKS BLACK LIPSTICK FIGHT ME

There was a phase when she acted out and acted rude and selfish towards Brea, Tavra, and their mom but looking back on it she realized she was a butt and is trying to improve

Will sometimes help others with makeup if they need it

Goes all out at Halloween and everyone always loves her costume

Doesn’t like when other people touch her

Awkward hugger

She’s, like, the top of her class

Queen of sarcasm

She’s insecure about herself but Tavra always supports her

Has a soft spot for Tavra

Gets discouraged very easily

Morning person

Does ballet and wants to dance professionally

Deet

Deet is pretty short compared to the others

Everyone always uses her as an armrest and surprisingly she’s fine with it

She’s newer to the group but everyone just fell in love with her like effective immediately

Now it’s like she’s been there all along

Also tactile (but not as much as Rian)

She wears overalls a lot

Gardening is her passion

Dirt under her nails all the time, which annoys Gurjin and Seladon to death

Smells like flowers

Everyone loves her baby brother

He can be a bit of a gremlin though

She loves hats

Sunhats when she gardens

She’s, like, the sweetest person

Absolute cinnamon roll

The entire group agrees that they must protect her at all costs

Can be savage on accident

Will send memes to everyone at ungodly hours

“Deet it’s 2 am why are you still up”

Also vegan

Loves animals and doesn’t understand why Brea hates pigeons so much

Fell HARD for Rian

Kissed him on the cheek once but he thought it was because they were good friends

Loves to braid Rian’s hair

Also fun fact but her dads are 100% the people to say “if you don’t have something nice to say then don’t say anything at all”

But Deet always has something nice to say so she’s good

Tavra

Chugs Respect Woman Juice ™️

Her and Onica have like the cutest relationship ever

She’s like the cool aunt

Does martial arts and will not be afraid to kick your face off

Would do anything for her sisters

Is always disappearing to places with Onica

By now everyone’s used to it

Can see into your soul

People always go to her to talk/rant because she always listens and gives good advice

Sticks up for Seladon no matter what

Kylan

Music prodigy

He has a humongous crush on Brea

Wears polo shirts

Flautist flautist flautist

The only thing he can make is soup

And he’s good at soup

Everyone loves his soup

Quieter than most of the others

Kids love him

Astronomy buff

Also loves folk tales and mythology

Meditates

Brings his flute everywhere. Sometimes it looks like he has no space to even old his keys but WHOOP there’s the flute where did he even-

Believes very strongly in the supernatural

Naia

General badassery

Tall like Gurjin

Also a swimmer

Skeptical and always questions Kylan

Does not give a damn what you think

Leather jackets

When she laughs she laughs LOUD

Doesn’t realize how STRONG she is

Muscles for days

Eats like a monster

#the dark crystal #aor #age of resistance #the dark crystal aor #rian #brea #deet #kylan #gurjin #naia #seladon #tavra #stonegrot #kylan x brea #tavra x onica #onica #headcanons #the dark crystal headcanon

[skcksa-a]

things I have to rant about after re-reading Tides and Flames of the Dark Crystal;; 

“She said--” Naia flinched and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. She’s a liar like the rest of them.” (Tides, p. 264). 

this occurs right after skekSa gives the proposition that she will spare the others if Naia returns with her to the castle. skekSa earlier reassures Naia that skekTek wants her alive because she may answer questions they have all been asking, presumably regarding their others. (although Amri thought that skekTek wishes to find a way for them to drain the urRu, I headcanon that they were trying to find a way to break the link between skeksis and urRu). 

now, the above quote most stood out to me because of skekSa’s relatively reasonable manner up until now. she’s obviously threatened and lashing out, but Naia is still a Gelfling that skekSa wants alive up until that point. she wants to turn Naia in because a) she thinks she has no choice now that skekSo’s eye is on her and b) a part of her is also interested in breaking that bond so that if she dies, urSan remains unaffected, and vice versa, or even of sharing in urSan’s water-based powers, as that is what skekSa misses about being SaSan the most. 

but what does skekSa say to make Naia flinch and think her a liar? 

skekSa promised to accompany her and make sure she remained unharmed whilst in the castle. 

“Where are you taking us?” 

skekSa sniffed, as if the question had a disgusting odor. “Somewhere nicer than this dungeon. But don’t be fooled. I’m still very cross with you.” 

She stepped aside, flourishing with her stump. Reminding them what they’d done to her and that she was not about to forget it. Her gesture was toward a tunnel that led into the cavernous labyrinth of her ship, where they were at her mercy. 

“Come along, then,” she snarled. “Little heroes.” (Tides, p. 281). 

this passage really stands out to me because, in the moment when she is being attacked, skekSa will fight back. but now that things have calmed, she hesitates to harm them, and even moves them to a nicer chamber while she attempts to heal herself. she could have killed the rest of them and left one alive to call for Naia and draw her out. she could have even left them in that ‘dungeon’ after what they did to her. but, despite her anger and pain, she appears almost... accommodating. 

even when she later brandishes a dagger and asks them who will scream for Naia the loudest, I got the feeling that that was posturing on her part. as she states elsewhere in the novel (Flames, p. 274), she doesn’t want to hurt anyone unless given no choice. 

The door at the far end of the chamber opened. skekSa took in the scene with a sharp inhale, then struck skekZok across the face. “What have you done, you idiot?” she cried. “skekTek wanted the twins alive!” (Flames, p. 23). 

this also stood out to me because the entire reason skekSa maintained ties with skekZok is for insurance. he is a member of skekSo’s inner circle and is in charge of doling out punishments to wayward skeksis. if they are friends, she thinks herself safe. it is in her best interest to be polite and courteous to him. 

but when she sees Naia near death with a cracked head, she strikes skekZok, and I don’t think it was just because she saw her way of currying the Emperor’s favor fading away. as skekZok later alludes, they could merely say that one of them died in transit, and given her later accommodation for the Gelfling... I think her response was partially instinctual. the reason she wanted the Sifa to flee in the first place was because she wanted to prevent any of those in the castle from harming Gelfling. so when she sees skekZok’s bloodied scepter, she snaps. 

skekSa tightened her grip on her sword. “I searched for you all this time. How convenient that you appear now. My bonded other. Oh, it’s all too rich, that you should be the one to try and stop me when it is our shared destiny I am trying to improve.” 

“I will not allow you to take Naia and Gurjin. They have a task yet to accomplish. I will not allow them to become ingredients for skekTek’s wicked experiments, nor droplets in skekSo’s decanter. If you continue your aggression here, I will put an end to us both.” 

“And if I do not continue, we will both find our end anyhow,” skekSa replied coldly. “skekZok betrayed me. He told the Emperor that it was my fault we lost the twins. That I’m a traitor! Now I have no choice but to bring them back to the castle, or skekSo will call for my head. Mine, and also yours, as we all now know.” (Flames, p. 205). 

this right here speaks volumes about how close skekSa was with her mystic. when the Sifa rejected her plans, she immediately traveled to urSan’s dwelling to use her maps and seek advice and comfort. and even though skekSa does not want to die or be punished in the bowels of the castle, you can tell that she is worried for urSan, as well-- the creature who has been her friend ever since the moment she opened her eyes. 

tragically, after this, it takes quite some time for skekSa to trust her again. although she regrets what she did in Sog, she still can’t believe urSan would have fallen on a Gelfling sword if it meant stopping her. it made her feel controlled and helpless-- something she never wants to feel again. 

#;; headcanon #watch me cry over my fictional wife in the chili's tonight

[opaljm]

I'm so mad you don't even know. I am tired of rude readers attempting to run off talented individuals who are some of my closest friends on this forsaken app. How can you hate someone with so much fire when you like what they create so much? I will never understand it because you actually can't separate the art from the artist and anyone who pretends otherwise is lying.

#chatty!naia #rant