The Final Quest

I always thought that 'blanket Girl' was Timmain - just a younger, gentler looking version of her. I think it's Timmain on the cover as well, Skywise looks younger too (he looks just like the time he 'recognized' Cutter). The old man is most likely an aged Djun.

Dreamgirl/Star/Nighrunners eyes are pretty mysterious in the coloured edition..

Yep, on my monitor they appear yellow too. Then... Korafay had cornflower blue eyes in the latest issue, despite being born with green eyes, so it could mean nothing or everything.

Actually ... eyes have NO color at all. XD At least in this resolution. Probably obscured intentionally.

Neither has colour on my screen, old and new girl...hmmm...

I think it's the D'jun- his chest hair is distinctive!

As for the girl... well, it looks like recognition is going to catch up with Skywise at last. I personally would guess that it's going to be Timmain (because of all the hints thrown out so far)- Maybe Skywise is seeing a younger version of her? Maybe that's what she looked like before leaving her home world. Who knows? The description in Dreamtime says that, although she's young, she has a sense of "great age and wisdom" about her.. Timmain's defining characteristics, along with amazing hair, are age and wisdom.

Or it could be Moonmirror. I wasn't sure who Moonmirror was, at first.. so I looked her up! Silly me, she's one of the younger Wavedancers.

Here's her bio: "Moonmirror is a young Wavedancer. She lost her parents to murdering humans as a child, and was raised by the entire tribe. Despite her early introduction to pain and heartbreak, Moonmirror has grown into a bright maiden full of curiosity and joy."

So she has the same life story as Skywise. Is that a coincidence? Who knows. She does appear to be the right size...

Lunakat wrote:

I think it's the D'jun- his chest hair is distinctive!

Definitely. Noticed the "pelt" when I took a second look.

And Moonmirror ... she showed a certain wisdom even in her teenage years. I remember a scene with Snakeskin ...

Or maybe it's somebody new. Whoever it is- Cutter definitely doesn't look too happy about it. He not pulling any Dewshines here. I am going to place a bet that it's Skywise's recognition that causes Cutter's freak-out.

Wisdom would apply to Moonmirror, despite her young age. She spoke sense into her troubled chieftain Snakeskin - at a time when he was plagued by doubts and uncertainty (link).

Hadn't considered the parallel with Skywise - they indeed have things in common!

And now that you mention it... Moonmirror was the one who in "Discovery" asked; "What's a land forest like?". Foreshadowing? Could be...

I'm thinking about Sunstream's words to Brill, when he said that the WaveDancers are "near High Ones", If Moonmirror had strayed from the WaveDancers and was spending more time in the Palace (like Moonshade, and Sunstream itself) it'd make sense for her to shed most of her sea attributes, like the ears... which are half-covered by the hair, though (so might still be scalloped and we're not seeing it...). Though if that's the case, why she hasn't grown taller? I remember it being said somewhere on the old forum that her height - and Puffer and Tumble's - had something to do with Surge...?

If it is her, that would explain why her ears are not fully visible on the cover or in Dreamtime. To show her ears would give it away.

So... Does Moonmirror have any shaping or other magical ability that could explain Jink?

My point exactly! Also... in "WaveDancers" and partially in "Discovery" (even though the ears were more streamlined to look alike, and probably to make Wendy's task easier drawing the chars continuously) she had very small-sized ridges and scallops - smaller than, say, Brill or Redcrest or even Puffer - so in the new cover her hair *could* be covering those to not give away who she is.

Intriguing!

It's not Moonmirror. Her ears are bigger than that, these are the small ears of Timmain. Besides that, Moonmirror has wavy hair, not straight like this. And her hair isn't parted in the middle.

Lunakat wrote:

So... Does Moonmirror have any shaping or other magical ability that could explain Jink?

We know that magical skills tend to skip a generation or two ...
Redlance, Mender, the rock shapers of Sorrow's End ...

@Lunakat - not that we know of... but in "Wavedancers" we haven't seen much of her. One of her parents could have easily had magical powers of one sort or other (it was also rumored that she might be a distant descendant of Salt - though it remains to be seen whether Salt had his legs shaped by Skimmer or some other healer, or is himself a flesh-shaper like Wavecatcher).

@Zinegirl - my point about the ears was that it could be Moonmirror after 10 years spent in the Palace - hence she'd be more High One-ish, with smaller ears (shaped or not, we don't know) and possibly a different hairstyle. Much like Sunstream who became Hgh One-tall over the course of three years. Of course this should be the case with HER too...

One thing I've noticed is that Skywise's lodestone is actually floating - as if they're gliding or swimming. It also seems to be drawn to the maiden...

The Sun Folk didn't get smaller ears, did they? Anyway she looks too much like Timmain to be someone else, for me at least.

Moonmirror does look much like Salt, it would almost be weird for them to not be related in some way :p

And if I'm not mistaken, Salt's neck ornament bears some likeness to the ones Moonmirror's mother had on her outfit. I'll have to fetch pictures for documentation, but if anyone asks me, he could easily be Fairshell's father or grandfather

She could easy be a new character, ten years has passed, who knows what came, the new ones we saw, the loner and the ents is hopefully not the only ones, maybe she is a part of someone else.

Or....we haven't seen Moonmirror in a long time, she was young/teen when we saw her last, so over those years, she could have changed her hairstyle, and being out of the sea changes waves in her hair, and maybe she changed some physical stuff to be more able to be in the forest for some time, Sunstream did it, why not the other way around? ( This is a very big HOPE for me )



Even if Timmain is the logical answer.....

I don't think Timmain IS the logical answer, though. The only real resemblance is the hair. The face is very different. Timmain's face is long. Star Child's face is short. Timmain's eyes are narrow. Star Child's eyes are wiiiide.

Not Timmain. That nameless daughter from the first days, perhaps? She was blonde, though hair can change as a child ages. Another daughter? Perhaps another High One who survived and also is Timmain's sister? (Or sister's cousin's aunt's roommate?)

I know that, meant logic because of all the hints the Pini has dropped about them.

Well- the fact that her ears aren't showing makes me think it might be Moonmirror.
But then, considering that a bunch of other elves are about to show up at the Palace- it could be someone new...
Still, after all the build up, I'm inclined to think it's probably Timmain... and that she either reshaped herself to match him, or he is seeing her younger self in seeing her soul (the way Dewshine saw Tyldak in his original form).

If it's not Timmain- then why is Cutter freaking out?

Because he thought Skywise would be his forever, of course. And now this stranger has invaded their happy little home and Recognized him away. Sucks, don't it?

That would be ironic!

Does anyone else think that the melting candle and Skywise's stand-up lodestone are both metaphors?

Yeah, I thought so too Luna. The lodestone could symbolize recognizion, him being drawn to her, or something..the candle could be about something fading out...djuns life or safety for the elves/wavedancers?

Oh, wait, what am I saying?

I know what that cover's about!

See all the sparkles around Star Child?  Indicating she's just shape-changed?  And the gob-smacked look on Skywise's face and Cutter's stunned disbelief? And see how Skywise and Star Child mirror each other?

It's my story! (https://fathertreeholt.forumotion.com/t155-the-lizard-s-job)  Skywise IS Star Child!  

Skywise is the first transgender elf?