#haiven

Yes, when I illustrate Haiven’s signs they will be based off of ASL for convenience and clarity. As much as I wish it, I’m not Tolkien 😅. I took two years of ASL in college so that’s what I’m familiar with. The sign in the last illustration is “good” in ASL.

In the story her signs would absolutely be very unique because she developed it herself with help from Theo, which is why he understands it so well. She probably also has unique signs for all of the kanji as well. Her signs would also have developed differently than ASL because she’s not deaf, and grew up with spoken language. So the grammar of her signs would most likely be very similar to that of spoken languages, just without filler words like “the” and “a”. Her proper nouns and names are developed similarly to that of ASL. Haiven has very specific signs shes developed for specific, important people in her life, and are based on unique aspects of their appearance or personality. If she hasn’t given someone a specific name sign, she will most likely just spell out their name. I also imagine there is a form of sign language in Ninjago that Theo could have studied and brought back to Haiven, as well as a rudimentary sign language in use in the first realm as well. ASL was developed by teachers who traveled to France, who at the time were already openly teaching a standardized sign language, so most of our modern ASL is closely related to FSL. So it’s not a stretch to say a similar thing happened with Haiven’s sign language.

As for unique signs that I could reasonably develop for use in illustrations, maybe I could make some for the very unique oni curses…🤔

Thank you for the question!

I think to explain I should compare the two.

Haiven and Theo were a really cute couple. No one is denying that. They were sweet and wholesome, and it was a great first relationship. But it was just that. A stepping stone.

They were really young when they fell in love, and still had a ton to learn about themselves and each other. And even tho at the time of writing Heirs we thought they were gonna be endgame, we could sense that it wasn’t the strongest relationship even then. Honestly, I couldn’t really draw them kissing, the most I could manage was the cheek kiss one. I think that was because they just seemed so young to me.

If I had to break down the issues with their relationship, I would say first and foremost, they both had different ideas and expectations for their relationship and each other. Theo of course needed someone to be his partner and help him with his eventual burden of leadership, and Haiven wanted a quiet life in the country side. They each wanted something different from their relationship, and were hoping that somehow something would change, whether or not they were conscious of that hope.

Their second problem was that they never really addressed that. They never really talked about what they wanted for the future, not because they were unaware, but because they probably never had any serious conversations. From the beginning of their relationship, they had always shied away from topics that made them uncomfortable.

A part of that too was that it felt like Theo never truly relaxed around Haiven. In the sense that he was always trying to make sure she was comfortable and happy. Part of making sure she was comfortable, was never addressing the difficult subjects they didn’t want to face. Like the fact that Theo is the heir and that as time goes on he has to take on more responsibility, and he won’t have as much time and attention to spend on her. And Haiven did get upset when Theo brought up those kinds of things. And Haiven too relied on him a lot. Theo was her courage and her only true outlet for a long time. He was one of the few people in her life that didn’t know her before she lost her voice, and didn’t treat her like she was fragile and incomplete.

You could say they almost had a co-dependent relationship. (codependency being an imbalanced relationship pattern where one person assumes responsibility for meeting another person’s needs to the exclusion of acknowledging their own needs or feelings.) Theo is absolutely a giver. And he has this desperate need to be needed or helpful, and to sacrifice for those he loves. And Haiven needed him to validate her emotionally.

Before they broke up and even for some time afterward, Theo never acknowledged his own needs, and therefore never made them known either. He needed someone he could share his burden with. And he knew that Haiven would never be able to do that. He planned on carrying the burden himself, because he wanted things to work out, and if he had to do everything he would. I think he hoped eventually Haiven would be confident enough to help him, because he truly believed in her and her ability. But regardless of whether or not she could, she would never want to do it.

Haiven and Theo really did love each other, but their relationship would not have worked long term for all the reasons listed above. And I’m glad that both of them realized that after the breakup. Their relationship was important because it taught them a lot, but it would never be endgame.

Theo and Rook on the other hand…

I think they have a much stronger chance of an actual long term relationship. Which I know sounds strange considering how their relationship started, but hear me out haha.

Rook and Theo have a very different relationship. Basically the polar opposite of Haidyn. Theo and Rook don’t have any expectations of each other going into this relationship. They just want to see where it goes. They also know each other better than most despite their short time knowing each other. Rook has seen and gotten to know the side of Theo that most don’t get to see. And Theo knows how Rook can be, and can see the glimmers of her true self coming through. And even as much as Rook is carefree and cracks jokes and is sarcastic at every opportunity, her and Theo can have have actual deep talks. They don’t shy away from the tough subjects. Theo is far more direct about his expectations and feelings and boundaries than he ever was with Haiven. And Rook respects them.

The thing I personally love about Rookdyn, and why I see so much potential in them, is because Theo needs someone like Rook in his life. He takes everything so seriously, especially recently, and Rooks carefree attitude is something Theo needs in his life. He needs to reconnect with the part of him that had fun, that was silly and less stressed. And Rook needs to be around someone with his amount of integrity and raw ability to see and bring out the best in people.

I’m also just excited for Theo to start making his own choices and step away from doing what he thinks his parents would want for him, or his fear of disappointing them. He needs to make mistakes and not feel like it’s the end of the world. Rook may be a bad influence in the eyes of Cole and Keyda (and also a danger) but she is living proof to Theo that your mistakes don’t define you. That even if you screw up, it’s not the end. It often requires stubbornness and dedication and true humility to fix, but it’s possible. She rolls with the punches and gets back up. Theo could absolutely benefit from that attitude.

And of course Theo has already helped Rook immensely and will probably continue to do so. Theo is honest and is now more direct, and he’s going to bring the real Rook to the surface whoever that may be. His honesty and integrity makes her feel safe enough to be herself. And that’s Rook’s biggest struggle now. To find and embrace her true honest self and her own integrity. To stop living just for self preservation alone.

All this to say that I think they will last in a long term relationship because they have a much healthier mindset going into this relationship and more tools and maturity. Or at least Theo does, but that’s more than he had before. And I think Rook is more intelligent than she lets on or lets herself be. And their strengths and weakness align better than I think Theo and Haiven’s did.

I hope you enjoyed my extremely long essay if you made it this far lol. I hope I made sense, I tend to get a little carried away when I write these hahah.

All Together 

I wanted to do a big piece of all the Oniverse characters together because I love them all so much! There are definitely some characters I wish I could have included, but I wanted to narrow it down as much as I could so I could complete it. They are like one big extended/found family and it makes me so happy.   

So Haiven has always had the tattoos. Or at least since she was 11. She is always wearing long sleeves to hide them, which is why Theo never noticed.

The runes are special symbols, not unlike the ones Phos and Iona use to protect their homes. The interesting thing about this particular spell is that it’s a type of artifact/relic spell. Where power is infused into an object to amplify a single spell’s effect. Think the Baron’s staff, or the Nohra Ku (the binding cord). Even the protection spell Phos puts on Cole using a braid is a form of this kind of spell. The intensity of the spell relies on the material used and even the craftsmanship (as well as the power and skill of whoever created it). Xinta horns are a particularly prized material, as well as certian gem stones. Braids are also canonicaly the best form an object can have. We haven’t gone into it much yet, but tattoos are important to healers for more than just looking cool and marking their members. We see a bit of this when Hershel is blinded and his powers are taken away and he sports the strange glowing, chain-like tattoos on his wrists.

And that brings us to Haiven. What Iona has done is tamper with the idea of a relic spell (her expertise in her earlier years) and turned a person into a relic to amplify her protection spell. Which is ingenious on Ionas part (if not a little unnerving and possibly unethical) because Haiven powers the enormous protection spell indefinitely and effortlessly even if she’s asleep. Phos did a similar thing to Cole when he put a protection spell on him using his braid, but that only covered a small radius around him and only protected him against Evynn. The spell was also only in the braid which is why Cole was able to remove it. The drawback of Haiven’s spell is that it only lasts the lifetime of the person being used, or as long as the person stays inside the spell.

That was prob a lot more info than you bargained for haha 😅

I 100% agree anon.

Theos greatest strength is his ability to connect with people. He’s just so open and genuine, and he treats people like human beings. Whether that’s Myrah (whos stony disposition and general aloof attitude puts off most people) or Amber (I think amber once remarked that he was the only person who never looked at her like she was weird or other) and now Haiven, who for the most part is ostrisized out of respect and possibly fear. (Fear of her condition, Iona, and Blist)

Theo treats her like a person. He even treats her like he would Amber. (Cuz the boy is also as thick as a box of rocks and also doesn’t know how to treat girls that arnt his sister or very very close family friends) (Hes so oblivious sometimes but I love him anyway)

So yeah who wouldn’t trust that?