Some cookies are necessary to make this site and our content available to you. Other Cookies enable us to analyse and measure audience and traffic to the site. Cookies are also used by us, advertisers, ad-tech providers and others to develop and serve ads that are more relevant to your interests. To consent to the use of Cookies and proceed to the site, click Accept below. If you wish to withdraw consent later you will find a link in the footer Cookie Choices. For more information: Privacy Policy.
☒
Search Neopets

Neopedia : Iridesia

Name: Iridesia
Species: Faerie
Gender: Non-binary
Age: “Um…”
Interests: Novas, self-discovery, exploration, artificing, crafting
Occupation: Still searching for their true calling, but in the meantime they are acting as an artificer and a member of the Council of Faeries.
Quote: “The only thing we have in common is being miserable. And I don’t want to be that anymore! I want to be – no, I am… Iridesia!”

A unique Faerie who discovered their true calling after spending untold years as a Grey Faerie. Though they are still learning new things about themself and their powers every day, they aspire to do their utmost to help Neopia using their crafting abilities.


Another piece of the Rainbow Fountain fell into place, guided precisely by the tips of some pliers. Iridesia took a step back to wipe their brow and reformed their multitool from the pliers to its usual wrench shape, and turned to their companion for the day.

“Looking good, Iridesia,” Naia said, waving her hands to guide the Rainbow Fountain’s water back into place. She had been holding it back so Iridesia could work.

“Thank you,” Iridesia said, but their smile only reached halfway to their eyes. “I wish I could be of more help, though. I don’t really know what I’m doing…”

Naia frowned. Ever since becoming the Rainbow Faerie, Iridesia’s confidence had improved noticeably, but there were still moments where their self-consciousness took over. “You certainly know better than I do,” she said. “Why, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I’d have made half the progress we have on restoring the Rainbow Fountain! My ability to control water may help in keeping it out of the way, but I’m not sure painting Neopets is very helpful in this situation— Oh! Speaking of which…”

Naia leaned to the side from where she was lounging in the Rainbow Fountain’s water, to peer around Iridesia. A young Kougra had appeared, with red fur and a bow tied to the end of her tail. Naia recognised this Kougra as one who had helped her in the past, and smiled at her.

“Hello, Laynie. It’s been some time since I last saw you, after you helped me with a quest,” she said, “and you were so quick in completing it, too! So, does that mean you are here to take a dip in the magical waters of the Rainbow Fountain?”

“Um… yes,” Laynie, the Kougra, said. She looked nervously at the fountain, then at Naia – and finally at Iridesia. Iridesia waved kindly.

“Well, I’m afraid you may have to wait a little bit longer,” Naia told the young Kougra. “We’re still repairing the fountain, and we’ll need a little bit more time.”

Laynie’s whole body seemed to deflate at that. Her shoulders slumped, her head lowered, and her tail began to droop. “Oh… okay,” she said. At first, she seemed to be disappointed… but Iridesia wondered if they were detecting some relief in the Kougra’s voice.

“But we can help you decide on a colour for when it’s ready,” Naia suggested kindly. Apparently she didn’t realise that Laynie was relieved.

“Y-you can?” the Kougra asked.

Iridesia frowned. Laynie’s hind paws tapped against the ground, as though she were nervous.

“Yes, if that’s what you want,” Naia said. “If you have any ideas of what you may want, would you mind sharing them with us?”

“Um…” Laynie looked away for a moment, as if she couldn’t bring herself to meet Naia’s eyes. Iridesia wanted to reach out to her and tell her it was okay, but they couldn’t quite bring themself to. They knew how it felt to be so uncertain, and how it felt to want to change and start a new chapter of life – and how paralysing that uncertainty could be.

But Laynie nodded and said, “Okay. I think I can do that.” It took her a second to organise her thoughts, but soon she was telling Naia and Iridesia what she had considered for her new paint colour. At first, she thought she wanted to be painted pink because it was her favourite colour, but then she didn’t think that would go with her favourite bow. Then she thought about a more complex colour like Darigan, but she didn’t think that it felt right. Snow was out because she didn’t like the cold, and she didn’t want to be painted Glowing because she had trouble sleeping if it wasn’t totally dark in her bedroom. The more she talked, the more tearful and short of breath she became.

“I just don’t know!” Laynie finished. “How am I supposed to decide what I want to look like for the rest of my life when I don’t even know what I want to look like now?”

It was a struggle very much like the one that Iridesia had gone through, back when they were a Grey Faerie. So they reached out toward Laynie, offering that helping hand they had been so uncertain about before. It took Laynie by surprise, but after a moment’s hesitation, she walked right up to Iridesia and allowed them to pull her into a gentle hug.

“Oh, dear. It sounds like you have so much on your mind right now,” Iridesia said.

Laynie sniffled. Iridesia felt her nod against their shoulder.

“Can I tell you a secret, Laynie?”

They pulled back so that Laynie could look them in the eye. The Kougra nodded, still tearful and trembling slightly, so Iridesia gave her the biggest smile they could muster.

“I used to feel the same way,” they said. “And it took a long time for me to decide who it was I wanted to be.”

“It did?” Laynie asked. “How long?”

“Um… let’s not focus on that.” Iridesia laughed nervously. “My point is… we all go on journeys to discover who we are, what we want to look like, and what we want to give to the world we live in. And those things can change every single day.”

“They can?”

“Yes. They certainly did for me! So you don’t have to choose what colour you want to be right now. You don’t even have to decide tomorrow, or the next day, or ten years from now! You have all the time in the world to decide… and all the time to change your mind and try something new if it turns out that it doesn’t fit as well as you thought.”

Laynie gazed at Iridesia with big, wide eyes. “I don’t have to choose now? And my choice doesn’t have to be forever?”

“Not if you don’t want it to be,” Iridesia said.

“Wow,” the Kougra said. Her tears were dry now, and she was almost smiling. “Th…thank you, Rainbow Faerie!”

“You can call me Iridesia, if you like.”

“Okay,” Laynie said. “I will. Thank you, Iridesia!”

The two said goodbye shortly after that. As Iridesia watched Laynie go, her tail swishing happily behind her, they realised that they were smiling, and that there was a warmth in their chest that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“I hope she’ll be all right,” Iridesia said. She turned back to Naia, ready to get back to work, but—

“Um, Naia… Why are you looking at me like that?”

There was a small smile on Naia’s face. “Oh, it’s nothing. You’ve just come a long way,” the Fountain Faerie said, with a little wink. “I’m proud of you.”

Iridesia smiled. “Thank you,” they said. It was still hard for them to accept praise sometimes, but this time, they truly felt as though they had helped someone. Just like Tavi had helped them so long ago, Iridesia had been the one to give someone scared, nervous, and unhappy something to smile about.

And there was still work to be done to help more Neopets just like Laynie! So Iridesia turned back to the Rainbow Fountain and rearranged their multitool, thinking of all the changes they had gone through in their life. From being a Light Faerie, to being a Grey Faerie, to trying out all kinds of new names until they discovered the one that fit them best – the one that turned them into their true self, the Rainbow Faerie. They were certain that, when Laynie was ready, she would find what made her feel like her true self, too.