| “ | In dreams, Ronan was always getting into trouble, and even though he often died, equally as often Opal saved him because she was an excellent dreamthing and a psychopomp (which is the proper name for an excellent dreamthing) | ” |
Opal, often referred to as Orphan Girl, is an "excellent" dream creature brought to life by Ronan Lynch. She is a psychopomp, with the ability to change aspects of the dream or convince Cabeswater to intervene on his behalf, and her presence in his dreams made it easier for him to pull things out.
Opal is a mysterious young girl who regularly appears in Ronan's dreams.
Biography[]
The Dream Thieves[]
Opal begs Ronan to take her with him when he wakes up so she won't have to live with his nightmares anymore.
The Raven King[]
Ronan accidentally pulls Opal out of his dreams, only for her to find that the demon has made the waking world even worse than Ronan's nightmares. She develops a habit of chewing on things she finds interesting, and she finds everything interesting. Ronan more or less adopts her. She has to continually be reminded to speak English, as she prefers to babble in Latin or the language of trees, both of which are difficult to understand outside of dreams.
Call Down the Hawk[]
Ronan asks Opal to help Hennessy with her dreaming. Despite not liking her, Opal does so because she loves Ronan.
Personality[]
Due to spending most of her existence in dangerous, fearful environments Opal is timid and wary. After the threat of being unmade is ended, Opal begins to settle down, becoming bolder and more independent. She also becomes stubborn and troublesome. She is curious and inquisitive, wanting to observe and know all about the new world she finds herself in. Opal enjoys chatting with Ronan about the meaning of his dreams.
Opal lacks certain traits, such as lust or shame, because Ronan never dreamed her to have them. This has resulted in Opal acting in ways that most people wouldn't. She will eat apparently anything, including chicken bones, pieces of garbage, and windshield washing fluid. At one point Ronan laments that she's become "feral," to which Adam corrects him by pointing out that she was "never tame to begin with." Regardless, she is still able to interact with Ronan and other humans.
Because of her abilities to control dreams, and to a degree also control Cabeswater, Opal considers herself to be a higher calibre of dream creature. She occasionally displays shades of being wise beyond her years. Opal still carries a deeply ingrained fear of the dream creatures and objects Ronan manifests. Once she realizes they are safe though, she often delights in them.
Physical Description[]
When Ronan had first dreamt her she had long, honey blonde hair, which has changed after a few years to a close-cropped pixie cut hidden under a white skullcap. Her only other clothing is an oversized white fisherman's sweater and rubber boots that Ronan makes her wear at times once she's out in the real world to hide the hooves she has instead of feet. Ronan thinks she has the same sort of forlorn, orphan look of laborers from old black and white photos of New York City, hence the original nickname of "Orphan Girl." She has a child-like build and stature that does not physically age despite having been his dream companion since he was a young boy. She admits to Adam when he asks her that she won't grow any bigger then she is now.
Relationships[]
Ronan Lynch[]
Ronan is the creator of Opal and essentially adopts her. In Ronan's dreamscape, Opal served as a guide and companion to him. She tried to keep him safe from nightmares and chided him about cheating and stealing from dreams. Once removed from his dreamscape, their roles reversed. Ronan became the one teaching Opal how to survive and worked to protect her from those who would do her harm. In the real world their personalities often clash, and they frequently seem to frustrate each other. But when it comes down to it, they are both extremely protective of each other.
Aurora Lynch[]
When Opal was first removed from Ronan's dreamscape, he took her to Aurora to live in Cabeswater where she would be safe from the outside world. Despite her initial resistance to staying there, Opal was able to form a bond of sorts with Aurora in the brief time they were together. Opal wailed over Aurora's death when she discovered Aurora had been unmade.
Adam Parrish[]
Adam is able to recognize Opal's fear in the real world as a result of her trauma from the nightmares in Ronan's dreamscape. From his own history of abuse, Adam is able to use that shared pain as a bridge to help Opal realize that the real world is not such a scary place. Because of this, or because of Ronan's own love for Adam, Opal loves Adam dearly, especially when he is sad or deep in his own thoughts. She is saddened at the thought that he will someday die. She is especially afraid of him leaving the Barnes for Harvard because of her fear of his death. Adam gives Opal his watch, which is a symbol of their trust and affection for each other.
Chainsaw[]
Opal greatly dislikes Chainsaw. She views her as a lesser dream creature and sometimes considers eating Chainsaw. It is unclear if this is a type of sibling rivalry involving jealousy at the way Chainsaw is treated differently than she is, or if it is just a general disdain for dream creatures that are unlike herself.
Appearances[]
- The Dream Thieves
- The Raven King
- Opal: A Raven Cycle Story
- Call Down the Hawk
- Greywaren (only mentioned)
Gallery[]
Maggie Stiefvater[]
Fanart[]
