Official art of Jay Ferin from Episode 83: All Hands on Deck by Shan shanuraru.[Art 1]
"I'm wondering if maybe you've heard of their daughter and if... maybe they're looking for her?" – Jay hoping to get information from Marshall John about her missing status.
Jay Ferin is a human ranger (5) / artificer (7) woman and she is one three co-captains of the Riptide Pirates. She is played by Condifiction, aka Condi.
Description
Jay's original design by paincake101.[Art 2]
Official Art of Jay Ferin.
Appearance
Jay Ferin is a young woman standing at a height of 5'7". She has pale skin, blue eyes. She has long reddish-orange hair that is often seen half-up in a ponytail. A piece of her bangs is pinned back with a small gold and black pin with the crest of an eagle flying over a sunset. She wears a dark blue cropped jacket with white fur lining the collar. Underneath her jacket is a sleeveless shirt with a high, ruffled collar and pleated lace running down the middle of it. She wears tan, high-waisted flared pants that are seamed with large stitches along the sides and has two belts around her waist. As well as that, she wears dark blue ankle-high boots that have a small zipper on the back and wears black fingerless gloves.
Official episode 87 redesign of Jay Ferin by paincake101[Art 3]
Jay received an updated design in Episode 87: Swimming in Circles. Her hair is slightly longer and let down, and the same Ferin Family Pin pushes her bangs out of her face. She wears a corded white halter top that has a square cut neckline. A golden ring connects the shoulder straps behind her neck revealing wing tattoos on her shoulder blades. Between her wing tattoos is the signature "NK", signifying her deal with Niklaus Hendrix. Over her shirt is a black leather below-bust corset detailed with gold eyelets along with a matching belt and garter on her left leg. Jay has her old navy jacket tied around her waist that layers over tight, brown, pants. Jay wears black knee-high leather boots that fit loosely around her upper calves that match her belt and corset. She wears black fingerless gloves with open panels to her knuckles and buckle around her wrist.
During a vision in Episode 102: Happy Wife, Happy Life, one of Jay's eyes changes to a glowing golden color similar to that of other members of her family. Notably, Drey and Jayson Ferin share this trait.
Personality
Jay is often considered the most reasonable co-captain of The Albatross, but in reality, is far from it. She often eggs on Gillion and Chip's antics or engages in her own nonsense plans despite often being voice of reason among Chip and Gillion. She is not always the pinnacle of impulse control nor is morally rigid, acting irresponsibly at times. Despite this, she is easily the most intelligent of the three given her knack for tinkering as well as being their ship's navigator. Her hobby for tinkering makes her resourceful, creative and adaptable. She has a passion for building and taking things apart, particularly weapons like guns, and has been tinkering since she was young. She is fascinated by mechanical objects and gets very excited about weaponry and learning about the way things work.
While being not as physically strong as her co-captains, Jay is fully capable in battle and uses critical thinking to give herself the upper hand in fights. She carefully considers her options and consequences before acting, such as during Grimm's murder mystery party when she does not readily disclose her role as police whilst her fellow party members immediately share theirs.
Jay is very capable at lying and is not opposed to the concept. This is notably shown by the keeping of her role as a navy spy hidden from Gillion and Chip until Episode 53: Not Ferin Well, a few months after their initial meeting. While this skill for lying can carry her through interactions dependent on deceit, she can be pretty awkward in casual conversation, such as when she converses with Lizzie.
Jay is an unconditionally loving and loyal person with a high value of family, biological or not. This is showcased not just by her fierce dedication to the Riptide Pirates, but her inability to even think of harming her own family, even if they do things she does not agree with or cause harm to her. Jay's views of family prove harmful to her because of the Ferin family's involvement with R.A.F.T. She also has personal involvement in its forces, having made friends with Kira through R.A.F.T. training. This tie proves dangerous for her as, while her loyalty now stands with her crew, she still knows she couldn't hurt her family. She has also expressed fear in the power and strength of her father, Jayson, and her grandmother, Faye.
Jay is notably emotionally sensitive, crying when Earl talks about opening another inn in All-Port to honor his late wife. She believes in justice and standing up for oneself. In addition, she appears to be somewhat of a heroic type, as seen in the prequel episode Humble Beginnings when she recruits Chip to help her save a woman's baby that had been kidnapped on Featherbrook Island by a local gang. Still, Jay's sensitivity does not damper her ability to be snarky and sarcastic, specifically through her teasing of Chip, though it probably comes from a place of endearment towards him.
Background/History
Prior to the Events of Riptide
As a daughter of a R.A.F.T. vice admiral, Jay has always been connected to and involved with the Navy. All of Jay's family wear a distinct family crest of an eagle flying over a sunset, which identifies them as a Ferin. In her youth, she attended Navy camps in her home island of Featherbrook. Sometime during her childhood, she made friends with Kira, who was similarly pursuing Navy training. Her older sister, Ava Ferin, also pursued a life in R.A.F.T., eventually becoming a Navy captain. After Ava died in action, Jay stopped her training and began working alongside her mother, May Ferin, in her tavern The Eagle's Den.
Jay comments in Episode 68: A Stranger at Sea to Ichabod that she liked to tinker ever since childhood and enjoys it very much, but her father was disapproving of it. Jay used to listen to stories told by her mother, May, including one about a large tree connected to life[1].
Prior to Episode 1: Starting from Zero, a young man, Chip, arrived at The Eagle's Den. As a waitress at her mother's tavern at the time, she learned through conversation that he was once part of the Black Rose Pirates with Drey Ferin. He asked her to join him on the seas with promise to live her own life. In the prequel episode Riptide Origins: Humble Beginnings, Jay agreed to join Chip's crew after he successfully helped her save a kidnapped girl from the Hundred Wolves Thieves. The two later pulled Gillion from the ocean after they found him floating aimlessly in the water.
During the Events of Riptide
Early in the show after reuniting with Marshall John, an ex-Navy official, Jay asks him about the Ferin family, what he knows about them currently, and if they are searching for their daughter to keep tabs on her. John states that the Ferins are "dangerous officials to keep tabs on", and the two he knows of are high-ranking soldiers currently on other missions. He states he doesn't know if they're searching, and after seeing through her awkwardness manages to glean that Jay is the Ferins' daughter. John informs her that as soon as they know she's missing, they will 100% come searching.
In Episode 29: The Paramount Tournament, when Jay is confronted by Elizabeth Lafayette at gunpoint (unidentified to her as of then), she tells her that "You can't forget a Ferin's face, and Ferin is Navy." Due to Elizabeth being confirmed to have known Jay's sister, Ava Ferin in some capacity, it is possible she recognized her due to their apparently (according to her) similar appearances.
In one episode, Jay states she knew she wouldn't have been happy doing what the Navy was doing. However, she still holds a sense of attachment to her family in the Navy and this serves as conflict throughout the entire campaign. In later episodes, her old life, guilt, and fears transform into frequent night terrors or a reluctance to fight the Navy, regardless of what they were doing. In Episode 5: The Curse of Loffinlot, we see Jay have her first night terror, related to her family and humiliation. In Episode 11: Return to the Open Sea she has three back-to-back night terrors of her father, and then of her crew being discovered and attacked by the Navy. She has another nightmare in Episode 41: Growing Pains, serving as a clear manifestation of guilt - either by something she had done in the Navy or generally of her family. In the nightmare she sees Tay standing on a ship, before she finds herself in a similar red trench coat with her hands soaked in blood.
Despite being terrified of her family and of the Navy finding her, she willingly decides to help rescue Marshall John after he is captured and thrown in the highly secure and brutal Navy prison, known as The B.L.O.C.K. In Episode 53: Not Ferin Well, we finally meet Jay's father, Jayson Ferin, who she is just as terrified of when seeing him again in person. In the episode, Jay finally reveals the secret she had withheld from Chip and Gillion in the Sands of Time room in the previous episode. Showing the lengths she was willing to go to find the killer of her sister, she "pretended" to befriend Chip and Gillion and used them to try and get closer to uncovering who murdered Ava. During this time of her using them for any information she could find, she realized how much she truly wanted to get away from the military life of the Navy, her family, and the pressure on her to travel with these pirates.
Secrets of the Ferin Family
Jay experiences a strange dream in Episode 88: Juice Roll With It[2]. In this dream, she wakes up on the Albatross, though everything feels surreal. She approaches the mirror in the quarters and sees that in her reflection, she is not on the ship. As she turns around, she finds herself on a tall rocky cliff, taller than anything she's ever seen. Below it is endless mountains. She feels the heat of a massive sun, yearning for the heat to reach her. She stares directly at it, unable to look away. As she stares at the sun, she feels her tattoos on her upper back sting like burning metal. The heat continues to be agonizing, charring the rock beneath her. Jay rises to her feet and tries to get closer to the edge of the mountain, but is unable to get further because of the massive sun before her. The heat reminds Jay of her family and her friends. Jay is overwhelmed by emotion, closing her spirit off, and wakes up as she falls off the cliff. Awake, she knows she has failed, and her eye burns. She begins to shout, startling her co-captains awake. Gillion inspects the painful eye and can see how the whites of her eyes are red. Using Lay on Hands, Gillion remedies the inflammation and pain.
Jay explains the dream to Chip and Gillion. Gillion speculates that the dream could mean that Jay is a second Chosen One of the sun goddess Aster. Chip questions if she's cursed. Gillion suggests that the dream had metaphorical meaning. Thinking back on the dream, Jay realizes that she felt aided by Gillion's presence in the dream. Gillion asks Drey how he shot a laser in the B.L.O.C.K. wondering if her dream is related to Drey's magical abilty. Drey says her dream sounds familiar and that he may have experienced it himself. Drey suggests she ask Jayson about the dream. Drey adds that he doesn't know if its related to the family, musing that Jay could have annoyed the sun goddess.
In Episode 99: Under New Management, Jay learns from her mother that the magic on her mother's side is said to have originated from a large tree that grows from the world[1]. Its roots create the mountains that separate the seas, and its good health is necessary for the balance of the world. It relies on the sea, and in turn, the sea relies on it. May describes how because her magic in connected to this tree, she can feel that the tree is dying, proving that the stories of the tree weren't just tales. It is unclear whether Jay's magic is connected to the tree, though May adds that part of the reason May never seriously told Jay about the tale was because Jay and Ava's magic differed.
Jay's second magical dream occurs in Episode 102: Happy Wife, Happy Life[3]. It is reminiscent to her dream in Episode 88: Juice Roll With It. In the dream, she feels the overwhelming heat and opens her eyes on a tall mountain with a massive sun above it. The sun feels hotter and larger as Jay stares into it. It becomes agonizingly painful to stare at, but Jay can't avert her gaze from it. Behind her, she can feel another source of heat signifying that she can't back away from the sun this time. Jay thinks about her family and friends again. Jay steps forwards, not completely sure of herself, and jumps towards the sun. Jay is welcomed in, feeling the burning heat. The pain subsides as the world becomes white. Jay feels warmth behind her eye. She wakes up feeling that something is different. Jay approaches the mirror in the quarters and sees that she has a bright orange glowing eye just like Jayson and Drey. She has succeeded her trial.
Within the Promise Bastion in Episode 114: Still Not Ferin Well, Jay unlocks a vault and finds ancient stone tablets inside. In Episode 115: The Last Chapter, Jay investigates the tablets, finding carvings written in Celestial, but that seems to unscramble itself as she reads it because of her magical eye[4]. Chip is unable to read this Celestial. The first tablet reads:
Shards of the divine, these words are for you, and you alone. We are descendants of the sun. Thus, we are the light, the beacon that will eradicate the dark. We are the flame, to which all will yield. We are the shining justice that will always prevail. Our steps illuminate the way forward and our hands spark the tales of history.
The second tablet reads:
Shards of the divine, these words are for you, and for you alone. Know your kin, recognized by the manes of flickering flame, wings that rival dragons, the golden suns in our eyes. Unity is the key to prosperity. Our elders will raise generations that burn with a vigorous radiance.
Jay recites the inscriptions to the other Riptide Pirates curious about it. Jay speculates that the tablets are referring to the Ferin family because of how her eye is reacting to it. Igneous compares the stone the tablets are made of to his sword, explaining that his sword has been passed down through his family and is made of crystallized volcanic rock. Drey relates the inscriptions on the tablets to Faye Ferin's outlandish greater purpose that she frequently forced onto her children. Jay connects the descriptions to her father while Chip says she also fits the characterstics describes.
Relationships
Official art of Jay Ferin from Episode 96: Home Inspectre (art by Shan shanuraru)
Chip
Chip is Jay's co-captain on the Albatross. Chip convinced Jay to run away from her life as a part of the Navy and working at her mother's tavern on her home of Featherbrook Island, thereby joining his crew where the two would later rescue Gillion Tidestrider. The origins of their relationship can be seen in the prequel episode Humble Beginnings. The two have a sibling-like bond where they bicker over small non-consequential things, but still have respect for each other. Jay sees him as a younger brother and cares about him, though she "would never tell him that". Their relationship was briefly hindered in Episode 52: Death March when Jay refused to tell Chip her secret. For the remaining time in The B.L.O.C.K., Chip held a grudge against her and appeared genuinely upset that she did not trust him enough, or did not believe Chip's secret was worth sharing hers for. When they find Drey and have to fight Jayson, where she admits that she was a spy and insists she never cared about them at all, Chip doesn't believe her. Their relationship is mended when Jay announces that she wants to continue being a pirate.
Gillion Tidestrider
Gillion is a fellow co-captain of the Riptide Pirates along with Jay. They initially met when Chip invited Gillion onto The Big Chipper, and became fast friends despite Gillion’s evident recklessness and unawareness towards the world around him. Jay typically acts as the voice of reason against Gillion's impulsivity and self-sacrificial tendencies, as shown by her hesitancy to allow Felipe to stab him in Episode 83: All Hands on Deck. As well as this, Jay consistently encourages Gillion to question his ways of thinking, whether that be rethinking his destiny, questioning the prophecy, or teaching him oversea traditions. Jay states that Gillion is one of her "closest and most trusted" friends in Episode 63: Farewells.
Their relationship was briefly hindered in Episode 53: Not Ferin Well during an altercation with Jayson Ferin when Jay shot Gillion in the chest. As he was downed, he asked her "What [she] really wants so [he] can fight for it." Despite her action of betrayal towards him, he still remained loyal toward her and their friendship was quickly repaired thereafter the fight.
Jayson Ferin
Jayson is Jay's father who she is blatantly terrified of, referring to him as a "scary man" and a man who always "finds a way of breaking things". Her father did not often visit Featherbrook and his family[5]. She mentions her father occasionally, always with a sense of lingering anxiety, and going as far as to say if she was captured by the Navy she isn't sure what would be done to her - perhaps a fate worse than death. In Episode 11: Return to the Open Sea, she has three back-to-back night terrors involving her father. In Episode 53: Not Ferin Well, the crew confront him in The B.L.O.C.K., where she is actively terrified of him, behaving uncharacteristically. She appears to dissociate and freeze up as she is unable to move and follows her father's commands, including shooting Gillion. It is implied that he was verbally abusive and controlling, going so far as to shoot a young Jay's beloved doll Samantha, as she was "focusing too much on playing with the toy". In her conversation with Lizzie in Episode 58: The Tides Between Us, she describes him as "alright" and still that "he always loved [her]". In her youth, Jayson taught her about survival and fighting, but didn't support her advances into joining the Navy, even before Ava died[5].
Ava Ferin
Ava Ferin was Jay's older sister. Jay, the younger sister by two years, admired Ava as a child and continues to hope that she can be just as influential as Ava was to her[5]. Jay holds a clear respect and fondness for her sister, as seen by her keeping Ava's medal from the Navy on hand at all times. Jay joined the Riptide Pirates to both act as a spy for the Navy and further investigate the cause of her sister's death, hoping to seek some form of revenge. Jay is uncertain whether Ava would be proud of her.
Captain Lizzie
Jay and Captain Lizzie's relationship started off tumultuous, with their first meeting being Lizzie threatening Jay with a gun on Joaldo Island. She held some reservations about Jay being on Chip's crew, urging him to not trust her in fear of her being a Navy spy. Ironically, she was proven to be correct. In Episode 38: The People's Champion, Jay appeared to be writing letters to her mother, but this is later admitted by both Jay (to Lizzie herself) and Condifiction to be untrue. The letters were, instead, reports to the Navy about Lizzie's plans for war. When Lizzie finds out, she is unsurprised though not angry, as she believes that Jay has changed her ways due to, not just her admitting this, but what else she says in their conversation.
Said conversation takes place in Episode 58: The Tides Between Us, when Lizzie invites Jay to The Porthole to drink and have a conversation in order to get to know her better and hopefully build some trust. The two had a long conversation while drunk, where Lizzie wanted to know "who the fuck [Jay] wants to be". Jay seems to have respect for Lizzie since changing her ways of being a spy. The two also both see Chip as a little brother. When their respective ships part ways later, Jay is the only one to catch Lizzie mouthing for them to "not die", to which she mouths back for her not to, either. It was safe to say there was a mutual trust and even friendship between the two. In Episode 101: Daughter of Violence, their relationship was strained as Jay and Lizzie fought, Lizzie finally admitting that she had had a relationship with Ava and "loved her." Jay still holds great care for Lizzie, splitting from her co-captains in Episode 115: The Last Chapter with the goal of saving her from a possible R.A.F.T. ambush and to inform her of a spy on her crew.
May Ferin
Jay has a very positive relationship with her mother. In Episode 19: The One, Chip recalls the warm smile on her mother's face as he and Jay ran off and left Featherbrook Island together. More of Jay and May's relationship can be seen in the prequel episode Riptide Origins: Humble Beginnings, while Jay is still working at her mother's tavern. Jay very rarely ever sees her mother looking tired or unhappy[6]. Jay describes her mother and their relationship in Episode 98: Til The End, saying she has always been supportive, even respecting her decision to become a pirate. May was unaware of Jay becoming a pirate as a spy for R.A.F.T[5].
Notable Items
Ava's Medal
Jay carries a R.A.F.T. medal of Ava's and uses it to intimidate a crowd of uprising gnomes in Episode 6: Off With His Head!.
Necklace of Ferin
A gift made by Aslana, this gold and turquoise sea glass pendant necklace wrapped in brass and other metals gives Jay resistance to cold damage. It represents compassion, communication, wisdom, and warmth.
Identified by Jay in Episode 50: The Block, the Spyglass of the Navigator is a spyglass that works in a similar way to the Commune[7] spell. The spyglass can be asked questions, but only those about the weather, the course the ship is on and the ship itself. The spyglass was stolen from the late king Thomas Edison's treasury.
Thomas Edison's Tome of Thoughts
A book with golden pages with black "runic" writing and scribbles. After being identified by Jay in Episode 50: The Block, she learns that one can touch a page and think of a thought (approximately 20 words long) and it is transcribed in the tome in an unknown language. The page can be touched again and the thoughts will be played back in that person's voice. The tome was stolen from the late king Thomas Edison's treasury and includes some entries likely written by the king himself.
Pistol
A pistol she bought on Joaldo, which she was able to tinker with and upgrade. The pistol was given to Old Man Earl as the result of a lost bet. As of Episode 63: Farewells, as Earl has left, she no longer is in possession of it. She instead uses a revolver she took from a Navy guard, and tinkered it into a magical weapon. Upon entering the Black Sea, she lost her pistol when she was forced to dive into the ocean. After that she picked up a ruined pistol from an old battlefield on Onawa Country and fixed it up. Once the crew got the legacy items from the Black Rose crew, she got a pistol that was once Drey's.
Trivia
- Jay has a knack for tinkering, as seen in Episode 23: Downhill Desires when she picks up a book about craftsmanship from Alveros' library, and in Episode 26: First Blood when she chooses to spend her free time reading said book and learning the basics.
- She really enjoys fishing![8]
- It is implied that at some point, Jay worked as a party clown. In Episode 50: The Block it's revealed she carries a clown costume around with her on the ship which she uses that as a disguise while her and her crew are attempting to fool a Navy guard.
- She is confirmed to be bisexual.[9]
- Jay has the Observant[10] feat which, on top of giving her a boost to perception, allows her to read lips.
- It was revealed in Episode 76: Uh Oh, Spaghettio. that Jay lost the ability to read in exchange for entrance to Kaz's Carnival. This has since been regained after leaving the Feywild.
- Jay is left handed, as confirmed by Condi in his Discord.
- Jay is a lightweight drinker.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 May describes the tale of the World Tree (Episode 99: Under New Management 17:52)
- ↑ Jay has a strange magical dream (Episode 88: Juice Roll With It 4:39-23:20)
- ↑ Jay experiences another magical sun-related dream (Episode 102: Happy Wife, Happy Life 39:21-45:37)
- ↑ Jay investigates the stone tablets (Episode 115: The Last Chapter 14:20-21:38)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Jay describes her family (Episode 98: Til The End 48:40-55:31)
- ↑ May being described as uncharacteristically worn (Episode 99: Under New Management 14:56)
- ↑ Information on the Commune spell
- ↑ Condi's Tweet about Jay & fishing
- ↑ Video clip on Twitter from a Condi stream
- ↑ Information on the Observant feat
Art References
- ↑ Official thumbnail of Episode 83 by shanuraru
- ↑ Jay's original official ref sheet by paincake101
- ↑ Official redesign of Jay Ferin from episode 87 by paincake101