Best Of

Been in very big art slump. Need to work on commissions and such, but cannot make brain do it because of IRL drama.
But at same time I went from being in 0 TTRPG games to 4, so I have that going for me! All of them with Lusternian friends A heckity blessing. I love character design.

Terentia said:

The Quizmaster turns their attention to the Divine.

1) In the spirit of Ephemeral Season closing, what motivated you to apply to be an Ephemeral?
2) What is one suggestion that you would give to anyone who may apply to be an Ephemeral in the future?
3) Who have been your favorite Ephemeral characters (note, not the admin because that is rude, but like, the persona that they portrayed; e.g. Kidaen, the Empyrean Bard)?
4) What has been the most enjoyable thing you created or contributed to the game? Bonus points if it was something that you did as an Ephemeral.

1) Like many others, I was at a point where I had told all the stories I wanted to as my characters, and achieved everything I'd wanted to. I wanted to keep contributing to the game that had given me so much, and becoming an Ephemeral was the logical way to do that.

2) Make sure you're ready and that it's the right choice for you. There's nothing wrong with knowing that you want to apply, but waiting a bit longer, so that you've had time to do all the things you want. You have to sacrifice those connections you've made as a player to become an Ephemeral - and whilst you get some amazing new people around you in return, there's nothing wrong with deciding that it isn't something you want to do. It's better to do that and find other ways to fulfil the drive you have to be an Ephemeral than it is to come up and be unhappy.

3) I'd never really encountered Ephemerals as a player until Milo - so he's the one I will always remember most fondly. As someone who was simultaneously terrified of and delighted by interacting with Divine, then, it was lovely to get to RP with a being who was not quite that powerful. I got to be starstruck without being overwhelmed!

4) Trader Bob Vengeance. (Also, I remain very proud of some of the mural rooms in my Ephemeral area, but everything has now been trumped by the army of Bobs).

Terentia said:

The Quizmaster turns their attention to the Divine.

1) In the spirit of Ephemeral Season closing, what motivated you to apply to be an Ephemeral?
2) What is one suggestion that you would give to anyone who may apply to be an Ephemeral in the future?
3) Who have been your favorite Ephemeral characters (note, not the admin because that is rude, but like, the persona that they portrayed; e.g. Kidaen, the Empyrean Bard)?
4) What has been the most enjoyable thing you created or contributed to the game? Bonus points if it was something that you did as an Ephemeral.

1) I felt that going ephemeral was the only actual step to move forward from where I was as a player. I've always enjoyed being able to run tabletop games and play the GM to help other people facilitate their stories, and that was how I could do it in Lusternia!

2) It's great to have an idea of where you want to be once you've finished your time as an ephemeral, but be open-minded to new possibilities. You could end up falling in love with a new org, a new god, or even a new style of Lusternia that you may never have experienced before, so it's wise to come up with open expectations.

3) Floating shark do do do-do-do-do, Bubble shark do do do-do-do-do, Goblin shark do do do-do-do-do, Garnuk shark.

4) I have done a lot of work on Halloween related things! Lots of costumes, things for the maze expansion to the haunted house, and more. They're so fun and playfully spooky (some are even just downright gross), and I love the limited edition/holiday access type things that you only get to play with once a year or so.

Ayisdra said:

Terentia said:

From an RP pov, Do you feel like it is easier to be a full on god than an Ephermeral because of this small pool of people that care when such a being is visible?

I've got to agree with Lantra on this point, in that an ephemeral character is just that: ephemeral. They can burn bright and fast like a dying star and leave impressions, but gods tend to be a whole different league. You've got a core group of people (through orders and orgs) that will relate to you on a very deep and fundamental level because of the fact that so much of our game's history is centred around the Divine. Yes, mortals are definitely the main characters, but gods are the deuteragonists! While it's easier to explain certain things and you have plenty of lore and history written to back you up (in most cases), I think it's got its own set of complications that don't make it 'easier' but do make it more rewarding despite the extra challenges it presents.

Well, @Lief @Elexia @Faythe set in motion a threat I have long joked about to my gaming friends. Then @Coraline goes and makes happen!

Mwuahahaha! Taemira has a mighty penguin! 

Seriously, I'm ridiculously obsessed with penguins IRL. I have threatened GMs that one day I will jave a character that rides one into battle. Now I learn that not only are there penguins in game, but Tae could ride one!

I may also be severely sleep deprived and far more excited about this than is healthy  XD.**

Seriously though? Thank you all for the enlightenment.


** Warning, the author of this post can not be held responsible for any glimpses of penguin armies. Any such sightings are purely coincidental, and there is no faeling madly cackling gleefully riding upon the back one.

Terentia said:

I might as well answer my own questions...

1) I was a generally lone player--I wasn't really connected to many people, even though I was a part of a family. But for the most part, I was doing a first-person campaign in a multiplayer game. So once there got to a point where I felt like there wasn't anything more interesting to do as a player, it felt natural to apply to the Havens. I think it was a smart move on my part. My time in the Havens, and then playing other roleplaying games, made me realise that I am not much of a fan of being a "player." Like, it's fun and whatnot, but I think I get a greater enjoyment by having a bird's eye view. 

Sounds eerily like me, except my epiphany was coming to terms with the fact that I simply don't enjoy/derive fun from MUD combat and having to start a new character to really let go of that.

I also have to second Ydryin, because he was such a great concept and I got sad when he stopped coming around because that was the soft signal that the story with his sister was going to lull into the background.

oh my flippin heck

I totally forgot I that you can listen to your order item.

Viravain don't kill me pls

Terentia said:

The Quizmaster turns their attention to the Divine.

1) In the spirit of Ephemeral Season closing, what motivated you to apply to be an Ephemeral?
2) What is one suggestion that you would give to anyone who may apply to be an Ephemeral in the future?
3) Who have been your favorite Ephemeral characters (note, not the admin because that is rude, but like, the persona that they portrayed; e.g. Kidaen, the Empyrean Bard)?
4) What has been the most enjoyable thing you created or contributed to the game? Bonus points if it was something that you did as an Ephemeral.

1) It's a combination of things. But at a certain point, I realized I'd achieved everything I wanted to as my old characters. I didn't feel a desire to be a player anymore, but I still wanted to add to the stories of Lusternia and its world. And this has been very fulfilling for me to do as an admin. The pressure is different in Havens; it's to be creative and engaged, instead of doing revolts, or politics, or what have you.

2) Patience is the key to success! Do a little bit every day. It is easier to tell yourself "I will write one room desc a day" than it is to say "I will build this whole thing in one weekend." Slow and steady really does win the race.

In a similar vein, don't be afraid to talk to other admin. We are a small team and it helps to have people to bounce ideas off of, especially at the start when you can't interact with players yet. No one will think less of you for not knowing how to do something. In fact, most of us are delighted to teach you what we do know.

3) Too many to name! The tea cup crashing escapade of Calythan and Tariel stands out.

4) When I was approved to take on Lantra, I was the final member to join the Holy Trinity of Celestian Goddesses. @Carakhan and @Terentia were in the middle of discussing the new guild revamp, and I was catching up to speed. I loved a lot of the ideas they came up with, so I was interjecting random final ideas as the newcomer. I had a few accepted contributions that I'm especially proud of.

One, the new name of the Magisterium. Two, the incredible tale of Saint Hamos, the Dragonslayer, which started out as me making a silly joke when everyone was debating what to do with the Ecclesiarchy tutor ("Hamos beats up a dragon one-on-one in mortal combat, guys. #SaintHamos2020"). This quickly became a much beloved idea and eventually an integral plot device for the guild revamp event. He'd be the first kephera saint! And not just any saint, but a kephera who had already boldly defended Elohora in the first guild revamp event, and then established the Ecclesiarchy, which was now being born anew as the Magisterium! What a way for the guild to go out with a bang!

I also got to write the kaiju fight scene between the massive water elemental and the blackened dragon. Seeing Celest cheer for a giant water monster as if it was a wrestling event was amazing. Sorry I killed your dragon, @Drocilla.

Ayisdra said:

Terentia said:

The Quizmaster turns their attention to the Divine.

3) Who have been your favorite Ephemeral characters (note, not the admin because that is rude, but like, the persona that they portrayed; e.g. Kidaen, the Empyrean Bard)?

As a general question from this, sometimes it feels Ephermeral characters are sometimes more loved than actual role you take. That everyone seems to go 'oooh, I wonder what is happening' when an ephemeral shows up, regardless of their 'org', whereas generally only the elder's home org will care about them when they show up.

From an RP pov, Do you feel like it is easier to be a full on god than an Ephermeral because of this small pool of people that care when such a being is visible?

I think it is 'easier' to be an ephemeral in the sense that your story is meant to be brief. It is not meant to inspire debate or invite controversy. You're not guiding members of an org in any meaningful capacity, just learning about the org and exploring its roleplay to broaden your knowledge of the game's world. It's meant to be a low-stakes role that allows you to get used to roleplaying a character again.

But it's easier, to me, to RP an Elder God because they hold strong histories, grudges, opinions and expectations. My ephemeral role did not have any of those things, but Lantra does in spades. And I find that more interesting and compelling to work with than my old ephemeral persona, and more rewarding as a result.