Well -- I fundamentally disagree with Cassander's concept of New Celest's foundation, tbh. It's New Celest. A fresh start. A chance to right the wrongs of the Old Celestine Empire, and seek redemption.
Of course, there's plenty of precedent for wanting a return to the Old Celestine Empire, where Celest had Hallifax and Gaudiguch as vassals and had the power and clout to ignore forest communes, but that's not how I'd go about doing it.
As for the Light itself -- the Supernals tend to represent that well, I think. You have Methrenton purging the wicked, Shakiniel defending the innocent, Raziela providing unconditional love (even to said wicked), and Japhiel educating and guiding. All of those concepts are the Light, which imo is synonymous with Elohora. All of those sentiments are what Celestians will tell you when they claim a village or a bubble. Extending those virtues to the masses.
I always felt Celest had a more sinister vibe. Where the manipulation of honest values via the doctrine impress upon the citizens that they are doing it all for love and righteousness. But really they are just pretty little vessels for the Light to destroy all that exists.
I always felt Celest had a more sinister vibe. Where the manipulation of honest values via the doctrine impress upon the citizens that they are doing it all for love and righteousness. But really they are just pretty little vessels for the Light to destroy all that exists.
Or maybe that is just what I want it to be...
Of course! That's definitely arguable, and that's why every single org is a grey area in Lusternia.
However, if someone has misgivings about playing in their org, then they might need to look at the more positive assessment of their city. It would be pretty sucky to play a Glomdorian that saw the wyrd as disgusting/insidious/wrong, right? Especially if they didn't want to move orgs. At least, to some extent, I think.
I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but I personally wouldn't find that enjoyable.
Furthermore, it's great to be critical of your own organization. Hopefully that inspires you to make a change or set some goals instead of turning you off, though.
So like there's the Mags going oh well we are using the taint for the greater good to fight the soulless and Celest is kinda doing the same thing with the light but basically saying at the same time that every other way of fighting the soulless is bad. Which is a legit rp stance to make but it's tricky because they are acting from a superior "my way is the best way irregardless of evidence" where as mag is "any way is the best way let's fight from the gutter if we have to." Which just is easier to justify without being hypocritical but well hypocritical rp is fine as well (Welcome to glom and Hallifax )
I always thought the Light was an actual force that was drawn from Celestia. All the cosmic planes had their own special flavour. All the religious crap just grew around it, but at their core, Vortex, Celestia, Continuum, and Shallamar-Nil had 'substances' that were not always compatible with one another.
It's easier to wrap your head around if you start at the Elemental planes. Fire/Water/Earth/Air are all obviously different forces. Then all the Cosmic planes are basically 'higher energies' of their respective Elemental planes.
Alternatively, just don't reconcile the obvious loopholes and don't think about it too much. It's a fantasy world, and as much as Estarra would like to create the best world there ever is, it's not really that possible to make things all perfect. When you throw player-created content into the mix, getting something coherent is usually the exception rather than the norm.
There's also the angle where you don't want it to be consistent from an OOC point of view, because you need different types of players in the game to function, and some kinds of org-level inconsistency is required to make sure that everyone has a way of twisting themselves in to fit the org. Consistency in such a game can be, on the flip side, too strait-laced to attract a wide enough variety of players to succeed. In that way, Lusternia's orgs are more versatile. In every org, you can pretty much fit any shape of player in, and whatever your style, there's probably a valid avenue of RP for you in there.
Many in-game concepts are vague and easy to interpret in different ways on purpose, I feel. There's not just one way to interpret what the Light is, be it its physical manifestation in the spells etc, or as a philosophy/concept. It's easier for established players to stake their ground and defend their stance on certain philosophical concepts, but whether they win or lose the argument, it's pretty difficult to say that any one interpretation is the be-all and end-all. If you try to reconcile an inconsistency that exists specifically to cater to different types of people, then you're going to give yourself a headache you can't cure.
The Light is: -The cosmic force originating in the Divine Creches, most directly accessible via Celestia, which nurtures, protects and betters immature divine souls and divine soul fragments. -A religion based around the veneration of Celestial natives, particularly the Holy Supernals, based on virtues attributed to their exposure and understanding of said force. -An anti-taint, anti-undead, anti-soulless political philosophy justified by the horrors of the Taint Wars and the condemnation of such influences by the Holy Supernals.
Beyond that, its down to individual interpretation and no small amount of rationalizations based in political expediency. The Supernals advise, but sometimes their advice isn't really practical or of dubious merit. They're fallible, like every other divine thing in the game.
I always thought the Light was an actual force that was drawn from Celestia. All the cosmic planes had their own special flavour. All the religious crap just grew around it, but at their core, Vortex, Celestia, Continuum, and Shallamar-Nil had 'substances' that were not always compatible with one another.
It's easier to wrap your head around if you start at the Elemental planes. Fire/Water/Earth/Air are all obviously different forces. Then all the Cosmic planes are basically 'higher energies' of their respective Elemental planes.
My feeling was that the explanation is that any similarly half-born creche would produce the same results, we have just never found another except for Shallamar and we cannot really compare. I thought Vortex and Continuum didn't have the same effect, but could be wrong. Perhaps its state as half-born means that it has more active divinus energy running through it. Extending that, you probably could expect that Nil is heavily infected by excorable energies due to the taint. Angels and Demons not surviving on the other plane could just be that a domothean construct is overwhelmed by the excorable environment and destroyed, and vice versa.
As to what the light is, I think it might simply be a particular mix of domothean energies that Dynara was experimenting with in Celestia, the relationship between Celestia and Water might be a result of their extended connection, perhaps having influences in both directions to explain light essence vs elemental essence. But at the same time, I kinda expect that each creche has its own mix so some would result in a force similar to the light while others would be quite distinct from it.
Vortex is a particularly interesting case. It was presented to me (as Maligorn!) as the largest/most intricate/most abundant confluence of divinus energy that we know of so far, as far as cosmic planes, because of the sheer amount of living matter that you find in it.
Interesting, that seems... weird? I guess I don't associate just living matter with divinus, I mean sure if you just have "life" maybe but real divinus is well... more than that, sapience would be one aspect I expect I suppose.
I've also hit that RP wall sometimes. Some orgs are easier to RP in than others, and I've found that the ones that are easy to RP are the orgs whose concepts we can poke fun at as players. It's fun to be a young Magnagoran desperately trying to act snooty enough to earn respect (and failing), or to be a Hallifaxian eternally beleaguered by bureaucracy, or a Gaudiguchian whose professions of wisdom are just random mashings of words because they figured that mad libs are as good a method to enlightenment as any. But even as we're doing that, there's the clear sense that we as players are winking at each other about the concepts of the orgs we're in.
With other orgs, though, it's harder. I don't know how to make fun of Seren or Celest in a light-hearted way, in part because there's no obvious flaw or gimmick to them. (I guess xenophobia is one, but it's hard to make light-hearted fun about xenophobia, because that's not a subject that lends itself to light-hearted jokes.) But 'I am here to preach you the truth of my <insert spiritual being here>' gets old pretty fast regardless of the org. To have long-term RP viability there's got to be a less organizational and more personal take on things, and in many ways I'm still trying to find that as a character concept.
(clan): Falmiis says, "Aramelise, verb, 1. adorn with many flowers."
I always felt Celest had a more sinister vibe. Where the manipulation of honest values via the doctrine impress upon the citizens that they are doing it all for love and righteousness. But really they are just pretty little vessels for the Light to destroy all that exists.
Or maybe that is just what I want it to be...
It's pretty hard not to take this perspective when doing Celest's power quest, ha. There's always these one or two stumbling blocks like that which make it not quite as easy to accept suspension of belief that all is 100% well and wholesome.
Nah. That's not what I meant. The RP was on point from everyone. But as a player, I'm like.. wtf am I even doing anymore. RP in Celest really is either 1) hypocritical or 2) inconsistent. It literally can't play out any way other than that. But I can't play anywhere else because I don't really know how. And I can't do evil because reasons.
And ugh.. pity party. But thanks Jarenko for helping me through it. Even though I'm still not convinced I can RP anywhere.
Give it time. No good character comes out fully formed - just like real people, our experiences shape a lot of who we are. I built Breandryn to have a personality and interests but to also be fairly blank slate, morally good and innocent, and I'm really enjoying watching her change based on what she learns and encounters. That's half the fun of RP.
Also, do not worry so much about making a character who fits into an org. Instead, think about making a character who is fun to play and find ways for RP hooks in your org to tie in to the personality of your character. Every org here has enough depth and range of RP to accommodate a sundry cast of characters, so I would focus on making your character fun versus playing a type that you think fits well into your city. Eg, "playing a fresh-faced youth dealing with middle child syndrome who joins the knights to finally prove himself and be independent, and is subsequently transformed and jaded by (or retains his optimism despite) the grim reality of war" vs "playing a loyal, pure knight of the light" - the former just has so much more room to grow and shape yourself, while still letting your city's ideals and experiences shape a lot of who you become.
For example, when I joined Gaudi, I had no idea what I was in for. Fleshpots, wtf? was my first OOC reaction and Breandryn the character was totally disgusted. I then came across a library book about Vortex's history and learned about the Divine flesh element - Breandryn hadn't had any divine interaction so I had her view the Gods almost like celebrities, starstruck and in awe of them, and so reading about how PARTS OF GODS (kinda) were just a transversal away completely started me on a new trajectory with her and it's been fun following that aspect of her personality and thoughts.
3
EveriineWise Old Swordsbird / BrontaurIndianapolis, IN, USA
RP walls are tough. I kinda feel like I'm against one now. I've got Ev's next developments in the wings for when the new factions come out, but I'm stuck at the moment trying to keep up other stuff.
Everiine is a man, and is very manly. This MAN before you is so manly you might as well just gender bend right now, cause he's the manliest man that you ever did see. His manly shape has spurned many women and girlyer men to boughs of fainting. He stands before you in a manly manerific typical man-like outfit which is covered in his manly motto: "I am a man!"
Daraius said: You gotta risk it for the biscuit.
Pony power all the way, yo. The more Brontaurs the better.
Avurekhos says, "Dylara's a PvP menace in my eyes, totes rekting face."
The eye of Dylara materialises in your hands and flings itself around your neck, tightening incomprehensibly until it is irremovable. Perfectly clean, this eyeball has been wrenched from the socket of Dylara. It has been animated by some unusual force, constantly looking around itself as if in shock or fear. It is bathed in a light covering of white flames that roll endlessly over its surface. A single chain of empyreal metal pierces either side of the eye, allowing it to be worn around the neck.
Comments
Of course, there's plenty of precedent for wanting a return to the Old Celestine Empire, where Celest had Hallifax and Gaudiguch as vassals and had the power and clout to ignore forest communes, but that's not how I'd go about doing it.
As for the Light itself -- the Supernals tend to represent that well, I think. You have Methrenton purging the wicked, Shakiniel defending the innocent, Raziela providing unconditional love (even to said wicked), and Japhiel educating and guiding. All of those concepts are the Light, which imo is synonymous with Elohora. All of those sentiments are what Celestians will tell you when they claim a village or a bubble. Extending those virtues to the masses.
Or maybe that is just what I want it to be...
Edit: I ment in regards to mag.
However, if someone has misgivings about playing in their org, then they might need to look at the more positive assessment of their city. It would be pretty sucky to play a Glomdorian that saw the wyrd as disgusting/insidious/wrong, right? Especially if they didn't want to move orgs. At least, to some extent, I think.
I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but I personally wouldn't find that enjoyable.
Furthermore, it's great to be critical of your own organization. Hopefully that inspires you to make a change or set some goals instead of turning you off, though.
It's easier to wrap your head around if you start at the Elemental planes. Fire/Water/Earth/Air are all obviously different forces. Then all the Cosmic planes are basically 'higher energies' of their respective Elemental planes.
Accountability is necessary.
There's also the angle where you don't want it to be consistent from an OOC point of view, because you need different types of players in the game to function, and some kinds of org-level inconsistency is required to make sure that everyone has a way of twisting themselves in to fit the org. Consistency in such a game can be, on the flip side, too strait-laced to attract a wide enough variety of players to succeed. In that way, Lusternia's orgs are more versatile. In every org, you can pretty much fit any shape of player in, and whatever your style, there's probably a valid avenue of RP for you in there.
Many in-game concepts are vague and easy to interpret in different ways on purpose, I feel. There's not just one way to interpret what the Light is, be it its physical manifestation in the spells etc, or as a philosophy/concept. It's easier for established players to stake their ground and defend their stance on certain philosophical concepts, but whether they win or lose the argument, it's pretty difficult to say that any one interpretation is the be-all and end-all. If you try to reconcile an inconsistency that exists specifically to cater to different types of people, then you're going to give yourself a headache you can't cure.
-The cosmic force originating in the Divine Creches, most directly accessible via Celestia, which nurtures, protects and betters immature divine souls and divine soul fragments.
-A religion based around the veneration of Celestial natives, particularly the Holy Supernals, based on virtues attributed to their exposure and understanding of said force.
-An anti-taint, anti-undead, anti-soulless political philosophy justified by the horrors of the Taint Wars and the condemnation of such influences by the Holy Supernals.
Beyond that, its down to individual interpretation and no small amount of rationalizations based in political expediency. The Supernals advise, but sometimes their advice isn't really practical or of dubious merit. They're fallible, like every other divine thing in the game.
As to what the light is, I think it might simply be a particular mix of domothean energies that Dynara was experimenting with in Celestia, the relationship between Celestia and Water might be a result of their extended connection, perhaps having influences in both directions to explain light essence vs elemental essence. But at the same time, I kinda expect that each creche has its own mix so some would result in a force similar to the light while others would be quite distinct from it.
With other orgs, though, it's harder. I don't know how to make fun of Seren or Celest in a light-hearted way, in part because there's no obvious flaw or gimmick to them. (I guess xenophobia is one, but it's hard to make light-hearted fun about xenophobia, because that's not a subject that lends itself to light-hearted jokes.) But 'I am here to preach you the truth of my <insert spiritual being here>' gets old pretty fast regardless of the org. To have long-term RP viability there's got to be a less organizational and more personal take on things, and in many ways I'm still trying to find that as a character concept.
Also, do not worry so much about making a character who fits into an org. Instead, think about making a character who is fun to play and find ways for RP hooks in your org to tie in to the personality of your character. Every org here has enough depth and range of RP to accommodate a sundry cast of characters, so I would focus on making your character fun versus playing a type that you think fits well into your city. Eg, "playing a fresh-faced youth dealing with middle child syndrome who joins the knights to finally prove himself and be independent, and is subsequently transformed and jaded by (or retains his optimism despite) the grim reality of war" vs "playing a loyal, pure knight of the light" - the former just has so much more room to grow and shape yourself, while still letting your city's ideals and experiences shape a lot of who you become.
For example, when I joined Gaudi, I had no idea what I was in for. Fleshpots, wtf? was my first OOC reaction and Breandryn the character was totally disgusted. I then came across a library book about Vortex's history and learned about the Divine flesh element - Breandryn hadn't had any divine interaction so I had her view the Gods almost like celebrities, starstruck and in awe of them, and so reading about how PARTS OF GODS (kinda) were just a transversal away completely started me on a new trajectory with her and it's been fun following that aspect of her personality and thoughts.
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Maeve today:
The eye of Dylara materialises in your hands and flings itself around your neck, tightening incomprehensibly until it is irremovable.
Perfectly clean, this eyeball has been wrenched from the socket of Dylara. It has been animated by some unusual force, constantly looking around itself as if in shock or fear. It is bathed in a light covering of white flames that roll endlessly over its surface. A single chain of empyreal metal pierces either side of the eye, allowing it to be worn around the neck.
== Professional Girl Gamer ==
Yes I play games
Yes I'm a girl
get over it