Agreed with Terentia, if you're getting to experience Mysrai's thoughts it's going to be colourful and in longform emote/godmote style that may or may not blind or leave you reeling after.
I also don't really use THINK, but I think I speak for all admin when I say we enjoy seeing players use it! So in that sense, I sometimes use your "thoughts" to determine how I want Lantra to respond to certain things.
Avatar by Sam Smith. You can follow her on Twitter here.
This is a selfish question: Unlike some of my fellows, I don't really like "appearing" all of a sudden to a player and RPing with them (either through motes or being visible); but I feel like it makes me miss out on so many experiences. How do you like to experience your roleplay? Side-question to this question: how important is visibility (note, there is a distinction between visibility and activity) for you, esp. in relation to god roleplay?
Turning this question around to the divine and adding the following: How do you like your rp? Does it bother you oocly when random mortals show up to ask inane questions?
Have you ever had a player ask you a question you didn't have an answer for/ hadn't thought of?
Her voice firm and commanding, Terentia, the Even Bladed says to you, "You have kept your oath to Me, Parhelion. You have sworn to maintain Justice in these troubled times."
Yet if a boon be granted me, unworthy as I am, let it be for a steady hand with a clear eye and a fury most inflaming.
One thing that's hardly bothersome, but a bit questionable, at times is whether or not people remember the vast scale that does exist between a player and a god. While some Elders are very social and very relatable - Mysrai is an alien entity who confuses and concerns even other Divine. While it made more sense when I was still rebuilding my order, I find it a little confusing when people show up in my fulcrux to ask me questions directly (or linger in my fulcrux, leave, and repeat until I pop in on them eventually). Especially when their questions turn out to be things that could easily have been directed towards my order heads!
While Mysrai finds mortals amusing and entertaining, to a point, that point quickly arrives when Their attention is drawn away for something that they would consider...foolish. Some questions, such as those relating to Their history with other Elders or questions not many have thought to ask before, end up getting an answer and maybe some later interaction based around it. Others are put in the danger zone, where it's made clear to them that they have to entertain, or risk facing the wrath of a mind whose baseline is understanding a thousand paradigms at once. (I love them all as a player, though, it gives me little heart-eyes to be able to see players squirm or get spooked!)
I have! When @Zitto specifically came to ask me about the poppy, I realised my answer was not one that satisfied me. With a little bit of fancy wordplay, I led him into insulting me so that way I could leave him punished for a month. This gave me enough time to research, talk with Maylea, read her Book, and formulate what I thought was an appropriate answer to it. That took about three days. The rest of the time I spent researching Zitto himself, and planning the scene that he recently posted to the Event Scrolls subsection of the forums (here!) - how I could most unsettle him and show him exactly who he was dealing with.
I love these innovative questions, because I personally believe that any time you can get an admin to pause before answering, you are deserving of a little "over-the-top" in your answer. Whether Mysrai whisks you away to a magical land of poppies and cupcakes or breaks your mind? Well...maybe visit a Paradigmaticist before you approach Them.
Echoing Mysrai's sentiment a bit here. Despite bouts of relatability, Elder Gods are eons old, and part of the fun for us is to explore what that means. For me, that means Viravain gets to show off as this innocent, green-eyed maiden who once made cute little bugs and birdies, but to Her order, She reveals Herself as this terrifying scythe-wielding force of nature, literally; She's warped and twisted by wielding the Seal of Nature and Her subsequent possession by Kethuru, all culminating in Her evolution as the all-mother of the Wyrd. She just knows how to wear makeup really, really well.
I'm guessing at this, but I think similarly, Drocilla presents Her face to the world as this sly and sassy lady with a provocative lilt, but to Her order (and maybe Magnagora -- I guess if you're lucky/unlucky), She's something else entirely. Lisaera is an enigmatic storm-warden badass, but to Her order, She's a motherly figure. And so on.
So, while Elders do sometimes put on a Mt. Olympus show for y'all, how they interact with mortals on any particular occasion definitely runs the gamut. Remember that to them, mortals are the sharded vestiges of people they once knew, and in some cases, they're old friends/enemies. Fractured. Not like them, but familiar.
If we appear in person, it could be because we're Making A Point, driving a plot forward, or are feeling like we want to terrorize people a bit (I don't know what good gods do, 'cause I hold a scythe for Aonia's sake). If we send an emissary, it could mean all of those same things, and we're trying to suggest that the Elder God might not know what's going on, but their priest is all over it.
And sometimes, Viravain reminds folks that She's the brood mother of all arachnids, so if you see something scuttling just out of sight, it's Her reminding you that She has eyes everywhere...
I've mentioned this elsewhere, but the only thing I ever find 'bothersome' about questions is when people interact (prayer, speaking in fulcrux, etc) but don't actually say what they want. E.g. praying 'I need to speak to You, my Lady'. Most people who have interacted with Czixi will know that she won't actually respond unless you tell Her what you want.
This is even more significant now that I'm online as Czixi much less, so tend to be responding to things belatedly rather than at the time - if your prayer doesn't say what it's about, I don't know how much time I need to make for you, which makes it much harder for me to get back to you IC or to have the flexibility to make that response cool.
In terms of physically appearing/not - it's very rare that Czixi appears in person, and this is a deliberate choice. It has more power if it's not used as frequently! There are rules about when I will and won't use it, but that would be telling.
I've never been asked a question I didn't have an answer for, but I have absolutely been surprised by questions. The one that comes immediately to mind is from years ago now, when @Tirah asked Czixi whether she opposed the Traitors or not. It was surprising not just because it came quite out of the blue, but also because it came from someone who I hadn't expected to have the courage to ask such a hard question. Tirah was the first person to ever ask it, in fact, and remains the only person to have ever asked that directly.
I think part of my answer is alluded to in the question! I am ambivalent to visibility. @Eritheyl mentioned in the other thread about imagining the onslaught of player interest and excitement when you go visible, and from my experience, that isn't really the case. At most I get a couple "Hail Lady" on CT or on OT, but that's about it. I've never really been a fan of the kind of god-player RP where I suddenly appear or interact with them; I feel like I need a reason to do that, and honestly, I have very few reasons.
And I think part of that is because there isn't a lot of initiative (on my end and player ends) for RP. I have been noticing that a lot of engagement with Terentia is "service," which is to say, people "want to serve" Terentia, but never give any indication on what exactly that service looks like. It isn't clear what they want to do, so I am not sure what I want to do. Something that I think is slowly being named, at least amongst Terentia's followers, is that Terentia favors boldness. I take that to mean that I don't want players or followers to wait for Terentia to give them a task, I want them to start thinking: oh, what can I do? What am I good at and can provide? I want players to feel like they can just do whatever they want (of course, within the sort of boundaries of Terentia's ethos), and that I can try to do my best to help with that.
In which case, does it bother me when mortals show up to ask inane questions? Not really. I don't entirely know how useful it is for either of us to entertain them; does learning whether or not Terentia likes fishing really help you know anything more about Terentia? I don't think so. But I do think it opens up the possibility of the kind of stop-in-your-tracks questioning like @Aonia mentioned above: someone might ask a question that is very core to the character. I will say, I think of Terentia as a TTRPG GM might. I have scattered notes and general ideas about things, but I don't really have 100% solid stories or answers. So you could ask Terentia about Her relationship to Meridian, for example, and I can sort of talk around it, but I may not have yet fully written out stories between her and him (and this is more just my slowness in doing that kind of work--some of my colleagues in the Havens can easily draw out complex stories or scenes with gods and histories very fast!).
This might have been a long-winded answer, but I hope it helps. @Lantra and I joke that Celest admin become, much to our chagrin, verbose writers. We blame Eventru.
I think part of my answer is alluded to in the question! I am ambivalent to visibility. @Eritheyl mentioned in the other thread about imagining the onslaught of player interest and excitement when you go visible, and from my experience, that isn't really the case. At most I get a couple "Hail Lady" on CT or on OT, but that's about it.
In our defense, it's not like you demand grovelling or attention like some other gods. If I were a god, I'd probably get tired of the instant grovelling and "What can we do for you?!?!?" when I became visible. On the other hand, I (and probably most mortal players) think if you show up visible, you want something, or an event is starting, or you intentionally want us to interact with you. We kinda have to balance both viewpoints out.
. So you could ask Terentia about Her relationship to Meridian, for example, and I can sort of talk around it, but I may not have yet fully written out stories between her and him (and this is more just my slowness in doing that kind of work--some of my colleagues in the Havens can easily draw out complex stories or scenes with gods and histories very fast!).
LEGASP
Her voice firm and commanding, Terentia, the Even Bladed says to you, "You have kept your oath to Me, Parhelion. You have sworn to maintain Justice in these troubled times."
Yet if a boon be granted me, unworthy as I am, let it be for a steady hand with a clear eye and a fury most inflaming.
Reading this, I am reminded I am at some point guilty of not taking opportunities myself at times and offering tidbits as to what I actually want or need from a divine, though I do realize it's mostly through me still getting super nervous with interacting with godroles, I probably should try to be a little more concise in prayers etc as to what I do seek and require. Thanks for those insights and the reminder. <.<
Maylea tends to be more personable and down to earth than some other Divine. As such, She does tend to show up randomly sometimes, visibly or not, and can be curious about minute details of a character's life; that is part of Her philosophy.
However, this doesn't mean that Maylea is no longer an Elder Divine, with concerns that can be very different from mortals, and I think sometimes that is forgotten due to Maylea's relative approachability.
I think one point of what I've found odd at times about mortal interactions is when characters call Maylea just by the bare name 'Maylea', to Her face. While this can be a deliberate RP choice for certain characters who may have a specific reason to do so, sometimes it can seem like it comes out merely as an expression of the character (or player's) lack of internalization that Maylea is actually a real Divine with powers that could unmake people. That Maylea usually chooses not to do so when people address Her that way doesn't take away from Her ability to do so.
Likewise, while Maylea and other Divine may have certain opinions regarding different organizations and their politics, it is somewhat disconcerting when mortals approach Her to talk politics when there are political disagreements, especially as a way to determine whether or not a certain political decision or orientation should be made (and potentially use Maylea's words for support). Maylea is one Goddess with specific opinions that may be very different from that of other Divine (including Serenwilde Divine), and Her thoughts may change, just as any other character's may change, over time. It can become especially awkward when there then also comes the expectation that Maylea (or any other Divine) -must- think a certain way because They are associated with a certain org, or resentment against the Divine when They don't agree with a philosophy, or even sometimes carrying over the resentment for the admin (who are separate from Divine roles).
I guess the point that I want to make is that the Divine are Divine, and that They are also characters, and not synonymous with the admin behind the roles. Keep this in mind as you approach Divine, and you might find it a lot more enjoyable!
I love getting questions. I can think of a few that I've had to dodge in the moment, sometimes because I have no idea, some because I haven't thought it through yet, and some because that absolutely is something I've thought about, a lot, and I have plans and don't want to just tell someone when I could show them once I finish certain things. But in general, questions are nice! Even if I don't answer them in the moment, if they get me thinking, that's lovely.
One caveat, if you're a Magnagoran, especially a Drocillan, and you show up in Carakhan's fulcrux asking about secrets, you will probably not get the same response that other people would.
I'll definitely echo others who say that specifics in prayers or fulcrux visits etc are nice to know so I can plan out responses. Between idiosyncrasies in my real life schedule, behind the scenes duties, and timezones, I don't always have as much time for improv rp as I'd like. Which isn't to say you need a full on "Lady Carakhan please answer this specific question" to get some interaction, but if you can tailor your prayer or give me some breadcrumbs to pick up and build on, that's always helpful.
Reading this, I am reminded I am at some point guilty of not taking opportunities myself at times and offering tidbits as to what I actually want or need from a divine, though I do realize it's mostly through me still getting super nervous with interacting with godroles, I probably should try to be a little more concise in prayers etc as to what I do seek and require. Thanks for those insights and the reminder. <.<
Even just a clue is plenty! The difference between 'hey can I talk to you' and 'hey can I talk to you about my order tasks' is huge. As long as it actually tells us the area of the question and isn't too general - such as 'can I ask you some questions' - then you've done plenty.
Turning this question around to the divine and adding the following: How do you like your rp? Does it bother you oocly when random mortals show up to ask inane questions?
For me, it's less about what RP I like and more about what RP I have time for.
My personal time online these days is usually limited to certain windows, and sometimes, those windows are brief or don't align with when my order is online. You would laugh and cry to see the amount of times I am about to head to bed and suddenly I notice everyone else in my order has popped on!
I try to prioritize with my online time, though. What is the most important thing I want to accomplish as Lantra right now? What are the things I need to do and work towards to achieve my goals? For example, my first priority after releasing was getting a lot of one-on-one interactions with Celestian players while I built the foundation of Lantra's order with clear tenets and crowdsourced initial order tasks. Once I had that established, I wanted to be sure I had several trusted orderlings rise up to a rank where they could oversee progress through the outer circle without my guidance.
Right now, I'm working on making more lore about Lantra the character accessible to players and building more foundational things that my order as a whole can enjoy. One small example of this was the new Rhapsody quest in Celest. I have been doing a lot of work in this vein behind the scenes, and I'm thrilled about how close I am to sharing it with you!
That is probably my favorite type of RP, to be honest: building something cool and getting to share it with players.
Lantra herself isn't a very social god, but I like keeping an eye out for ideal moments to appear and RP with players (such as when @Neladahi completed a blessing in Celest). I often attempt more public Divine RP, either as Lantra or Nabithia, when I have that time to give because I want more people to enjoy it; I find the kind of RP that is born organically from an action or a story point is generally more satisfying than playing a game of 20-questions with a Divine, though I certainly don't mind being asked things and have had some very enjoyable Fulcrux one-on-ones.
Which brings us to...
Have you ever had a player ask you a question you didn't have an answer for/ hadn't thought of?
I can't think of one so far! @Crumkane jokingly told me once I would know Lantra's brand of toothpaste if someone asked me it. Sometimes people ask about other Divine and it's something Lantra wouldn't know, or it's something that I the admin can't confirm because the god role isn't active.
There are however other questions I intentionally avoid answering, because I want the impact of their answer to be received a different way. For example, I had only told @Faragan about Lantra loving Rhapsody before that quest released, which I think helped create a more dramatic reveal.
This might have been a long-winded answer, but I hope it helps. @Lantra and I joke that Celest admin become, much to our chagrin, verbose writers. We blame Eventru.
PS: the curse continues.
Avatar by Sam Smith. You can follow her on Twitter here.
One caveat, if you're a Magnagoran, especially a Drocillan, and you show up in Carakhan's fulcrux asking about secrets, you will probably not get the same response that other people would.
I'm not sure if I should feel called out or like its time to ask Carakhan about all Her secrets.
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.
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?
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.
2) There is a lot of advice that one could give for future Ephemerals; I think a lot of them will revolve around the task of creating that barrier between your former player experience and this new administrator experience. But I think the thing that I find really more helpful is trying to remember to keep things simple. In Havens, you have a lot of tools to play with, which means when you are designing or imagining new quests, areas, etc., it might be easy into what I have been calling "trickiness." I think that bogs a lot of the design down and maybe even makes the learning curve of learning our programming language more difficult. Lusternian players, I think, really value story versus "tricks," so it is always better to have a clearer story that you want to tell rather than trying to do a lot, mechanically.
3) I mean, I mentioned Kidaen, so it is definitely Kidaen. I always enjoyed his plane-wide message about bards being strangled as they countdown for the Free-for-Alls. I really thought Ydryin, the Scorched Hamadryad was cool.
4) I was the one who attempted to do the mirror puzzle in the first Isikathi event with the timequakes. This puzzle is something that is really quintessential to video games, so it was really fun trying to figure out how to translate the operations into our programming language (which was kind of difficult and did end up breaking when players were interfacing with it). I've come to conclusion that programming weird puzzles or other elements from games is something that I really enjoy, and I hope to both revise the original puzzle and make it more streamlined, but also to add other things in the future.
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 one of the differences here is actually no longer an issue: affinity. I think because of the nature of Ephemerals, they were able to really exist "outside" their "home" org to a greater extent than the Gods, which might have allowed them to be more "beloved." It'll be interesting to see if that changes, especially since now we have Gods able to take on players from different orgs more liberally or have Gods who are more interested in interacting with folks outside their home orgs.
I am not sure if it is much easier to be a God than an Ephemeral in this regard. And I say that because it isn't clear to me if visibility and care are translated or related terms. This got brought up above, where I think both Gods and Players need to negotiate interacting with Gods when they become visible or not. I think Ephemerals get to be more "freer," if only because their entire purpose is to be fleeting and somewhat carefree.
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.
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.
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.
Avatar by Sam Smith. You can follow her on Twitter here.
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.
I get this too, Jolanthe, though I like the puzzle-solving part of MUD combat.
I even remember Ydryin, and I don't usually interact with the ephemerals. Not that I don't want to, just... loner.
"Chairwoman," Princess Setisoki states, holding up a hand in a gesture for her to stop and returning the cup. "That would be quite inappropriate. One of the males will serve me."
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).
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.
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.
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) Quests, and the lore integration, was a big draw of Lusternia to me. Around the time of an eph call, I was getting increasingly frustrated with a couple of quest bugs, so getting to see, and hopefully help fix, things related to that was part of my motivation in applying. I was at a bit of a lull character arc wise, and I also knew how satisfying it was to see something you had written/worked on become official lore and knew I wanted to do more of that.
2) It can be really beneficial to log in regularly, even if you're feeling a bit stuck on your current project, because the energy of other people working on projects and being excited can help keep you engaged, and taking a break by pitching in on something different, or just watching some rp, can help motivate you. But sometimes there are also times where you might need to just hide for a bit while you power through something. Pay attention to yourself and how you work best, and try different things!
3) Alas for Eliar and Dasia. I also really enjoyed Calythan.
4) Restricting things to ephemeralhood, I made a puzzle that is not anywhere else in Lusternia, which was satisfying. It's also always nice when you contribute a desc or a vision that people like enough to share on the forums, and there were a number of those too.
A. What mount would you release for your order today if there were no real restrictions?
^Feel free to skip this if you have something in the works and don't want to leak it, or maybe answer something different if you had a second idea that you won't be using.
B: Do any parts of your IRL personality leak over into your persona's personality? Bad habits?
C. I've asked this waaaaaay back in the past, but it might have changed by now. Back in the day, one of an eph's first tasks were to make a mob. If this is still a thing, what was your eph-mob and why?
Her voice firm and commanding, Terentia, the Even Bladed says to you, "You have kept your oath to Me, Parhelion. You have sworn to maintain Justice in these troubled times."
Yet if a boon be granted me, unworthy as I am, let it be for a steady hand with a clear eye and a fury most inflaming.
I'll add in a question here. Is there something that you particularly enjoy watching the playerbase do (eg, trying to figure out quests, popping in to watch pk, randomly thinking/emoting to themselves with nobody around, etc)?
A. What mount would you release for your order today if there were no real restrictions?
^Feel free to skip this if you have something in the works and don't want to leak it, or maybe answer something different if you had a second idea that you won't be using.
B: Do any parts of your IRL personality leak over into your persona's personality? Bad habits?
C. I've asked this waaaaaay back in the past, but it might have changed by now. Back in the day, one of an eph's first tasks were to make a mob. If this is still a thing, what was your eph-mob and why?
Thank you for your curiosity and your questions! Just keeping in mind, Ephemeral mobs are a rather private matter and can be awkward to discuss without being too revealing.
A. What mount would you release for your order today if there were no real restrictions?
^Feel free to skip this if you have something in the works and don't want to leak it, or maybe answer something different if you had a second idea that you won't be using.
B: Do any parts of your IRL personality leak over into your persona's personality? Bad habits?
C. I've asked this waaaaaay back in the past, but it might have changed by now. Back in the day, one of an eph's first tasks were to make a mob. If this is still a thing, what was your eph-mob and why?
Thank you for your curiosity and your questions! Just keeping in mind, Ephemeral mobs are a rather private matter and can be awkward to discuss without being too revealing.
Hey, nobody's making them talk about their mobs. They can brag and show it off, or not, or just skip the question
Her voice firm and commanding, Terentia, the Even Bladed says to you, "You have kept your oath to Me, Parhelion. You have sworn to maintain Justice in these troubled times."
Yet if a boon be granted me, unworthy as I am, let it be for a steady hand with a clear eye and a fury most inflaming.
A. What mount would you release for your order today if there were no real restrictions?
^Feel free to skip this if you have something in the works and don't want to leak it, or maybe answer something different if you had a second idea that you won't be using.
B: Do any parts of your IRL personality leak over into your persona's personality? Bad habits?
C. I've asked this waaaaaay back in the past, but it might have changed by now. Back in the day, one of an eph's first tasks were to make a mob. If this is still a thing, what was your eph-mob and why?
A. Very sad that Ein claimed a Void whale already.
B. Lantra and I are both diligent workaholics who hold ourselves to high standards, often to our own detriment. That aspect of her character wound up being the centrepiece I built her profile around.
I'll add in a question here. Is there something that you particularly enjoy watching the playerbase do (eg, trying to figure out quests, popping in to watch pk, randomly thinking/emoting to themselves with nobody around, etc)?
When players reach out to random mobs, it's often fun to see where that leads!
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Comments
While Mysrai finds mortals amusing and entertaining, to a point, that point quickly arrives when Their attention is drawn away for something that they would consider...foolish. Some questions, such as those relating to Their history with other Elders or questions not many have thought to ask before, end up getting an answer and maybe some later interaction based around it. Others are put in the danger zone, where it's made clear to them that they have to entertain, or risk facing the wrath of a mind whose baseline is understanding a thousand paradigms at once. (I love them all as a player, though, it gives me little heart-eyes to be able to see players squirm or get spooked!)
I have! When @Zitto specifically came to ask me about the poppy, I realised my answer was not one that satisfied me. With a little bit of fancy wordplay, I led him into insulting me so that way I could leave him punished for a month. This gave me enough time to research, talk with Maylea, read her Book, and formulate what I thought was an appropriate answer to it. That took about three days. The rest of the time I spent researching Zitto himself, and planning the scene that he recently posted to the Event Scrolls subsection of the forums (here!) - how I could most unsettle him and show him exactly who he was dealing with.
I love these innovative questions, because I personally believe that any time you can get an admin to pause before answering, you are deserving of a little "over-the-top" in your answer. Whether Mysrai whisks you away to a magical land of poppies and cupcakes or breaks your mind? Well...maybe visit a Paradigmaticist before you approach Them.
I'm guessing at this, but I think similarly, Drocilla presents Her face to the world as this sly and sassy lady with a provocative lilt, but to Her order (and maybe Magnagora -- I guess if you're lucky/unlucky), She's something else entirely. Lisaera is an enigmatic storm-warden badass, but to Her order, She's a motherly figure. And so on.
So, while Elders do sometimes put on a Mt. Olympus show for y'all, how they interact with mortals on any particular occasion definitely runs the gamut. Remember that to them, mortals are the sharded vestiges of people they once knew, and in some cases, they're old friends/enemies. Fractured. Not like them, but familiar.
If we appear in person, it could be because we're Making A Point, driving a plot forward, or are feeling like we want to terrorize people a bit (I don't know what good gods do, 'cause I hold a scythe for Aonia's sake). If we send an emissary, it could mean all of those same things, and we're trying to suggest that the Elder God might not know what's going on, but their priest is all over it.
And sometimes, Viravain reminds folks that She's the brood mother of all arachnids, so if you see something scuttling just out of sight, it's Her reminding you that She has eyes everywhere...
This is even more significant now that I'm online as Czixi much less, so tend to be responding to things belatedly rather than at the time - if your prayer doesn't say what it's about, I don't know how much time I need to make for you, which makes it much harder for me to get back to you IC or to have the flexibility to make that response cool.
In terms of physically appearing/not - it's very rare that Czixi appears in person, and this is a deliberate choice. It has more power if it's not used as frequently! There are rules about when I will and won't use it, but that would be telling.
I've never been asked a question I didn't have an answer for, but I have absolutely been surprised by questions. The one that comes immediately to mind is from years ago now, when @Tirah asked Czixi whether she opposed the Traitors or not. It was surprising not just because it came quite out of the blue, but also because it came from someone who I hadn't expected to have the courage to ask such a hard question. Tirah was the first person to ever ask it, in fact, and remains the only person to have ever asked that directly.
And I think part of that is because there isn't a lot of initiative (on my end and player ends) for RP. I have been noticing that a lot of engagement with Terentia is "service," which is to say, people "want to serve" Terentia, but never give any indication on what exactly that service looks like. It isn't clear what they want to do, so I am not sure what I want to do. Something that I think is slowly being named, at least amongst Terentia's followers, is that Terentia favors boldness. I take that to mean that I don't want players or followers to wait for Terentia to give them a task, I want them to start thinking: oh, what can I do? What am I good at and can provide? I want players to feel like they can just do whatever they want (of course, within the sort of boundaries of Terentia's ethos), and that I can try to do my best to help with that.
In which case, does it bother me when mortals show up to ask inane questions? Not really. I don't entirely know how useful it is for either of us to entertain them; does learning whether or not Terentia likes fishing really help you know anything more about Terentia? I don't think so. But I do think it opens up the possibility of the kind of stop-in-your-tracks questioning like @Aonia mentioned above: someone might ask a question that is very core to the character. I will say, I think of Terentia as a TTRPG GM might. I have scattered notes and general ideas about things, but I don't really have 100% solid stories or answers. So you could ask Terentia about Her relationship to Meridian, for example, and I can sort of talk around it, but I may not have yet fully written out stories between her and him (and this is more just my slowness in doing that kind of work--some of my colleagues in the Havens can easily draw out complex stories or scenes with gods and histories very fast!).
This might have been a long-winded answer, but I hope it helps. @Lantra and I joke that Celest admin become, much to our chagrin, verbose writers. We blame Eventru.
In our defense, it's not like you demand grovelling or attention like some other gods. If I were a god, I'd probably get tired of the instant grovelling and "What can we do for you?!?!?" when I became visible. On the other hand, I (and probably most mortal players) think if you show up visible, you want something, or an event is starting, or you intentionally want us to interact with you. We kinda have to balance both viewpoints out.
LEGASP
Maylea tends to be more personable and down to earth than some other Divine. As such, She does tend to show up randomly sometimes, visibly or not, and can be curious about minute details of a character's life; that is part of Her philosophy.
However, this doesn't mean that Maylea is no longer an Elder Divine, with concerns that can be very different from mortals, and I think sometimes that is forgotten due to Maylea's relative approachability.
I think one point of what I've found odd at times about mortal interactions is when characters call Maylea just by the bare name 'Maylea', to Her face. While this can be a deliberate RP choice for certain characters who may have a specific reason to do so, sometimes it can seem like it comes out merely as an expression of the character (or player's) lack of internalization that Maylea is actually a real Divine with powers that could unmake people. That Maylea usually chooses not to do so when people address Her that way doesn't take away from Her ability to do so.
Likewise, while Maylea and other Divine may have certain opinions regarding different organizations and their politics, it is somewhat disconcerting when mortals approach Her to talk politics when there are political disagreements, especially as a way to determine whether or not a certain political decision or orientation should be made (and potentially use Maylea's words for support). Maylea is one Goddess with specific opinions that may be very different from that of other Divine (including Serenwilde Divine), and Her thoughts may change, just as any other character's may change, over time. It can become especially awkward when there then also comes the expectation that Maylea (or any other Divine) -must- think a certain way because They are associated with a certain org, or resentment against the Divine when They don't agree with a philosophy, or even sometimes carrying over the resentment for the admin (who are separate from Divine roles).
I guess the point that I want to make is that the Divine are Divine, and that They are also characters, and not synonymous with the admin behind the roles. Keep this in mind as you approach Divine, and you might find it a lot more enjoyable!
My personal time online these days is usually limited to certain windows, and sometimes, those windows are brief or don't align with when my order is online. You would laugh and cry to see the amount of times I am about to head to bed and suddenly I notice everyone else in my order has popped on!
I try to prioritize with my online time, though. What is the most important thing I want to accomplish as Lantra right now? What are the things I need to do and work towards to achieve my goals? For example, my first priority after releasing was getting a lot of one-on-one interactions with Celestian players while I built the foundation of Lantra's order with clear tenets and crowdsourced initial order tasks. Once I had that established, I wanted to be sure I had several trusted orderlings rise up to a rank where they could oversee progress through the outer circle without my guidance.
Right now, I'm working on making more lore about Lantra the character accessible to players and building more foundational things that my order as a whole can enjoy. One small example of this was the new Rhapsody quest in Celest. I have been doing a lot of work in this vein behind the scenes, and I'm thrilled about how close I am to sharing it with you!
That is probably my favorite type of RP, to be honest: building something cool and getting to share it with players.
Lantra herself isn't a very social god, but I like keeping an eye out for ideal moments to appear and RP with players (such as when @Neladahi completed a blessing in Celest). I often attempt more public Divine RP, either as Lantra or Nabithia, when I have that time to give because I want more people to enjoy it; I find the kind of RP that is born organically from an action or a story point is generally more satisfying than playing a game of 20-questions with a Divine, though I certainly don't mind being asked things and have had some very enjoyable Fulcrux one-on-ones.
Which brings us to...
There are however other questions I intentionally avoid answering, because I want the impact of their answer to be received a different way. For example, I had only told @Faragan about Lantra loving Rhapsody before that quest released, which I think helped create a more dramatic reveal.
PS: the curse continues.
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 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.
2) There is a lot of advice that one could give for future Ephemerals; I think a lot of them will revolve around the task of creating that barrier between your former player experience and this new administrator experience. But I think the thing that I find really more helpful is trying to remember to keep things simple. In Havens, you have a lot of tools to play with, which means when you are designing or imagining new quests, areas, etc., it might be easy into what I have been calling "trickiness." I think that bogs a lot of the design down and maybe even makes the learning curve of learning our programming language more difficult. Lusternian players, I think, really value story versus "tricks," so it is always better to have a clearer story that you want to tell rather than trying to do a lot, mechanically.
3) I mean, I mentioned Kidaen, so it is definitely Kidaen. I always enjoyed his plane-wide message about bards being strangled as they countdown for the Free-for-Alls. I really thought Ydryin, the Scorched Hamadryad was cool.
4) I was the one who attempted to do the mirror puzzle in the first Isikathi event with the timequakes. This puzzle is something that is really quintessential to video games, so it was really fun trying to figure out how to translate the operations into our programming language (which was kind of difficult and did end up breaking when players were interfacing with it). I've come to conclusion that programming weird puzzles or other elements from games is something that I really enjoy, and I hope to both revise the original puzzle and make it more streamlined, but also to add other things in the future.
I think one of the differences here is actually no longer an issue: affinity. I think because of the nature of Ephemerals, they were able to really exist "outside" their "home" org to a greater extent than the Gods, which might have allowed them to be more "beloved." It'll be interesting to see if that changes, especially since now we have Gods able to take on players from different orgs more liberally or have Gods who are more interested in interacting with folks outside their home orgs.
I am not sure if it is much easier to be a God than an Ephemeral in this regard. And I say that because it isn't clear to me if visibility and care are translated or related terms. This got brought up above, where I think both Gods and Players need to negotiate interacting with Gods when they become visible or not. I think Ephemerals get to be more "freer," if only because their entire purpose is to be fleeting and somewhat carefree.
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.
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.
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.
I even remember Ydryin, and I don't usually interact with the ephemerals. Not that I don't want to, just... loner.
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).
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.
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.
A. What mount would you release for your order today if there were no real restrictions?
^Feel free to skip this if you have something in the works and don't want to leak it, or maybe answer something different if you had a second idea that you won't be using.
B: Do any parts of your IRL personality leak over into your persona's personality? Bad habits?
C. I've asked this waaaaaay back in the past, but it might have changed by now. Back in the day, one of an eph's first tasks were to make a mob. If this is still a thing, what was your eph-mob and why?
Hey, nobody's making them talk about their mobs. They can brag and show it off, or not, or just skip the question
B. Lantra and I are both diligent workaholics who hold ourselves to high standards, often to our own detriment. That aspect of her character wound up being the centrepiece I built her profile around.
C. A silly movie reference.
When players reach out to random mobs, it's often fun to see where that leads!
Explorer (80%), Achiever (53%), Socializer (53%), Killer (13%)
Bartle Taxonomy
(test yourself)