Best Of

Avaris said:

Very much focused upon the greater good and making the hard choices. A strong emphasis on seeing true and clear despite how murky a situation might be, and seeing into the hearts of others, and oneself. Righteous anger, but strictly controlled. Firmly believes in a philosophy of only unsheathing your blade (literally and metaphorically) when you intend to use it in earnest, lest it cheapen the blade and its wielder. Encourages His followers to stoke their anger, but shape it, and direct it outwards to those that deserve it. Your should be as the falling of a terrible star of judgement, etc. Make them dread it. Calm, composed, in control, though cool of manner in most situations. Warm, gentle and reassuring (if a touch formal and awkward at times) to His allies, a bastion of immovable resolve, a terrifying, implacable foe to His enemies. Cannot abide mortals that waver in their belief in the Light, or permit it to be diminished in any way. Is not swift to engage in battle, but when He does, His pragmatic, elegant brutality is infamous - He will sever and rip a foe into pieces with a blend of raging ferocity and surgical precision. Absolutely loyal, and expects the same of His followers. Similarly, He is extremely, single-mindedly vengeful. Rumoured to have some degree of prescience.

He'd certainly still be as devoted to Lantra as He was as a mortal, and relieved to finally be able to fulfil his vow to be Her Knight in a manner that is actually useful to Her, if She allowed Him to. I like to imagine His Order and Lantra's would work hand in hand often, and Terentia's, to a lesser degree. Would almost certainly stir up a great deal of trouble in the delicate power balance the Divines play within.

Tenets: Judgement, Vigilance, Wrath, Temperance, Reverence.

Lantra said:

Haven't bumped this in awhile! Forgive any repeats, but below is inspired by recent Discord conversations:

1. Poof, Ascension still works like it did for Ayridion! When your character ascends and becomes a proper Vernal Divine, what are they like?
   
2. Who would you cast as a voice actor for your character?
   
3. What would your character's "fall from grace" story arc be? If you're already a nefarious villain, what would your "redemption" arc look like?
   
4. What's your favorite lore "conspiracy theory" you have, or personal headcanon?
   
5. What is your favorite god relationship? (Can be romantic, friendship, rivalry, random ridiculous pairing -- whatever!)

1. Hides true star shape except in Serenwilde, goes around invisibly as meta-support. 'Interacts' with anyone enjoying nature environs with ambients. Former squeaking becomes some weird insolated weather event whenever Xiran breaks a thing and then makes apologies. Regularly peek in and enjoy Jolanthe's creations.
2. At her normal size, Ayaka Saito. Probably Hani-Sempai (anime Ouran Host Club) in youth, now raspy with age and closer to Sohma Momiji (anime Fruits Basket). Titan, let's go with a slightly huskier Paku Romi singing with Hitsugaya's voice (Bleach).
3. [--redacted--]
4. Queen Maeve, Lanikai, and Wise Lamella have each other on aether-dial if anything really threatens Nature. Ackleberry and Jojobo have links to Faethorn that could be re-established with enough effort around Fae Songs and the Tree of Trees.
5. I wanna see Lisaera and Carakhan interaction (Moon and Ocean forces!), with Terentia commentary. Have been loving the Maylea-Nocht story, now that I'm slowly catching up.

(A concerning number of you are rooting for Lantra-turned-evil storylines.  ( ))

Lantra said:

Haven't bumped this in awhile! Forgive any repeats, but below is inspired by recent Discord conversations:

1. Poof, Ascension still works like it did for Ayridion! When your character ascends and becomes a proper Vernal Divine, what are they like?
   
2. Who would you cast as a voice actor for your character?
   
3. What would your character's "fall from grace" story arc be? If you're already a nefarious villain, what would your "redemption" arc look like?
   
4. What's your favorite lore "conspiracy theory" you have, or personal headcanon?
   
5. What is your favorite god relationship? (Can be romantic, friendship, rivalry, random ridiculous pairing -- whatever!)

1.  I honestly can't personally see Cheliyi as a Vernal Goddess, but! If I had to pick, She'd probably be Mangrove themed! Very fond of tree-fae and trees in general, but also a little bit in love with the sea. Her personality would still be quite childlike, but also she could be a temperamental as an ocean storm. Her focus would probably be protection of Nature from mortal interference, or at the very least from the Taint. She wouldn't be against the Wyrd per-se, but if they threatened to worsen her favored areas, it wouldn't be the greatest. Still quite devoted to the Light and purity of Waters, though she'd make sure to incorporates trees in there somehow. Divine beast would be Treepies (Magpie relatives found in tropical forests!) Not sure about much else.

2.The person I think of when I think of Cheliyi's voice is Ayane Sakura, Japanese VA of Ochako Uraraka from MHA/BNHA.) She's also voiced many famous characters in older animes! A good example of how I hear Chel sometimes is in this clip. (The red haired one) https://youtu.be/tXVaunt4lyI

3. Oh dear. The amount of which I've also thought about this is a bit... concerning. Chel's "fall from grace" isn't very pretty, or very satisfying. It entails three factors: how lonely she is, the physical safety of her loved ones, and her mental stability.

It's not exactly a secret that Chel suffers from bouts of extreme anxiety and paranoia at times, although... given her circumstances, "they're always watching" isn't that far from the truth. She constantly has a sea of voices in her head telling her what to do, and singing their boppin tunes, usually about the glory of the Wyrd. This mainly depends on proximity to Glomdoring, and how well-rested she is that day in order to tune them out.  If she happened to be quite isolated from other people (self-induced or otherwise,) exhausted from a lack of rest, or any sort of emotional stress, and one of her loved ones (cough cough Gurashi, Tridemon, or Esei to name a few) just happened to kick the bucket or cut their thread... the voices would start to make a little more sense.  Finally, something bad would need to happen to Lantra. Either She would have to go into the Void, or maybe someone (god forbid) hurts Tavi. The ensuing anger would be enough to blind her to any possibly kindness or calming down. 

The voices whisper that maybe just maybe that person over there looks tasty. Or that she should find the person that hurt her family and make them suffer in the cruelest ways possible, for justice. She'd grow so torn and guilty over the voices that she'd start to lash out and lose touch with reality, assuming everyone is either "with them" or someone she might hurt. At some point, something would snap and she'd try to cannibalize someone.  Once she regains lucidity, the horror of it all would dash any hopes of her ever being "goodly" ever again, because she promised not to, and she broke that promise. Bonus points if it is a close friend or loved one. She'd go back to Glomdoring, if they'd have her, the bubbly, joyous mugwump forever gone. In her place, a manic, bloodthirsty wyrdenwood once more, looking for her next fresh meal. Everything that made her -her-, her commitments to honesty and promises, her compassion and her love for so many would just be gone. 

The fastest way to descend into madness is probably if someone perma-kills Gurashi or Tridemon. They're her current anchors to reality, though thankfully not the only ones as she's learning to trust her judgement again. They're still integral enough, though, that if one of them died, she would go numb with grief and anger. Then the voices filter in, convince her they're the only real things, and voila, wyrdenwood once more. She'd probably join Shikari, if she ever chooses a Divine again, and be yet another 'quirky' follower of Crow. Hollow and hungry and not quite remembering why she feels that way. 

4. Nocht carries the [REDACTED] in baby harness and has child leashes on them when they all go to the Faire. He's an exhausted single dad with 20+ kids, not including His order.

5. Surprise surprise, it's -also- Nocht and Maylea! I just want them to go to couple's therapy okay. Sit them down with Mysrai as the therapist and watch all hell break loose.

Very much focused upon the greater good and making the hard choices. A strong emphasis on seeing true and clear despite how murky a situation might be, and seeing into the hearts of others, and oneself. Righteous anger, but strictly controlled. Firmly believes in a philosophy of only unsheathing your blade (literally and metaphorically) when you intend to use it in earnest, lest it cheapen the blade and its wielder. Encourages His followers to stoke their anger, but shape it, and direct it outwards to those that deserve it. Your should be as the falling of a terrible star of judgement, etc. Make them dread it. Calm, composed, in control, though cool of manner in most situations. Warm, gentle and reassuring (if a touch formal and awkward at times) to His allies, a bastion of immovable resolve, a terrifying, implacable foe to His enemies. Cannot abide mortals that waver in their belief in the Light, or permit it to be diminished in any way. Is not swift to engage in battle, but when He does, His pragmatic, elegant brutality is infamous - He will sever and rip a foe into pieces with a blend of raging ferocity and surgical precision. Absolutely loyal, and expects the same of His followers. Similarly, He is extremely, single-mindedly vengeful. Rumoured to have some degree of prescience.

He'd certainly still be as devoted to Lantra as He was as a mortal, and relieved to finally be able to fulfil his vow to be Her Knight in a manner that is actually useful to Her, if She allowed Him to. I like to imagine His Order and Lantra's would work hand in hand often, and Terentia's, to a lesser degree. Would almost certainly stir up a great deal of trouble in the delicate power balance the Divines play within.

Tenets: Judgement, Vigilance, Wrath, Temperance, Reverence.

His symbols include an eight-pointed star formed from four overlapping blades of light, a constellation of stylised, vigilant eyes, a shield formed from swords, and a figure kneeling in reverence.

Allies: Lantra, Darvellan, Terentia
Enemies: The Traitors, Wyrden Divine, Li-varili, Lisaera

Godrealm: The Star-Fort Calvera, forged of blades of light. A massive, floating fortress that, on the outside, glows with a dreadful, cold luminescence, and is severely daunting to look upon. Within, though, an orderly, peaceful environment that is pleasantly warm and tranquil, with lush gardens, an abundance of martial-orientated areas and defensive emplacements, and is utterly free of shadows. The temple proper would be a balance of pragmatic functionality and elegant design, all graceful, faintly curving lines that sabers, soft gold or white marble, and a bunch of star motifs.

Order Beast: Siralii - Huge, quadrupedal entities strongly tied to the Light - Humanoid upper torsos, far too many eyes, long bodies, feathered/furred all over, halos, big clawed leonine feet, long tail, and a ton of wings, probably some glowing eye-markings in there. Think aesthetically along the lines of old testament style angels, the BE NOT AFRAID style that are, in fact, completely terrifying. Lovely singing voices, exceedingly good with the timid, children and so on. Horrifying, berserk rages where they sing hymns of damnation while ripping people into bloody pieces.

Priest NPC: Adrasiel, Sidereal Templar. Either an angel of some sort if I could get away with it, or a Trill that is infused very strongly with the Light and Aescuton's essence. Calm, measured and composed, Adrasiel is exceedingly good with people (to make up for Aescuton's failings with them) and has a natural gift at putting others at their ease, with their warm and graceful manner. Exudes a sense of patience and has a soothing air, unless you're an enemy, in which case they are very much the holy avenger type and will kill you as soon as look at you, and not in a particularly gentle way. Kind eyes, bright blue in hue, golden hair, deep bronze skin and fine, beautiful features.

(There's also a Maskbreaker AU I like to toy with, but that's probably for another time!)

2) Who would you cast as a voice actor for your character?

This is a really tough one for Avaris, since his voice is so weird. It's all layered and reverby so finding one example is essentially impossible. Think of a more natural sounding Reaper from mass effect, with a bunch of other voices harmonising on top in different pitches. A balance of deep, rich and higher, sweeter tones that harmonise and resonate with one another.

3) What would your character's "fall from grace" story arc be? If you're already a nefarious villain, what would your "redemption" arc look like?

Boy have I thought about this one a lot. The key thing to know about Avaris is that he doesn't believe that he is an inherently good person. He wakes up every day, and sits on his bed, and has to think for a long time on whether he wants to be good. It's a choice he actively makes every day. Is it still worth it? Is he making a difference, and should he keep doing it even if he doesn't change anything? Because he recognises that being good is hard, and he struggles enormously with anger and just wanting to tear down everything that's wrong in the world.

There's a lot of ways it could turn out, depending on a great many variables - But the fulcrum is always Lantra, because She's so central to who he is and how he defines himself. If She leaves for the Void again on a bad note with him (You are a disappointment, etc), then it'd be a slow, gradual degradation of his desire to be better, to serve the Light and ensure that good triumphs. He'd end up not evil, necessarily, but just a flat, apathetic shell of who he was that is bitter and resentful of people that have close ties to their Divine.

If She dies, then he forsakes all efforts at even trying to be good, and obsesses over doing whatever he can to punish who/whatever killed Her (or whoever he views as being the one at fault) in the most agonising, humiliating ways possible. Only vengeance. Then if he gets it to his satisfaction, there's nothing left for him, and he knows that what he's done would be a grave disappointment to Lantra, so he just...Ends.

The best one is if She somehow gets corrupted or goes darkside Herself. I've daydreamed about Magnagoran Lantra a whole bunch, and how that would impact Avaris. He'd quit Celest immediately and follow Her to Magnagora, but he would be absolutely miserable. He'd try his best to remain moral and righteous, despite following an evil Divine and living in Taint capital of the world. He'd be doing what he could to act as a beacon of light and strive to remind Lantra of who She was, to try and coax Her back from the darkness She's been swallowed by. Working in secret to save people from Her and the others (Think bringing prisoners meals in the dead of night, freeing them where he can, etc) and generally doing damage control as much as he is able without Her casting him out. Eventually, though, depending on how close he is to Her before Her fall, he'd likely start being warped himself - Just slowly. He'd be a little more crueler than necessary, at first, a little less caring about the suffering of others, and slides further and further down that slippery slope. Then you end up with dark knight Avaris, all black and flaking gold, broken halo, permanently red markings, etc. This version essentially never gets angry, because his anger is all outrage and righteous indignation. You hollow that out, and he's as cold and terrible as the light of a dead star. He'd stand at Her side and watch impassively as darkside!Lantra and whoever did terrible things to people, and not feel so much as a flicker of guilt, or concern. If She told him to do the most reprehensible acts imaginable, he'd be glad to do it - Because She is his Lady, and it might make Her smile.

4) What's your favorite lore "conspiracy theory" you have, or personal headcanon?

I have a pet theory that Eyos splintered into changelings! It would explain why the other Elders never found the sharded race, because they immediately chameleon'd into the existing ones and blended in.

5) What is your favorite god relationship? (Can be romantic, friendship, rivalry, random ridiculous pairing -- whatever!)

Maylea and Nocht, probably! They have such a fascinating dynamic, all that resentment and anger, but you can tell there's still something there in a lot of subtle ways. Delicious stuff!

Lantra said:

Haven't bumped this in awhile! Forgive any repeats, but below is inspired by recent Discord conversations:

1. Poof, Ascension still works like it did for Ayridion! When your character ascends and becomes a proper Vernal Divine, what are they like?
   
   Ev would be soft spoken but with a deep voice. He'd continue his role as a solitary type, glimpsed occasionally between the trees of the Serenwilde, often heralded by an audible but invisible flap of great wings that trail behind him, melding with the ethereal energies and the spirit of the Land. He'd do his best to stay out of anything and everything, choosing instead to focus on protecting the Spirit of the Verdant Land from unseen horrors only dreamed of by the Shelterfolk.
   
   
2. Who would you cast as a voice actor for your character?
   
   I mean, at this point, Ev is drifting into Sir Ian McKellen territory.
   
   
3. What would your character's "fall from grace" story arc be? If you're already a nefarious villain, what would your "redemption" arc look like?
   
   Let's just say that @Rancoura would almost certainly know the whole story. Ev would most likely feel he had been betrayed and cast out, rejected by the Verdant Land. Cutoff from the only home and life he's ever known, and not by his choice, and having a strong dislike of city life, he'd probably end up in Glomdoring, fully losing himself to the deep and disturbing corruption of the Wyrd.
   
   
4. What's your favorite lore "conspiracy theory" you have, or personal headcanon?
   
   When curious were first introduced, I was convinced they were part of an event where, having been snatched up and obsesssed over by mortals, the curious would suddenly "activate" and attempt to take over the Basin.
   
   I still completely believe this, and am patiently waiting for it to happen. Chop chop!
   
   
5. What is your favorite god relationship? (Can be romantic, friendship, rivalry, random ridiculous pairing -- whatever!)
   
   Tae and Bollikin. They are ADORABLE.