Hi, this ask is your excuse to talk about, Helios the Daystalker
Oh boy I have a bit to say about Daystalker. I finalised his design during the September bird challenge last year, but he's existed for longer than that, and has come leaps and bounds in how he's developed as a character. Bro went from an asshole antagonist character to Demigod Dad who aids protagonists from time to time depending on the AU.
As I've said before, Daystalker is a Dawnrunner, a fan-species created by @grimm-the-6th/@ashe-alter. Think of them as the anti-nightcrawlers of Atmos, they thrive in the sunlight, their weapons are often fitted with raystones (sol crystals but sharp), they are a bitch and a half to kill and they terrify me. Thank you for letting me include them in my lore, Grimm.
I detailed a lot of his abilities in this post here, so if anyone's interested in that, check it out.
He's also able to pass on these abilities to his adoptive children and his Disciples. A Disciple is what happens when a Champion forms a contract of sorts with a mortal, akin to the pact D&D warlocks make with their patrons. Daystalker is quite particular about who he appoints as his Disicples, usually they're children of his who've reached adulthood and wish to remain part of the pride with himself and Honeytongue, though it must be earned.
A small quirk of being a Disciple of Daystalker specifically is that in forming a contract, the person becomes a Dawnrunner if they aren't one already, taking on hybrid traits in combination with whatever species they already were. Horns and a tail are always a guarantee.
I love looking back on this guy's development from a writer's perspective. When I first came up with him, he was an asshole. Saw other races as unworthy of his presence, lived for the glory of the hunt and nothing more, hated Syphons (a mage variant that is yet another lore piece Grimm has let me steal), and started off as a major antagonist in my "season 4" of Storm Hawks which takes place after the Hawks get back from the Far Side by accidentally blowing up the Barrier Cliffs and letting loose the apocalypse for Apocalypse 2: Electric Boogaloo. He was meant to try hunting down the team for causing trouble for another Champion and beat the living daylights out of Arygyn for getting in his way.
Now he is a Dad. A potential ally for the Storm Hawks on the Far Side who is constantly at risk of adopting any lost child he comes across on hunts. I love him so much more, even if he would've been fun to keep as a monstrous villain. And all this because when I was designing Cynniris, an Aquinoan-born Syphon, I decided he adopted her because he wasn't keen on hurting children because they weren't as satisfying a hunt. At the same time, Grimm was working more and more on Dawnrunner family dynamics, which I was incorporating into my existing Dawnrunner characters. Now we're here :3
Finally getting some headway in my character for this month!
This is Helios the Daystalker, an ancient Dawnrunner Champion of the hunt, much like @ashe-alter's Honeytongue. As a matter of fact, they're mates. It's been such a blast to work on both these characters with Grimm and to impliment their Dawnrunner lore into this dude as it's come out. He's changed so much since I first came up with him eighteen months ago, and the hummingbird's colours honestly felt perfect for him.
Daystalker actually started as a villain character when I first came up with him, but since learning more about Dawnrunner lore, he's become a delightfully grumpy Dad™️ in recent months. He went from an egotistical trophy hunter to a very enthusiastic parent. He still finds glory in the hunt, but he's not about to go hunting things to extinction just to impress someone.
Thank you so much Grimm for helping me put this dude together, he's become such a delight.
Quick wip of Daystalker. I am yeeting this at y'all at the speed of sound.
Unfortunately work has kicked my ass not even a day after my holiday but I at least wanted to get this guy's colours down before the deadline.
Once again, introducing Daystalker! An ancient demigod Champion of the hunt, he is a mythical figure among his kind and currently resides on the Far Side with his partner Honeytongue and the pride of mostly adopted kids they share.
It's been so much fun incorporating more of @ashe-alter's dawnrunner lore into this guy as it's developed, and I'm so pleased with how this guy has turned out. He went from an egotistical trophy-hunting antagonist to a fluffy old Dad who, to quote Grimm, is akin to a 'grumpy Mufasa'. XD
More story under the cut because this got a bit long.
Daystalker is ancient. Thousands of years old thanks to the immortality granted to him by the giants who ascended him into a Champion. He's fiercely protective of his children and absolutely adores his partner to pieces. As a demigod though, he's also taken up the duty of protecting the rest of his kind, going so far as to commit the ultimate taboo among Dawnrunners: killing other dawnrunners. It's never without cause though; he only targets those who kill their own kind without care for the consequence, doing it to protect the rest. On rare occasions, it is a genuine act of mercy. For each kill, he carves a notch into his horns and makes sure to remember the name of each one. He takes no joy in this part of his life.
As a demigod, he's gained a number of supernatural abilities that aid him in his duties, including the following:
Invisibility - what it says on the tin
Silent Step - should he choose, Daystalker can move in total silence. This combined with his camouflage abilities have lead to playing numerous tricks on people
Thunderthroat - a common ability for Champions, Daystalker has a roar that can echo between Terras and bolster his fellow hunters. He also has a banshee screech that instills fear in prey and enemies
Shapeshifting - Daystalker can transform into a beastly chimera, an animalistic form of the Dawnrunner species
Keen Senses - Daystalker has night vision, a sense of hearing that can pick up sounds across Terras, a sense of smell that can track something even if it flies, and can sense vibrations.
Synthesia - Smells register as colour tracks in Daystalker’s sight should he so choose
Walking on Sunshine - (sue me) most Champions get wings to help them travel between terras, however Daystalker is able to create platforms of solid sunlight that he can use to walk from Terra to Terra. If he makes them big enough, he can also transport other people on them.
Endless Stamina - This man can run for days without tiring. The ultimate pursuit predator.
Strength of Many - Proportionately, Dawnrunners are already incredibly strong compared to most other races. Daystalker has that strength multiplied by ten
Power of the Sun - Is at his strongest during daylight hours. He’s solar-powered. Certain celestial events such as eclipses though, sap his strength
Well this my first blog or whatever never used this thing before but the name of my blog explains pretty much what it all about!!! I AM A VERY PROUD FATHER AND HUSBAND AND WOULDN’T WANT IT ANY OTHER WAY!! I love my wife and son more than life it self
