#ethanryel

[mistfallengw2]

Once again, double birthday post for Ethanryel (11th) and Aurelia (12th)

[mistfallengw2]

a distraction you need a distraction i give

Yap about Ethanryel

Time to ramble about the origin of Ethanryel's title, the Grace of Aurene.

Allow me to yap at your own risk, cuz I yapped a LOT >:'D

Ethanryel's Wyld Hunt was different from others they heard, almost closer to a vision, one that was confusing yet blindingly clear, in a literal sense: it was a strong and warm light they felt the need to seek out and protect, surrounded by indiscernible figures they were meant to follow and help, and the rest was a blur of flashes and shadows of things they could not understand but meant something. They sought Caithe out after realizing she was one of the figures in their Dream, and Ethanryel followed her and the Pale Tree's advice to trust the Dream to lead them wherever they were meant to go.

When they first heard of the Zephyrites, another big piece slotted into place for them, and they had to learn more about them and meet them, see where that instinct brought them. However, when they finally got the chance to go to the Bazaar of the Four Winds, Ethanryel's first attempt at convincing the Masters to let them join their travels failed. They exchanged just a few words with Aerin over their shared problem, and they resolved to try again the following day.

After witnessing a couple of their following attempts, Grace, a young Zephyrite, took sympathy on the visibly dejected plant-person and approached them, willing to entertain their countless questions. She tried to answer as many as she could, taking turns as she was also curious about things in Tyria, and Ethanryel felt something click as they talked. They spent the rest of the Zephyrites' stay together, with Ethanryel immersing themselves in the culture with Grace as their mentor in more ways than one. Both her parents were healers, and apparently the day she was born her mother had dreamed of a healer so great they could even heal the land, so her path was pretty much set in stone from the start and her talents only confirmed it. When it came up that the sylvari's own skills were not that great, Grace offered to help them improve their healing magic, in exchange of their promise to show her around Tyria if she ever got the chance to travel on her own in the future. Before the Zephyrites left, she promised to voice for them with the Master of Peace, taking them by surprise.

And so, the following year Ethanryel was allowed to join their voyage as a guest, at least for the time being. Grace was even more ecstatic about it than Ethanryel, her crush on them from the previous year now bloomed into much fonder feelings after not seeing them for so long, but they were painfully oblivious to it (aroace and still a dummy about relationships at that point) until someone else pointed it out to them. It wasn't a first and they were never interested, but Ethanryel was particularly taken aback by it. In fact, they loved her as a friend enough to be willing to give it a go if she really wanted, but first they felt the need to be honest with her, both about how they felt and their Wyld Hunt. However, that awkward conversation never got the chance to happen, preceded by the crash in Dry Top.

They were in the middle of a healing lesson when the first explosions went off. Ethanryel managed to keep her safe at first as chaos erupted around them, but they ended up separated as the Sanctum careened out of the sky and broke apart. The sylvari managed to survive the crash almost unscathed by using magic to shield themselves at the last moment and keep the debris from crushing them. After getting their bearings, they desperately started searching for survivors and especially their friend. When they finally found Grace under the wooden rubble and got to her, she was already beyond saving and barely holding on. Ethanryel was ready to use all of their magic and risk their life to save hers, but she stopped them and begged them to let her go, telling them that she was happy they were safe and there with her in her last moments.

Grace's death devastated Ethanryel more than they thought possible, but they found some comfort in helping out the rest of hertheir community through that terrible time. However, when Aerin turned out to be the one responsible, most Zephyrites immediately turned against Ethanryel too, even some of those they had pulled out of the wreck and took care of personally, and the situation only got worse after one of the survivors remembered seeing the two sylvari talk once. It was a rough time for them, but they stubbornly kept helping out in Dry Top, a bit to prove they were never a threat, but mostly in honor of Grace's memory. Eventually their Wyld Hunt pushed them to tag along with the Commander and join the Pact's efforts in the Silverwastes, but a sensation of dread kept growing deep within their mind. It was something beyond the stress of what was going on and the Aspect Masters' objectively gentle request for them to sit their mission out, and it got worse when the egg was revealed... or better, that it was stolen by Caithe of all people.

You can imagine how they felt when the Pact's Fleet had an even worse time than the Sanctum, but it wasn't their first rodeo. Resisting the call ironically helped keep their ptsd at bay, and as a battle broke out on board they focused on shielding people from the attacks of their turned siblings, not trusting themselves to actually fight in that state. When the airship went down after being struck by massive vines, Ethanryel shielded from the impact with the ground all those within their reach, saving many lives (including Tocchix's). Hurt and dizzy from using so much magic at once, they still managed to get back on their feet when another of the dragon's calls jolted them back to their senses. Not only they saved the remaining crew again by killing their murderous turned sylvari at the crash site, but also used all the magic they could spare to free people from the carcass of the airship and give first aid to those in need. As the only healer of the group of survivors and the one who got them out of the flaming wreckage, Ethanryel was allowed to stay without much opposition. Desperately attached to their purpose in order to resist the dragon and running on fumes after so much magical effort, they meekly accepted the conditions and mistrust once again, but as the group made its way to safety, they were also ready to strike down more of their lost siblings if it meant no more needless casualties.

Having proven they were trustworthy and with the Commander's approval, they were allowed to be at her side as they got through everything that happened in the jungle until Auric Basin, the place where the call of their Wyld Hunt was coming from. They remained there, promising to keep the egg chamber safe, following once again their instincts as Aurene's (de facto) Herald without knowing of it. Most importantly, they also took time to rest, mental and physical exhaustion catching up to them HARD after their refusal to stop since Grace's death. Slowly, they finally allowed themselves to fully mourn her with a full heart, knowing that without the help she had given them they would have never made it that far and saved so many new and old friends.

Timeskip through their devotion to little Aurene, their time in the desert (while following another pull of their Wyld Hunt) and all of season4 up to Aurene's death, Ethanryel was once again devastated and wounded, with shards of the dragon's brand had embedded in their arm. Friends tried to remove them but to no avail, their life likely threatened as the corruption sapped their energy and made them sicker by the day, with them making the situation worse as they were unable to sit still and tried to heal the other wounded whenever they could. When Aurene came back to life, Ethanryel rallied and insisted on being of help as long as possible in Dragonfall, as they were "fine" as long as they didn't overuse magic. At one point Aurene swooped in to aid their group and asked to try something on them. The result was her brand covering and neutralizing the shards, allowing them to have more of an impact in the following battles.

After her ascension, the crystals changed from blue to crystalline and then got absorbed, slowly turning first their arm and then their body partially into crystal. Among the first effects of the transformation, Ethanryel discovered they could channel Aurene's magic to boost their own, though mostly by accident when they attempted to heal someone and overshot their spell, healing those around and purifying the corruption from the land touched by it. Already a member of the Crystal Bloom, the new order celebrated what felt like a miracle. When later asked what they wanted to be called as a champion of Aurene, Ethanryel proposed Grace of Aurene. They were graced by her power and, while it's not their own, they can extend Aurene's grace to others, just like a friend once did to them.

And then they spent months helping heal the desert from Kralkatorrik's brand :D

[mistfallengw2]

Markus Blake - Lionguard, ranger Tae Nari - Kestrel, bladesworn Hel Friasdottir Ravenlost - Ex-Archon of the Priory, scourge Hagan Wesson - Vigil Lieutenant, specter Ethanryel - Grace of Aurene, elementalist Maeveryl - Dragon's Watch member (Adamas's partner), berserker Lenorey - (Ex)Aetherblade, harbinger

My human, norn and sylvari (in-game) OCs for the easy oc-tober challenge (20 out of 31)! Oh the struggle of drawing humanoids, but I'm not that unhappy with the small steps of improvement I made (and I can always come back and improve)!

Quick trivia for all:

- Markus's family (father's side) has a history of being high-ranking members of the Lionguard, going back to his great-grandmother, who was the daughter of a member of Cobiah Marriner's crew and became one of his most trusted Lionguard Captains.

- Nari's mother was mixed Luxon-Kurzick who grew up with the Kestrels, while her father came from a pure Canthan family of Ministry workers. Their romance was worthy of the best holodramas, yet her untimely death led to her father taking advantage of his family's connections to bring Nari back to the safety of New Kaineng. Nari's heart remained in the Echovald forest with the Tengu and Kestrels, and she returned as soon as she was old enough, visiting her father whenever it was safe for her to do so.

- Hel's necromantic magic is extremely powerful, allowing her to commune with undead creatures. Discovered almost by accident during the Orr campaign when she managed to stop a Risen from attacking for a short time, she was later able to tame a Risen Chicken (named Chicky and entrusted to the Priory's menagerie afterwards). At first it took a lot out of her, but during her time in Elona she got to practice that power often in order to temporarily render Awakened harmless by interfering with Joko's hold on them, and during IBS she managed to hold down a Boneskinner.

- Hagan is unsettlingly quiet for a norn his size, moving so silently he often scares people with his sudden appearances. It came in really handy for both hunting and his years in the Vigil, and he jokes that it must have been a blessing from Snow Leopard.

- Ethanryel's crystalline growths change their subtle coloration depending on the attunement of their magic.

- Maeveryl has a scar on the right side of their face since the campaign in Orr, when second-hand flames of the Searing Cauldron scorched them during a fight, one they could have avoided if they hadn't underestimated their berserk state. The scar fades out over the years, but it still glows faintly.

- Lenorey's body produces a weird mix of chemicals that functions as powerful antitoxins, which allow her to consume pretty much anything. That said, those toxins still have a range of effects on her, and she's pretty much saturated with them, so... to put it bluntly, her normal state of being is a constant bender.

[mistfallengw2]

In honor of Pride Month, here's a rapidfire ramble about my OCs' orientations and how those and their actual preferences play off with their personalities and shape key moments of their story. Bonus context for my hc on queerness in Tyria.

Aurelia Dragonwings - Pansexual homoromantic Girls are pretty. I mean, boys are neat too, but she only ever had eyes for Ardea and later on Ellara, and that clear preference never had her experiment with the other side. The one and only experience she had with a guy was with her best friend Obsius, specifically when Ardea wanted to have a cub and she took one round "just to try it", only to end up having a cub as well (Adamas is an oopsie baby, yes). In general, labels are very confusing to her and the topic of romance held a lot of grief for years, so she would avoid answering any question on the matter, but if someone were to ask her friends, they'd just say she "doesn't know she's lesbian for someone".

Adamas Crystalsoul - Pansexual He's a pretty boy with great pedigree and had waves of people interested in him, but in the fahrar he was too focused on becoming Legionnaire to entertain childhood crushes, and then his heart got snatched away by Maeveryl before he even considered romance an option, still recovering from the loss of his would-be warband. Countless hearts got crushed by the fact that the Pact Commander's son was open about dating a sylvari and being loyal to them, yet Deryn somehow managed to woo the guy (only because Maeveryl sometimes quite literally pushed him towards her). Overall he has a feminine and androgynous preference, though like his mother he never had a proper chance to explore romance with guys.

Tocchix - Demisexual panromantic (trans guy) He spent most of his teenage years feeling sort of inadequate for romance because he never felt "the full pull" towards anyone (not helped by the comparison to a serial crush-haver like Fynn, his best friend in Lion's Arch), so he preferred to focus on training hard and join the Order of Whispers, figuring that it'd be a problem for his older self. Terrible at picking up on flirting attempts and needing to have it very slowly and clearly spelled out for him, he missed a ton of chances with many, and that was not helped by the fact that when he falls for someone, he becomes the definition of devotion, not seeing anyone else even to his detriment. He only ever fell for Iotta, Poffi and, many years later, Huki.

Maeveryl - Panromantic asexual (non-binary) While they are pan, they do have a strong preference for masculinity, or better, a general aversion towards feminine behavior and appearance. They had their first experience with romance with their saplinghood best friend, Morwen, and they quickly figured out femininity wasn't really for them, both for their own body and in a partner. After that, they only had another experience that ended bitterly, and then Adamas became their heart. Years later, when Deryn joins their relationship with Adamas, they don't share romantic feelings for each other, though they quickly become quite platonically affectionate with each other.

Ellara Echodancer - Homosexual Just lesbian. Girls gals girls. Only women of all kinds. She's totally not a hot mess, because she's got rizz and isn't afraid to use it, even just to have a little innocent flirty fun that totally isn't a distraction.

Hel Ravenlost - Homosexual G g girls... pr... etty... Don't worry, after losing Sieran without having been able to tell her how she felt for years, she does get better at not completely hiding her feelings. Luck isn't on her side, but third time's the charm, I swear!

Bunnie - Pansexual demiromantic (non-binary) She likes to sleep around, so anyone willing and compatible (both personality-wise and physically) is fair game for her to have a little no-strings-attached fun. As for the romantic side, I elaborated on it a bit here, but in short she does want romantic relationships and isn't afraid of showing the kind of interest in others that could lead to that, but she always had issues with developing feelings of the romantic kind and having them last, so she tends to coyly hide behind a bit of an emotionally-nonchalant facade until she feels safe to love someone.

Ethanryel - Asexual aromantic (agender) Just never felt anything of either kind of attraction, and that's very much fine for them. Bunnie once explained queerplatonic relationships to them, but that ended up being a sore point for them. The closest thing to that could have been their bond with Grace, a Zephyrite gal who had taught them a lot about healing and voiced for them to join the Zephyrite on their last travel. She had a pretty evident crush on them yet she was the first that didn't make them uncomfortable, but before they got to talk about anything of that matter, she was mortally wounded in the crash in Dry Top, and they never forgave themselves for not having been able to save her. Years later, when Aurene branded their arm to save them, Ethanryel took the title of Grace of Aurene in memory of their friend.

Deryn - Pansexual Gender doesn't matter to her, if one is a nice and hot charr, they're a nice and hot charr. Probably if Mae were a charr she'd have made a move on them as well, but after the initial fascinated curiosity towards the very concept of sylvari, only strong platonic feelings towards them are left.

Markus Blake - Bisexual Due to his parents being in a queerplatonic relationship and being told since really young that he'd have assured the freedom to choose they nearly didn't get (Nora and Lionel were childhood best friends who married each otherso that they could have the kid they both did want and be done with further family expectations, with her being lesbian and him aroace), he never really thought much of romance, thinking he'd just know when he found "the one". When he met Kai, he thought he'd found that one and hoped she'd eventually return his feelings for years, failing at being clear with her about it while ignoring what he felt towards Fynn, the best friend he had found at the same time. It took him a while, but, by what felt just short of divine intervention, he eventually figured out that the "one" was actually "two".

Nari - Bisexual homoromantic Gals is where it's at. She does find feminine people hot in general and had a few experimental flirts across the gender spectrum, but proper relationships are something she knows she wants only with gals. She believes that such kind of strong confidence in her own ideas was what caught Hel's attention in spite of not being norn, not realizing that Hel prefers non-norn until much later.

Iotta - Pansexual demiromantic Her opinion of romance is that it sucks, like all that comes with it. Sure, people can be hot in ways that make sense from a biological standpoint, but for her whole life she couldn't imagine willingly being in a relationship, because everyone else is grossly incompetent and, at best, more annoying than what she could deal with on a daily basis. Being in a relationship with a dork like Tocchix only confirmed that she hates it, because that kind of implicit vulnerability and distracting fondness for someone else goes against everything she knows to be safe, and she utterly despises the fact she wants more of it and that she played herself into it by getting that brilliant idea of manipulating him in the first place. And then being "left behind" shattered any positive perception of romance nearly irreparably, and it drives her mad that she can't get that yearning blade out of her heart so it can rot in peace. So yeah, romance sucks, and it sucks that she fell for it that one time.

Poffi - Demisexual biromantic Growing up in a small krewe that was part of the same polyamorous pod for years and that treated her like their own progeny, she was exposed to plenty of relationship examples, so she thought she had a pretty clear idea of what she was like by the time she left home to join the Order. Sadly she never got the chance to test her theories due to her general insecurities, and she also missed the pretty important part where maybe some girls can be just as romanceable as guys. (hey, at least AU!Poffi gets to go through quite the poly rollercoaster)

Daunte Burstspell - Homosexual He's a simple charr: he liked his guys hot like his fire, and life was not a little fun without the risk of burns. Verge was his flame since childhood, and they openly shared their warmth with many others. Daunte continued doing so after losing him, and even though it was never the same, he did genuinely care for the young norn he so gleefully annoyed to no end.

Hagan Wesson - Pansexual Forced to run away from Hoelbrak and break up with his childhood sweetheart, Gretna (Hel's sister), he eventually tried to get over it in some way, and ended up having some... positively revealing experiences. Swinging for years between times where he wanted to enjoy himself without attachment and others where he tried to ignore everything else to focus on his duty in the Vigil, after Daunte's death he's been more open about enjoying other people's company, and eventually ended up being reunited with Gretna after he had already settled with Flom.

Flom - Pansexual Good thing he likes everything and is quick to like others, because he genuinely believed "beggars can't be choosers" for the longest time. Even better thing, he now has people he likes and who chose him first (and a demon in his head who regularly calls him out on bs he should unlearn).

Zehmik - Homosexual (masculine non-binary) Guys are just neat, sorry gals. Lost count of how many flings he entertained during his years in the Mist War, always keeping feelings at arms' length due to the risky nature of their situation and a heartbreak he never recovered from. The occasional experiment only confirmed his very serious case of gay gay homosexual gay.

Edraas Noiza - Asexual aromantic (?) Due to being a highly experimental hybrid, its body is a biological mess that may have yet to fully mature and its perception of emotions is different from that of all other sentient species, so the concept of romance or anything of that nature is downright alien to it.

Lenorey - Asexual ?romantic She doesn't really get what the big deal about romance is, not beyond just preferring someone's company over others', while sex is just an activity that can be fun. In general she cared more about getting high off of toxins, so it's all of little interest to her. Now, finding a weird little asura that is literally toxic, gives you more toxins as part of the experiments she asked to perform on you, and you get just a little bit high when you kiss her? Maybe that's what love feels like.

[mistfallengw2]

Here's some screens 'n facts of a few of the new looks that I haven't shown already.

Ethanryel changed their outfit not long after coming back from leading the cleansing efforts in the Crystal Desert [around the start of IBS], their physical changes already past the line where they had to rethink their concept of comfortable clothes. They're pretty sure someone called it a morale boost, but they don't know why. [That staff has different flowers (maguuma lily/effervescent pod), and their body should be a bit more crystalline]

When Eurys left the Grove and headed for the Heart of Maguuma [around the start of s3], she was just a little more than a sapling, but the call was too strong to ignore. It was okay though, plenty of her siblings in the Mists were there to guide her, teach her and keep her safe.

Haidee's fave outfit while she worked in Taimi's krewe during IBS. When she doesn't have to casually be in the right place at the right time by pure chance (like the year spent in the desert helping refugees), comfort is paramount for her, and being able to spring into action if necessary is always a nice option. A simple combo of a shirt, pants and the occasional scarf was more than enough for most days in the relatively quiet life at the lab, even better if bunny-themed!

[mistfallengw2]

For your sylvari ask game, 12+17 for anyone you want? ^-^

Randomizer chose Ethanryel!

Hey, a sylvari ask game! 🌱

12. What do they usually wear? Do they prefer regular clothes or growing "clothes" out of their bodies?

Ethanryel is used to wear a mix of "grown clothes" and any kind of regular clothes, usually depending on the season/weather. Their first years were spent escorting merchant caravans around Tyria and similar gigs, and they learned the hard way that it wasn't always possible to grow appropriate "clothes" for the too-sudden shift in temperatures, especially when crossing the Shiverpeaks.

After Aurene's branding that saved their arm (and likely life), it also altered their body and magic abilities. Now their growths can be partially or fully crystalline (their "crown of horns" is an example of the first, while the second can be seen in their wings), and the process is also faster since they can use ambient magic to speed it up.

-

17. If they were to turn into Mordrem, what would they look like? Would they manage to turn back?

If the corruption had enough time to change their appearance, Ethanryel would have probably looked like a mix between a Preserver and Overseer, with very pale bark and dark streaks.

The call of their Wyld Hunt (aid Glint's scion and those in its light) was strong enough to keep them from answering to Mordremoth's, and they strongly believe that it'd have been strong enough to pull them back from corruption if it had happened.

[mistfallengw2]

Finally got around to taking screens of my OCs in the Homestead.

We desperately need a way to make characters emote or at least position them in more precise ways, but I made do with what I could (charr were the hardest to "fit together")

Mother and son, together at last ;;

First time homeowners~ [why must charr be so hard to pose together T_T]

Poly triangle goals~ [same issue with them sadly, doesn't make them any less perfect together]

When your older brother is just... so smol.

Excuse me while I implode over my own feelings. [I am not joking I literally was about to cry at multiple points and got too many screens]

TB is the best big boy and Nyx is the best primadonna.

Bunnie being annoying + asking the Commander to take of business for her when the other party is being unreasonable [that last screen is my fave, would be perfect if Aurelia could have /crossarms, but alas]

Flom 🤝 Nari Get yourself a (norn) partner whose legs are as tall as you are, if not more.

"Don't talk to me or my co-champion/bestie/mom ever again" collection

"Talking shit about you" extras

[mistfallengw2]

Big batch of stuff from 2021, from a bunch of attempts at drawing various OCs (and something other than charr!). Some of them got more or less major redesigns, but I'm posting them anyway.