Let's hear about Relethen. The short king. Did you ever consider that he can't reach the top shelf? Why did you make him suffer like this? Sincerely, a short person who can't reach her favourite yoghurt at a store because they put it so damn high /joke
Jokes aside, when making Rel, did you have any picture/plant/something else in mind, or did you just slap on him random features that you liked (like I usually do in character creator)?
(lol)
But to answer your question, I don't think I had a specific plant in mind for him! I wanted him to maybe look a little bit like Nisha when I was doing his face design, since they're siblings, and I ended up really liking the vine hairstyle because he and Nisha are from the depths of the Maguuma jungle and I thought it was fitting. Beyond that, it was absolutely random features that I liked, haha :)
for character opinions, el’s thoughts on rel and maybe liv’s thoughts on ari? :D @kerra-and-company
Rel & El B)
"I'd heard about Maguuma sylvari. They're decidedly not Mordrem, but like me, they have their own Mother Tree. There's two, and the elementalist one, what was his name-" *imagine hands going everywhere as he tries to remember* "-Relethen! Yes! He can sing well. He likes Trahearne, and an alternate Tyria, Trahearne likes him back. I'll have to ask more questions about the Maguuma tree because thorns, I don't want to step foot in that cursed place again."
Long story short: El's very interested in Rel and Nisha's Maguuma heritage. I don't think they'd get along well as people, but in a professional setting, I can see them working together. Bonus points since he's with Trahearne (Rel, I mean) tho!!
Liv & Ari
"It makes me happy to hear of other Storm warbands being happy. Or reuniting after a betrayal or a similar disaster. Those fractures rarely heal, but hearing someone heal from that almost gives me hope, if not for the fact that we're scattered all over Iron or dead. And, she reminds me of Thad a little. I miss him sometimes. A little message for you, Ari: there's life outside of war and it's just waiting for you to seize it by the horns and not let go."
Long story short: He really has all the nice things to say about her. He'd be like a good older brother to offer help and guidance if she needs it and he's super stocked she found Cio!! He thinks everyone deserves someone to love and be loved by.
Tis no longer Valentine's Day, but I wanted to try to get edits done of all my romantic pairings (as well as just get more practice at it), so have two more (Chieko and Valeria on the left, Trahearne and Rel on the right)! :)
Kerra looks up and smiles. "Oh! Thank you, much appreciated. One of the iced tea lemonades, if they have it--peach is good. And a muffin? I don't care what type."
Rel raises a hand. "Black coffee with extra espresso for me. However much extra espresso they'll put in."
Minei considers for a moment. "Dark chocolate mocha?"
Cio's the last to chime in. "Nitro cold brew, please! Thanks."
Okay, my brain is finally working enough to generate character thoughts in a way that I can write them down, so, to elaborate on something I mentioned in an ask just now:
Rel never really wanted to travel.
He's curious, sure. He loves to read, loves to learn, loves to understand the world he's in better. But legitimately--if his home in Maguuma had been a safe and healthy one and he'd been in a healthy mental place, I'm not sure he ever would have left more than maybe once or twice, for a short time. He's content staying put. He doesn't have the wanderlust that Kerra does.
The two major traveling experiences Rel has--leaving the Priory (prior to the PS) and going to Orr with Trahearne (for the duration of the level 40 and 50 PS)--are not spurred by him wanting to travel. Leaving the Priory is due to him wanting to figure out who he is and not being able to stay with his sibling while he's doing that. Going to Orr has a little bit to do with a) his genuine curiosity about the land and b) his crush that he hasn't admitted to anyone, including himself, at that point. In other words, it's a little bit just because he wants to. It's also because he thinks he can be most helpful there, and he's still pretty lost.
Joining the Pact after Claw Island is Rel deciding to call the organization founded by two people he cares about (that also contains several of his friends and Nisha) his home, at least for now. It's him deciding on a place to stay put.
I am surprised it wasn't asked yet for the ask-game ;?: Either Kerra or Rel? 🥰
Nope, you're the first one! Everyone's managed to ask for someone different this time, which is actually pretty incredible (not that I ever mind doubling up on folks, to be clear--that's fun too!). And absolutely--why not both of them? :D <3
04. Favorite color: purple (in general, but also did you know there's a color called Tyrian purple? because I didn't until a minute ago!)
05. Relationship status: taken (by Canach and Nisha)
06. Ideal mate: cares a lot, willing to joke but also to be sincere, fierce but not uncompromising
07. Turn-ons: standing up for others/for your beliefs, just...doing badass things (I was trying to find a general category that includes giving a speech to rally the Pact as well as casually blowing up towers in Kourna), open affection
08. Favorite food: has a few, but the peppermint Wintersday cakes are definitely on that list
09. Crushes: if current partners work for this, then them (and
10. Favorite music: varies--songs/music that she connects with due to the lyrics/themes, things that Rel's written (and ones they wrote together), songs with complicated musical accompaniment
11. Biggest fear: failing to protect the people she loves, and the world (or, phrased differently, being helpless to protect the people she loves--and the world)
12. Biggest fantasy: never having to step in to save the world again because it doesn't need to be saved anymore, just improved a bit maybe
13. Bad habits: she's self-sacrificing as all hell, so that definitely goes here; so does her tendency to stop talking about her negative emotions when she's having a hard time (though the second one's definitely less of a problem now than it used to be)
14. Biggest regret: you're asking the monarch of taking too much responsibility for things what she regrets? what she feels guilty about? that's going to be a long list, friend
15. Best kept secrets: the exact amount of blame she was putting on herself for the first year and a half or so of her existence
16. Last thought: "I think I'll pick up hot chocolate on the way home."
17. Worst romantic experience: the assorted times she's almost lost her partners, I'd say; from a different angle, the fact that the first person she had a crush on basically managed to disappear off the face of Tyria
18. Biggest insecurity: she's not always certain of her decisions and does the best she can, but aside of that, I can't think of anything super major she's insecure about
19. Weapon of choice: any combination of sword/dagger/torch, and longbow as well
20. Role Model: Caithe (in some ways), Almorra
(Rel's is under the cut because this got long!)
Rel
01. Full name: Relethen
02. Best friend: Kerra
03. Sexuality: gay
04. Favorite color: emerald green
05. Relationship status: taken (by Trahearne)
06. Ideal mate: curious, dedicated, kind, willing to have discussions about assorted topics
07. Turn-ons: righteous anger, genuine enthusiasm, anyone he already has feelings for actively trying to flirt in whatever way
09. Crushes: again, if current partners are viable here, then Trahearne (and as far as past things go, he had a crush on one of his friends in Maguuma before he and Nisha left)
10. Favorite music: songs that tell stories, in some way or another
11. Biggest fear: that his child will somehow end up with a childhood that is in any way similar to the one he and Nisha had
12. Biggest fantasy: to have a quiet and "normal" life forever, or at least for a very long time, with his family and plenty of books
13. Bad habits: drinking too much coffee, not getting enough sleep
14. Biggest regret: not truly seeing how badly Nisha was doing (or how badly he himself was doing) until their mother died and neither of them could ignore it anymore
15. Best kept secrets: Mordremoth's relationship with the sylvari (up to HoT; mostly kept hidden by accident); his feelings for Trahearne (not really, but he'd jokingly say this if you asked him this question personally)
16. Last thought: "The children never put the sheet music back in the folders. Maybe we should color-code them?"
17. Worst romantic experience: probably the entirety of HoT--though it does end well in my canon, the whole airship crash and not knowing for sure if Trahearne was even alive or not was a whole thing--but secondarily, coming back to his old village and finding out that his first crush and the rest of the population had been absolutely wiped out can also be included here if you stretch a bit
18. Biggest insecurity: his capabilities as a fighter--right up until HoT, at least; nothing like being dropped into a jungle full of Mordrem to prove to you that you're capable of surviving
19. Weapon of choice: scepter/warhorn, as well as a battlestaff that he and Nisha designed together
20. Role Model: Nisha (in some ways), his mother (previously, not currently), Ceera
I shall gladly share facts about both of them, tyty :D <3
🖊 - Rel's a tempest and fights like it. By which I mean that he absolutely can do damage at long range, but if you make the mistake of letting him get near/getting up in his face, he becomes an elemental tornado, for lack of a better description. At best, you're getting blown backwards, and at worst you are Dead. He's not as well known for his fighting prowess as some of my other folks (like Kerra, for example, whose fighting skills have been on display Frequently to decent-sized groups of people), but it would be a serious mistake to underestimate him.
🖊 - LWS3 involves Kerra doing a lot of processing/healing--which I know I mentioned to you a little bit already, but I wanted to elaborate a bit more. She's on her own a lot, going from place to place: Eir's funeral, to see Trahearne (who's still recovering) and Rel, Bitterfrost Frontier, to see Aurene...it's a long list. It's the first time she's been off entirely solo since the spiral she went down after Zhaitan's defeat. It's also notably different than that experience, though, because she's actively staying in contact with everyone.
She has two partners now, who she got to spend a few months with before their respective jobs/obligations forced them into long distance, and there's a lot of letters involved. (On a semi-related note, Taimi doesn't really invent a secure line until EoD, but she does at some point invent different channels, kinda like a radio, so the three of them can keep in touch without driving the rest of Dragon's Watch crazy and without always having to wait for the mail.) Kerra canonically does have the stone that will teleport her back to Tarir to see Aurene, and she uses it very frequently; she's as present as she can be in her dragon daughter's life. When she travels back there, she gets to see Caithe, and often to at least say hi to Nisha. She specifically goes to see Trahearne and Rel to say hi and to talk through what she did at the end of HoT with her brother. It's different because she's trying her absolute hardest not to be isolated. Also turns out it's a lot easier to heal when you have people there with you who a) are willing to support you and b) understand a decent amount of your trauma on a personal level.
