#Aurelia and Ellara

[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]

Gonna keep it only to in-game characters, else I'll be here all week

Aurelia Goredragon>Gorewing>Gorewings>Dragonwings - Dragon/Wing warband + Wings warband [Blood]

The warband she grew up with was very good at killing any beast or monster they trained against, and being overhyped teens they obviously picked the most badass (cringiest) name they could think of. After a few years of active duty and the retirement of one of their members (who was considered the heart of the warband), they switched to the name Wing because it fit their tendency to ignore orders and "wing it" with success. "Gore" was an easy pick for Aurelia, having always been great at goring things to death, and she kept the name when her warband changed name.

When she came back to the Legions after her unplanned 4-years of unpleasant Mists shenanigans, she reformed the warband with Reeva, but they were undecided on whether to keep the name to honor their fallen siblings. Even though it went against traditional naming scheme, Aurelia's odd request of using a plural noun was granted by Tribune Brimstone to repay a favor (and to screw with those keeping track for funsies). Aurelia decided to keep her old name and be Gorewings, but years later, after Aurene hatched and Dragon's Watch was formed, she switched to Dragonwings. (Fun fact: when Rytlock pitched Dragon's Watch as a name, he also did it as a nod of homage to Aurelia's old warband).

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Adamas Crystalsoul (temporarily Soulguard) - Crystal warband [mix] (temporarily Guard warband) [Iron]

His warband never lived long enough to leave the fahrar and become official, but the name Crystal came from one of their teachers, who was fond of using the figure of speech "crystal clear" in any way possible. Initially a joke, it stuck with them, and the two younger groups of cubs in the same fahrar fought over who'd get to keep the name Clear, and the teacher in question actually adored it. His friends picked the name Soul for him, as he kept everyone together easily and it fit with him being the prospect Legionnaire of their warband.

Sole survivor of his siblings, the warband he was forcibly assigned to had picked the name Guard, with the declared goal of going straight to the Ebonhawke frontline as soon as they graduated from the Fahrar of Young Heroes (they never would do so, as first the awakening of Kralkatorrik led to a reshuffling of the Legions' priorities, and then the ceasefire with Ebonhawke happened within a couple years of them entering active duty). Adamas's new name was pretty much decided for him, but he never felt like he belonged so he went AWOL after less than a year. After healing from it all and joining the Order of Whispers, he started using his old name to honor his late siblings.

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Ellara Echodancer - Echo warband [Ash]

The Echo warband was as quiet as a faint echo and often used illusionary magic. She moves with the elegant precision of a dancer, but she's also good at navigating difficult situations. Since she also likes to sing and dance, it was an obvious pick for her.

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Daunte Burstspell - Burst warband [Blood]

The Burst warband was initially just him and his Legionnaire, and making things burst into flames was something they were very good at from a young age. Despite being a Flame Legion refugee, Daunte was never ashamed of his fire magic, and he knew a lot of spells that perfectly emphatized the warband's name.

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Okami Whitewings - Wings warband

After switching warbands a few times for a variety of reasons, they joined Aurelia's new warband (after she had already left for the Vigil) and it worked out for them, since they were all ex-gladia. Always been White. No real reason for it, they're just bad at picking names and most of their fur is white or light grey, so they just went with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Now they have a small necklace that can create an illusionary glamour of white wings, so it matches.

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Bonus Deryn "Skylight" - Light "warband" [pretend]

She's Olmakhan, but as a cub Deryn liked playing pretend with her friends and pets, and she always picked that name because her father often called her "my light in the sky". When Adamas was dumbfounded by the lack of warbands in their society, she brought it up again.

ok lore question for people with charr characters because ir eally want to know: what is their surname, what warband are they apart of, and what meaning does the surname have?

[mistfallengw2]

I've finished answering to the Commander Love Interest Ask Game (or something idk) because Aurelia and Ellara have been in my mind a lot recently, and I wanted to use these as a jumping point to ramble about them. [link to 5, 6 and 8]

1. Who are they and what's their dynamic with the commander?

Ellara is a veteran Lightbringer of the Order of Whispers, ex-Ash Legion spy and agent, Legionnaire of the Echo warband (until their deaths in Orr/the Battle of Lion's Arch). Other than her independent assistance to Dragon's Watch and her duties in the Order, she specifically works as a double agent for them and Malice Swordshadow, having accepted to be part of a deal of cooperation between the two organizations in spite of her bitter feelings towards the Legion.

The dynamic between her and the Commander was more or less stuck for 8 years as a devoted friendship with messy feelings involved: Ellara fell tail over horns for her quite quickly yet was content with being her friends after being rejected (during Orr campaign), while Aurelia did harbor some shy feelings for her yet for years the concept of romance was too painful to even consider it a possibility (mist-fuckery stuff made it a lot harder to move on from the death of her mate). They both cherished their friendship as it was the closest thing to a warband both of them had, and for two traumatized gladium "widows" in their 30s/40s with a lot going on in their lives and a world to save, it was enough (even though they both knew it would have been better if it was something more). After S4e3 things became a bit more flirty and tentative, but never went anywhere as it was mostly poking fun at each other for the possibility. In IBS (No Quarter), Aurelia finally felt ready and stable enough to give it a chance, much to Ellara's cautiousness and genuine surprise. After that, their relationship remains pretty much unchanged, just with less angst, more comfort and extra perks.

2. How does the rest of Dragon's Watch feel about the relationship?

Overall positive and supportive (more or less everyone knows that Aurelia has some issues with romance, so they only nudge instead of push), with a huge dose of "fucking finally!" when it finally happened. Taimi, Marjory and Canach were the ones who teased the most, Braham and Gorrik were the most oblivious, and for years Caithe thought they were just being secretive about it. And of course Adamas wanted his actual mother to be happy with his "mother figure".

3. What does/what would the general population of Tyria think of the relationship?

After nearly a decade of the Commander being in the spotlight without an apparent partner, people are pretty curious about this charr that entered in her graces, with some being quite jealous or mean about it. Due to the officialization being relatively recent and Ellara being a mesmer of the Order of Whispers, the average Tyrian isn't usually aware of who she is exactly.

4. What was their initial opinion of the commander? Has that changed at all?

"Dayum, that's a hottie" never left Ellara's mind and persists to this day. The only way it changed was from it being the wish for a one-night-stand kind of thing (she had a whole set of issues with commitment after losing her mate) to evolving into genuine feelings towards her.

7. What kind of dumb rumors pop up/would pop up about the relationship?

Before the relationship, most rumors used to be about the fact that the Commander must have someone in her life, and the someone in question switched depending on who people saw Aurelia interact with at the time. Ellara happened to be around Aurelia a lot during the Orr campaign, and the initial influx of gossip between soldiers caused some hurt on the mesmer's part and general awkwardness between them for a time, especially after the Commander rejected her not for disinterest but because she was still grieving. Luckily they got over it pretty soon after the Pact's victory, and overall just stopped paying attention when the rumors got dumber and dumber. There were some nasty rumors, but the truly worst one will never be about them, as nothing could ever beat the time a group of new Pact recruits implied that Adamas was Aurelia's mate after having seen them "hug and cuddle", with it being made even worse by the fact they were having a rough conversation about Aurelia's late mate at that moment.

After it's confirmed they're together, rumors turned into lame gossip that doesn't stick and mostly makes them laugh: "that spy is actually taking advantage of the Commander's position" (El "to do what, exactly?"), "Aurelia is being mind-controlled by her evil mesmer powers" (Au "why didn't you do that? it would have made things a bit easier"), "it's all a facade to keep the Commander's real relationship a secret" (El "when would you have even found the time?"), and so on.

Also, Canach miiight have had a hand in mudding the waters and diverting the attention by spreading rumors about being "the Commander's favorite sylvari" in no clear terms, mostly to further his own agenda, a tiny bit out of pity after seeing Aurelia's reaction to the topic. While at first Ellara confronted him about it in a bout of protectiveness, there have been quite a few occasions in which he interjected awkward situations by acting and presenting himself as Aurelia's "partner" and keeping it vague, and Aurelia actually learned to play along once he came clean about the "scheme". It ended up becoming a sort of inside joke between the three of them, and after Aurelia and Canach went on that triple date together for shits and giggles (encouraged by Ellara), they all had quite a fun evening catching up on the Canthan gossip going crazy about it.

9. How did they/how would they have reacted to the commander's death at Balthazar's hands?

Their groups had split roughly after Glint's Lair: Aurelia had gone with the others to do story stuff, while Ellara had promised her she'd look after Adamas and his group (Mae, Hel, etc) while they were helping refugees, and they were all searching for clues as well when news of Aurelia's death reached her. She initially didn't believe it to be true, then went numb until Adamas's even worse reaction to it managed to rouse her out of the shock. By the time she arrived at the Spire with Adamas and Mae, Aurelia was alive again, and Ellara stared at her from a distance for a bit as canon conversations and tearful interactions happened. When Aurelia approached her after noticing her, Ellara had just a teeny tiny bit of a breakdown that involved a bunch of touching to make sure she was actually alive and some hugging.

She had kept her feelings stashed away since Orr not to put pressure on Aurelia, kinda hoping they'd pass as well, but that moment had made it clear that they were there to stay and stronger than ever. She avoided bringing the topic up until much later in Kourna (had to go report back to base after the end of PoF and was busy with the Order for a bit), when she found her up at night looking at the fortress from the camp's building, and she confessed to her what she had felt that day and that her feelings for her weren't going to change no matter what happened. Aurelia only managed a "I know, and I'm trying [to get over my grief], but…" before Ellara replied with a "I know", bumped her head against Aurelia's shoulder and left.

10. Are there any events in the story that happen differently because of/to/involving them?

Nothing major really changed due to Ellara, at most she does things in Aurelia's stead with a similar outcome (first big case was helping her throughout "Forging the Pact", where she and her warband did a lot of the work in uncovering the fake Syska's plan).

The biggest "change" is that Ellara was tasked with keeping Aurelia away from Drizzlewood Coast until recalled, which ended up being a couple months of "vacation/honeymoon" and overall inactivity (from No Quarter until Jormag Rising). The official reason was that Ellara was just given a leave to recover from injuries sustained shortly before No Quarter, but in practice it was a task specifically assigned by Malice, as she and all other Imperators wanted to avoid another situation in which Smodur would do more questionable acts in the proximity of the Commander and make himself extremely (and rightfully) punchable once again.

11. What parts of the commander do they get to see that nobody else does?

Ellara is the only one (excluding Aurene later on) who has seen just how bad what happened in the Mists affected Aurelia, because she's the one who helped her during many moments of crisis.

Back when they were getting to know each other in the midst of the Orr campaign, Ellara took advantage of all chances to hang out with her, considering them lowkey dates (Aurelia was oblivious to it). At one point, Aurelia lamented issues with her "foggy memories", and Ellara offered to try and use her chronomancer powers to help her clear her mind. Good news was that Aurelia was actually able to recover some of her memories, bad news was that she kinda fell apart afterwards. After the initial surprise (you try seeing such a big and strong charr crumble emotionally like that after you tried to help out), Ellara stuck with her through it and managed to calm her down, realizing at the same time that she actually cared about her as a friend and maybe something more already. The initial awkwardness after that first "session" soon became trust, as Ellara was nothing but genuinely supportive and Aurelia noticed improvements after having had the time to process her newly-rediscovered memories. The Commander didn't exactly share much about what happened in the Mists, and when she did it was mostly rambling since she barely understood it at times, but having someone who listened to her without being taken as crazy helped her connect the dots.

Even after getting awkwardly rejected some time later and being quite sore about it, Ellara understood her reasons and never retracted her help whenever Aurelia needed it. Once Aurene came around and things became easier for the Commander, Ellara's help became increasingly less needed, but Aurelia still sought it out from time to time, though mostly as an excuse to spend time with her and talk about anything.

12. What's a song you associate with the relationship?

Hard to pick just one, so here's a couple of the first ones that I threw in their playlists (both from Ellara's perspective) Autoheart - Hungover in the City of Dust & Mikey Wax - Bottle of Jack

13. In what ways does their personality compliment or contrast with the commander?

Their personalities are pretty different but not adverse, more like at the opposite edges of common ground, and they find comfort and balance in each other with little unnecessary contrast.

They both care, feel and hurt more than their world expected from them as soldiers, but while Ellara reacted to it by leaving and deciding to be sharp and cold like a blade in order to protect and preserve that part of herself for those who deserved it, Aurelia had everything taken from her and was stripped down to her vulnerable core by that unimaginable trauma in the Mists, forcing her to rebuild herself as she could once back in Tyria. She didn't do a terrible job at putting her pieces back together into a seemingly functional charr, though not as fierce, rough and sure of herself as before. In the beginning of their friendship, Aurelia subconsciously tried to emulate her self-assurance, seeing her as someone who had successfully taken control of her own life outside of charr society, and when Ellara noticed she was copying her well-kept facade, she was forced to admit some of her own deep vulnerabilities so that Aurelia could avoid becoming a mess like her, while also teaching her what she was looking for. Over time, Aurelia managed to seal her cracks and sharpen her dull edges by herself with her support, while Ellara softened and opened up more thanks to her, and now they're both as well-adjusted as they can be.

Constructive discussions from different points of view aside, their biggest point of "contrast" is the fact that Ellara can be a flirty mean thing when she wants to, and it used to(actually still kinda does) send Aurelia into absolute "brain.exe has stopped working from too many lesbian thoughts" panic. While she rarely did it (for obvious emotional reasons), there have been multiple times where Ellara took advantage of it in order to force the Commander to stop overthinking (read: completely scatter every single thought in her head) and breathe (read: lowkey hyperventilate after forgetting how to do it) for a damn second, and Aurelia can't deny it worked every time.

14. What is their favorite quality in the commander?

Her. Difficult choice, but probably her genuine altruism. It's clear as day that it's not performative, because she doesn't like the attention and she's awkward with thanks and compliments yet she does it anyway. The one time Ellara mentioned it, Aurelia only muttered something about it coming from the values of her late warband (in truth the Wing warband would have never been what it had been without her and the unknown promise Ardea had made to her).

It is also her most hated quality, because maybe Aurelia should think about herself for a couple minutes every once in a while. Just maybe.

15. What's the commander's favorite quality in them?

Her cool-headedness and quick mind, probably. It's not the same vibe of Ardea's, softer and sassier at the same time, but it grounds Aurelia just the same.

Aurelia used to be the muscle of the warband and was rarely involved in decision making, and as the Pact Commander she had huge issues with being the one who had to take any sort of decisions for others (especially after the whole fake Syska thing tanked her trust in herself nearly beyond repair), but that was Ellara's bread and butter as the mind of the warband and knew the weight of that role, so she slowly helped Aurelia gain confidence in leadership positions.

[mistfallengw2]

Stuff from 2020! After almost two years of not touching Aurelia (I had badly neglected personal art until the pandemic kicked in), I attempted to pick her up again by exploring different shapes, specifically a pointier downward muzzle, more similar to how she was in-game, but...

I did NOT vibe with it. [I wanted to leave this out, but pointy!Aurelia doesn't exist anymore and she can't hurt you even if you laugh dw]

So I ended up studying her again [not pictured] and made a few more expressive doodles [collected my faves].

Aurelia can be patient as she had to deal with her fair share of chain of command bs, but one does struggle with keeping a poker face when made of war-ready pointy bits. At least she's learned to be unimpressed. Despite being a total mess in romantic endeavors even by charr standards, it never really came up because her relationship with Ardea felt as natural as breathing for her. Of course it all came back to bite her in the tail when Ellara, her new newly-formed Pact friend, turned out to be into her and flirted from time to time for years to come (not that it wasn't appreciated, but... messy emotions be messy).

[mistfallengw2]

5, 6, and 8 for Aurelia and Ellara! @ratasum

Commander Love Interest Ask Game (or something idk)

Under cut because oh no I rambled in spite of my best efforts to keep things short

5. How do they feel about their LI being the commander? Are they concerned? Proud? Is it a "keep work stuff at work" kind of thing?

Given that they met at the Retaking of Claw Island, Ellara has never really known Aurelia as anything but "the Commander" (and Adamas's thought-dead dam), and since then she has always been one of her greatest supporters and confidants, as well as her best friend[*1]. She is of course proud of her achievements, and concern just comes with the job, no matter how much she knows that Aurelia can deal with things on her own. Admittedly, Ellara's concern has quite the trauma backing it (she's lost her very-competent mate in a mission, back when she was still in the Ash Legion), but her fairly effective way of dealing with that anxiety is to make Aurelia's life a bit easier, be it by being at her side when needed or by proactively aiding her (doing spy stuff that the Commander/Dragon's Watch can't do, gathering info through her Whispers contacts, etc).

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6. Does/would being the commander's LI affect how they're treated?

Overall, not really. Since becoming close friends with Aurelia (and technically her "healer") shortly after meeting each other, Ellara was often seen around her, but due to being a Lightbringer it never seemed strange to most. Biggest impact was that at times people tried to get into the graces of the Commander by going through the seemingly-more-easily-approachable Ellara (spoiler: never ended well), and Malice did express more interest in information about Aurelia[*2], but nothing of consequence. The occasional inquiry or rumor about the nature of their relationship was not rare, but it was mostly quiet and petty gossip between soldiers.

Even after actually becoming an item there was little to no difference, given that the only indicator of change was the occasional PDA. There's a big personal positive however: family and friends have stopped quietly teasing them :v

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8. What does Aurene think about them, and vice versa?

Aurene was always firmly in the "ffs date already so I can have a second mom" base together with Adamas, while Ellara thinks she's her second best step-child (Adamas is first, not sorry) yet the most adorable/beautiful one.

Jokes aside, their relationship was always positive, but it used to be a bit more complex than necessary up to IBS due to Ellara's feelings for Aurelia, which led to keeping herself at a respectful distance from the dragonling because she didn't want to intrude on their bond (she felt like she did that with Adamas, even though they met before Aurelia was in the picture). Still, she didn't escape the occasional interactions initiated by Aurene, and she did spoil her with a few toys one time (gave them to Adamas first, so it'd be indirect).

Meanwhile, Aurene always had an intrinsic understanding of the terrible weight Aurelia carried within her and how it affected her emotionally, but it was also clear how Ellara made her Champion feel and even as a hatchling she wished for that positive effect to be "more and permanent". Additionally, she internalized the underlying affection in the way both Aurelia and Adamas[*3] spoke about Ellara. It was not enough for her to properly consider Ellara a "mother" like she thought of Aurelia, but more than enough for her to be included in her "family".

Their sweetest moment and turning point was at the end of Shadow in the Ice: Ellara was pretty busy with the Legions' mess (doing lots of spywork and going back and forth between Malice and the Whispers) when she heard of Aurelia nearly dying because of Bangar, and she rushed to EotN to see her. She had to leave asap because she still had time-sensitive work to do, but at that point Aurelia was still unconscious in the waters of the Scrying Pool and Ellara started stressing out about it big time (their last interaction had been unintentionally rough, and all she wanted was to know she was okay and that she was sorry). Then Aurene spoke (startling her a bit, because she had only watched her since she had entered the chamber, making her lowkey doubt she could still talk), comforting and reassuring her that Aurelia would be fine soon, and then confessed to her that she could feel that Aurelia held nothing but love for her in spite of the guilt she felt for their altercation.

Ellara was even busier from that point onward, but Aurene helped Aurelia get closure through the Scrying Pool by showing her a certain memory she "casually stumbled upon" (she did not, but no one needs to know). After No Quarter, during which they became officially a thing, Aurelia and Ellara spent lots of time together in EotN. Aurene did feel quietly triumphant about it, and she enjoyed the long, casual chats she had with Ellara (with the boon of Aurelia relaxing as she mostly listened).

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Context notes: *1 [It took eight years before anything romantic actually happened, because Aurelia had a LOT of "magically-complex" grief to process before being ready to engage with that area of feelings again. While it stung not to be readily requited, Ellara was always genuinely there for her without letting her own feelings get in the way, and in fact she's the one who helped her "heal" and recover some memories by using her magic.] *2 [Ellara works as a double agent for the Order of Whispers and Ash Legion, as a deal of cooperation between the two organizations.] *3 [Adamas spent a lot of time with Aurene as a hatchling, on par if not more than Aurelia, and that leads to Aurene calling him "brother" later on.]

[mistfallengw2]

Learning quickness builds is quick and easy, they said

[mistfallengw2]

Charr warband ask game

Which Legion does the warband belong to?

How and when was the warband formed?

Why did they pick that particular name?

What's the warband's specialization?

What is the warband known for?

What are their usual assignments?

What's their motto, goal or motivation?

Who is the Legionnaire and how did they become it?

Is anyone else aiming for the position of Legionnaire?

How many members are in the warband?

Is anyone in the warband an ex-gladium?

Did they lose anyone?

Would the warband accept new entries?

Did any member of the warband join an external organization (Orders, Pact, etc)?

How has the warband changed over the years?

Do all members follow orders exactly or are they a bunch of loose cannons?

Have they ever gotten in big trouble with superiors?

For warbands that are no longer a thing (broke up or mostly dead): how did it happen?

What's the overall social dynamic in the warband like? (chill and friendly, harsh and hierarchical, like family, etc)

Is there drama between members or are they tight-knit?

Did any relationship bloom between members of the warband?

What do they like about themselves as a warband?

What do they dislike/would change about themselves as a warband?

What's the warband's opinion on humans and the treaty?

What's the warband's opinion on the Flame Legion?

What's the warband's opinion on other races?

What's the warband's opinion on their Imperator?

What's the warband's opinion on the Legions?

What's the warband's opinion on the Pact and the Pact Commander?

Did the warband follow Bangar into Dominion and Frost Legion, or did they stay with the United Legions?

How did the warband take the civil war?

What's the warband up to, currently?

Bonus question: trivia time!

[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]

for the gw2 profession ask thing:

3: Have they dabbled in any other professions than the one they ended up with?

4: On the scale of absolute novice to complete expert, how good are they at their chosen profession?

GW2 Profession Ask Questions or something IDK

Since no character was listed, I'm gonna go rapid fire on all the list! :D

Aurelia Dragonwings 3. She used to be a warrior, quite strong physically but with no access to magic. Those skills are still relevant. 4. She's pretty good at being a revenant and she's a strong one too, though with some "disabilities" caused by her encounter with [redacted]. Other than the initial memory loss, her main issue is that she can't create traversable rifts to the Mists (surface-level rifts are fine, like the ones used in combat).

Adamas Crystalsoul 3. His mother Ardea taught him some elemental magic, but he clearly had more talent for tinkering so he never really developed it further. He still knows a few elementalist tricks and is more comfortable than most (maybe a little reckless) with working on high-temperature equipment, ended up being useful with his holoforge. 4. Expert engineer in many fields. He's extremely quick to learn new things, if he's interested enough, and he's particularly good with alchemy, gadgetry, firearms and small constructs.

Tocchix 3. His first mentor was Alyt, who is a thief/elementalist, and she did try to teach him some elemental magic, mostly to no avail as he was more interested in hand-to-hand combat and shadow magic. 4. Extremely skilled daredevil, though he's only able to use shadow magic to enhance his physical abilities. Sneaky, fast and hits like a truck, though a bit too reckless at times.

Maeveryl 3. No. 4. Used to be a talented warrior, though mostly uninterested in combat. Since becoming a berserker in an uncommon way, they had to really hone in on their skills due to safety reasons, so one could say they're expert.

Hel Ravenlost 3. No. 4. Definitely an expert necromancer. She was talented from a young age, too much in her mother's opinion, and left her duty to chase more knowledge, becoming an Archon in the Priory. Particularly good at controlling necrominions, she could have very easily become a lich if she hadn't been stopped in her wild chase for a way to bring back a friend, but for now her most impressive feat is single-handedly taking over and "taming" a risen chicken while Zhaitan was still alive.

Ellara Echodancer 3. No, other than what she tried in mandatory basic training in the fahrar. 4. Quite a good mesmer overall, though she knows she's far from the expert label. Mostly self-taught in chronomancy and use of psychic blades.

Bunnie 3. Elemental magic would have been really cool to learn (Alyt left an impression on her), but alas she has no magical abilities to write home about. 4. Expert engineer, specifically in golemancy. Some may counter her claim of being "the best golemancer in the world (after Snaff)", but she did become Snaff Savant AND her results are hard to dismiss.

Ethanryel 3. No. 4. They're a pretty okay elementalist, with a talent for weaving elements.

Deryn 3. Sort of. She's an Olmakhan and was officially a Dawnwalker. 4. Self-taught dragonhunter/firebrand through trial and error, she's far from an expert but makes do in her own efficient way.

Markus Blake 3. Not really, other than some general training with the Seraph. 4. Decent ranger. Has a good aim, is good at tracking and easily gets along with animals, but his magical talents are underdeveloped.

Iotta 3. She is a necromancer/thief. 4. Extremely competent in both professions, always had a talent for hand-to-hand combat and necromancy. She hated not being able to take full advantage of her death shroud, so she overcompensated with perfecting everything else.

Poffi 3. She has some engineering background due to her family's job (they used to be part of the same golem maintenance krewe), but she never wanted to go in that field, instead aiming to become a lab technician before discovering her talent as a sniper. 4. She was a sniper (deadeye) with near-perfect aim, though she was too insecure to be more effective than shooting from a distance. She died too young to be defined as an expert and needed to become more well-rounded, but she was in line to earn the title of Slayer in the Order of Whispers.

Daunte Burstspell 3. Nah, other than basic fahrar training. 4. He was a pretty powerful elementalist, having plenty of strong Flame shamans in his bloodline. Not exactly an expert and he lagged behind in the other elements, but he did focus on becoming better with water magic.

Hagan Wesson 3. Not really. 4. More of an expert hunter than an expert thief. Possibly due to Zar'gol, but he started developing specter powers after S4, though he's far from an expert.

Flom 3. No, he felt like he genuinely sucked whenever he tried anything and gave up. 4. NOPE. His "revenant" powers are limited to the equivalent of Mallyx's, and when Flom is forced to use them that's actually Zar'gol taking control.

Zehmik 3. Has some knowledge of thief tricks from his time in pirate crews. 4. Maybe not an expert, but definitely competent. After nearly two decades spent in the Mists War, he became a Legendary Defender and refined his spellbreaker powers to suitable levels of reliance and strength.

Nari 3. Not exactly a profession, but she went through Kestrel training. 4. She's a pretty good bladesworn and made her own sword, but is a better scout than a fighter, and the lack of experience puts her at a disadvantage.

Edraas Noiza 3. No. [Mechanically Edraas is a willbender, but it fights in an unique manner] 4. Nope. It fights as its draconic-hybrid nature allows, and it gets tired real fast.

Lenorey 3. Technically has some thief skills. 4. Look, weird stuff goes in, strong necromantic energy comes out. Don't ask her to be more specific than that.

Haidee 3. Does some generic spy training count? 4. Not sure if she can be called an expert, but she did earn the title "the Mirage" thanks to her skills with illusions. When she learned of the existence of the mirage profession, she dragged her girlfriend to Elona to go perfect her skills.

Okami Whitewings 3. Not really, other than basic fahrar training. 4. They'll say they're only good with animals, but hey, they survived this long doing a variety of dangerous things.

[mistfallengw2]

Brain "Yes, Adamas as an AU Commander/Champion of Aurene is really good... but what if, Tocchix in that role?" Me "But there are more AUs around him than anyone else!" Brain "Okay, but think of the new levels of angst!" Me "... Yes, honey 😞"

[mistfallengw2]

🎉🧎‍♂️🥩 for Aurelia?

@mystery-salad

Emoji ask game

🎉 The Wing warband liked to celebrate their successes (and especially their skirting of punishment), which often meant going to local bars, which often led to them being around bar brawls. They rarely had a part in starting them, but Aurelia in particular liked finishing them (being so big was surely an advantage). She and Daunte met by having each other's back during one particularly exhilarating free-for-all, then became drinking buddies, and the rest is history.

-

🧎‍♂️ During the All-Legion Rally, Aurelia was still reeling from everything that had happened in S4, and returning in those places so deeply tied to memories of her late warband ended up doing a number on her (after recovering from the traumatic amnesia thing she is unable to get over mourning her loss, and one thing is remembering them when so far away from everything, another is being in the place where memories just flood back to her). Before shit goes down and she has to switch back into Commander mode, she is walking alone through the hills surrounding the Keep to let herself take a breather and reorder her thoughts, but she accidentally finds herself in an isolated place that was special to her and Ardea. She is happy to see it's still there after so long, but after kneeling down next to a tree and finding out the carving they made is still there, she has a tiiiny bit of an emotional collapse right there and there (she hadn't crashed that badly since her time in the Mists, and years of accumulated stress just pour out of her). Ellara is the one who happens to find her hours later and she approaches Aurelia thinking she has just dozed off or something. Still without realizing, she says the wrong thing (too flirty) and Aurelia snaps at her pretty badly (the bunch of complex feelings towards her didn't help), which leads to Ellara excusing herself. After regaining a bit of composure, Aurelia feels terrible about it because she knows Ellara didn't deserve any of it, but then shit goes down before she has a chance to properly talk to her (she manages a quick apology that Ellara accepts, but they were among others so she feels like that isn't enough) and they don't get to have that talk for more than half a year afterwards (Ellara visits her while she's out cold recovering in the Scrying Pool, so that's a minor relief in the meantime). [dw, Aurelia went to "magic therapy" and they get together so it's all good :v]

-

🥩 Everyone in the Dragon/Wing warband had acceptable levels of cooking knowledge and they all pitched in during meal times, but the consensus was that Aurelia was the one in charge of preparing meat (Lupita would often just show up with freshly-hunted game and toss it to Aurelia without a word). She didn't do anything particular, but everyone agreed she did it better [autism be damned that girl can work a grill].

[mistfallengw2]

Though not a book lover, Ellara doesn't mind the literature that has been popping up about Aurelia, even after becoming official with her. After all, she doesn't mind seeing people flirting with her (and failing), so fiction is even less worrisome. Sure, it has its own appeals, but it also makes for good comedy, given the stark differences with the real deal, ones she's painfully aware of. Before it offered lighthearted comfort for her pent-up emotions, but now she gets to recite exquisite parts of it to Aurelia, a playfully petty payback that usually ends in endless giggling fits from both of them.

And yes, "Commander of Your Heart" is her fave book, why do you ask?

[mistfallengw2]

MistFallen Characters

Quick list of my in game characters

_____

Aurelia Dragonwings Charr | Female (she/her) | 1289 AE | Warrior Revenant | The Mistfallen, First Pact Commander & Leader of Dragon’s Watch

Strong, fierce and brave, but also more caring and considerate than one would expect from a charr of her stature and fame. Once part of an elite Blood Legion warband, during the mayhem that followed Kralkatorrik’s wake she lost her family and ended up in the Mists. Years later, she re-emerged with new mysterious powers and something wrong with her (besides the voices in her head), but little to no knowledge of what had happened in that time due to her fogged memory. Since then, she’s come into her own as a leader, as Aurene’s Champion and as the heart of her new family, finally moving on from the heavy grief that held her heart.

Dam of Adamas, mother figure of many, widow of Ardea (as of 1320 AE), mate of Ellara (as of 1333 AE).

Tag: #Aurelia Dragonwings

_____

Adamas Crystalsoul Charr | Male (he/him) | 1308 AE | Scrapper/Holosmith | Ex-Commander & second-in-command of Dragon’s Watch

Smart, brave and with a leader’s heart, he was set to be the Legionnaire of the Crystal warband, but Kralkatorrik’s wake left him a gladium before even he even left the fahrar. Escaping from the Legions’ grasp as he feared for his life, he was adopted by his new family in Lion’s Arch and nursed back to full health, and later followed his new brother in the Order of Whispers as a Creator. After finding his mother again, he managed to let go of his traumatic past and move on to become who he was meant to be in the Pact first and then in Dragon’s Watch, with Maeveryl and later Deryn by his side.

Cub of Aurelia, adoptive brother of Tocchix, mate of Maeveryl (1325 AE) and Deryn (1331 AE), sire of Iridis and Diane.

Tag: #Adamas Crystalsoul

_____

Tocchix Asura | Trans male (he/him) | 1307 AE | Daredevil | Lightbringer

Empathic and always ready to help others, he's loyal to a fault to his family and friends, and to the Pact. One of the best scouts and agents of the Order of Whispers due to his dexterity and rigorous training received from his mentors, he used to be a ray of sunshine, but an unexpected betrayal cast a shadow of self-doubt and self-loathing on him, turning him into more of a reckless mess the more he tried to fix things, until the right someone helped him find a way out.

"Cousin" of Bunnie, adoptive brother of Adamas, ex-partner of Iotta, partner of Huki, adoptive father of [names pending].

Tags: #Tocchix | #Commander!Tocchix AU

_____

Maeveryl Sylvari | Agender (they/them) | 1317 AE | Berserker | Priory Scholar & member of Dragon's Watch

Bright, cheery and a total nerd, they try their best not to let the past cloud their future. Scholar of the Durman's Priory, their memory is scary good at remembering where they read what. Doesn't like fighting unless necessary, but their combat prowess is not to be undervalued, especially after learning how to tame the berserker powers they accidentally obtained for a certain artifact.

Mate of Adamas (1325 AE) and platonic partner of Deryn, parent of Iridis and Diane, best friend of Hel.

Tag: #Maeveryl

_____

Hel Ravenlost Norn | Female (she/her) | 1303 AE | Scourge | Ex-Priory Archon & member of Dragon's Watch

Cunning, daring and a gifted necromancer, the irony of dreading mortality -not her own but that of those she loves- isn't lost on her, and her studies in the Priory spurred by grief brought her down a dangerous path in Elona. Saved by saving others and coming to terms with her fears, she managed to find her own path, which brought the Ravenlost back under Raven's wing, and then set her free.

Best friend of Maeveryl, partner of Nari (1335 AE).

Tag: #Hel Ravenlost

_____

Ellara Echodancer Charr | Female (she/her) | 1295 AE | Mesmer | Lightbringer

Smart, quick-thinking and sassy, she's an excellent spy and a smooth duelist, always moving with feline elegance and swift elusiveness. Chooses to ignore the fact she's a bit of an emotional mess, prefers to take care of others and her job instead. She left the Ash Legion and joined the Order of Whispers after losing her late mate, only to find herself as double agent for both. Her warband had followed her through thick and thin, and after losing them as well, she dedicated herself fully to the well-being of her loved ones through her job, which meant aiding Aurelia whenever possible.

Mate of Aurelia (fell tail over horns for her, was fine with being her close friend for 8 years, is more than fine as of 1333 AE).

Tag: #Ellara Echodancer

_____

Bunnie Asura | Non-binary female (she/they) | 1308 AE | Mechanist | Pact > Crystal Bloom Quartermaster

Spunky and abrasive golemancer prodigy, she is known for her UNK series of golems, frequent victories in clandestine golem throwdowns and the title of Snaff Savant. Joined the Pact to help her family and friends in their efforts, going from a simple Vigil's supply officer to Pact supplymaster, and later being one of the first to join the Order of the Crystal Bloom as a quartermaster.

"Cousin" of Tocchix, old friend of Zojja, "cuddlefriend" of Nuvly, partner of Farka.

In-game name: Golemancer Bunnie Tag: #Bunnie

_____

Ethanryel Sylvari | Agender (they/them) | 1320 AE | Weaver | Grace of Aurene & second-in-command of the Crystal Bloom

Awakened the day of Glint’s death, their Wyld Hunt showed them a strong light surrounded by figures they were meant to follow, particularly who they'd get to know as Caithe and Aurelia. Going through adventurous hoops and painful loops, they proceeded to do just that in their own way, until they became known as the “Grace of Aurene” after being granted powers by her intervention to heal them. A bit odd, often just quietly gravitating around people and always ready to listen and help, they know a lot of things, just rarely what you expect them to know.

Good friend of Caithe, Aurelia, Tocchix and Bunnie.

Tag: #Ethanryel

_____

Deryn Charr | Female (she/her) | 1310 AE | Dragonhunter/Firebrand | Olmakhan & member of Dragon's Watch

Carefree, daring and fun-loving, she wanted to leave the Sandswept Isles since she was a cub, knowing her future was past those shores despite her strong sense of responsibility towards her people. Skilled hunter and self-taught magic user, she's not afraid to fight and eagerly joined the Pact first and then Dragon's Watch after things with Adamas got serious.

Mate of Adamas (1331 AE) and platonic partner of Maeveryl, dam of Iridis and Diane.

In-game name: Deryn Skylight Tag: #Deryn

_____

Markus Blake Human | Male (he/him) | 1310 AE | Ranger | Lionguard, currently Deputy

[WIP]He was the first person Aurelia met after re-emerging from the Mists, and he and his mother took care of her as she recovered. Eagerly followed in his father's steps and became a Lionguard.

Partner of Fynn and Kai, father of [name pending].

In-game name: Lionguard Markus Tag: #Markus Blake

_____

Iotta Asura | Female (she/her) | 1305 AE | Necromancer/Thief | Ex-Lightbringer & Lead Executive Supervisor of Rata Primus

Stone cold, snarky and intimidating, she was an extremely skilled Inquest operative who was trained to go undercover in the Order of Whispers to spy on their plans. Determined to prove her worth no matter the cost to herself, she's successfully completed her mission and has become a high-ranking Inquest member in the security department under her mentor, but her only failure and regret kept haunting her until the day of the Awakened invasion of Rata Primus, then freed her from the nightmare of awakening.

Ex-partner of Tocchix.

In-game name: Lightbringer Iotta Tag: #Iotta

_____

Poffi Asura | Female (she/her) | 1307 AE | Deadeye | Agent of the Order of Whispers

Despite being insecure and shy beyond saving, she was a proficient sniper with nearly perfect aim, as well as a pretty good cook. She was a member of Nadine's team along with Iotta and Tocchix, and had a massive crush on him. Died in Orr.

In-game name: Agent Poffi Tag: #Poffi

_____

Daunte Burstspell Charr | Male (he/him) | 1296 AE | Tempest | Vigil Crusader

Veteran Crusader of the Vigil, he was a reliable soldier who thrived in the middle of the chain of command, serving also as a first-aid healer when necessary. Aggression-happy, standoff-ish and brazen, he's not highly sociable and tended to veil everything he said in sarcasm, preferring to show his feelings in concrete ways. His years of service in the Blood Legion alongside the Commander's late warband and the loss of his warband and mate left him disillusioned in the Legions' chain of command, and he found a new purpose in the Vigil, trusting Almorra to guide them to victory. Died in the Heart of Maguuma, taking out a small horde of Mordrem.

Old friend of Aurelia, widower of Verge, ??? of Hagan.

Tag: #Daunte Burstspell

_____

Hagan Wesson Norn | Male (he/him) | 1302 AE | Thief/Specter | Vigil Lieutenant

[WIP: can't find a way to sum him up neatly, so for now I'll just say "himbo"]

??? of Daunte, ex-partner of Gaell, partner of Flom and Gretna (same pod with Nuvly and Bunnie)

In-game name: Hagan Wesson Tag: #Hagan

_____

Flom Asura | Male (he/him) | 1306 AE | "Revenant" | Pact technician

Awkward and with no spine, he used to be an Inquest technician working on portal technology, until an experiment gone awry resulted in the death of his krewe and him being "possessed" by an exiled Margonite, Zar'gol. Kept as specimen in Rata Primus, he was rescued by the Commander and later managed to build a good friendship with the "demon", who then helped him regain control of his life in exchange of letting it experience Tyria once again.

Partner of Hagan and Nuvly (same pod with Bunnie)

In-game name: Technician Flom Tag: #Flom #Zar'gol

_____

Lenorey Sylvari | Female-NB (she/they/it) | 1324 AE | Necromancer/Thief (Reaper/Harbinger) | Aetherblade/ex-Aetherblade

[more tba]

Partner of Veeq

In-game name: Antitoxin Lenorey Tag: #Lenorey

_____

Eurys Sylvari | Female (she/her) | 1328 AE | Revenant/Druid () | Mender & [actual title pending]

[more tba]

Partner of Gareth

In-game name: Mistdreamer Eurys Tag: #Eurys

_____

Zehmik Asura | Male (he/him) | 1??? AE | Spellbreaker | Mist Warrior & Pact associate

[WIP: guy has seen some stuff because he's been stuck in the Mist War for almost two decades in order to keep his family safe. Oh wait now he can finally come out, time for shenanigans! Oh, hi again, Aurelia!]

In-game name: Defender Zehmik Tag: #Zehmik

_____

Nari Human | Female (she/her) | 1308 AE | Bladesworn | Kestrel

Wise beyond her years and impulsive at the same time, her mixed heritage comes from a fairly complicated and unlucky family history, and she felt out of place as she grew up in New Kaineng, living with her father after her mother's passing. She joined the Kestel as soon as they let her, wanting to continue her mother's work. Good scout, likes to go undercover, she doesn't mind having the occasional chance to use the gunblade she crafted herself.

Partner of Hel (1335 AE).

In-game name: Kestrel Nari Tag: #Nari

_____

Edraas Noiza Draconic asura hybrid | ? (it/its) | 13?? AE | "Willbender" | Ex-Inquest specimen & Priory ward/scholar

Absolutely regular asura who looks just a bit uncanny, totally not an escaped Inquest experiment that was recovered by a group of people in the Heart of Maguuma and is now a ward of the Durman's Priory under secrecy for respectful analysis, real body legitimately not hidden by layers of glamour for its safety. When not coveting its hoard (reading through the Priory's library), it mostly hangs out with Kendra as she tends to animals or with the Priory's flock of skyscales.

Tag: #Noiza

_____

Haidee Asura | Female (she/her) | 1303 AE | Mirage | Order of Whispers's "associate" & researcher in Taimi's krewe

She and her partner Dorrya [my partner's character] are both acquaintances of Zojja, and they decided to aid the Pact during most of their campaigns without ever really joining in, stepping in to help with various tasks when required, such as helping survivors, handling supplies or evacuating people. After Kralkatorrik's death, they joined Taimi's krewe and later managed her old lab while she was in the Eye of the North. Currently taking a vacation with her partner, still in contact with Taimi in case they're needed.

In-game name: Haidee The Mirage Tag: #Haidee

_____

Okami Whitewings Charr | Agender (they/them) | 1295 AE | Ranger | [my main and fursona's self-insert]

Became a member of the Wings warband after Aurelia left Reeva in charge as Legionnaire and kept their status of free agent. No one knows what their exact deal is (they swear not to be involved with the Order of Whispers) and they don't exactly know the Commander, but they're often seen around Tyria doing a variety of stuff.

Partner of Xyrod and best friend of Doryx [my partner's characters].

Tag: #Okami Whitewings

_____

Ye Jam Fractal anomaly? | ??? | ???? AE | ???

Aurelia's mind has blocked out most of her time in the Mists, but she remembers... a friend? Multiple or the same? Always different, always there...

Tag: #Ye Jam

_________________________

Miscellaneous non-in-game character tags (adding them as I use them)

Dragon/Wing warband: #Ardea | #Obsius | #Odhran | #Sidonia | #Lupita | #Rorick | #Kouran | #Reeva

Charr: #Favian Sharpmark | #Cassia Wreckday | #x Asura: #Quazz | #Alyt | #Nuvly | #Huki | #x Human: #Nadine | #Gaell | #Zuri | #x Norn: #Gretna | #Leif | #x Sylvari: #Chandler | #Maolmuire | #x

Warbands: #Dragon/Wing | #Crystal | #Echo | #Burst | #Clear | #Guard >Guard: #Farka | #Darva | #Ravik

AUs: #Commander!Tocchix AU - #Commander!Ardea AU - #AUs

Total GW2 characters counter: 291+ (actually way over 300 not including pets, still sorting and counting)

[mistfallengw2]

OC asks: 1, 8, and 10 for Ellara?

GET TO KNOW THE OC ASKS

1. What kind of person is your OC in a crisis? Are they calm and collected? Do they panic? Or are they chronically the cause?

Ellara is actually pretty good at handling crises, maintaining a cool head and thinking things through to find a way to solve the issues at hand. It always gave her an advantage in her line of work (Ash Legion/Order of Whispers), but every mistake takes a bigger toll on her than she lets show, and she struggles to manage situations with too many people involved.

-

8. What was your OC's most embarrassing moment? Does it still bother them or are they able to shrug it off?

Confessing her feelings towards Aurelia did NOT go as planned, and that kinda haunted her until they finally got together 8 years later.

It was back in the Orr campaign days and, long story short, it took Aurelia completely by surprise and she sort of cracked under her own unaddressed grief. Wrong things were accidentally said on both parts, then El stormed off as a bit of an emotional mess (thoroughly ashamed for misreading Aurelia's behavior towards her and accidentally making things worse for her, sad for her unreciprocated feelings, and angry because that was the one time she cared too much dammit) Aurelia later tried to talk things out and they settled on remaining good friends no matter what, but for a while it was really hard for Ellara to be around Aurelia without feeling embarrassed due to the whole thing, but she pretended she had gotten over it. Still, there was a dragon to slay, so acting like a stupid infatuated cub about it could definitely wait, and by then those feelings would surely pass on their own! ... [insert sitcom laugh track]

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10. Is your OC sentimental or pragmatic? Do they keep mementos or only what they need to survive? Have they always been this way or did something happen to make them change?

Ellara claims to be pragmatic, but she's extremely sentimental about certain things.

Nowadays she keeps more things than she needs since she has more stability, but she generally never had a lot more personal possessions than what she could carry on her person. One particular case is the crystal on her headpiece, as that was actually part of an enchanted trinket made by her late mate, Circe. She had made one for each member of the Echo warband with a mix of mesmer magic and glyphs, allowing them all to communicate in code during missions that had them apart. They stopped working right when Circe died, but everyone kept theirs, though only Ellara had it changed into an accessory so as to carry it with her all the time, like her late mate's memory..

[mistfallengw2]

Anyway, from the OC standpoint, I think this expansion (at least so far) is starring just Aurelia, Ellara and Zehmik. Everyone else is just too busy, between being needed elsewhere and/or taking care of their own new families.

[more in-depth rambly stuff, some spoilers ahead]

So, as far as story goes:

Aurelia receives the invitation to the Tyrian Alliance from Crecia, and since they were together at that time, she goes to the meeting with Ellara as her plus one (she also received a letter from Malice asking her to make sure her mate would be there, and they talked with both Imperators before then). Ellara learns the news of the Astral Ward's existence along with everyone else, and she's even less surprised than Malice about Aurelia's involvement. To her ex-Imperator she admits she knew something was up but that it was nothing worthy of intel (at this point her being a double-agent is an open secret), and Aurelia intercepts her glare with a promise to tell her everything she can, which she does while they're en route to DR, since Ellara is deadly set on going with her.

Markus uses his influence as a Lionguard Captain to be present at the Alliance meetings as one of the guards. On one hand, he does so out of moral obligation (his mate Fynn was pretty shaken up after witnessing one of the kryptis attacks, and said attacks were the catalyst for the Alliance), but on the other he also wants to take advantage of the chance of hanging out with Aurelia more. Before things took a turn, he had planned to spend the rest of the day with her and she initially agreed to it, but then they agree to postpone that.

Zehmik is already at Moon Base when they get there, but initially stays behind as he's helping his previously-ex-now-again-bf with some stuff. Later when the kodan welcome them, his warclaw Marsee is introduced to the journeykin and she seems to be quite comfortable around them, and the similarities spark curiosity in him (he had to fight with her at first and then she kept play fighting with him) and he wonders if she could learn to jump like the journeykin (maybe being stuck in the Mist War made her forget things?).

Both Aurelia and Ellara get a journeykin of their own (details pending).

Ellara expects Aurelia to refuse the offer to take the Homestead, and she's more than surprised when she agrees to it, given they had been looking for a place to call their own for years at that point yet Aurelia never felt at home anywhere. When asked about what made her mind so fast, she admits that what Poised Arrow and Stoic Alder said just made her feel a connection to the place because she saw herself and Adamas in them, just with the difference that her new beginning was already at her side.

Aurelia is always on the lookout for potential similarities with the whole [redacted] thing she experienced. She isn't sure that's the right lead, but Titans might as well be it, so she is personally invested beyond her people's history. Also the Mistburned creatures spark curiosity in her.

During the vote, Aurelia is strongly on the nay side, and she's the one who says she'll just go back to Janthir and investigate further, as she doesn't want to go for the nuclear option ever if she can help it. Ellara doesn't agree with her and seems pretty annoyed, but doesn't say why. When later Aurelia teases her for being a bit too on the same page with her ex-Imperator, Ellara gets angry for a moment, then folds and admits she is worried for all the risks and just wants things to end asap so that they can go back to living a quiet life together. Aurelia apologetically points out that she spent the last year in another realm because "risks" always seem to come find her, and Ellara gives up on that thought, stating that she doesn't want to be left out anymore and at least enjoy the dangers with her, Titans and snobby wizards be damned.

After that, they go straight back to Janthir, but first Adamas, who had heard of the sudden meeting taking place, manages to catch a hold of them just as they're about to leave. He wants to come and help, but Aurelia first cuts him off by stating it's too dangerous and that she wants him to think of his family first, then promises she'll come visit as soon as she can. He is pretty peeved at being left out like that, but accepts it on the terms that they'll explain what's going on.

Rest goes as it does in the story, with Ellara just doing things as needed. Ironically, she gets along far too well with Malice and Caithe, which unsettles Aurelia at times since she's the only non-spy of the group, so she also hangs out with Zehmik a bunch.

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>Bonus for characters outside of story

Ethanryel was left in charge of the Crystal Bloom while Caithe was on leave, and they're continuing clean-up efforts around Tyria. Being the quartermaster, Bunnie is often aiding them, and Farka and her warband are often "on lease" to them by the Iron Legion (with the mounting tensions due to Mia KindleShot gunning for Khan-Ur, they want to be away as much as possible beyond personal reasons).

Hagan was on extended leave since the end of the Dragon Cycle, and he and Flom were busy living the family life with Gretna, Nuvly and their kids (being an asuran-norn pod with an extra demon comes with a fair share of shenanigans). While they're mostly out of the picture, Zar'gol did suddenly possess Flom one time when it sensed kryptis getting too close, and even if nothing bad happened, Hagan is starting to get more involved with the Vigil again.

Speaking of, since their parents are all friends, the kids often meet to play (Hagan's and Flom's have to visit, but most live in/near Lion's Arch). While they are still very young, they've already got a krewe-warband-guild thing going on, which is both wholesome and a tad worrisome (the last thing those kids need is to be like some of their parents).

Hel has been constantly on the move, traveling a lot to aid matters in the Shiverpeaks (trying to make her connection to Raven do something), in Cantha (helping the Kestrels) and in Elona (checking on Zuri who is in the Sunspears and aiding them as well). Nari often tags along, acting as a sort of representative for the Kestrels and, most importantly, enjoying new experiences with her girlfriend.

Still got a few more characters who are still on the ??? table when it comes to post-EoD story, will probably need to figure that out first. Eurys was part of the original "Heart of Maguuma group" that has been scattered, and I wonder if she'll get a chance to involved now that the Pale Tree's fate is relevant... and who of them (other than Gareth) she'll drag along. My kodan OC Rime Breath and (her de-facto adoptive kid) Wraith could theoretically fit in Harvest Den (especially due to Rime's experiences with being a Voice's daughter and prospect-Voice of her late tribe), but I haven't touched on their story much lately so mhhh.

Now to ponder a Lowland Kodan OC... hopefully just one.

[mistfallengw2]

13, 15, and 20 for Aurelia? 👀

GW2 COMMANDER ASKS

Oh boy this got rambly (and is late)

13. How does your commander feel about Caithe?

For most of the time she's known her, it was... neutrally nuanced.

In honor of old times, Rytlock had helped out Aurelia after she got back from the Mists and was convocated by the Legions, and she initially got dragged into the side quests of Destiny's Edge to repay that favor. She didn't have any particular opinion on Caithe, not past knowing of her through DE's fame and what the Tribune mentioned, and the first time they met was at DE's brief meetup in Lion's Arch, which went sideways fast. So, when in Twilight Arbor Rytlock stormed off due to her mediator shenanigans, Aurelia didn't exactly have the most optimal start with her. Still, between her actions and the way Ethanryel (who was also there and Aurelia somehow instinctively trusted) vouched for her, she left with a positively neutral opinion of the Firstborn. From that point on and up until she stole the egg, Aurelia thought of Caithe as a reliable ally, not caring much for her mysterious nature. Ethanryel often spoke highly of her, but there was nothing personal going on as far as Aurelia was concerned, and she had other personal matters to deal with.

After what went on in S2 and HoT, Aurelia felt sort of conflicted about Caithe, yet she never doubted her fully. On the logical side of things, she knew that Caithe hadn't stolen the egg with malicious intent, and even during HoT she understood her reasons for the most part (Ethanryel played a major part in that understanding), but on the other she still lowkey expected her to pull something similar for those same reasons, so she remained wary around her, especially in Auric Basin. All in all, little changed from a professional standpoint since she hadn't done anything "actually bad" per se, just trust getting replaced by cautious permission to prove herself, at least up until she apologized. When Aurene hatched, Aurelia readily entrusted her safety to the Firstborn, but she made it a point not to hide the fact that she still didn't trust her to be alone with the newborn dragon at all (motherly instincts kicking in didn't help), and she was quite relieved whenever Adamas, Maeveryl and Ethanryel volunteered for babysitting duty when she couldn't be there.

Their roughest point was actually during Aurene's first weeks of life, when their sort of neutral relationship got worse before it got better. It was the first occasion in which they spent so much time around each other, and Caithe seemed to have a hidden talent for accidentally trampling Aurelia's already tense nerves and thin patience (her personal issues were having a peak moment at the time), especially when she tried to do the opposite or prove she was doing a good job. Ethanryel, who also rarely left Aurene's side, took it upon themselves to mediate between them or keep them apart depending on the situation, occasionally aided by Adamas and whoever else who happened to be there. In the end, as the Firstborn proved to be a devoted parent guardian and everyone else warmed up to her, Aurelia did too, though it wasn't until the start of S4e5 that she allowed herself to openly call Caithe a friend.

Nowadays Aurelia, Caithe and Ethanryel share a particular friendship, as they are the only mortals bonded with Aurene (respectively her Champion, Voice and Grace). While the three of them don't spend a lot of time together (particularly Aurelia and Caithe) between their duties and whatnot, no one else can fully understand what that's like, so they hold that resonating kinship dear, especially after Aurene's departure.

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15. How has your commander changed overtime?

She's always been and will always be a mess.

Aurelia used to be a lot more bold and confident in her youth, strong of her warband's brazen achievements and their bonds, but she lost it all when she fell into the Mists. Coming back four years later as a husk of her former self, with her memories blocked by the trauma of something that had happened in there, it took her a bit to remember the gists of who she was and accept that she had nothing to return to in the Legions anymore. She had to define and rebuild her own identity from the ground up, and when Almorra offered her a place in the Vigil, she took it.

At first, Aurelia was unsure and quite anxious, if not even a tad erratic due to the whole "lost memories and revenant voices" thing, which was ill-fitting for a charr of her appearance and past reputation, but she learned to mask it well enough during her time in the Vigil. Then personal story things happened, she found her son and lost a friend in the same day, and soon after she was offered the role of Commander of the fledgling Pact. She didn't want it, considering herself the worst possible choice available, but at the same time she knew her son would step up to take it if she refused, so she accepted. She deemed herself a barely functional mess, but she could still hit things hard and had powerful magic she was getting better at, so that was (probably) good enough and she put all she could muster into it.

Over time, Aurelia just became "the Commander" to all but those closest to her. Thanks to others' help (primarily Ellara's), memories coming back and successes giving her humble confidence, she learned to shoulder the burden of her role and act appropriately in a variety of situations, doing what needed to be done... often to the detriment of her own recovery. Her attempts at having a life outside of duty never really stopped, but any free time inevitably ended up in mourning and processing what she had lost, and she much preferred busying herself with things that seemed impossible or at least doing something useful instead. She didn't care for glory, achievements or power, she genuinely wanted to just do what needed to be done to keep her son and the world safe, but being the Commander turned into the persona she needed to maintain for her sanity, a steadfast facade to upkeep even when it was hard and her confidence wavered, because the world needed the Commander more than she needed to deal with her grief. Even at her lowest moments, full of doubt and pain, she trudged on, because that's what the Commander does, and someone had to be Commander. She needed to be that Commander. Truly a model soldier always ready to lend a claw, an inspiration to many, though a bit awkward and goofy at times. We're all sure she's the healthiest person mentally, why do you ask?

Her compulsive postponing of proper grief-elaboration got more intense and exhausting the worse she felt, and it all came to a breaking point at the All-Legions Rally, with it only getting better after a splash into the waters of the Scrying Pool, where she faced her grief and finally got some closure. To her surprise [surprisedpikachu.jpg], she finally started healing and was able to do something about her feelings for Ellara, but she was still the Commander and the world needed some more saving, no matter how much exhaustion caught up to her.

And then, once the world didn't need the Commander anymore, she didn't know what to do with herself, who she was without that role. The charr she used to be fell into the Mists, lost with all she knew before, and she initially didn't want to be who she was now, with too little of her own self to take shape outside of "the Commander". She had grown tired of fighting, but that's all she's ever known and what she did to keep her loved ones safe, to the point she couldn't help but feel like an intruder into their new normal lives, unable to relax and enjoy the safety she had earned because someone had to be ready if that peace ever got threatened again.

It was nearly maddening, but what happened in Gyala Delve made her come to terms with those feelings being part of her, and she's been trying to make her proper peace with them and find who she is for almost two years now. She's still a long way to go, but she does find it ironic how the secret escapades to fight someone else's war were the thing that made her actually appreciate the peaceful lulls in between them. And hey, maybe she'll actually find a way to finally be this mysterious "herself" and have her own peace. At least that new title foreign to her will finally make some sense.

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20. Can anyone calm your commander down, no matter what? If yes, who and why?

It used to be just her late mate, Ardea, but now it's 3: Adamas, Aurene and Ellara.

Adamas is her son, the only family she has left from before the Mists, and she will do anything for him, no questions asked. However, while he can manage to get her to calm down when she is angry or scared, he's not as able to do so when she's upset about the past. She is not great at talking about her emotions and doesn't want to burden him with her issues, and likewise he always fears that touching the topic of Ardea with her would make her feel worse, but he still tries to bring out the good memories about her whenever he thinks it can help (it does, just not enough).

Aurene, by virtue of Aurelia being both her Champion and "mother". Just like with Adamas, she'd do anything for her without question, but with the bonus that their link always allowed Aurene to communicate her emotions. While she can't influence Aurelia's thoughts and emotions directly (if she wanted she probably could, but that'd be rude), Aurene's projected positive feelings have often been a strong enough distraction to get her to calm down. It got easier when she learned to communicate telepathically, to the point she even managed to comfort and keep Aurelia steady after that one personal dive into the Scrying Pool's waters.

Ellara is the only one who has seen just how bad what happened in the Mists affected Aurelia (she was there when she had one of her first crises tied to regaining memories, answer 11 here for extra details), so she always had a way with her when it came to helping her manage emotions. Even when things were awkward, Aurelia never shied away from talking whenever Ellara prodded her about it, though finally starting their long-belated relationship made it a ton easier by removing that wall of acknowledged-yet-ignored feelings between them. The only time Ellara failed and made things worse was at the All-Rally, when she had no idea what was going on and said the wrong thing (second here), but Aurelia was at her absolute lowest at that moment and she honestly doubts even Aurene could have done something about it without force.