#aven.doc

[faithofgods]

Happy New Year! I hope things have been going well with you. Do you think you'll reupload the demo or come back to the WIP? I loved the fantasy world you created, and the characters (especially Sol)!

happy new year !

the game isn't abandoned and yes I'll be coming back to it / reuploading. thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes, I'm sorry that it's taken so long to return to the blog, and I'll be back to writing regularly as soon as I'm able to❗

in the meantime (spoilers below):

[faithofgods]

fog log #36 - general update / break (august 13.22)

It’s been a minute since an actual fog log log, and it’s going to be a minute longer until there’s an ‘upcoming update’ one. More to the point, there’s been some medical emergency stuff happening with my sister in the last week, and I won’t be able to put any time towards actively working on the update for the next ~few months as I’ll be taking care of her until she recovers. I’ll try to keep the blog itself relatively active, but any writing will be on a complete hold.

Flor’s birthday is upcoming (next week, happy early birthday to them!), but with the halt on progress, the full celebration of it will be postponed; I really want there to be actual scenes to choose from re: their POVs, and as of the game’s standing now without the final part of the act, there aren’t many available.

To make up for it, I have some posts scheduled for the day of (August 17th) with snippets that were never shared or posted here; they revolve around their daily life in Treles, as well as around their relationship / life back home with a Mydras MC (both romantically and platonically). Hopefully these act as good substitutions until their birthday can actually be celebrated.

And with FOG progress being on hold, I figured I could share some things from / ramble a bit about the update below the cut—spoilers ahead!

general

There are two main paths the chapter splits into, stemming around the choice (or ‘choice’, for Sedruadal MCs) made at the end of the last update—whether Treles was entered alone or with Khiita / Flor’s help. The paths will rejoin by the end of it, but the branch itself will have lasting (and IMO, fun) consequences for MC for the rest of the game, particularly revolving around their ‘cover’ and what it may become

sol

The only thing that can really be shared with Sol’s route—beyond the inevitable conclusion to them (potentially) trespassing where they shouldn’t have—is that what’s been simmering in the background of their relationship with a romanced augur will finally have a chance to be forced into light and acted upon—one of a few things that can be impulsively acted on with them

khiita

Khiita is a bit of an interesting case with the update. The latter half of the chapter has a heavy involvement from + focus on her and Flor, that much has been said from the very beginning; what’s still up in the air is whether her preview scene will end up staying in this chapter like initially planned, or instead be moved to Chapter 4 or 5, where it has equal potential. Regardless, those who have accepted her or Flor’s help are in for a very busy day, and those on her romanced route will have a similar opportunity that those on Sol’s do

flor

It’s a Flor-heavy chapter! It's not a spoiler or a surprise, but they really are the star focus of it. Them (and their partner) have a prominent role throughout the chapter, and are the ultimate deciders of a very important fate for the augur + their goals. There’s also the full reunion scene with Mydras MCs to look forward to (some of which was shared here), as well as a smaller, equally sweet moment for non-past MCs to have a chance at getting to know them better

cían

Cían’s official introduction into the game! Finally, but also a fair amount of time spent with him in general. There’s a spot for his (first) intimate / explicit scene near the end of the chapter, though I’m unsure it’ll make it into the released version of the update (i.e, it won’t). FOG—at least, the COG / dashingdon version—isn’t marked as an 18+ game, which is where the hesitation lies. The tentative plan is to keep it from this version of the game, and later add it in with FOG’s move to Twine (which will be marked as 18+). As it stands, his conversation with the augur that leads to this ends with an awkward goodnight instead, which is still painfully on brand for him.

[faithofgods]

Flowers for you: 🌻🌱🌼🌹🌿🌷🌺

Woah... that's enough flowers for a little garden :*)

[faithofgods]

sol | khiita | flor | cían | x.

Hellooo, linked below is a small poll to help decide the content for this year's RO birthdays !

The choices are between continuing / adding more to last year's interactive specials (linked above for reference) in the form of more branches/RO moments + dialogue within each one, and RO POV snippets from either current scenes in the game, past prompts/snippets, or new scenarios

It'll only be up for a few days just so I have a general idea of direction. If you need something clarified or have other ideas for the birthdays, please don't hesitate to send in either !

→ vote here

[faithofgods]

sol + gender identity

Small disclaimer that this is something that's been on my mind + in my drafts for a while now, and while the pronoun issue has been popping up a lot more since the update, it's not aimed at any one person or event.

|| I'm putting this at the very beginning so it's the first thing people read, and because it's what led to this post being made: please do not use non-neutral pronouns for Sol in my inbox.

Do so in the tags, in your own posts, or wherever else, but when sending in asks that are meant to broadly apply to all 'versions' of Sol—which all of them should anyway; the only exception would be ones revolving around the few differences between Sols, like piercings or hairstyles—I ask that you use neutral pronouns only.

I've tried my best to ignore it to this point, but it's been increasingly draining for me to have to do so. The same also applies to Flor. Solen + Florian are not the default versions of these characters, and I don’t want to keep giving the impression that they are.

I've articulated these thoughts privately in the past, and the subtext of it is within the game itself, but I'll be clear now because it's an important aspect of Sol's identity, and it's important to me that it's acknowledged: Sol is gender nonconforming. All three 'versions' of them, and this extends to how they approach their identity. I don't consider them cis in any sense, and they as a character wouldn't either.

Sol has a very loose relationship with gender and identity, and this is something that remains consistent through all 'versions'. Solen does not consider himself a 'man' in the same way Soliya wouldn't fully consider herself a 'woman'. It's language that can suit an MC/player's perception of them, but it's not something Sol themself really connects with.

The option to choose between Solen/Soliya/Solaris exists because of that loose relationship, and is simply a shift in how Sol is perceived from an outside perspective; it has no bearing on how Sol internally views themself, which is in an ambiguous way.

|| This isn't even diving into how gender + identity are viewed in Epos, which is not the same as it is in the real (western) world, but that's a tangent separate from this post, and not one I want to delve into right now.

As a final note, I'm preemptively establishing boundaries: Sol's identity and how they view it isn't open for discussion. If you can't engage respectfully and appropriately with an author and their content, then you shouldn't engage with it at all.

[faithofgods]

A while ago, a small poll re: the direction of this year’s birthday specials was posted, and the follow-up to that has finally come !

For those new here, those that missed it, or just as a general reminder: RO POVs were the winners of that poll

Khiita’s birthday is up first on June 23rd and over the next ~week, submissions of what her POV special will be are open; ideas can be either sent to my inbox, replied with on this post, or left as its own comment / choice on this poll here; two examples are already there / listed below, which can also be voted for, but please leave your own suggestions too !

* Her interlude scene between Chapters 2 and 3

* MC fixing her necklace in Chapter 3, Astium origin

Submitted ideas can be from scenes within the game (like the two examples), can be from old snippets or prompts (links to them all found here), or can even be something implied by the demo, like her prior interactions with Celese, her preparations leaving home, her thoughts on meeting Flor, etc ! As long as it’s Khiita-centric, it’s fair game

The one(s) chosen will be kept secret until her birthday to leave some things as a surprise, and submissions will only be open from June 1st until June 10th !

Last year's special can be played here

[faithofgods]

cían's birthday

Like it's been done before: Cían’s real-world birthday is being celebrated on Thursday, December 2nd. His birthday is (in-universe // real-world):

27 of Spirits, Mooncall // December 2

And as with the others, his birthday special will be released on his actual birthday, and the days leading up will be prompts / Cían-focused questions / etc!

[faithofgods]

skin tones — base | light | shadow

The original character descriptions are here, and the Artbreeder portraits can be found linked at the end of this section, as well as many other descriptions of character features / appearance. This will be updated every so often.

This post will be linked in the 'tags + links' section of the blog's header, and HTML values of all colors will be listed at the end of each RO section in case the image above doesn't load.

Final disclaimer that a lot of the below is being pulled from what is already in text or has been stated in either the appearance post or somewhere else on the blog. As well, please note that Artbreeder is not a 1:1 replica of the characters; it's meant to show facial structure + basic features, and while the skin tones in them are close, the above palette is the most accurate.

[ Accessories / Color Preference (Clothing) ] / [ Accessories (Khiita/Cían) ] | [ Age ] | [ Artbreeder ] | [ Clothing (Hot Weather) ] / [ Clothing (Swimwear) ] / [ Clothing (Flor) ] | [ Dimples ] | [ Hair (Sol) ] / [ Hair (Solaris) ] | [ Height ] | [ Moles / Freckles ] | [ Piercings (Cían) ] | [ Scars (Sol) ] | [ Tattoos (Khiita) ] | [ Voices (Speaking) ] / [ Voices (Singing) ]

Sol

Their complexion is pale and washed-out, and their hands, forearms, and chest are heavily scarred, with a much larger, deeper one along the side of their neck. There is a marking on their forehead, a solid black diamond.

Solen and Soliya both have a helix piercing, while Solaris has a single lobe piercing. For all three, it's a small silver hoop.

Their hair is a cool-toned ash blonde (platinum, white, any of these descriptors would work depending on lighting), and the length of it varies, but their forehead is always covered in some way.

Their eyes are downturned and dark brown, dark enough in most lights they appear black, and their nose has a soft upwards slope to it (example here).

HTML: base — E7D0C9 | light — EED7D3 | shadow — DBBCB3

Khiita

Her complexion is deep brown, and the bridge of her nose and cheeks are covered in faint freckles. At night, these freckles turn white and have a soft glow to them.

She has many tattoos, the most visible ones being along her hands; both hands are decorated in leaves/vines and small stars, and the tips of both index fingers are tattooed entirely. On one palm is a single star-like shape, and on the other is a series of stars arranged into a vague constellation.

She wears jewelry often, and she is almost always wearing pearl-decorated hair pins, used in pinning her hair back from her eyes.

Her hair is black, long, and heavy enough that it only curls at the very ends; the rest is thick and wavy.

Her eyes are hooded, and the color of them ranges from a pale pink to a much darker, brighter shade of pink. Her nose is straight with a bump in the bridge (example here).

HTML: base — 8F4A2D | light — 9E5D44 | shadow — 7D422A

For transparency, Khiita's undertones have shifted to be more on the cooler side, so the original 'bronze' (re: warm-toned) description no longer fits. This description was left in the original appearance post, but her in game description will be adjusted to better reflect this.

Flor

Their complexion is golden-brown with olive undertones. They're lightly scarred, with most of them found on their upper arms and torso.

They wear a necklace under their clothes, a gold starburst centered around an opal stone.

Their hair is a dark, dark brown and unruly, and they wear it on the shorter side, around chin to mid-neck length.

Their eyes are deep-set, and the color of them, while technically hazel, features far more brown than green or gold. Their nose curves downward, and has a soft tip (example here).

HTML: base — B1672F | light — C37942 | shadow — 9D5729

Cían

* Pronounced with a ‘k’ sound as kee-an

His complexion is sandy beige. Dark circles are often found under his eyes, and directly under his right eye is a single freckle-like mark. There is a noticeable scar cutting across his left temple.

The ring he wears at all times is a simple jade stone set into a gold band, and it's worn on his right middle finger. He has his ears pierced, though he rarely wears the jewelry.

His hair is a light brown and wavy, though it appears more blonde in sunlight. While overall short, the front is at a length where it often falls into his eyes.

His eyes are sea-green and almond shaped. His nose is relatively straight, and the bridge is shallow (example here).

HTML: base — DB9A77 | light — DFA185 | shadow — C57F5D

[faithofgods]

khiita + tattoos

[faithofgods]

Khiita's powerful M'augur trilby VS Cían's extremely tall "WOMEN FEAR ME, FISH FEAR ME" cap. The hat lore only deepens.

POV: These two approach you on a night out

[faithofgods]

are you familiar with animal crossing? if you are, the ros as the type of villager + their personalities please!

I am ! Wild World was the first game I ever played on the DS :')

Sol would be a goat villager, with a hybrid of the lazy + smug personalities

Khiita would be a deer villager, with the snooty personality

Flor would a tiger villager, with the normal personality

And Cían would be a wolf villager, with the cranky personality

+ a bonus of goat Sol:

[faithofgods]

HAPPY BDAY AVEN !! 💞💖💞💖💗💕💞 i know i repeat myself constantly but really thank you for sharing your beautiful writing and your amazing world + characters with us 🥺 faith of gods means so much to me and i've made a lot of new friends thanks to it, but most importantly i also got to meet you! 🥰 thank you for always being so nice and for not banning me from the blog after i sent you that pic of hank hill's ass 😌 i hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful year ! 🥰💗

Thank you 😔❤️❤️❤️ !!!

[faithofgods]

flor's birthday

Like with Khiita (and on the actual day this time!), Flor’s real-world birthday is being celebrated on Tuesday, August 17th. Their birthday is (in-universe // real-world):

3 of Blessings, Harvestlight // August 17

And just like last time, there’s the birthday special planned for the day itself, but if there are any Flor-specific questions, general comments, or prompt lists that would suit them, please feel free to send them in!

[faithofgods]

So, as a POC who as of recently used to follow your blog, it really bothers me noticing how you show favoritism and give more attention towards your white LIs (Sol and Cian) and cast aside your POC LIs (Khiita and Flor) It's really disheartening to see, bc it's already common in the IF community, but also because I love Khiita and Flor, but sometimes I feel like Sol and Cian are the only two LIs...I hope you take notice of this because right now the situation is definitely not looking good.

Under the cut as it got a little long, but I am taking this seriously and am trying to address it as best as I can !

The predominant content on this blog is comprised of asks that've been answered; I've been aware of the unfair skew towards Sol (and to a lesser extent, Cían) for a while now, and have been trying to lessen that gap by prioritizing asks on Khiita or Flor (or ones that include all ROs) and not answering a majority of the asks I get that are only directed at Sol and/or Cían

The biggest exception to this has been for their birthday weeks (Cían's was the most recent from the last week of November/first week of December, and Sol's directly before that in October), where most of the posted content will have revolved around them; however this celebration week has been done for all four of them at this point

I adore Khiita and Flor as characters and would love to see more content/questions sent in surrounding them, and I wouldn't have made them ROs if I didn't think they had the same worth or appeal as the other two. The content skew does bother me, but overall I'm at a loss for how to fix it that's not closing my inbox to Sol/Cían entirely

As for the game itself, the current distribution of scenes isn't an accurate depiction of how it will always be; I've said before that Khiita (and am saying now, Flor) is central to the plot—arguably more so than Sol or Cían. Cían is not yet in the game and won't play any major role until the second act, and Sol's scenes are weighted towards the beginning of the game for plot-specific reasons; Khiita and Flor and their scenes alone make up a massive portion of both chapters Three and Four, and it's my hope that this shift of focus in the game will help balance the content on the blog as well

I guess as a closing note, the update that'll include Cían is going to be set aside until I can make the time to go back to Chapter One and finally add in Khiita's midday scene / make the changes to the beginning of the chapter that have been keeping me from adding it in to begin with. It's a cute scene that showcases her personality a little better, and while there's no excuse for it taking me so long to do so, I am excited for it to be in the game