Best Of

Terentia said:

I have come back to reclaim my title as Quizmaster.

1. What is your favorite org-specific (city/guild/clan) emote and why?
2. Making it a bit broader, what is your favorite emote and why?
3. What is an emote you think we clearly need and why?
4. How often do you make use of the libraries? What is your favorite book (scholarly or literary) to read from Lusternia? 
5. Which of your fellow players do you think has a very lovely writing style? 
6. This one might be one already mentioned before, but if you could sum up your character's current status or disposition in one word, what would it be? 
7. Say a player from your past suddenly returns. Who are they and why are they important to you?
8. A perennial question, but similar to @Lantra's "headcanon" question, what is some lore that you are currently perplexed or puzzled by? What is some lore you want to know more about? 
9. If your character could ask one question to Terentia, what would it be?
10. Why do you all use "sharded" when the correct term is "splintered"? 

1. 'tribalsalute' is my favourite, then 'silvervine'. They were both spiritual and comforting for young Xiran. (Receiving a tribalsalute from Serenguard stalwarts felt like a big deal!) Spiritsingers' greeting and 'wildeflame' also for spiritual connection.
2. Uh. Time to review `emotionlist`. Xiran perching's been custom.
3. ---
4. Mainly when researching. Wish subject and keywords were applied more.
5. Jolanthe for designs. Galaphyrae. Saran, for his way with story and ritual. Nialla! Afollia, based on logs.
6. Willful
7. I mean. It's happened already! But we're going to go for another, Riluna or Arien, for leaders with different viewpoints.
8. So so excited about Seralem.
9. So. How do you feel about Lisaera these days? *innocent*
10. Oops? Because pledging your shard and soul rolls off the tongue better?

What a cute thread! I'll try to hit every org if I can (plays and literary works may be my favorite):

• The Spy Who Loved the Sea by Niralahi
• Fortal of Pate by Thayan
• A Twisted Skein by Lineave
• Contraption by Lendren
• Submission by Ushaara
• La Donna by Jael
• A Guide to Underachievement by Jolanthe
• Snowflake by Nihmriel
• Meditations on the Symbols of Serenity by Lief
• Rockeater Holocaust by Thul
• Flight and Fortuity by Irillia
• Five Fates and a Portal by Eliron
• Sestina for Jilai Clarramore by Aramel
• Memoirs of a Dancer by Persayis
• Libellus Geomancie by Aiakon

Time to self-promote my own books! 

Just kidding, here's my (non-exhaustive) list:

• "A Guide to Underachievement" by Jolanthe - enjoyable read and really helps to put things in to perspective, it's more important to enjoy your time than to rack up a list of achievements. That it's okay to be good enough. Ironically, this book is a Prestige Winner.
• "The Nature of the Host - A Rebuttal of 'Tribal Necromancy'" by Elexia - I noticed a lot of people praising Marcella's book on the necromantic nature of ancestral spirits. While that book is excellent as well, this book is a very convincing rebuttal to it.
• "The Death Of Vortex" by Afrit - a very gripping, suspenseful, and altogether enjoyable read, set in a Gaudiguch of an alternate reality. I got literal chills reading several parts. If you like mystery and uncanny valley horror, you will like this book very much. It was robbed of its deserved Prestige win, I say!
• "Flight Of The Sugarplum" by Sotsepmet - Cute (text) illustrations next to whimsical poetry about various sugarplum fae. Reminiscent of a children's poetry book.

I'll add to this when I remember other lovely books. These are just the first four that came to mind, but there are so many more that I have enjoyed reading.

Terentia said:

I have come back to reclaim my title as Quizmaster.

1. What is your favorite org-specific (city/guild/clan) emote and why?
   The old Serenguard TRIBALSALUTE, because it was one of the early things we developed in the Serenguard to differentiate it from city soldiers.
   
   
2. Making it a bit broader, what is your favorite emote and why?
   Is it a mugwump racial emote, the one where they stare blankly and blink their eyes one at a time? I don't know why, but it always seems juuuust creepy enough and juuuust harmless enough to be awesome.
   
   
3. What is an emote you think we clearly need and why?
   Hulk grabbing Loki and repeatedly slamming him into the ground.
   
   
4. How often do you make use of the libraries? What is your favorite book (scholarly or literary) to read from Lusternia?
   I used to use them more often, not as much anymore. I do recall a book trying to argue that the ancestor spirits in the Serenwilde were actually necromatic undead, and it was so well written I had to study it pretty hard to build counterarguments.
   
   
5. Which of your fellow players do you think has a very lovely writing style?
   @Rancoura 's emotes are complex and beautiful.
   
   
6. This one might be one already mentioned before, but if you could sum up your character's current status or disposition in one word, what would it be?
   Hesychastic.
   
   
7. Say a player from your past suddenly returns. Who are they and why are they important to you?
   @Kalodan . He and Ev were political enemies up until the point he disappeared. I never got to find brought the change of heart.
   
   
8. A perennial question, but similar to @Lantra's "headcanon" question, what is some lore that you are currently perplexed or puzzled by? What is some lore you want to know more about?
   I admit, I know nothing about the lore around timequakes, and I don't care. Lore I'd want to know more about is lore around Seralem, how it relates to the Spirit of the Verdant Land, the original Wodewose tribes, ancestor spirits, and sacred blood magic.
   
   
9. If your character could ask one question to Terentia, what would it be?
   When we getting Hajamin back
   
   
10. Why do you all use "sharded" when the correct term is "splintered"? 
    Because shards shard and splinters splint, obviously!
    

Terentia said:

I have come back to reclaim my title as Quizmaster.

1. Why do you all use "sharded" when the correct term is "splintered"? 

It's like Q-tips. Do I know they're called cotton swabs? Yes. Will I be using the term cotton swabs over Q-tips at any point in my life? No!

Terentia said:

I have come back to reclaim my title as Quizmaster.

1. What is your favorite org-specific (city/guild/clan) emote and why?
2. Making it a bit broader, what is your favorite emote and why?
3. What is an emote you think we clearly need and why?
4. How often do you make use of the libraries? What is your favorite book (scholarly or literary) to read from Lusternia? 
5. Which of your fellow players do you think has a very lovely writing style? 
6. This one might be one already mentioned before, but if you could sum up your character's current status or disposition in one word, what would it be? 
7. Say a player from your past suddenly returns. Who are they and why are they important to you?
8. A perennial question, but similar to @Lantra's "headcanon" question, what is some lore that you are currently perplexed or puzzled by? What is some lore you want to know more about? 
9. If your character could ask one question to Terentia, what would it be?
10. Why do you all use "sharded" when the correct term is "splintered"? 

Stealing from @Terentia in the player AMA thread!

1. Probably all the Divine "bloop" emotes the ephemerals made in the havens during their emote training. We were making hamster hunt squid for Celest and they were inspired.
2. The holy trifecta of PEARLS, NAILS, and ASKANCE.
3. Always on the lookout for good racial emotes. They can be tricky to brainstorm, though!
4. I love checking out player writing submissions. It's come up a lot recently, but Niralahi's "The Spy Who Loved the Sea" is very cute.
5. Maylea! (And several ephemerals that you need to trust are amazing.)
6. Repressed. Someone in Celest has to be.
7. What I wouldn't give for some Lantra and Malmydia RP.
8. I love the concept of ocean Awakeners. Give me more of the Keltari and Li-varili lore.
9. Why don't you return my calls?
10. Because it's funny to see "Terentia is typing..." knowing I'm going to get a caps lock spiel about how I'm offending you.
    

Also, before I forget, these are two more recent scrolls that I really enjoyed by @Yinuish!

• "The Empire's Architects: Nation Building as a Reflection of Culture"
• "Urban Landscape and Syncretism"

These take seriously some of the initial concepts for the Magisterium and tease out some of their implications!

This is such a lovely idea! Here are a couple of my favorites:

The Nihilist Ethics by Giltine 

• NB, this one is actually under the name Olvar. I imagine it is consequence of unregistered players being cannibalized by the systems.

The Steamcat Project and The Lay of Nine Warlords by Sthai

Cipher: A Gaudiguchian Game, Lord Japhiel's Doctrine, and Sonnets of the Supernals by Neerth

Tribal Necromancy - Spiritsingers by Marcella

• I am pretty sure there were rebuttals or responses to this book, but I'd be interested to hear a follow-up because of [REDACTED]. 

A Metaphysic of Virtue by Talikh

• I think the Tahtetso were some of the most original creators in fusing elements of Celest's ideology ("the Light") in a way that seems very Kepheran. My hope is that aspects of that can remain (and you do see hints of that in the Sanctifer's idea of "pellucidity").