Thanks. I had forgotten what you had said about Sparks and Whispered before, so I was thinking they were two separate things. On the subject of Whispered though, (FMP novel spoilers)Summary: Maybe in your 'verse, Whispered are even rarer, as only those born in the correct timeframe who would have become Sparks become Whispered. The shortage of Whispered could be compensated for by the existence of Sparks. Also, Anyway, perhaps the shaman abilities and the Spark/Whispered thing could stem from the same source, a higher then normal level of spiritual sensitivity? This could also explain the avatar thing, as it seems reasonable to assume that to even be a potential avatar, one would need to be extremely sensitive to spirits. I think this might make it a bit easier to buy Zeke having all these powers, and learning to use them together later, if they are all seen as growing out of the same root.
My impression of Raven, going by what you've said, is that he should be a near perfect example of Blue and Orange Morality. There are reasons for most of what he does, but since Raven is a god, a good deal of them are beyond mortal comprehension. As it notes on the trope page though, this is rather difficult to show, but I think there is a decent chance that it would go both ways to some degree. This would mean that Raven doesn't completely understand human morality either, modern or otherwise, so some of the things Raven could do might be easily misunderstood. For example, setting his avatar up with a harem, which to a god might seem like a reasonable birthday gift, but it instead ends up as more of a love dodecahedron. We've already got Rei, and Lum is getting close, as best I can tell, if it goes the same way as in the manga. Just toss in a few others, preferably with three letter English names.
As a side note, what are the other gods doing? Choosing an avatar is presumably a rare event, so if something is coming that warrants selecting an avatar, other gods might be taking some action too. It could go a long way towards making Zeke not appear to be a game breaker, as you said, if it is apparent that there are others with similar powers running around. Maybe just Champions, instead of full on Avatars. It wouldn't need to be much more than a name drop and an occasional cameo, just to let the reader know that Zeke isn't entirely unique. It could also be neat seeing one or a few whose goals are at right angles to Zeke's. For example, Zeke is tasked with retrieving the Amulet of Maguffin and placing it in the Vault of Safetyness, to prevent the Forces of Evil from using it. The Forces of Evil want to steal the Amulet, to complete their diabolical plans, MUAHAHAHAHA!!!! Meanwhile, Avatar Bee has been granted the awesome duty of ensuring that the Amulet of Maguffin is not removed from the Hall of Amulets, in the Temple of Holiness. Cue three way fight scene.
(Wow, I had way too much fun with that.)
Raven isn't the only god, right?
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Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
SpoilerMy impression of Raven, going by what you've said, is that he should be a near perfect example of Blue and Orange Morality. There are reasons for most of what he does, but since Raven is a god, a good deal of them are beyond mortal comprehension. As it notes on the trope page though, this is rather difficult to show, but I think there is a decent chance that it would go both ways to some degree. This would mean that Raven doesn't completely understand human morality either, modern or otherwise, so some of the things Raven could do might be easily misunderstood. For example, setting his avatar up with a harem, which to a god might seem like a reasonable birthday gift, but it instead ends up as more of a love dodecahedron. We've already got Rei, and Lum is getting close, as best I can tell, if it goes the same way as in the manga. Just toss in a few others, preferably with three letter English names.
As a side note, what are the other gods doing? Choosing an avatar is presumably a rare event, so if something is coming that warrants selecting an avatar, other gods might be taking some action too. It could go a long way towards making Zeke not appear to be a game breaker, as you said, if it is apparent that there are others with similar powers running around. Maybe just Champions, instead of full on Avatars. It wouldn't need to be much more than a name drop and an occasional cameo, just to let the reader know that Zeke isn't entirely unique. It could also be neat seeing one or a few whose goals are at right angles to Zeke's. For example, Zeke is tasked with retrieving the Amulet of Maguffin and placing it in the Vault of Safetyness, to prevent the Forces of Evil from using it. The Forces of Evil want to steal the Amulet, to complete their diabolical plans, MUAHAHAHAHA!!!! Meanwhile, Avatar Bee has been granted the awesome duty of ensuring that the Amulet of Maguffin is not removed from the Hall of Amulets, in the Temple of Holiness. Cue three way fight scene.
(Wow, I had way too much fun with that.)
Raven isn't the only god, right?
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.