Name: Stel and Ace
Ideas: Paragon (a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality or a model of excellence) and Paradigm (a particular worldview or held belief pattern informed by one’s experience)
Species: Edeia
Special Trait: Soultwined
Masterlist: #423

Character info by xxStel. 

Gender: Demi-male
Pronouns: he/him or they/them (for both and as a fusion)
Era of Birth: Age of Magic

Personality

Stel, the Edeia of Paragon, is an outgoing and friendly individual who loves to tell jokes and stories with others. His charisma exudes a kind of warmth and openness that invites others to relax and embrace their true selves when they’re with Stel, and even when they leave. That said, Stel also is quite emotional and expresses as much very clearly, often opting to be open and honest with how they’re doing while also encouraging others to do the same. He can be a bit oblivious at times as well, but it’s never out of any malicious intent – he simply “forgor”, and he can be really bad at picking up on social cues if he isn’t actively trying to watch for them.

Ace, the Edeia of Paradigm, tends to be more introverted yet friendly all the same. He has many different interests in many different fields and loves to learn all that others have to offer him. Ace tends to be the more focused of the two and prefers to always be busy with something or another, but he also doesn’t mind the occasional interruption or distraction. He’s also rather observant and analytical, preferring to watch and listen rather than speak, though when he does he often follows it up with some sort of light-hearted joke or sarcastic remark.

As their fusion Stelace and in a blended personality state, they retain Stel’s warmth and presence as well as Ace’s cooler and more laid-back attitude – with a new air of authority. They find social interactions meaningful and fun to engage in, though they may also prefer to shy away from them from time to time.

Abilities:

Stel

> Bardic Inspiration | As the representation of paragon, Stel can help others achieve the paragon they strive for themselves – whether that includes a boost of confidence to be their best self, a boost in their skills to help them create what they’ve longed to do, or even a clear mind to help them hone in on a particular activity or event. In order for this to work the best, the individual receiving such a boon needs to have an internal drive or motivation behind what they want to achieve

> Aura of Courage | Stel’s mere presence bolsters other people’s comfort in themselves and their surroundings, encouraging them to be their true selves without fear of shame or ridicule. As a secondary effect, Stel’s aura also bolsters people’s courage and self-confidence to a higher level, providing them with the strength and resolve to push beyond their limits. The effects of this ability can persist long after Stel has left the individuals or group, depending on how strong the people’s will became as a result of their experience. Individuals affected by this ability may also spread such confidence and pride in oneself to others to varying degrees of success

> Gift of the Celestial | As incentive and reward for those who pursue all that they can be and do, Stel can grant them additional skills and abilities related to the individual’s ultimate goal. For example, if someone wanted to be a paragon acrylic painter, Stel may gift them with the ability to create beautiful artworks in other painting mediums like oil and/or gouache paint

> Bonds of Virtue | Stel can pick out what kinds of goals and aspirations an individual may have, as well as what obstacles may be in their way. If Stel thinks it necessary, instead of directly helping them reach their goals, they may bolster the individual’s support network to provide them with encouragement and resources instead – provided the individual has one, of course. If an individual doesn’t, Stel can instead help them build their own network of peers and friends by drawing them together by virtue of shared virtues

> Blessing of Plenty | Stel can boost/bolster objects or ideas until they reach the pinnacle of what they’re meant to be, though funnily enough, it’s much more difficult to reverse this effect. For example, Stel can boost a rotten apple to the paragon of delicious apples, but reversing such an effect take some time (and likely frustration)

Ace

> Where The Mind Wants To Go | Ace can pick out and easily understand someone’s thought processes, logic, and analyses, whether that be in the moment, prospective, or retrospective. This allows him to trace someone’s mental footsteps, understand where they’re coming from, and potentially predict what conclusions and actions they may take in the future to an astonishing degree. In order for this to work the best, however, Ace needs to have been in contact with the individual in question at some point, preferably around the time when Ace tries to get in their head (so to speak). Since thoughts and behaviors can change over time, the farther away from the instance of contact Ace tries to see, the more variable the results are. Additionally, Ace can pass this knowledge and understanding to others

> Where You Let It Go | Ace can try to propose a new paradigm or worldview to another person, or help facilitate the change much more easily and smoothly. This requires the person to be willing to change their mindset (however small), and what their mind changes to needs to be compatible with their core beliefs and experiences for it to work the best. Ace may be able to force a drastic change in someone with great effort, but such results will not stick around long unless the individual comes around to the new ideas and patterns.

> All Together, Now | Ace can help easily bridge the gap in understanding and opinions in a group of people by collecting all of the common beliefs and ideals and creating a paradigm that includes such common ground. The differences, then, are much easier to look past, though if someone believes strongly in the differing opinion, they will still hold onto it. However, it’s relatively easy to resolve such cognitive dissonance. The ultimate goal of this ability is to allow differing people to hold onto what they individually believe while understanding other perspectives much easier thanks to a shared basis. 

History

“What we want to be is who we are, and the stories we tell are our own.”

To be like Sun Wukong and Tripitaka, to be like the brave soldiers who fought for their kingdoms, to be…

Yingxiong (英雄) always dreamt of being a hero like their namesake; their parents foresaw greatness in his future, and by the Heavens was he going to try or die trying. But– 

“Come on, Yingying, we need to go hunting for pigs, remember? We can be heroes later.”

Xingxing (星星) was much more content with the world they knew in the moment: the rice paddies, their small village, their parents, and their best friend Yingxiong — Yingying, he liked to tease, for how much he loved to pretend to be a great warrior. The stars overhead, the comforting congee on their tables, the friendly faces, the board games they’d win and lose, the books they’d read again and again, yes; this is their home, and they were happy.

Both were good and dutiful sons who took great pride in their work, their families, and their community, but Yingxiong was always the restless sort. He wanted to explore, he wanted to adventure out, he wanted…

The two were close, practically joined at the hip. They were neighbors, born on the same day, received their names on the same day, shared dinner together, laughed and played together. They were family, even, but such a word didn’t always sufficiently encompass what one meant to the other. They certainly weren’t lovers, either – such was forbidden in their small town, but neither necessarily felt romantic attraction. Xingxing liked to joke that Yingying was their heart, and he their mind. Yingying liked to joke back that their mind didn’t think as often as it liked to claim, earning a sharp elbow to their side.

Still…

“Leave the village? Where would you go? What would you eat? What would you do?”

Xingxing knew their other half had a wanderlust unquenchable with stories alone, but they never thought that there’d ever be the day where they’d separate. They were adults now, sure, and Xingxing was considering trying to study for the national exam so that they’d be able to better support and care for their small rural village, but what Yingying proposed was just– completely outside of their paradigm. The countryside was dangerous enough, but to travel roads far beyond was deadly.

“You could get hurt, or sick, or hungry, or–”

“Or fame. Or some excitement! I’d be anything but safe and comfortable. But I don’t want to stay here forever; I owe myself and my parents who gave me my life and name to, well, make a name for myself. I want to be more than just a country boy. I want to be a hero Sun Wukong would be proud of.”

Xingxing gripped Yingying’s wrist tightly, fearing that the smallest of winds would blow and take him far far away at the slightest of falters. He looked into the heart’s eyes, searching for some sort of ploy or jest that would designate this to be one big, cruel joke. But, the mind knew where the heart lay, and that was not here in their tiny, safe, and comfortable village. Yingying certainly wasn’t taking any joy from this exchange, either, so when he took Xingxing’s shoulder, there was a special kind of tenderness that neither had thought possible.

“I want to be a hero that you’d be proud of. If you want, you can come with me. We can find a new home, together.”

Xingxing bit his lip, breaking their eye contact to glower at the hand on his shoulder. How selfish, how disrespectful, how…

…Well, he certainly didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t want his other half to be alone, either. Perhaps they were both selfish in their own ways.

With a deep breath, Xingxing met Yingying’s eyes, and while the scowl hadn’t left their face, something about him had changed.

“Well, I certainly can’t go without packing my things and saying goodbye to our parents first.”

Relief washed over Yingying, but before he could speak, Xingxing pointed an accusatory finger at him. “Open your mouth and I will stuff a beehive into it. Let it be known that I am not happy.”

With a curt nod and a stunned look, Yingying stumbled while Xingxing dragged him along for their last visit home for the foreseeable future.

.

.

.

Their travels were… Certainly something, all right. Yingxiong had definitely made a name for himself as “the Warrior that wields blades and words with equal deft, yet couldn’t tell the difference between his left and right” (“hey, that’s not true!”). Xingxing was always by his side, and became known as “the Scholar that knows and writes enlightened literature, yet couldn’t say yes to a single question without deliberating for hours” (“well, I suppose that’s true…”). 

Through thick and thin, they had each other’s backs, and their mutual understanding and care had flourished into an instinctual sense for what the other was thinking and feeling. They moved with such grace and fluidity that baffled onlookers, for how could two people work in tandem so seamlessly? Of course, they’d bicker every so often, but such squabbles never held any ill-will; if anything, the banter served to reinforce their bond, and it was a normal and healthy thing to tease and jab at the other. After all, if they didn’t care, then they would be more withdrawn.

Yingxiong truly felt happy with who he was and all the good things he was able to achieve, and Xingxing loved learning and expanding his perspective and listening to others speak to their unique experiences. Combined, art and philosophy, physical might and astute thoughts, love of learning and love of life, mind, body, and soul – they were in sync, inseparable, complementary and balanced. Neither could imagine existing without the other, but they were their own person – one loved to talk, one loved to listen. One loved to draw, and one loved to write. One was athletic, one was shrewd. The two were never apart for terribly long and would amaze others with how in-tune yet independent they were. It was a strange thing indeed. 

Still, both could tell that there was… Something more. Perhaps there was another story waiting to be lived, or perhaps a different world waiting to be explored? Neither were sure, and their combined heads couldn’t parse out what it was that they were missing. There’s definitely something there, yes, but what…?

At some point, Xingxing sat Yingxiong down to discuss what the issue might be, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, he knew what the other was about to say.

“Something’s really bothering you, right? I could feel your uneasiness since last week.”

Xingxing paused, warranting a weird look from Yingxiong. As far as he was aware, his other half had only sat down with him and was already faltering. However, when he tried to speak, he heard the other’s voice despite their mouth being closed.

“How could you know? I haven’t even said anything.”

The two locked eyes for a long moment, now very bewildered. The more they thought about it, however, the more they started to piece things — together. Together.

They shared feelings and impressions, they knew how the other was doing without so much as a glance, they were even aware of what the other was doing despite being in two completely separate locations. How could that be? Neither thought about their shared connection until this moment; it had all come so easily and naturally. They were heart and mind, two halves of the same whole… Was that now literal? Was that what they were now vaguely aware of? But how?

Yingxiong suggested that they return to their home village to see their parents again after many years of travel, and Xingxing happily agreed. Yes, perhaps that’s what they were missing – perspective! Once they returned, they found that their town hadn’t changed much since they left, but the two had certainly changed. Their parents were very old and very tired at this point, but seeing their sons come home as accomplished travelers – but, more importantly, seeing them home in one piece – brought a surge of joy and energy unmatched by medicine.

“Some things have definitely stayed the same, though – my baobei (baby), your hair is still a mess. Haven’t I taught you anything, Yingxiong?”

“Ah, you still keep your brush in your pocket, baobao (baby). It’s a wonder how your clothes have not been stained with ink, Xingxing.”

The two rejoiced in their familial reunion, and between the two, they finally understood what was incomplete – they were paragon and had a very broad paradigm, but both without the anchor of where they began meant very little.

The night they returned, both were restless. The two felt nostalgic, content, and satisfied, and yet, there was still more..?

Xingxing looked to their other half, and Yingying squinted their eyes in thought. They were one, and two, but what does that mean, exactly?

“Well, we suppose there’s only one way to find out.”

Like hundreds of times before, they took each other’s hands, embraced. But this time, they emerged changed, different–

They Actualized.

Abstraction

Stel likes to claim that there’s a method to their madness, whereas Ace simply asserts that they like how it is and that’s all there is to it. Regardless of what either of them say, their Abstraction is quite messy to those unfamiliar. To be honest, it’s just a mess in general.

The landscape is a blend between eastern and western aesthetics, with a beautiful chinese garden, courtyard, and koi ponds that surround a grand gothic castle complete with flying buttresses and stained glass windows. There are a bunch of artifacts and knick knacks lying around that the two have collected over the years, each of which carries a lot of sentimental value. Such items include a painting of the two, a sword that Stel particularly liked, a book that Ace likes to quote often, perhaps an unhealthy amount of numbered polyhedrons, etc. 

The sky above follows something like a consistent cycle of a warm peach and purple day with clouds lazily meandering across to an indigo and red night sky with a canopy of brilliant stars. There is also a herd of guinea pigs that have taken up permanent residence within their Abstraction, and they roam about the gardens as if they own the place. (And, perhaps in a way, they do). Such animals tend to be skittish and timid, but become very friendly when presented with food.