Edeia Development
So you have an Edeia - now what? This page will offer help in how you can start developing your Edeia.
First things first - it is highly recommended that you read the Lore Guide. The Inspiration section would be good to read for enrichment, but much of the guide would likely be useful for development.
Note from Auspice: I will note that I often use Edeia to explore personal growth, but you may make of them what you please. Just remember that the process of Actualization involves discovering your identity, so there should not be any Edeia who live an existence they don't wish to; if they do not, their existence will shift to become who they want to be. There can be periods of turmoil, transitioning, and transformation, but the more intense changes typically happen before Actualization.
Conceptualization
A good first step to Edeia development is a Conceptualization. This is a form you can fill out that provides something of a structure to your development. Refer to the Conceptualization page for details
Other Forms
You may wish to design (or commission others to design) different forms of your Edeia. Some examples for Val are below.
Alternate Form
Edeia may have one alternate form if you wish, and you do not need approval to make one. This is a form that they find just as comfortable as their usual form, and they may stay in this alternate form as long as they desire. The colors of the alternate form may vary, but it is common that they are the same; regardless the Edeia should be otherwise recognizable. The alternate forms of some Edeia may change drastically, while others may only have minor changes (such as changing only one part of the body).
This is a way of giving the opportunity to essentially "redesign" your Edeia without going through the whole process of payment and masterlist edits; this form can fully represent the character as much as the main form.
You can see a gallery of alternate forms here.
Previous Form
Most Edeia were human in the past, but they could be any animal or other species (refer to the Origins Guide and Ideated Characters guide). For non-mundane species, they must have entered the Ideation dimension and/or have been influenced by Ideation's abilities (i.e. being given an Idea or developing one by being in proximity to a fragment of Ideation). Edeia forms of other closed species and such are allowed if it is allowed for the other species, but note that becoming an Edeia is irreversible. They may shapeshift to look like their previous form, but once they become an Edeia, that is their state of existence.
Generally, there may be gradual cosmetic changes as an ideated individual approaches Actualization. Eye color typically changes first, though later on, hair color and skin color may change. In rare cases, there can be drastic changes in physical form (such as part of a body shifting into an energy form as Edeia bodies are; extra appendages; more eyes, etc.). If a to-be Edeia's magic is unstable (whether caused by emotional instability or lack of control over the magic), then drastic changes can be more likely.
How changed your character is by Idea magic prior to Actualization is up to you; some still end up only with changed eyes.
You can see a gallery of previous forms here.
Humanoid Form/Hybrid Form
Edeia may also have a humanoid form, a.k.a. a gijinka form, or a hybrid form with resemblance to whatever other species they were previously. This is a special case of a shapeshifted non-alternate form.
A hybrid form that closely resembles an Edeia's natural form can be used for significant spans of time without extreme discomfort. It's a bit like wearing a suit - obviously not as comfortable as comfy wear like soft shirts and sweatpants, but very manageable.
The more closely it resembles their natural Edeia form, the more comfortable it tends to be.
Usually, these forms resemble Edeia's previous forms; Edeia who had a previous form of a different species may have the equivalent form with their previous species. You are welcome to make a humanoid form even if they weren't human previously, of course - it would just count as an "other form."
There are not any rules for hybrid forms, per se - this is something mostly for fun, and as a creative exercise. That said, Auspice's general approach for humanoid forms is to try and make them more "cosplayable," with a very human shape at the core.
You can see a gallery of humanoid/hybrid forms here.
Humanlike Form
"Humanlike" forms can be considered a subset of "humanoid" forms, with humanlike forms appearing more like a normal or ideated human. If they appear more or less entirely human, they can also be considered "human disguises."
You can see a gallery of humanlike forms here.
Other Forms
Edeia are very much capable of shapeshifting in the general sense, and you are welcome to make as many temporary forms as you wish. For instance, you may be interested in making a cat form, a winter form, a mer form, etc.
You can see a gallery of other forms here.
Development Prompts
The Development Prompts are a set of prompts that you can complete for each Edeia you own. The main goal of this is to have fun and help guide the development of your Edeia, and the main reward is considered the development and content you make for yourself.
See the Development Prompts page for more information.
What Next?
There are still plenty of activities to do - prompts are offered on an approximately monthly basis, which can help you think about your Edeia further.
You may also enjoy designing fusions between your Edeia, your and others' Edeia, and with entirely different species.
If you want to talk with Auspice and other folks about your characters and such, you can join the Discord server as well!