I don't think that word means what you think it means....connotations...
("connotes" <> "=". It literally means "to imply other loosely related or associated meanings, in addition to the literal meaning).
Sorry, feeling pedantic this morning...
I don't think that word means what you think it means....connotations...
"Deva" makes me think of Mariah Carey or Celine Dion, who annoy me to no end.
Except that Devas are godlike, if not actual divinities in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The connotations are all wrong. If you want a real word, Nephilim is a better choice.
I just don't see it. Instead of making up a word (I'm looking at you too, tiefling) or co-opting a name that implies something else why not try make something simple and descriptive? Reincarnation is a big theme, right? How about Everborn or Lightchild.
They haven't cannibalized Guardinals just yet. And this is even after I came up with an idea that they should be tribes of nature spirits in the natural world, who look almost human.Celestial was the name they originally planned for the race. I'm not sure why they changed.
I kind of like that they've cannabilised each of the celestials now - angels are no longer Lawful Good, archons are elemental-armor-mercenaries, eladrin are fey, and devas are aasimar.
Deva is silly-especially because it so commonly used as slang here in the US (as noted by many posters- Diva)
Deva (pronounced DAY-VA) is not slang in the US.
Saying it's silly just because you don't pronounce it correctly, and thus associate it with an entirely different word with an entirely different root, is silly.