#Tales From The Bard

[ladyday93]

The gentle rise and fall of their daughter's breaths filled the quiet space between Harry and Luna. Artemisia, swaddled in a soft, moonlit blue blanket, slept peacefully, oblivious to the whirlwind of emotions swirling around her parents.

Harry, his hand resting lightly on Luna's back, traced a lazy circle with his thumb. He stole a glance at her, his heart swelling with a love as profound as any magic he'd ever encountered. Luna, her hair a cascade of moonlight on the pillow, was gazing at their daughter with an expression of pure adoration.

"She's perfect, isn't she?" Luna whispered, her voice husky with sleep and love.

Harry leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "More than perfect," he murmured. He couldn't help but marvel at how Luna, with her unique way of seeing the world, had brought a sense of wonder to their lives, a quality that only intensified with the arrival of their daughter.

A comfortable silence settled between them, punctuated only by the soft snores of their little one. Harry pictured their future, a future filled with laughter, late-night Quidditch matches in the backyard, and bedtime stories filled with Wrackspurts and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He knew there would be challenges, battles to be fought, darkness to face. But as long as he had Luna and their daughter by his side, he knew he could face anything.

With a contented sigh, Harry snuggled closer to Luna, a silent promise hanging in the air. They would raise Artemisia in a world filled with love, laughter, and a healthy dose of magic, a world where anything was possible, even for a girl named after a moon goddess. The future stretched before them, vast and unknown, yet filled with the promise of a love that burned brighter than any Patronus charm.

[krotiation]

i haven't seen anyone make rhys a bard in a fantasy au which is a crime frankly so i had to draw it... plus necromancer jack bc duh

[shrillvoices]

I tried to do some more since you guys really liked the last one. Enjoy.

Let me know if I should do more!

[stinky-dragon-character-week]

Hey folks! It's time for another character week! Mark your calendars for October 21st through October 27th for a whole week focused on the ever popular Bartholemew "Bart" The Bard!

Just like with all the previous character weeks, there will be a lot of different prompts. You can choose either one of the prompts, OR all of them to submit. You can interpret them however you want! All forms of art are accepted! (Fics, drawing/paintings, videos, etc!)

(Inspiration dice will be given out for creativity once again 😉 so be creative!)

The same rules as the other weeks still applies, meaning keep everything minor friendly and don't forgot to tag #BartWeek2024 or @ me!

Here are the prompts!

Day 1/Oct. 21st - The Jebediah / Mother in arms / Found Fathers

Day 2/Oct. 22nd - "Now. GROVEL." / "This plan will DEFINITELY work."

Day 3/Oct. 23rd - Ep. 6 / Ep. 79 / Fatal Flaw

Day 4/Oct. 24th - Serenade / Drunken Flirting

Day 5/Oct. 25th - Horns and Scales / Testing New Abilities

Day 6/Oct. 26th - Pirate AU / Chosen One AU

Day 7/Oct. 27th - Free day / Canon Divergance

[lunarifie]

When the big beautiful bodacious women you’ve been romancing the entire campaign turns out to be a distant distant distant distant distant relative

[aroacesetitoff]

You guys should make a support group or something

[pileofpawns]

Can you believe it. Can you believe that Bart, with nothing but some string, made himself a little lute and taught himself to sing.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

Bhats (not to be confused with the surname) - the bards of India.

Who are they? What are they? And what do they?

Well, simply put, they are/were storytellers -- the bards of South Asia.

They have also served as mythographers. What is a mythographer?

Think Snorri Sturluson or Ovid.

They will collect, translate, tell, or write collections of mythic stories that carry historical importance, pass it on, share it, perform.

As the valuation and societal weight of/on castes grew, eventually bards/Bhats were split into two sorts: An upper class and lower class in whom they served.

The wealthy, higher castes had their own bhats that served in many respects for a modern western comp. like the Maesters out of game of thrones. They would tell stories tied to and recite genealogy - family history as well as educational stories, and even perform storied eulogies for the passing of family members in wealthy families. The lower class bhats would do genealogy for patrons as well as a focus more on entertainment but not necessarily education (though you can argue that because stories are educational.

Unfortunately, this division and status worsened with time with sort of an upper class privileged bard/bhat that performed praise songs, story-tellers, and revered poets, vs the lower class "puppeteers or mummers telling folk tales only" -- considered riffraff.

The upper class of bards especially served Rajput families in ensuring glory, recognition, histories of their families deeds/goodness, birth, impeccable genealogy, all of which of course was used to continue to hold on to or grow political appeal/legitimacy and social status.

At times, bhats, along with monks (particularly of Jainistic backgrounds), and those of the Hindu Brahmin caste would compete in storytelling to mold/shape perception of tales among the royalty and those they wished to convince of certain ways of thinking by telling alternative histories or tales of family lines/kings past, and deeds done by them, and the kingdoms themselves.

Note: THEY DID NOT tell alternative versions of the epics/myths.

Now, that has happened through time and travel. There are alternative/localized versions of the South Asian myths and epics in many regions and other Asian countries due to travel and time - mostly carried through by Buddhism and its spread. This includes variations in Ramayama and Mahabharata in places.

But the Bhats, pandits, Brahmins, and other forms of storytellers/priests, sages, wise ones, did not by and large contribute to that. Not at least in the example and history here which is being relegated to their performance/duties for royal families, and then public with the lower class of bhats, who sadly continued to suffer as well as the upper class with British Raj which stripped many of their honor and status and left most historical families of storytellers by caste impoverished and these are just some light notes on one part of India's diverse and rich layered storytelling history and people who did it.

This part of the world had stories told by priests, sages, poets, bards, courtesans, and more.

It's home to so many styles and structures of storytelling (I did a primer on those a while back) unique to it and some that went on to spur/inspire structures used onward.

[protect-namine]

you know, I think neji would enjoy playing dnd. getting to write stories and play characters with no limitations, and having to improv with the other players because he would never have full control of where the story was headed? it would be a dream come true, and also therapeutic. neji would of course be the dm who would "yes and" anything his players want to do. the story would be something everyone has input on and would help shape. an adventure that neji himself couldn't predict or write on his own. also, just imagine him describing his setting and doing all his character voices, he'd love that so much

I think it would be a good exercise for quartz too, because they'd have to make their own characters and backstories and roleplay in character without a script to direct them. especially to kisa "transparent vessel" tachibana, who can act out any character but is afraid of letting herself be seen through them. similarly, kai as well, since he'd be in charge of his own character instead of propping someone else up

on the flip side, fumi would get to enjoy playing a character but not having the pressure to be the lead/spotlight of a story. he's there to play, not perform

sou would also LOVE dnd. I think he'd be really into the character creation and lore, and is probably the next person I can think of who can try being the dm when neji is sick/tired/wants to be a player. he's the player who takes down notes and remembers one small detail neji mentioned four sessions ago that becomes relevant to the current session. neji loves him because sou is the one who appreciates his world building the most

suzu and fumi would instigate so much in the adventure, which neji would love. suzu makes a character everyone loves (like hachipochi) and always brings snacks to the table

fumi has read all of the player handbook, and mitsuki has read maybe a quarter of it (only the relevant parts to his character and how some dice rolls and combat work). mitsuki is also the one who doesn't put much effort into his character's backstory but unexpectedly gets big character development during the adventure, surprising everyone in the table including both the dm and himself

otori is very good at both roleplaying and combat, has created a compelling character, and tries to go on solo adventures but eventually gets roped into the party because he can't adventure alone in neji's setting

[tarhonk]

okay now i’m a d&d fanatic. I have to show the world this podcast. I present to thee, Mudd Bramblecrack and his badger, Gumbo from Tales from the Stinky Dragon

[ladyday93]

The salt-laced wind whipped through Harry's hair, the roar of the sea a counterpoint to the storm raging within him. Luna, nestled in his arms, was in this moment, a fragile bird against the wind.

He'd thought he was protecting her, shoving her away in a clumsy, desperate attempt to shield her from the darkness he knew he had to face. But the darkness had found her anyway, twisted its tendrils around her heart, leaving wounds that ran deeper than any physical scar.

His own grief, the weight of loss and sacrifice, had seemed like a mountain to climb. But now, holding Luna, feeling her trembling frame, the mountain crumbled to dust, replaced by a vast, echoing emptiness. He was the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, but he couldn't even save the girl he loved.

Luna's hair, the color of spun moonlight, tickled Harry’s cheek as he held her close. Tears he'd bottled up for months finally spilled over, soaking her worn jumper. Each shuddering sob felt like an accusation, a whispered betrayal against the backdrop of the crashing waves.

"I'm so sorry," he choked out, the words hollow against the weight of her pain. "I should have been there. I should have protected you."

She pulled back, her eyes, usually brimming with ethereal wonder, now clouded with a sorrow that mirrored his. "No, Harry," she said, her voice a whisper against the wind. "It wasn't your fault. You had to… you had to do what you had to do."

Harry looked at her, his own eyes mirroring the storm-tossed sea. "But you…" he began, the words catching in his throat. "You shouldn't have had to bear the brunt of it. I should have…"

Luna reached out, her fingers tracing the lines of his face, a ghost of her old mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Harry," she said gently, "we faced it together. Remember? We always faced it together. Even when we were apart, we were connected, weren't we?"

He nodded, remembering the strange sense of shared pain and shared joy that had bound them, a connection deeper than any physical proximity. "Yes," he whispered, "we were."

Luna pulled him closer, her arms wrapping around him tightly. "And we will be again," she murmured. "We'll find our way back to the light, Harry. Together."

He held onto her, burying his face in her hair, the scent of salt and seaweed a strange comfort. The storm raged around them, but in that embrace, a fragile hope began to bloom, a promise of a future where they could face anything, together.

[enomil-archive]

Started listening to Tales from the stinky dragon recently and I rushed a little sketch for Bart!!! I just think he's very silly and i love it

[shrillvoices]

Part 9/10

[stinky-dragon-character-week]

Mudd week 2024

Mark your calendars for February 5th to February 11th for 1 whole week of your favorite firbolg!

Rules are simple;

No NSFW submissions

Tag all posts you want submitted with Mudd Week 2024

Drawings, fics, and videos are all welcome

No stealing or copying submissions from others

Multiple and late submissions are allowed

Have fun with it!

All submissions will be reblogged here, so everyone can see them!

Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's talk themes/prompts

There will be a total of seven prompts. You can choose either one or both of the prompts to submit. You can interpret them however you want, as long as you have fun!

Day 1 (February 5th): In the past / Not a chance

Day 2 (February 6th): "Am I real?" / "Who are you?"

Day 3 (February 7th): Ep. 71 / "I remember now."

Day 4 (February 8th): Modern AU / Canon divergence

Day 5 (February 9th): Family portrait / Childhood Memories

Day 6 (February 10th): Betrayal / "You are not my brother."

Day 7 (February 11th): Free day / AU day

[mrsthunderkin]

GOLLY-GEE do I love drawing Barty in his youth

[fancypantsrecords]

Malcolm Robinson - Tales From The Spoony Bard / Hymn Of The Crystals | Mana Wave | 2023 | "Tales From The Spoony Bard" Green, White & Orange Tricolor | /500

Arrangements of music from Final Fantasy IV