#Tjardek

[pallanophblargh]

Come on, brain. Do something. Anything. Okay, not that. Remember all the things you used to do? No, NOT. THAT. Don’t you want to doodle? Do some worldbuilding? Answer all those top tier asks burning a hole in your inbox?

Oh you’re impossible.

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My boy, bemused by balloon! I love his expression, and his delicate hold on the balloon string. <3

Happy birthday, @pallanophblargh! Here is Tjardek enjoying a cheerful balloon.

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Making some time to casually poke at Tjardek’s design. It’s been so damn long, it’s been good to draw this boy again.

Someday I’ll make an official reference, if only for my own enjoyment.

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Did You Know?

Pallanophs are cute and I love them.

This is news to the brothers. It sounds like something their mother would say.

Tjardek: “agh mom we’re not cubs anymore!”

Sorstan: “I still very much like to hear it though.”

And it’s good to hear it, thank you!

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@felesrubrum wanted to know some pallanoph fast facts so here we are with a few additional poorly lit sketchbook scribbles.

‘Noph gaits are pretty close to feline, with the exception of the upright head carriage; the front legs and shoulders have very high range of motion (at the time, somewhere between big cats and baboons but I need to put the work in), and yes, opposable thumbs!

Have some sassy Tjardek demonstrations?

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I’ll be starting Inktober commissions soon, but before I can start, I needed a warm up with some long overdue pallanophs: in this case, a sneering/snarling Tjardek. No, that’s not a devious grin, unfortunately.

Even if it’s been quite some time, the Pentel pocket brush pen has a way of making me feel it’s always been one of my best friends.

Personal character and pallanophs in general are for my use only.

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So tell me more about Tjardek's living structures and Sorstan's magpies. :D -- Tjardek's #1 Fan

Oh man, let’s see if I can get a little bit of world-building up in here!

I’ve been thinking about ‘noph dwellings for a while now, and though it very much depends on the habitat, most of the woodland ‘nophs will build with stones of varying sizes, coupled with dug-outs and live trees. Some pallanophs are almost human like in their habits and will fell trees (I’m going to have to come up with methods as to how they manage that) and make almost cabin-like structures that may lean against hillsides or be free-standing, but a lot of woodland ‘nophs prefer a less destructive approach, where they plant sapling trees of fast growing and flexible nature (I feel like birches would work, but I need to read more, also they likely have their own special tree species unique to their world) and basically plant them to form living walls. They tend the trees, gently prune, tie, and stake, often meticulously weaving them together while providing them fertilizer (blood and bones from kills in particular, along with composted mulches). In a handful of years, the trees are grafted to one another to create a sturdy roof, after which point the framework of the living dwelling is finished and the trees are more or less left to continue their growth. Insulation (exterior) is composed of interwoven pine boughs/needles, or mats of living vegetation.

Some pallanophs might get a little ornamental with their grafting. I imagine Tjardek enjoys adding little embellishments with his growing trees: He’s grown some very nice ornamental windows for the dwelling they all share. As for how Tjardek came upon this unusual craft, I imagine it turned up just before adolescence, when Sorstan acknowledged his brother’s dangerous temper and decided to turn his energies to more positive ends. I imagine there was a conversation that went something like this:

Sorstan: “You need to think about things that DON’T make you angry. What are those things?”

Tjardek: “You. Sometimes… and mom.”

Sorstan: “OTHER things. Don’t get smart at me.”

Tjardek: “Alright… the trees, they don’t gossip, for one thing. And they’re quiet, unlike your birds.”

Which brings us to Sorstan’s birds! False magpies (they’ll get a better name someday?) serve as a messenger service if you don’t want to/can’t send a message in person. The magpies are wicked smart and have excellent verbal memory, so can recite a message pretty reliably. Magpies have a strong tie to pallanophs, as the pallanophs supply food, nesting, shelter, and protection for their services. Sorstan and Tjardek mostly work together as border rangers (they escort ambassadors from other tribes, report movement of pallanophs within and outside of the tribe, and protect the tribe from aggressive rogues, among other things) but both of them need their side hobbies to relax and unwind. Sorstan regularly feeds most of the village’s birds scraps and special treats, checks and treats them for any parasites, illnesses, injuries, etc., and plays Big Brother during fledging season, where he dutifully climbs trees to return clumsy chicks to their nests. He also teaches them pallanoph words to increase their innate speaking ability: persistent coaching and encouragement yields the best messengers, after all. To make a long story short, he is the ultimate bird friend.

(I’m totally cheating by giving them jobs/hobbies that are relevant to my interests… ahahahah, worldbuilding, bit by tiny bit!)

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Hey there! Can I ask which of the Pallanophs or Aequis you'd most love to get some fanart of?

Aaaah! I wish I could insert handy links but I’m currently condemned to mobile hell, so I’ll list names (all of which should have their own tags?)

For ‘nophs, I’m always down to see art of any of them, but have admitted soft spots for Tjardek, Sorstan, Tjora, Sulra, Neng, (and Neng’s unnamed moms heh). For Aequis, my biggest babies are Shirk and Dahlia, and we’d include Miel if only I’d make proper art of her!

In short, any and all fan art is good and wholeheartedly welcomed by me!

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"You let them under your skin." Train doodle vent art, using Tjardek to channel as always. Ballpoint pen, so I guess this counts as Inktober (unofficially).

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I needed to take a moment to do some personal work, and at the same time I decided I couldn’t deprive you of pallanophs any longer.

Tjardek and his mother. Feels.

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I had a rather unpleasant day today (thanks, asshole at the light rail station!) so I scribbled this out to channel some of the negative energy away. Tjardek isn't naturally a wonky pallanoph, I just failed him this time around. Got his head right, though! Will probably correct the anatomy/perspective later during spare time. (Ha!)

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It's been a very long time since pallanophs, so here is a rusty sketch to prove it: Sorstan anticipates a strong reaction from his brother, Tjardek, regarding his assignment. Oh dear. I win the award for least developed characters in general, but I am starting to learn things about them again, so maybe there is hope for this project after all.

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@wyrd66 wanted to see Tjardek and his big brother Sorstan demonstrating some pallanoph sleeping habits, both as cubs and as adults! Because... Both cute. Sorstan: looking out for little brother since day one, since he absolutely will not stop rampaging into trouble.

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Tjardek with thistles. I seriously need to make some maquettes of pallanoph faces for every conceivable reason. (Something is off, and I'm sure I'll find out what that is soon.)

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Pallanophs get angry when I neglect them? *shrug* Yet another novel scene concept, perhaps too spoiler-y? Tjardek (bottom left) vs. Flier. (Get her, Tjardek!) 'Noph snarls are finally coming together. I've been dissatisfied with them for years. A dash of baboon and hyena fixed that nicely. I love busting out fun and implausible poses for fight scenes.

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I am regularly irritated by my inability to convey markings efficiently. It's just not my forte, though I want it to be so bad. Sorstan and Tjardek's markings and colors had been getting on my nerves for ages, so I decided to take out a little time to get it settled once and for all. Tjardek has retained a lot of mom's darker markings and patterning, but gained excess pheomelanin, white, and spotting from dad. Sorstan just managed to get more of dad's genetics than his mom's, which really makes him stand out. (Which doesn't end well at all.)

Here's the end result! And maybe it's just me, but I feel these two are far too pretty to be seen as ugly in the eyes of their Teirn tribe members.

Ginger 'nophs are best 'nophs, right next to melanistic 'nophs. (Which I still need to draw...)

I still can't help but think other folks would be better at designing pallanophs than I am.