#bard of space aesthetic

[tavtiers]

the Bard of Space: one who passively destroys creation and beginnings

sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x

[bacchuschucklefuck]

dreaming abt sophomore year class swap bard!riz

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

HEY HEY MAC. QUESTION. now that you’re familiar with vash what would u classpect him. i said he’d be a page probably (yk long journey which ends in unfathomable power) and ros said maybe page of life but they also said maybe muse of blood which. is a classpect for him that drive me crazy bonkers. i was also v partial to prince/bard of doom. do u have Thoughts

OHHH FUCK YEAH CLASSPECT QUESTION. YES PLEADE I LOVE TALKING CLASSPECTS MORE THAN ANYTHING I ALWAYS HAVE CLASSPECT THOUGHTS. OUGH OK.

Initial thought was also page!!!! page is a good class for him i think. page of life specifically works REALLY well, i think vash is a stronger life player than a blood player. (in a similar vein. perhaps knight of life. i think making vash and knives both life players but vash is a knight/page and knives is a prince. ough.)

ON THE OTHER HAND. I ALWAYS FORGET MUSE AND LORD ARE AN OPTION. HOLY SHIT. consider perhaps. muse of life vash, lord of doom (or rage? maybe rage.) knives.

[tierstuck-aesthetic]

Prince of Time <> Bard of Space playlist?

Here you are!

[ukiiseikou]

my breath twists with yours.

various genshin (diluc, wanderer, kazuha, xiao) x gn! reader. various things that happens after moving in together.

diluc: the space is filled

despite all the servants, diluc used to coming home to an empty and eerie mansion after his nights as the darknight hero. but now you're always greeting him at the door (no matter how late it is - you seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to when he's coming back) and he feels like he can actually relax as you guide him through his night routine. even in the mornings, when it is usually quiet as he flips through the delivered newspapers and stack of papers, he can hear you humming the latest song you heard from one of the traveling bards or your laughter as you chat to the housemaids about new gossip. the cracks in the walls get filled with chatter and noise thanks to you, and it makes him feel warm.

wanderer: taking up space

you gotta cram two people's stuff into his flat now, and that means taking over stuff and space that was always just his. he finds it a bit inconvenient at first - he reaches for his coffee mug only to find your's there, and his mug has been re-situated into another cabinet because "it's a different shape!". he can't find his moisturiser because YOUR skincare products have invaded his counter space and he just sighs. morning routines are ruined and the way things are placed that made sense to him are completely irrelevant to you. eventually he gets used to the reminders of you everywhere, like it was always there. he even starts reminding you where you placed something, like when you can't find your keys and he tells you its on the counter next to his.

kazuha: picking furniture together

he adds anything he finds 'aesthetic' and that calls out to him into the cart, and ends up with a eclectic mix of fabrics, textures, and woods that would send any self-respecting interior designer into a coma. even he admits he might've been a little too overboard, and eventually he settles with picking a few of his favourites and letting you handle the rest while he hovers behind you like a busy bee. grows giddy at the thought of creating a space that just feels like the both of you - his mind constantly running with thoughts of domestic bliss like cooking together and relaxing in the sun, the smell of freshly brewed tea in the air and the wind in your hair.

xiao: two of everything

xiao is used to being alone, and has been for a really long time, and old habits die hard. he struggles to adjust initially when you finally move in with him. keeps forgetting to make two cups of tea in the morning instead of just one, and grumbles and angrily scrubs at the plates about doing twice as much washing up but snaps at you when you offer to do it. but he gets used to it and thinks that being able to curl up next to you at the end of the day far outweighs any extra trouble he has to go through. he grows soft and starts thinking of you whenever he's out - bringing back flowers that brighten up your living room and ornaments that reminded him of you.

if you finished & liked it, please consider liking and reblogging ~ thank youuu

[lordharmony]

🌈✨CRINGETOBER 2024✨🌈 DAY 5: GIJINKA

So I did not start off drawing humans. I drew mainly cats and dogs growing up, which is funny because NOW I can't draw either. I'd say the biggest shift to drawing people was inspiration from anime, Steven Universe, and weirdly, Kirby.

That's right, I used to be a very mediocre Kirby gijinka artist. I never got too much attention on the forums I was on, but I remember that I always hated everyone turning the puffball into a skinny anime boy. So my version was an attempt to be different, while staying in the normal conventions set up by the fandom. (WHY DID WE ALL DRAW HIM IN A HOODIE?) He just, kind of looks like Steven Universe lol.

(Order from oldest to more recent. By recent I mean like, 10 years ago?)

So, this is probably less of an ironed out gijinka design for Kirby and more specifically a redesign of this old version. After picking out what I liked (mainly the circle shapes and pants) I sketched up this design and due to time, jumped into and finished the art above.

I kind of went with a bit of a bard aesthetic, I definitely envision Popstar as a fantasy land due to things like there being a king--with the futuristic tech coming from space. So, I leaned super in the fantasy direction, then added stars everywhere, all while keeping him as pink as possible. If I were to try again, I'd try to have less yellow, but man, it is hard to make a monochrome color scheme.

Hopefully you like what I came up with--at least, more than my original one!

[proserpinesprankster]

Talk about your fantrolls NOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALRIGHTY BITCHES. So note that some have more iterations than others and im prolly gonna fix up the less refined ones AS I AM TALKING.

Ill add a cut because theres so fucking much of them.

Feel free to ask more questions i love my sillies!!!

Lets go in order of caste, therefore...

FIRST OF ALL! Nihila Umbrax, the Knight of Void, Derse sway, Burgundy Blood.

Nihila is a burgundy who was less fortunate at wriggling to say the least. They have multiple significant mutations, their eyes are solid red and their height is comparable to that of an older purpleblood, aswell as large mothlike wings. All of this and its seclusion in the woods has led to it being mystified as a local cryptid, the fact that its horns are shaped like antennae does not help the mothman allegations. Beneath all of this Nihila is overall just a big clumsy blind individual, they like to tinker with electronics and usually end up dumpster diving to salvage parts. They were most likely the troll who got SGrub up and working for the group, but its cryptid nature is not at all ceased during the game. Bowkind Strife.

Next we have Squash Tapeko, the Bard of Space, Prospit sway, Bronze Blood.

Squash is a bit of an anomaly in general, being that he operates outside of the typical laws of space and time. Paradox space and Squash get along like two peas in a pod, or more aptly two pumpkins in a patch, while normal space seems to avoid him like the plague. Hes always wearing those tacky shades that have the lines and stuff, and only has one horn which curls like a stem. Anyone accquainted with the laws of paradox space can tell in an instant this goofy goober is like a pumpkin given physical form. He likes to garden, usually growing squashes for later use as plot devices. Sodakind Strife.

Next! Aureum Crisia, the Maid of Light, Derse Sway, Gold Blood.

Aureum has little to no psiioniics despite being a goldblood, she's insecure for obvious reasons. She compensates with over the top optimism, though in truth she is a realist who never waits for things to fall into her hand. She has spent her whole life using charisma and wit to work her way into alternian business, despite the prejudice shown by higher classes. She can be a bit shady sometimes, but she refuses to take any disrespect. Coinkind Strife.

Beitah Bliuta, the Sylph of Breath, Prospit Sway, Olive Blood.

Beitah is close with Nihila, shes shared purr hive with them for as long as they can remember, practically siblings. Their hive is rudimentary regardless, mostly a well decorated cavern. Beitah is overall playful and childish, and the youngest of the group. She is also however a bit feral, for lack of a better word, most view purr as just overall weird for any of these things. Beitah is smaller than most of the others and wears baggy clothes constantly.

Raekie Venaer, the Rogue of Doom, Prospit Sway, Jade Blood.

Raekie likes to call themself a poet, followed by a murder of crow lusii constantly. They didn't favor life in the brooding caverns and instead live in a makeshift treehouse they ended up making after running away. They don't live in the same area as Beitah and Nihila but they do exchange tips through Trollian, and of course Raekie shares their cheesy poetry. Despite the gothic aesthetic Raekie is a terminal optimist, and knows good and well how cheesy their poetry is. Penkind Strife.

Terrun Biyiga, the Thief of Life, Prospit Sway, Teal Blood.

Terrun hates his own caste, plain and simple, mostly because of having lower class friends and realizing he was a part of the problem. He internalizes this hatred as of the start of the session, simply playing along. He has a certain level of internalized self hate, but covers all of this up with a hero complex and cowboy accent. Revolverkind Strife.

Now for a real interesting one, Celare Scurra, the Mage of Mind, Derse Sway, Cerulean Blood.

Celare Scurra is actually not 100% a troll. She always seems oddly well dressed, and never removes her gloves. On Derse, you may hear a whistling of a familiar tune, though back on Alternia it's less well known. Celare Scurra has joined The Midnight Crew on Derse. By some twist of fate, her body has a hint of Carapacian, which has shrouded half of her dreamself in black. She serves as a villain for this story, overall. Bit of a bitch, but unlike Vriska she doesn't flaunt it. Cardkind Strife.

Kirkor Stilis, the Heir of Heart, Prospit Sway, Indigo Blood.

Kirkor isn't the brightest, but he's sure lovable. Hes the only one even close to matching Nihila's height, and serves as Aureum's bodyguard at times as a result, warding off anyone who would threaten her due to his sheer scale. Theres some sort of moiraillegiac tension there, probably. Overall he serves as, well, the heart of the group. Hes also just very clumsy, someone give the 7 foot tall pair some dexterity. Hammerkind.

Manika Dexsue, the Witch of Hope, Derse Sway, Purple Blood.

Manika gets her kicks in a different way from most purplebloods, she usually only dresses up in the full clown getup for formal stuff. Normally shes wearing a dirty jumpsuit and rubber gloves with a purple gas mask, inviting Nihila over for their latest biomechanical experiment. Nibies' arm tends to end up the test subject. Manika is overall just a short mad scientist, and of course besties with Nihila. Sawkind / Needlekind Strife.

Sourim Paetel, the Seer of Blood, Derse Sway, Violet Blood.

Sourim is a socially inept hopeless romantic. He knows how to interact with high troll society... And thats about it. He's all prose and pretty words, with no real awareness of the state of things. He loves rainbow drinker literature, and this was why he first took an interest in Raekie, and then fell HARD. The fact that he has no social awareness makes flirting difficult, aswell as the fact that he takes Raekie's poetry seriously and Raekie doesn't take his seriously. Theyre both idiots with romance. Rapierkind Strife.

Ossico Blakke, Prince of Rage, Derse Sway, Fuchsia Blood.

Ossico is constantly tired, quick to anger if awoken from a good nap. Overall the whole group knows she has some anger issues to work through, but she cares deeply about her friends and is a sweetheart when shes calm. She is a force of raw destruction with a love for all things cutesy and brightly colored, and ducks. Furniturekind Strife.

Nibies Dulcis, Page of Time, Prospit Sway, Cotton Candy Blood.

Nibies was claimed by a purpleblood cult before she could be culled, and was worshipped as the avatar of their god, this was not a good thing for her. Eventually she did make it out and meet Manika, theyve got some sort of undisclosed redrom going on there, noones really sure. Nibies also hates Celare for an unknown reason, and its rather obvious theyve got some blackrom tension. Nibies is silly and over the top to make up for Manika's lack of clown behavior, with a very intense sweet tooth. She probably would have gone entirely mad if not for this group, and Manika and Nihila made her a prosthetic arm to replace the one she lost. Sweetskind Strife.

[nephriteknight]

Thoughts on Daggerheart!!

I'll admit I haven't really been following it until today, but after watching the videos released today I got very excited and ended up building a character and reading a lot of the book, as I am wont to do (might post about them later lol).

Now, full disclosure, I wouldn't say I'm all that familiar with the TTRPG space outside of D&D, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. That said, I've played D&D, Wanderhome, Alice is Missing, and the fan-made Hollow Knight TTRPG, and I've watched some AP of Kids on Bikes, Call of Cthulhu, Monsterhearts, and Candela Obscura, which is a longer list than I was expecting. Huh. Anyways, my thoughts!

I really like the duality dice! It's such an interesting way to do mixed success that incorporates story/character into mechanics, which is great.

Related to that, I also like Hope as a fluid resource, and I think that Fear is a nice way to both prompt GM action and to just create a fun sense of dread as the GM takes more tokens

The lack of turn order/action economy is... cool, and a really interesting idea, but my thoughts on this are complicated. As we're seeing in the oneshot right now, it really helps to keep combat as part of the story and give the players and GM room for creativity. (For example, Bunnie describing a counterstrike as part of her dodge, and being able to take it as soon as the GM's turn is over, as well as the tag team feature, which is very cool.) That said, I think this mechanic might not work so well with less experienced or less confident players, who might have trouble taking the initiative (heh) to act in combat (I know I certainly would if I wasn't playing with close friends). That's not really a criticism though -- this is a collaborative storytelling game, and part of playing it is making big moves and taking turns guiding the story. If that's not for you, then you might prefer a different system, which is fine! I think this mechanic has the potential to be really, really dope, but I also think it's the bit that has the most potential to go poorly in my eyes.

The art, design, and general aesthetic feel of this game are so unbelievably up my alley. I love it. That's all.

I'm excited to see that they're working on mechanics for playing disabled characters, but since they aren't out yet I can't really comment. (I did notice that the character in the bard art is in a wheelchair, which is dope.) Also, as others have noted, Daggerheart uses "heritage" and "ancestry" rather than "race", which is a small but good choice.

Personally, I also really like the choice to move away from precise measurements of distance and gold. This one is very much a personal preference, and I know some people will rightfully disagree, but I like it! As a DM, trying to determine the appropriate costs and rewards for things has always been a headache, and this seems much easier to manage; measuring distances with convenient and tangible measurements like the short side of a playing card or the length of a piece of paper also feels much easier to use.

The downtime mechanics are great! Each of the activities you can take prompts you to describe how you heal yourself or another, destress, repair armor, or prepare yourself for what's ahead, which really encourages quieter character moments both introspectively and with others. I'm a big fan of this. This combining of role play and mechanics is also present in other features, such as one of the major level 1 healing abilities, which is more effective if you spend the time it takes to cast learning something new about the person you're healing or sharing something about yourself.

I didn't look at this too closely because I was just making a character for fun and don't have a party to play with, but as part of character creation you're given questions about your relationships to your party members to answer. Wanderhome also has these, and they were MASSIVELY successful in creating depth and meaningful connections between players -- after our table's session zero I was already so invested in all our characters, and when we actually played them they really came to life. I haven't looked to closely at Daggerhearts version of this, but I'm very excited to see them.

The experience mechanic seems really fun and creative, and I especially like the idea of using a phrase rather than something specific. That said, when I played the Hollow Knight TTRPG, which also lets players create their own skills, the open endedness of it was more confusing than inspiring, and there was a lot of potential for a usefulness disparity between players. I do think Daggerheart explains it better, though, and limiting the use of experience with a Hope cost helps to counteract any choices that might be too broad, so hopefully it will work better

I probably have more thoughts, but it getting late and I have a headache, so that's all I'm saying for now :D

Overall, Daggerheart has combined a lot of things I've liked in other games with promising mechanics I haven't seen before, and I'm very excited to try it out. I'm now realizing that I just made a list of things I like without any negative feedback, which isn't what I wanted to do, but I'm not really sure what to criticize without having played it myself.

I'm most curious to see how the non-initiative mechanic works; it has the potential to be a really excellent solve for a major problem in D&D (plenty of people have talked about how initiative limits teamwork, can be boring when its not your turn, etc, so I won't get into it here), but I don't think it's a solution that will work for everyone. Of course, games can't work for everyone, and shouldn't try to. It's working really well on CR's oneshot as I write this, but making choices and sharing spotlight in TTRPGs is literally their job, so I'm not surprised this works for them. I could see this going really well with some tables I've played with, and really poorly with others. I'm still really optimistic, though; it seems like the kind of thing that with the right table could be really excellent.

[utilitycaster]

queueing this on purpose as it's about no one single incident, but the (finally) slowly dissipating looming specter of Campaign 1 stereotypes/discourse has always been weird to me because I have only ever experienced the backlash.

I completely understand, and have even seen the older comments proving it was the case, that it was common during Campaign 1 that people would send death threats to Marisha for breathing; and that because Vax was clearly portrayed as bi and having mental illness, and to a lesser but not complete extent that Percy was 1. played by a bi man and 2. was more complex than Punisher sticker you can put on your pickup truck, that bro-y types would latch on to Travis and Sam as the REAL MEN who HAVE MANLY CHARACTERS. But coming in with Campaign 2, with my main fandom home being Tumblr, I've mostly experienced the (fortunately, significantly toned down) opposite. And as someone who likes all these players but has had actual, textual criticisms of Beau or Laudna (or even just...doesn't think they are perfect and the leader and the best), and who vibes heavily with what Travis does and finds a lot to enjoy about Sam's characters even when they frustrate me I feel half the time the arguments I get are directed not at me but with some guy who actually quit watching five years ago.

Like, I'm not saying "dumbass DM's girlfriend can't play a druid," I'm talking about an entirely different character who happens to be played by the same actor and saying "I feel this character was created with a particularly heavy focus on aesthetics, and the mechanics and backstory do not always cohere as a result." I also find myself in the weird position of preferring the more "serious" Campaign 1 characters of Vex, Percy, Keyleth, and Vax, but finding a lot to appreciate in Grog and Scanlan and Tary that often gets pushed aside in order to paint them as either nothing more than goofy comic relief or as an exercise in selfishness, when they're not ignoring them entirely; and worse, find that people will treat Fjord and Veth like Grog and Scanlan despite that being an entirely false comparison.

I've also mentioned that I feel this in online d&d spaces too - like, I fully believe there was a time once when the contempt was reserved for the tiefling druids and changeling bards and REAL PLAYERS play a dwarf fighter on a quest for revenge, but that just fully flipped, and now you have players who sound like absolute nightmares claiming moral superiority solely because they play a firbolg with a mohawk who acts at all times like they'd rather be in Monsterhearts than a D&D campaign, instead of one of those cringey human fighters. Just, in general, it feels like the middle ground in a lot of actual play and TTRPG discussions is lost because half the people I talk to are still carrying on half of an argument they once had in 2016.

[davekat-sucks]

Just for fun how screwed is this session?

Here's some info:

Thief of Breath: Eledon Jungle-sovereign -Is too aggressive for a warrior race to handle -loves to blow shit up -the bard is his best friend and weapons dealer -the witch is his rival and maybe love interest -hates authority

Knight of Light: Human -She loves DnD, especially playing orc barbarian -a hard worker, bad grades -cherful most of the time -hates her father, misses her mom -lives with older sister

Maid of Void: Purpel-blood Troll -bad at showing his friendship good at reading people -a greedy purple asshole -a nice suit and tie, and a poker face to boot -a pretty successful owner of a gambling restaurant -has a hate crush on the prince

Rogue of Hope: Human -she's aesthetic as fuck, plays soccer, baseball and swimming -steals hope for victory for her team -really bullheaded, but nice -she's basically a tomboy -loves to annoy her twin brother

Bard of Space: Eledon Tech-head -he's a mad scientist and engineer -loves to make weapons of small and mass destruction -is fascinated by extinct empires, specifically their tech -strives to be the prime lord of science -one of his creations blew up a district

Prince of Rage: Burgundy-blood Troll -extreme anger issue -extreme telepathic powers -she hates the maid -everyone can go fuck themselves except that other chick… or the mage… and the bartender -lives with and works for the maid -is part of a band with the chick and bartender

Witch of Mind: Eledon Sky-baron -she's a hard-ass -has the high ambition to become the new ruler of her species -a model Eledon prodigy -has a big ego -actually likes the thief, seer and bard

Mage of Heart: Unknown-blood Troll -she likes larping, roleplay and meditation -hates and fears HIC -wishes to meet her friends in real life -tries to help her friends emotional problems -is unsure of her future

Seer of Blood: Eledon Swamp-blood -a rebellious pacifist and spiritualist -physically very strong -is calm and kind, but still has the Eledon natural aggression -hates his species and himself -can't let go

Heir of Time: Human -he acts cool but is a dumbass -likes every type of music -had a crush on the sylph, this was not reciprocated -wants to become a famous DJ -plays DnD with the sylph, knight and rogue every sunday

Page of Doom: Jade-blood Troll -hates himself and is depressed -likes to spelunking -the maids ex -the mage really tries to help him -the BUFF jade girl has to drag him out of his hive every day

Sylph of Life: Human -a genuinely nice guy -rich as hell and just as lonely -has a green thumb -the butler and his wife are more of his parents than his mom and dad -is very naive

I think you got some good players with some of those classes and aspects. Though it may change if the internal struggle gets any worse. May need to keep an eye on the Prince of Rage. Bard of Space and Heir of Time working together is also something to watch over too if the Heir's silly ideas may fuel the Bard's interest for the sake of science. Can't let the Maid of Void or Knight of Light be far either.

[positronicdream]

Fizzbin's Fabulous Cabin, part 1

My bard character Fizzbin just hit level 13 and picked up the spell Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion - or rather, Fizzbin's Fabulous Cabin! Finally I can add the finishing touches and unveil my big project:

I built it in the Sims 4 :)

The group has had the in-character tour, but there's a lot of OOC design stuff I want to ramble about, and I've decided to do that here.

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

✨

First up, I needed size parameters so I could work out a floor plan. The spell allows for 50 cubes measuring 10ft on a side, thus a footprint of 5000sqft (handwaving the height of the ceilings). Estimates of the length of a standard Sims floor tile vary from 2ft to a yard, but 2.5ft is a good middle ground and most convenient for my calculations. My budget would be 800 floor tiles.

I was able to fit in 5 individual bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a foyer, a small sitting room, a dining hall and a kitchen; and had space left over for a library, arboretum, and recreation room (and some balcony spaces - more on those later). I stacked these up on 3 floors plus a basement for the kitchen. Here's an early draft of the shell!

✨

Next, I had to work out the aesthetic. This is Fizzbin's mansion, so it has to be somewhere she would feel at home. Fizzbin's favorite colors are pastel purple, yellow, blue, green, and pink, and she likes fancy swirly shapes. Add a touch of cute & cozy gnomish farmhouse with lots of flowers and natural light, and you have the Fabulous Cabin aesthetic.

I used loads of stuff from the Realm of Magic DLC (actually, this project was half the reason I bought it). It provided almost all the windows and doors, multiple wallpapers, the swirly wooden furniture, the crystal lamps, and more! The lighting options came in real handy, because I wanted to avoid electric lights (where they couldn't be concealed, anyway).

The house has loads of fireplaces, because that's how you keep a house warm in fantasy medieval times. Each one has a different decoration attached because I thought it'd be cute.

I started building this when the platform feature was new & shiny, so there are a few places I used it just for fun: the stairs are all L-shaped, the arboretum is sunken down, the library steps up, and the rec room has a little stage. The round wall update came out after I had locked in the floor plan and modifying it would have been a nightmare, so the "round" rooms are still octagons. Then the ceiling update was very exciting! It looks so much cozier with warm wood ceilings!

✨

In the next part I'll go over all the exterior design. Warning: roof nightmares!

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

[cellarspider]

Qunlat 9/12: Compound word construction

⭅ Previous =⦾ Index ⦾= Next ⭆

As we start thinking about Qunlat names, let’s examine one last thing and take a moment to look at compound words and derived words, because we’ll be drawing on their patterns and style. In brief: They work like English most of the time, but there are notable exceptions that provide us some more flexibility to work with.

Compound words are any word that’s made up of meaningful parts that can stand on their own: “blackbird” is a compound because “black” and “bird” can be used independently. “Blackened” is a derivation instead of a compound, because “-en” and “-ed” have to be attached to a word. It’s derived from a root word and these derivational suffixes. 

Qunlat has a lot of compound and derived words. I’ll get into some of my theories about them when I transition into talking about Expanded Qunlat, but for now let’s stick within the guardrails here. 

Two notes before we dive in: Qunlat compounds are often hyphenated, for a number of reasons: if they’d otherwise create deceptive consonant clusters (ex. notas-taar), confusing syllable boundaries (basalit-an), or mess with the aesthetics (viddath-bas). Some non-compounds seem to possibly have an obligatory hyphen to show that one of the parts is a standalone grammatical modifier that forms part of the overall meaning, but this isn’t consistent.

And as always, be wary of the canon dictionary. Some compounds in there are just straight up wrong etymologically, and unfortunately the rather notable word asala-taar seems to be one of them.⁽¹⁾ Keep this in mind when looking for references.

Compounds can be formed a number of ways: noun-noun compounds, for example, usually  have a “head” that tells you what the thing is, and a “modifier” that tells you what kind of thing it is. In English, the modifier comes first: A “bookshelf” is a shelf for books rather than a book for a shelf, a “teapot” is a pot for tea and not tea in a pot, “ice cream” is a kind of cream that’s frozen, not ice that’s made into cream. Some compounds like “ice cream” can have spaces or hyphens in them and still count as a compound word, because of how they function together as a single unit.

Qunlat usually puts noun-noun compounds in the same order as English: Vitaar is “poison-armor”, for example. Ben-Hassrath breaks this a little with the previously discussed “Ben-” possessed prefix, but “Hassrath” follows this as well: “heart-(of the) many”. 

Of course, Philliam, a Bard! complicates things, and in this case, it’s literally bullshit. Or rather, vashe-qalab: “shit-(of?)-cow”. This is why I’ve managed to convince myself that -e may be a possessed marker like ben-, because it seems like it’s a grammatical suffix, and its presence may reverse the order of compounding, making Qunlat bullshit more like Spanish bullshit than English bullshit–while idiomatically you’d just say mierda, a literal translation in spanish would be mierda de toro: Shit of the bull. That’s a compound in head-possessive-modifier order.

The other thing that muddies the waters are item names in DA2, which I’ve previously noted as being highly irregular. Compounds there are a jumbled mix of head-initial and head-final. For example: Antaam-Taar Iss, a cuirass for experienced fighters. Antaam-Taar literally means “body-armor”, so that’s head-final. …But with Iss meaning “(the) experienced”, Antaam-Taar Iss is head-initial, and it implies an absent possessive marker of some kind. So now we have a pattern of head-initial compounds specifically if the head noun is a possessed object, and the modifier is the possessor. Annoying to keep track of, but personally, I like the funky precedent this sets.

Verb-noun compounds are all over the place in Indo-European languages, and wouldn’t you know it, they follow the same order in Qunlat again! Beres-taar, shield, seems to literally mean “reaching ahead-armor”. Most canon verb-noun compounds are names, so we’ll get back to them later. Verb-verb compounds are rare in English and in canon Qunlat, to the point where I can’t 100% call any compound verbs from canon definitions.

Qunlat adjective-noun compounds are similarly ordered in modifier-head order. Qunlat doesn’t have many of these, in part because there are very few adjectives in the language, and even defining what counts as an adjective is hard. Functionally, they don't exist as a distinct category. But it has one very notable one that’s worth mentioning: aqun-athlok. Literally translating to “balance(d)-mind”, it can also be read as a verb-noun compound, an adjective-noun compound, or a special kind of noun-noun compound that I want an excuse to ramble about, so I’m taking it.

If read as a noun-noun compound,⁽²⁾ aqun-athlok doesn’t follow this pattern of head and modifier, called a dvandva. First described by grammarians of Sanskrit,⁽³⁾ dvandva are compounds where two or more nouns join to create a single, distinct concept. For example, many languages use the equivalent of “mom-dad” to mean “parents”, Chinese and Japanese use “mountain(s)-river(s)” to mean “scenery”, Nahuatl uses “the flower, the song” to mean “poetry”, “artistic endeavor”, or “the divine effects of teotl”. Friulian uses “ocean-world” to mean “the universe”.

Was talking about dvandvas a tangent? You bet. A tangent with a purpose–This post is about empowering people to start thinking about possibilities for names. Dvandvas give you a lot of room to play with in a language where the canon dictionary is hugely weighted toward nouns. Start thinking about how two ideas can be brought together to form something new, that fits your sense of who your character is.

Next time, we’ll get into canon names of Qunari, Tal-Vashoth, and Vashoth, and how we can classify them.

⭅ Previous =⦾ Index ⦾= Next ⭆

Footnotes

(1) From what I can reconstruct: asala-taar is defined canonically as “soul sickness”. But in every other word we have, taar means “armor”, “materiel”, or “keep”: Taarbas, beres-taar, and, probably explaining our present problem, vitaar. Vitaar is canonically defined as “poison armor”. So my guess is that someone saw that in the dictionary, and tried to make a compound without fully considering how the word vitaar was built. They took the wrong half of the word.

Sometimes this does happen IRL, it’s called rebracketing: the same process that brought us “-burger” foods, when “Hamburger” originally meant “a thing or person from the German city of Hamburg”. But rebracketing most often happens when speakers aren’t aware of the underlying etymology of a word, from casual speech,  or are doing so in a flippant way (ex. “Chocoholic” from “alcoholic”), and given the theological seriousness of soul-sickness and the common root words in vitaar, I find it unlikely that this rebracketing would happen. Sorry y’all, it should be asala-vi.

(2) As said, canon Qunlat has no real distinction between adjectives and nouns, so how we even classify these is hard. A dvandva usually is structured as an “X and Y” kind of thing, rather than “a Y for X”, and both are possible reads of aqun-athlok….depending on what the components mean. Aqun can mean “balance”, “unchanging”, or describe a dynamic equilibrium and flow with the natural order of things that’s suspiciously similar to a layperson’s understanding of the Dao. Athlok can mean “mind”, “earth”, or “laborer”. So, is this “balanced mind”, or “unchanging, fluid way and solid earth”? Don’t know! Either would probably be theologically defensible from a Qun standpoint. 

(3) Sanskrit grammar is so cool and so intimidating, not only because of the complexity of Sanskrit literature, but also because of the literal millennia of scholarship on the subject. One of the biggest names in the field was a linguist who lived somewhere between 2300-2600 years ago. He’s sometimes called the father of linguistics, and with good reason!

⭅ Previous =⦾ Index ⦾= Next ⭆

[burningthemidnightcityoil]

A CHARACTER IN ONE SENTENCE (P1?)

Sometimes, a character’s whole motivation is defined by simplicitic interpretation.

Its unfortunate that simple is never easy.

So, I’m going to try for something. Let me sum up a character in one way.

John Egbert - Heir of Breath - One who Changes Breath for Others Breath = Direction, Plot, Motion, Act

“He’ll change your act and turn your life around.”

Rose Lalond - Seer of Light - One who Knows Light for Others Light = Revelance, Meaning, Fortune.

“She sees the good in you.”

Dave Strider - Knight of Time - One who Serves Time for Others Time = Individual; Arc; Pacing; Measurement of events, the begining and the end

“He’ll give you his time, and march at your pace.”

Jade Harley - Witch of Space - One who Changes Space for Themself Space = Area; Setting; World; Self Space; Aesthetic and Life (The space you exist in).

“She chooses her place in the world.”

Jane Crocker - Maid of Life - One who Creates Life for Themself Life = Agency, Healthy, Living, Lives.

“She’ll make a life for herself.”

Roxy Lalond - Rogue of Void - One who Steals Void for Others Void = Irreverence, Physicality, Nothingness, Obscurity and Vacuum

“She’ll take the emptiness outta your life.”

Dirk Strider - Prince of Heart - One who Destroys Heart for Themself Heart = Romance, Soul, Emotion

“He’ll conquer love in the end.”

Jake English - Page of Hope - One who Serves Hope for Themself Hope = Coherence, Belief, Magic

“Hero of his own story.”

EXTRA (Cos the humans is missing classpects)

Egbert-Crocker - Sylph of Mind - One who Creates Mind for Others Mind = Thought, Reason, Multiverse, Adaptability

“He’ll be mindful of you.”

Jack Noir - Thief of Rage - One who Steals Rage for Themself Rage = Contrivance, Fury, Violence, Truth

“Truth is, the game was rigged from the start.”

Diamonds Droog - Mage of Blood - One who Knows Blood for Themself Blood = Grounding, Reality, You, Relationship and Connection, Bound

“He looks good in ultra-violence.”

Clubs Deuce - Bard of Doom - One who Destroys Doom for Others Doom = Death, Destruction, the Limit, the Rules

“Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom.”

[thedo0zyslider]

Sweet Exchanges - 2k words

A storm is coming, and it brings a certain archeologist to Oli’s doorstep. Not that he's complaining.

A03 Link

The sun was unusually tame that day, Oli found. It wasn’t radiating as much heat as it normally did, particularly because it was starting to be covered by a handful of light gray clouds. Oli really, really hoped there wouldn’t be a storm. Storms weren’t particularly great when you lived on a beach, especially bad ones. So if the gods wanted to curse him today, he hoped it would be with a calm one. He was still cross about having to fix and remake all of his outdoor decorations after the last bad one.

He spent a few hours like that, working himself into a tizzy over a storm that might not even happen. And if you asked him, the storm came before the rain that day, and it came in the form of a very familiar man jumpscaring him and bloody laughing about it.

Pixlriffs himself had showed up, right when Oli had worried himself so much that he was now beginning to move anything that would fit inside his main tent. The archaeologist had appeared behind him out of nowhere, which was something the man had a talent for. The bard had jumped maybe a foot in the air, screaming about god knows what, when Pix leaned down and whispered “boo” in his ear while his mind was elsewhere.

“PIXL!” He shrieked, growing a little more indignant at the laughter flooding the air. “What was the bloody point of that!?” The blonde yelled further, throwing his arms up into the air.

It took that dastardly man a whole two minutes to respond; he was laughing so hard, damn him. “Sorry,” Pix wiped the beginning of tears from his eyes. “You’re just really easy to scare.”

“That doesn’t mean you get to do it!” Oli huffed, playing up his earlier indignation for the dramatics. He crossed his arms over his chest for extra flare, sleeves that were slightly too puffy being pressed down against the front of his bard’s shirt.

“Sorry again,” The brunette repeated, and Oli gave a rather drawn out shrug and eye roll as a response.

“Well,” He sighed, noticing how the corners of Pix’s lips quirked upwards slightly. “You just sound so genuine, so i guess it’s fine,” Oli smiled--almost smirked--as he got in the other’s personal space, having to strain upwards slightly. Whoever granted Pixl almost a whole half foot of height on him should be fired, but that was just a personal opinion.

“I’m glad my apology is accepted,” Pix returned his little smirk, clasping his hands together behind his back. Daro brown eyes filtered to the beach behind him, and the archaeologists gaze had a familiar look of muddled curiosity to it once more. “What were you doing over there, exactly?” He asked, taking a good few moments to scan over the scene behind them.

“Oh, you mean the thing you so rudely interrupted?” That earned a small, yet amused eye roll from Pix. “Just a little worried about a storm,” The bard began to explain, making a general hand gesture at the gray clouds forming above him. “I was trying to move some stuff inside, and I was almost done before a certain man showed up!”

“Want any help?” Pix asked, once again looking at the bard's stuff with a mild curiosity.

“Oh, you’re too kind Pixlriffs!” Oli exclaimed, throwing him part of the fences that had once kept his dragon egg over the fire. He didn’t really need to keep anything roasting anymore, but kept it around for aesthetic reasons mostly. Pix caught it easily, and apparently it wasn’t heavy enough for him because he picked up the other end before the bard could. Fine, he wants a strength test? Then he’ll get a strength test! Oli thought, adding his heaviest instrument to the load as well.

He instructed Pixl which chest they were to be stored in for the time being, before leaning back against his tent’s side to watch. The brunette lifted his things with ease though, gently putting them on the ground like they were exhibants at his museum. Oli had never really noticed how strong Pix was, but he supposed it made sense. The man was restoring a whole empire and had probably done his fair share of heavy lifting in the process.

Eyes traced over the archaeologist's muscles as he put the last item away, eventually moving downwards to his chest area. The front of the dark blue shirt was always unbuttoned, but just enough to reveal a small amount of its wearer’s chest. Oli had thought it was kinda slutty before, and very alluring. His eyes wandered to that spot more often that he’d like to admit, Pix usually making no comment if he noticed.

But today the archaeologist glanced back at him and smirked, an expression Oli did not like one bit. “See something you like?” Pixl asked, his voice becoming more deep and smooth than it usually was. He smirked at the flush that was spreading across pale cheeks at his words.

“Maybe..” The bard muttered, turning his back on the other to pop his head outside. More storm clouds had formed, ones that were darker than their predecessors. Oli frowned at this, glad he’d moved his stuff inside early.

“You were right,” A voice was suddenly right beside him, the sound of Pix’s quiet breaths in his ear. He hadn’t even heard him move. “A storm is coming.”

Oli glanced over his shoulder, failing to hide how startled he now was. Pix was bold today, wasn’t he? The brunette was standing behind him, chest pressed against the upper part of his back a little. If the archaeologist were to move his head slightly it would be resting on his shoulder, which Oli found when he turned his head to meet the man’s teasing gaze. Hands hesitated above his waist, as if Pix was unsure about resting them there.

“You’re quite close there, Mr. Riffs.” The blonde said quietly, almost bumping his nose with Pix’s. Hands finally went to rest on his sides, their soft touch burning. (Burning in the way that made Oli want more.) This was far too close to be anything platonic, but Oli didn’t mind. He was just leaning into the slutty bard persona, nothing more, nothing less. There certainly weren't any real feelings at stake here.

“And you’re not complaining about it,” Pixl watched as Oli moved his head away a little. He smirked as the tent’s entrance was zipped. It wasn’t closed fully, just enough to keep the coming rain out. Certainly wasn’t closed for privacy reasons either, though it would be embarrassing to be caught like this. For both of them, not just the bard, though Pixl dealt with his shame more quietly than the blonde did.

The next thing he knew Oli was pressing him into the floor, his bottom landing a little roughly against the tents flooring. The archaeologist was now being straddled near the back wall of Oli’s home, plush thighs pressing nicely against his own. The bard’s hands flailed uselessly for a moment, before pinning his wrists down against his side.

"Maybe I like being close to you, ever consider that?" Oli's voice is quieter than it had been a moment ago as he leaned forward. A few of his bangs began to fall, covering his half lidded eyes slightly. Pix knows he shouldn't do this, really knows that whatever is going through his head is a bad idea, but nevertheless he goes against his better judgment for the third time that day, suspecting he'll do the same again later. He gently brushes the hair out of Oli's face, and tucks it behind an ear. It would be a crime to have such pretty eyes hidden, after all.

Pix smiles softly at the reaction he gets, enjoying the faint redness that returns to Oli's cheeks. The bard really is quite a pretty man, if you take the time to admire him that is.

"You are such a tease," The blonde huffs, blush spreading to his neck as Pix tucks his hair away again. He unpins the brunette's wrists, going to wrap his arms around the other's neck instead. For now Pixl keeps his arms where they are, awkwardly against his side and hands fiddling on the floor beneath them.

"I know," Pix smiles again, leaning forward on nothing but an impulsive thought. And to his absolute delight, he is meet in the middle by warmer lips than his own.

Oli sighs into the kiss, smooth lips capturing his own slowly, a nice contrast to his own lips; which were surely a little chapped by now. He leaned into the action a little too quickly though, and was almost surprised at the softness of it all. Kissing Pix was nice, just a little unexpected is all.

Pix wasn’t a bad kisser, not in any form. This was just much more…gentle than previous kisses Oli had experienced. The bard had experienced a fair share of kisses, and all had ended up being more on the fiery side, so much so Oli didn’t think he’d ever been kissed calmly in his life. The archaeologist might have his flirtatious moments sometimes, but he’d never quite fit the criteria of passionate, so the more gentle approach didn’t come as a big surprise. Oli didn’t mind it though, he didn’t mind the softness at all, it was something he could be glad to get used to. He let Pixl gently cup the side of his face, cradling it as if it was the most precious thing in the world and thumbing his cheek. And oh, he could definitely get used to being held like this.

A half gloved hand came to rest on the bard’s waist, clutching it just as gently as the other hand was holding his face. Oli smiled softly against the others lips, letting a tongue quietly slip into his mouth and explore it for a little while. Hands tangled into soft brown hair, pulling Pix closer to their owner until the former’s back was bumping against a tent wall. As far as first kisses went, this was probably the best one Oli had ever had. And if they didn’t need to breathe he was sure he would’ve had it for a few minutes more.

They pulled apart slowly at first, neither quite registering the need for air. More kisses were exchanged, some led by Oli, some not. They were small ones, not as long as the first one they shared, but long enough to steal a few puffs of breath from both of them. Small pecks were pressed to faces in between, to Oli’s cheeks and freckles, to Pix’s nose and right under where his glasses rested. The bard was quite enjoying the other’s tongue in his mouth, and a very big part of him wanted to get used to that as well.

The kisses that were eventually pressed to his neck weren’t pressed hard enough to even bruise, and the motion didn’t have a hungry air to it either. They were loving, the kisses were. They were akin to the casual pecks someone placed upon their partner's skin during lazy mornings. Everything about it was warm and gentle and kind, just like Pixl himself.

The two stopped kissing eventually; the archaeologist laughing at the small, playful and ultimately meaningless pout Oli shot him. The bard stopped pouting when a few more kisses were pressed into his hair, a giggle running through the man behind him. It was a nice laugh, Pix’s laugh, he wanted to hear it more. He didn’t have to wait long for that though, as another escaped Pix when Oli shifted into his lap like a cat would, practically begging for cuddles.

“You comfortable?” Pix asked, not trying to hide the fondness in his voice. Oh, he was very gone for this man.

“Very,” Oli muttered sleepily, burying his slightly blushing face into the blue fabric of Pixl’s shirt. Pix laughed again, and it was then that the bard registered that it had begun to rain at some point after they entered the tent. It seems that storm had come after all, just thankfully not as bad as the Oli’d been fearing. Well then, it’s a good thing he’d made this place waterproof, wasn’t it?

Pix’s arms tightened around the smaller person in his arms, listening to Oli’s breathing even out, and to the rain. He buried his own head against the other, nuzzling at the bard’s shoulder affectionately. The archaeologist didn’t do things like this very often, so he was treasuring every second of this, unsure when he’d experience anything close to it again. He wanted more, he wanted it to happen soon. And sitting there like this, against his better judgment, Pix began to hope for it. It was becoming a yearning, the longer he dwelled on it, so he didn’t dwell.

Instead the archaeologist let his breathing even out, falling asleep with a bard who was far too cute for his own good clutched lovingly in his arms. He wasn’t sure if they’d speak of this come morning, or if it’d be another thing he’d have to preserve in his memory for the rest of time. But that was a problem for morning Pix.

And morning Pix got what he was yearning for. More sleepy cuddles, more sleepy kisses (these ones were more sloppy though, kisses where you missed half the other person's mouth,) and a a quiet conformation that there would be even more in the future. For however long this world would last, as Oli had somewhat ominous phrased it.

For however long this world shall last, you are love.

[casey-lalonde-egbert]

How do you think this session will go?

Here's some info:

Thief of Breath: Eledon Jungle-sovereign

-Is too aggressive for a warrior race to handle

-loves to blow shit up

-the bard is his best friend and weapons dealer

-the witch is his rival and maybe love interest

-hates authority

Knight of Light: Human

-She loves DnD, especially playing orc barbarian

-a hard worker, bad grades

-cherful most of the time

-hates her father, misses her mom

-lives with older sister

Maid of Void: Purpel-blood Troll

-bad at showing his friendship good at reading people

-a greedy purple asshole

-a nice suit and tie, and a poker face to boot

-a pretty successful owner of a gambling restaurant

-has a hate crush on the prince

Rogue of Hope: Human

-she's aesthetic as fuck, plays soccer, baseball and swimming

-steals hope for victory for her team

-really bullheaded, but nice

-she's basically a tomboy

-loves to annoy her twin brother

Bard of Space: Eledon Tech-head

-he's a mad scientist and engineer

-loves to make weapons of small and mass destruction

-is fascinated by extinct empires, specifically their tech

-strives to be the prime lord of science

-one of his creations blew up a district

Prince of Rage: Burgundy-blood Troll

-extreme anger issue

-extreme telepathic powers

-she hates the maid

-everyone can go fuck themselves except that other chick… or the mage… and the bartender

-lives with and works for the maid

-is part of a band with the chick and bartender

Witch of Mind: Eledon Sky-baron

-she's a hard-ass

-has the high ambition to become the new ruler of her species

-a model Eledon prodigy

-has a big ego

-actually likes the thief, seer and bard

Mage of Heart: Unknown-blood Troll

-she likes larping, roleplay and meditation

-hates and fears HIC

-wishes to meet her friends in real life

-tries to help her friends emotional problems

-is unsure of her future

Seer of Blood: Eledon Swamp-blood

-a rebellious pacifist and spiritualist

-physically very strong

-is calm and kind, but still has the Eledon natural aggression

-hates his species and himself

-can't let go

Heir of Time: Human

-he acts cool but is a dumbass -likes every type of music

-had a crush on the sylph, this was not reciprocated

-wants to become a famous DJ

-plays DnD with the sylph, knight and rogue every sunday

Page of Doom: Jade-blood Troll

-hates himself and is depressed

-likes to spelunking

-the maids ex

-the mage really tries to help him

-the BUFF jade girl has to drag him out of his hive every day

Sylph of Life: Human

-a genuinely nice guy

-rich as hell and just as lonely

-has a green thumb

-the butler and his wife are more of his parents than his mom and dad

-is very naive

Any thoughts?

well wow this sounds very interesting! maybe too much for me to comment on, but i would definitely read something like this, the characters seem pretty interesting and fleshed out, the sessions seems pretty OP if the characters manage to work together, but also like their conflicts would create a lot of really cool drama and maybe some sudden twists of fate! also, is an eledon an original species? im not sure ive heard of it before :0

[wildissylupus]

Ok, no one asked for this but this is what I think everyone in Questwatch would look like!!

Tank;

DVA (Junker, non-canon)

I think Junker fits the fantasy vibe, in all honesty I think D.VA would play an Artificer and this skin fits that vibe!! Not only that but the aesthetic of this skins fits the vibe of technology being used in a world where technology isn't that developed.

Doomfist (Thunder, non-canon)

It fits the vibe of a fantasy villain.

Junker Queen (Gladiator Queen, kinda canon, was introduced in the same season)

Orisa (GR-IFFON, Canon)

Ramattra (Necromancer, non-canon)

He's lituarally a magic user in this skin.

Reinhardt (Demon Lord, canon)

Roadhog (Butcher, non-canon)

Idk why, it just fits.

Sigma (Oracle, non-canon)

Again, literally a magic user in this skin.

Winston (Gargoyle, Non-canon)

Wrecking Ball (Honeycomb, canon??)

Listen, it was in the battle pass ok?? And all the other skins are either attached to something else or don't fit the vibe of questwatch.

Zarya (Barbarian, non-canon)

The skins name is literally Barbarian

Support;

Ana (Polar, canon??)

Same reasoning as Wrecking Ball

Baptiste (Pirate, non-canon)

Honestly it's the only one that fit with the fantasy vibe.

Brigitte (Sól, non-canon)

She quiet literally a knight-

Kiriko (Rouge. canon)

Lifeweaver (Cleric, Canon)

Lucio (Bard, canon)

Mercy (Dragoon, non-canon)

I just like this one in the context of Questwatch more than the others

Moira (Plague Doctor, kinda canon, was introduced in the same season)

Zenyatta (Royal Astronomer, canon)

DPS;

Cassidy and Soldier 76 (Space Raider, non-canon)

Ashe (Merry Outlaw, non-canon)

Bastion (in next post)

Echo (Slime Queen, canon)

Genji (Knight, canon)

Hanzo (in next post)

Junkrat (in next post)

Mei (Alchemist, canon)

Pharah (Devil, canon)

Reaper (in next post)

Sojourn (in next post)

Sombra (in next post)

Symmetra (Conjurer, canon)

Torbjorn (Steampunk, kinda canon, was introduced in the same season)

Tracer (Adventurer, canon)

Widowmaker (Dryad, canon)