#just bc who plays bard on PURPOSE?????

[bcdwclves]

if anyone's wondering what i've been up to while dealin' wit' cool leg and final assignments, i have a Fem!Meteor alt on Crystal, if anyone wants to help me level w/ stuff. :3c

[criticalfai1ure]

edgin is a multi class bard/rogue who doesn’t know he has spell slots – WRONG. if ed multi classes at all it’s as a paladin/bard who forgot his spellcasting was something he’d had before he’d ever become a harper.

[robinyourcreator]

so! gaem progress update!

finished up at the githyanki creche yesterday, with much save scumming and poking through guides, got the elminster bit, then wrapped up act 1 and sprinted to Isobel

so! did just enough to get Vlaakith and the inquisitor to betray us and most importantly Lae'zel, then gently prodded her along towards "hey your evil god queen sucks, actually."

Adana really WANTED to kill her dream visitor in the prism because she's EXTREMELY pissed it's still wearing Adran's face, and if it had ONLY risked herself to do so, she might have called its bluff and stabbed it. As is, the combination of "this could screw over my friends," that stabbing it would mean having to deliberately choose to stab her perfect dream of a boy, AND it pretending it wasn't going to fight back was enough to stay her hand. she still loathes the bastard and DEFINITELY doesn't trust it, but the risk is just Too High for her to call its bluff.

I think bards and wizards just have juvenile rivalries in general from both being arcanes who have to go to college, but Adana I think takes hers a littttttle farther than most do. Condescension is a BIG fat red button of hers, and unfortunately it is the habit of wizards to be the Worst in that way, so.

also had a funny realization the other day that Adana VERY easily could have been the bard equivalent of Gale if her upbringing had been a bit more supportive and/or religious, and a bit less of her being dehumanized into alternatively a Tool To Be Used or Extension of Her Mother without wants or a mind of her own. she WAS a prodigy as a teenager, and in that arena the Hubris and Ego were DEFINITELY in the right league to think she could fuck with gods-- once upon a time she WOULD have bet her soul on it, without hesitation. but nah.

as far as the devil's bargain Elminster brought, she found the man insufferable in general but tried to play polite host bc girl Does Not go around making powerful enemies if she can at all help it

and well. Adana has a mild death wish and a mile wide self-sacrificing streak. if she could Guarantee she would be the only casualty on their side, she'd suicide bomb the absolute in a heartbeat. Cannot articulate why it's okay for Her to feel that way and not Gale-- she doesn't even have forgiveness or a particular goddess's embrace to look forward to, she's largely Played the Field as far as pantheons go, except for the times she Explicitly pissed off Bhaal as a teenager (on purpose!) and Accidentally became a special favorite of Loviatar. (as a joke.) nothing to terribly pleasant to look forward to. Mostly mumbled mealy mouthed promises that they should keep their options open and that she'd support him no matter what, but it'd make our friends sad if you died, yeah?

she has done zero self reflection and she has learned Nothing, lmao.

very funny that as soon as you get into the Shadowlands you can pout at Shadowheart for not paying as much attention to you anymore :(((((, so I Did click those options just to get rid of them even though Adana would a) rather die or b) have been drugged, tied up, and edged for HOURS before she would even DREAM of being needy like that.

Raphael being at the inn was fun! Adana has grown enough confidence that her response to seeing him was Rage and not fear. Adana is the way that she is because she has Deliberately reforged herself into the sort of person she so desperately wanted to Save Her as a child, so Raphael w Mol and Marcus w Isobel both IMMEDIATELY hit berserk buttons for her. No, fuck you, GET OUT, get away from them, I'll kill you.

Karlach approves!

Isobel is VERY funny, I didn't expect her to come across as so bratty or showboaty at all from what I'd seen on my dash and in wiki diving, but I and Adana were both quite charmed by the funnee ladee, I like her quite a lot. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised though, takes a fair amount of ego to Pull a demigod, lmao.

and now i have to go back and talk to everyone and everything at the inn before going to Isobel bc i just sprinted there and missed a Lot, whoops.

[mzannthropy]

Rewatched Cinderella 1950,and now I'm imagining a Camibilly Cinderella au. Instead of two evil stepsisters, Nicky's an evil stepbrother.

That's the Disney old animated one, right? @jesstasticvoyage omg this reminds of that article last year that suggested Sam for a prince in a potential live action Disney (sometimes you find some good articles on Sam, even when they're not written by me). He did play a prince charming character, William in Snow White and the Huntsman (my beloved. If William has one fan it's me, if he has zero fans, I'm dead), which is a darker take on the fairytale and he's not there as much as he should be, imo, bc, I suspect, they had Chris Hemsworth in his early Thor days so ofc they focused on him (tbf, he is the titular huntsman). Then, and I'm the only person who will tell you this: if you close one eye and squint with the other, Philip in Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides is a near thing to a prince, though he's a priest/missionary. If you just take out his story with the mermaid, it has something in common with the little mermaid tale. (This long introduction serves no purpose other than satisfying my urge to ramble about Sam Claflin, but you enter the blog of a Sam Claflin fan at your own risk). Okay, grab a snack bc I'm really into this idea!

I’ve always liked Cinderella, my mum used to read me a lot of fairytales when I was a child. I’ve not seen the Disney version until I was about 9 (I grew up in communism so we didn’t have Disney, it all arrived after the revolution.) Personally I prefer the 2015 live action one. But the Cinderella film that is really my Cinderella is Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973), a Czech/East German production. It’s considered a Christmas film bc it features a lot of snow and it’s always shown on TV during Christmas time. Norwegians did a remake in 2021 but it didn’t seem to meet with much love. (And rightly so, it’s like remaking Princess Bride. It just should not be done.) A actress named Camila has played a Cinderella—Camila Cabello. There was a lot to like about her version, but I felt it was kinda too self aware and besides, they should have just made it gay. Ever After, otoh, is outstandingly good. (This paragraph serves no purpose other than letting me go on about Cinderella, but you enter a blog of a person who rambles a lot on your own risk.)

I think Cinderella having an evil stepbrother instead of evil stepmother and stepsisters is a good choice, it’s something new. So we imagine Camila in the Cinderella role, all the parents/step-parents dead and Nicky as the stepbrother who lords over the manor and mistreats everyone. Camila can hold her own against Nicky, but she is cautious about setting him off too much bc she is worried he will hurt people she cares about, like all the tenants that live on their grounds. Camila has always been caring towards all of them, when their children got ill, for example, she would go to this herbalist and buy herbs and made them tea, etc. Karen is the steward’s daughter and Camila’s bestie.

Daisy is a young bard who wanders the kingdoms with her lute and sings songs of princesses and knights and dragons and all that kinda stuff. She is very popular wherever she turns up.

Billy is the king, who has just ascended to the throne after the death of his father. He had a strained relationship with his father, bc he used to cheat on his mum, whom Billy was very close to. She has died too and Billy has been a somewhat bitter young man. Teddy Price is the loyal king’s advisor and a better father figure to Billy than his own dad ever was. Rod Reyes is the captain of the guards. Graham is a young knight who lives at the court and is Billy’s bestie. They go riding and hunting together. One day in the woods they meet a young lady rider, who is totally not impressed by Billy, king or no king, she is like, I should think someone in your position should have better manners, YOUR MAJESTY. Billy can’t believe the impertinence but Graham is ROFL-ing at it. The young lady rider is ofc our Camila, but Billy doesn’t know who she is. (Going with the Three Wishes and 2015 versions of Cinderella, also Kate and Anthony of Bridgerton meet cute.)

As with any Cinderella adaptation, a ball is organised where the prince king is to meet his future wife. Billy wants it done and over with, bc he supposes he needs a queen and heirs, but Teddy has a talk with him about how marriage needs to be a mutual respect and understanding, even when it comes to kings, but Billy retorts that it wasn’t like that with his parents. Teddy tells him it doesn’t have to be like that with him.

The young king’s mood is not improved by a conflict with a neighbouring kingdom. Their princess has gone missing, right under the nose of the regent, Eddie. The two kingdoms were always at loggerheads (over a piece of land or resources, pick whatever you like) and it’s only gone worse. There’s even a threat of war, but luckily their foreign affairs minister, Warren, manages to calm the matters down with his amazing diplomacy skills. He and Billy’s kingdom foreign affairs minister, Lisa, find an understanding—in more ways than one, lololol.

Billy meets Camila again in the woods, this time they’re friendlier to each other. She apologises to him for her previous behaviour, bc she really shouldn’t be like that with her king, but he says he deserved it. He asks her who she is but she rides away without telling him. Billy can’t stop thinking about her.

The day of the ball approaches. Nicky won’t hear of Camila going to the ball and locks her in her quarters. This is when the Fairy Godmother Simone enters the scene. You know the drill. Karen is coming to the ball too, bc the palace also has another ballroom for the middle classes, and that’s where Karen goes. Karen’s dad, the steward, is driving them to the palace in a carriage (not pumpkin-shaped, that’s a Disney invention. It’s normal carriage.)

The ball takes place, Camila and Billy meet there so he finally knows who she is and they dance together, yadda yadda. Midnight strikes, but they keep dancing, bc we’re adults here. Also, it turns out Simone is actually the lady who organised the ball, she was friends with the late queen, she just side hustles as a Fairy Godmother. Also that herbalist that Camila has been buying from is her gf Bernie. That’s how Simone knew Camila was good and deserved her help.

Graham takes a peak into the other ballroom, likes it better, dances with Karen and falls for her. Now, you know how much it matters to me that Karen ended up single on DJATS, but I don’t object to her and Graham together in an AU, so here you have it.

Camila explains the situation with Nicky and tells Billy she doesn’t want to abandon her people bc they need her, so she can’t marry him. Billy is determined to sort the situation out. He comes to their manor the next day and has it out with Nicky, who ends up falling head first into a horse manure and everyone sees it and laughs at him. Nicky has no choice but to leave the kingdom in disgrace. The manor then can be managed by the steward and Camila and Billy can get married.

The problems with the neighbouring kingdom don’t just go away, Lisa and Warren only managed a temporary peace. But this, too, gets solved one day when their princess returns. Sure enough, this is Daisy, who has been LARPing as a bard by way of running away from her responsibilities. But seeing king Billy mature in such a way (bc she was in his kingdom just when all of the above was happening) inspired her to get her own shit together. She says sorry to Eddie for tricking him like that, but he is just relieved that she’s home and safe. The two kingdoms sign a treaty and all is well.

Oh and also Rod came with Billy that day Billy went to Camila’s place to confront Nicky and he met Karen’s dad the steward, who is a widower, and they fell in love. Everybody’s coupled up and happy, and isn’t that what fairytales are all about?

Bonus: Actually. Not that anyone asked but. I do have an OC whose faceclaim is Sam and who is a prince. I never found a faceclaim for his love interest, but she is someone who is the type like Camila Morrone. So I just decided it's her. These character have lived in my head for a long time, though I've so far written only one short piece with them which is posted on my writing blog. Link. Maybe this ask is not the place to talk about my OC, but you enter the blog of a writer on your own risk. (Feel free to ignore!)

[platoniccereal]

Some of my modern au HCs include

-Kuni and Aether T4T

-Kuni is rooming with Heizou and Kazuha, the only two people that can endure his ass- Heizou bc he doesnt just take Kunis shit and Kazuha because he has perfected his Zen

-Heizou AND Kazuha can tell that Kuni has been far more chill with Aether in his life and openly softer. Meanwhile it seems like Aether is starting to be a bit more 'selfish' as he says more frequently "no" to people instead of helping everybody out

-Kuni has an aweful relationship with his mother and got only trauma from his adoptive father (Dottore) so kid's just fucked all around.

-Kuni plays bass and is p good at it too.

-Aeth is actually not very good with delicate crafts like sewing, embroidery, knitting or any of that, but he is super sporty and a surprisingly good home repairman.

-Aeth makes friends fast and is very popular so he heared 'you should stay away from Kuni, he's trouble.' quite often. In actuality Kuni is least likely to send you to hospital for the wrong comment. That's Aethers job.

-A thing that is very specific to them is that Kuni started to just hook his pinky finger with Aethers. Mostly out of emberassment but Aeth took it and used it to then slowly deepen their physical contact. Since Kuni has days where physical touch is a no go this is the most he will manage on these days and Aeth completely accepts that.

-despite what most would imagine: Kuni is... Pretty chilll with Aeths popularity. he never makes a scene, he doesnt get mad at Aether if someone flirts with him- he trusts him completely to stay faithful. When Heizou and Kazuha heared of that it was a big shock because gaining Kunis trust is fucking difficult and a long process. But it just turns put that Kuni has no energy to waste in being jealous. He gets insecure a few times but jealousy is rare with him.

-AETH HOWEVER GETS REAL PISSY. He does NOT like people making a move on HIS boyf and Kuni ALWAYS teases him about it.

-Nahida in this is actually Kunis social worker therapist kind of person and she actually formed quite a bond with him.

Yeah thats all i got so far haha

-🐦

hdhshzgs thank you for sharing!!! i love love love how expectations get turned on their head with their behaviour and aether being the fighty-punchy one, and kuni being the trustful one!! AND THE PINKY THINGY. 😭 ALSO T4T SCARAETHER *bangs fists on the table.*

totally can see all their roles being that, with how canon here is utilised, NAHIDA IS HIS SOCIAL WORKER THERAPIST PLEASEEE i need to see scara on the chair in her office the very first time, i bet it didn't go well at all, but i also bet she earned his trust, too. 😭❤️

and i loveeee anemo boys interacting i wonder if the tone deaf bard is in the picture somewhere ehe. AND AETHER BEING THE JEALOUS ONE IS NSHDHD.

this also made me realise that i don't have a very fleshed out concept of them in the modern au, purely vibes ✨. but i also imagined twins being the popular ones, school/college sweethearts, all that. but there's no true connection, and twins rarely reciprocate people's feelings bc this is also the vibes i'm getting from canon. it's all just. sweet, and that's it. scara is avoiding any connections on purpose but got better over the years to at least not act like a rabid cat. i think he's very proud and doesn't let anyone get under his skin and. err, snobish. and well versed in social cues and etiquette enough to violate it constantly with precision. he's the quiet guy which sometimes make people think he's an easy target who will take shitty behaviour and then there's a literal death ray turning their way as he glares and opens his mouth.

him and aether are kinda established in my head, and they're very open and chill with their relationships bc i want my boys to be happy and if pda could create energy aether would power a city and it required a lot of work to get here but they're committed. also they have each other as their lock screens and their message history is the funniest thing with aether being constantly on a brink of getting an aneurysm and scara's dry as a desert answers. ☝️

[elvhenmage]

2, 11, 17, 18, 25

30 Questions for your Dark Urge

2. Did your Dark Urge have any romantic and/or sexual relationships prior to their illithid adventure? If yes, who was it with and what was it like? If no, how did they feel about being single?

well you know the answer to this. it wasn’t romantic by any means because they’re both far too fucked in the head but yeah she and gortash were involved. turns out i was not immune to durgetash. the wiki really sold me on it with “It is possible that the Dark Urge and Enver Gortash found in each other the closest thing either of them ever had to a friend.” bc even though i don’t think makaria ever consciously considers him anything but a bug under her heel it’s still like, he DOES know her more than anyone else, and she knows him. they’re always at each other’s throat (literally) ((well, mostly it’s makaria at his throat)) but it’s also like. you’re the only bitch in this city that gets me. tldr i think he’s obsessed with her and she’s begrudgingly involved with him. it’s complicated

11. What motivates your Dark Urge to either embrace or resist the Urge?

alfira….. not just alfira though because makaria also has a Huge fear of being made to do things she doesn’t want to do (and generally just doesn’t like being told what to do), so that first blackout ending in alfira horrifically murdered and her having no memory of doing it immediately made her detest the urge. makaria may be casual with violence and murder but mostly only when someone does something she doesn’t like - alfira didn’t do anything, she was just a fun bard who wanted to join the party :(

17. What is your Dark Urge’s greatest regret?

probably uhh all the murder cult stuff LMAO like … she may not remember most of it, but from what she does remember and how it feels to be standing down in the temple, she very much regrets playing a part in that even though she was literally created and raised to do so. at some point you get the option to ask withers about the people you killed or something and i’ve been trying to figure out if that’s something she would do or not. on one hand i think it’d be a nice progression to have her need to face that part of her past but on the other maybe she doesn’t Want to look back… also i think a part of her regrets letting orin get one over on her by being too egotistical to see the betrayal coming - she dealt with a lot of inner turmoil coming out the other side and i imagine that that kind of deep-seated purpose of life ending in “failure” doesn’t ever completely go away - but overall she’s … maybe not GLAD it happened but she knows she’s better off this way. so not her greatest regret but a sort of regret regardless

18. How does your Dark Urge feel about love?

completely foreign to her. bhaal’s love - when it was even displayed - was twisted, there was no true love between her and gortash, and orin was little more than a brat who disrespected bhaal with her dramatics. everyone else she interacted with was beneath her. sceleritas didn’t love her so much as he revered her. and honestly i hadn’t thought about how this would affect her after the nautiloid until now so i’m actually not sure how she feels about love 🤔 i think someone’s gonna have to have a chat with her about it before she realizes that’s what she’s feeling but as for how she reacts to that, i’ll have to give it more thought

25. How does your Dark Urge feel about Sceleritas Fel?

sceleritas fel has ALWAYS been a damn menace. him and makaria are like if toadsworth and princess peach were really fucked up. ik durge canonically had a foster family but in MY canon sceleritas was mostly responsible for raising makaria, so they’ve been At Odds for as long as she can remember ‘cause he’s so CLINGY and persistent and she felt she knew what she was doing and so didn’t need his input. when she gets older and is sort of ‘claimed’ by bhaal for real, she gets more used to kicking sceleritas around (literally and metaphorically). bhaal being a direct influence in her life really inflates her ego for the worst. this doesn’t change after she’s lost her memories; she still very much immediately feels like strangling him with her bare hands whenever he pops up and tries coaxing her into following the urge

[ihopethisendswell]

I've been thinking about dnd a lot. I miss it, and right now I'm rotating my hand elf paladin Moss and my unnamed Tiefling warlock in my head.

Moss is already in a game but we haven't played in a long while. I miss her. I like her character - amnesiac who is confused but got spirit. Genuinely a sweet and kind person that wants to see the best in others, but knows when to pick up a sword - and while the paladin class has A Lot, it's sooo fun and is honestly kinda my perfect balance of what I like? I like doing big close up damage but also having some spells on the side( I tried multi classing once. Not for me, too much information to keep track of-). I have to get used to the fact that I am, in fact, not a squishy bard but rather a tank that will most likely be taking hits for everyone lol.

My Tiefling warlock oc was pretty much made bc I was missing Moss and I wanted her to have a foil. Warlock is pretty much Moss' opposite? Kinda? Paladin vs Warlock, Moss is pretty optimistic all things considered, Warlock is much more cynical. Moss is more than willing to help those in need, Warlock is often out for herself. Moss doesn't really know her purpose ( amnesia), Warlock knows what she wants and is willing to do anything to get it. Basically sunshine and storm clouds lol. I don't see Warlock as evil per say, just someone who is headstrong and believes she has to only look out for herself.

Whenever I think of the two, it's usually in tandem with each other? Despite me not even knowing Moss' deal ( I left it in the hands of my DM) and I. Can't really play Warlock now can I? But I still end up thinking of them as like. Childhood friends that got separated by circumstances or something. Warlock has always had a kill or be killed mentality ( thanks to her family) but has a big ol soft spot for Moss despite Moss not exactly fitting into her own plans. No, it does not hurt when Moss doesn't recognize who she is, thank you very much.

Also, and this is very important, they're both sword fighters! Cause of course they are, what type of doomed(????) yuri wouldn't have sword fights. Moss, as a paladin, generally carries and sword and shield of reasonable bulk. Warlock on the other hand I imagine carrying a saber, I think it's called? Those things swords that look elegant and good for fast movements. Think Weiss from RWBY ( heh. I think if I just said that before, I wouldn't have to explain Warlock huh lmaoooo. I think even her design in my head is pretty much akin to Weiss in some ways). Warlock is a spell caster first and foremost but I imagine she grew up in a family that made sure she knew how to wield a sword before anything else. I've always seen Warlock as more nimble in comparison to Moss. I know I say multi classing isn't for me, but I can see her at least being a rogue too.

So. Basically. Moss is a Redemption Paladin ( this might change but I felt it fits her character) and Warlock is a Hexblade warlock ( and maybe rogue but I'm not 100% sure)

Also to be clear: I haven't played Warlock at all. She's just an oc in my head right now. And I don't even know if she'll be able to be connected to Moss, since Moss themself has a lot going on. But I still adore them, and I should really give Warlock a name. Also Moss isn't Moss' real name, it's just the first thing she saw upon waking up in the campaign she was in and she couldn't remember her real name ( which honestly doesn't feel like her name anymore anyway so.). Her name is Moss.

[evilpenguinrika]

well i caved and decided to add the Archer class for Leo because I think having him be a Bard (once I hit lvl30 of Archer class) would be fitting.

Like sure, character backstory wise, Leo would read up on grimoires that Hope and Josie would have (as well as grimoires from Freya) and maybe even learned some of the bare basics or just watched Hope and Josie because he's the only Mikaelson kid that isn't a supernatural creature and is purely human. But he wants to do his best to research and learn so he could hopefully help his three older (supernatural) siblings one day should they need it. Which is why I figured the Scholar (and Astrologian--and I guess Summoner as well but my reasoning for Summoner needs to be tweaked. And I guess I need to expand more on why Astrologian would also be perfect for him--ALSO MACHINIST TOO MAYBE) job would be perfect for him in FFXIV. And he doesn't like seeing the people he loves hurt or injured bc of what happened when he was five before he got adopted by Hope and Josie (you can read about that here!) so it's a bonus that the Scholar job is categorized as a Healer (also more on scholar bc it's 1:13 am as i am typing this and my brain is not cooperating with me and they have a little blurb about the Scholar anyways that makes more sense to read than if I attempt to paraphrase)

But then came a thought.

In my very first Hosie fic, Sad Bedroom Eyes, I think i had Leo be really into plays and theatre and performance and stuff. And then I thought "Oh yeah, Bard would fit really well with his character, and maybe he'd be really into the performing arts when he gets older as well".

And in FFXIV, the starting class for Bards is an Archer. And then I had another thought: wasn't Josie and Lizzie's dad like, a vampire hunter or whatever? Had all these weapons and shit at his disposal. I think--character backstory wise--it would also make sense for Leo to want to learn how to fight if he is to ever support and protect his siblings. So he'd for sure go to grandpa Alaric and be like "grandpa can you teach me how to fight with all those cool weapons you have" or something idk.

Like ok, obviously Hope and Josie would not be happy their youngest is trying to learn how to fight. I mean maybe Hope would be happy to hear Leo wants to be able to hold his own and maybe learn how to defend himself--but the sole purpose of learning how to fight with weapons is to protect them and his siblings? His family that are all supernaturals???? His mom who is a Tribrid???? His other mom who is a Siphoner but also a Gemini witch and also pretty strong????? And not to mention his siblings, a Tribrid, a Werewolf, and a Siphoner--all equally strong and powerful????? Leo, honey, it's okay. YOu don't HAVE to learn to fight to protect them???

But Leo wants to anyways because this is his family and he NEVER EVER wants to lose them like he did with his other parents.

Because aside from learning magic despite not being a witch, he'd probably be able to find some creative way to incorporate what he knows of magic/potions (I like to think Leo is more potions-focused than spells since, again, he's human and maybe there are some potion spells that don't necessarily REQUIRE magic? idk i could be wrong, i never watched TVD, only TO and LGCS so feel free to correct me) into how he fights with weapons or something.

So that's why I caved and had Leo--in the game of FFXIV--pick up the Archer class and then hopefully later, become a Bard (since Bards still uses bows and arrows in the game).

[tvrningout-a]

5 & 6 on questions for muns

ISSA MEME | @resolutepath requested an answer!

5. is there a muse you really want to try? if yes: what’s stopping you?

i have a few! the one i've had on my mind most recently is my inquisitor from dra.gon ag.e: inq.uis.ition bc she's an oc i think about pretty often and love to bits. i've never written her partially bc i worry her initial concept is a little too silly -- her chosen alias is pickle o'brien, which is a play on the word piccolo bc she was originally a bard! it's a joke that was never meant to stick, but it did :' ) absurdities aside, i'm just not entirely sure what the dra.gon ag.e fandom is like or how active it is, and i'm not sure very many of my current mutuals would wanna write against her.

i also think it'd be really fun to write lee chang or yeong-shin from kingdom! i think their characters offer a lot to explore, and they're simply!! very lovely and make me wanna yell 24/7. the main thing stopping me is once again feeling unsure if my mutuals would particularly wanna write against them, considering that series may be lesser known.

6. is roleplaying the only writing-based hobby you have, or are there other things you like to write?

these days, roleplaying is really the only writing-based hobby i keep up with. i used to write a little fanfiction here and there, and i've actually created a fair share of oc's for that purpose who then never saw the light of day asdf which is a shame bc i love those oc's a lot! but it's hard for me to complete a multi-chapter work, especially if my brain decides to switch hyperfixations. i think i could be better at it now bc i feel more comfortable writing canon characters, but! roleplaying is still my go-to bc i don't feel so much pressure to write if my brain isn't working with me.

if we can count plotting and planning as a writing-based hobby, i do a lot of that, though! i map out moments between my characters and others all the time, and somewhat regularly when i meet up with my friends.

[gold-rhine]

#yeah whoever is writing the characterization for events needs to stop they keep getting everyone wrong#venti is a good example of his im continuously so mad about how he's constantly mischaracterized as 'stupid drunk' qnd thats it8 notes  

True, though I feel like this is more of an issue for Itto, bc when characters who have consciously constructed public personas, like Venti or Kaeya, get written as one dimensional in a cameo appearance, at least it doesnt hurt their overall characterization coherency, bc in-universe we can be like oh, they were just playing up their personas. Venti pretends to be a simple drunkard bard, nothing to see here, on purpose, etc.

But Itto is 100% sincere all of the time, so when his character is flattened in canonical writing, we don’t have any excuse, it’s just gives wrong impression and puts thing He Would Not Fucking Say or Do into canon

You ever think the Itto we get in events isn't the Itto from his story quest? Little things that feel real ooc like him stealing from his friends or that dumb drum. The only time after that I felt This Is Itto was during Heizou's hangout. Godteir hangout btw. I love him to bits but man does it hurt a little. They're also missing a golden opportunity with his blue oni bro that doesn't exist anymore I guess.

oh 100%, i am so salty about Itto writing. I think that like, no joke he is one of the hardest characters in genshin to handle writing wise, bc while outwardly comedic and goofy, he is also incredibly kind and empathetic AND has an unbreakable spine when it comes to protecting people. He has tragic backstory! He has themes about minority in-fighting, refusing to assimilate and radical compassion! He's a hard balance to keep, and he was written incredibly in his own story quest, but I feel like when random hoyo writers who mb don't have a tight understanding of his character write him, they just do the comedic bit or fail to write him as multi-dimensional even when trying

like on my prev blog I was ranting at length how hoyo fucked up Itto's writing in chasm event. And I recently replayed it and like... you can SEE how they tried and failed! You can SEE how some writer had the characterization notes for Itto, but just couldn't make him come to life. like they OOC-ed him into a clown for most the quest, then they had a bit where he steps up during xiao and yelan's argument about how xiao wants to sacrifice himself, but instead of arguing against self-sacrifice, smth that he did VERY coherently in his own story quest, he just punches the wall and passes out. And then kuki explains that like Itto hates seeing ppl harm themselves, and that he has his heroic moments to help others and like. why IS SHE TELLING THIS. Why didn't you just SHOW us with Itto's own words and actions?? Like you can see them reading character notes and failing to dramatize them. Such a shame for real.

tho speaking of events, i think the ghosts event where he immediately adopted three yokai kids was good

but also yeah, Heizou hangout was absolutely top tier, and Itto was on point and absolute joy every second he was on screen. I miss him too, when will Good Itto Characterization come back from the war

[intothegenshinworld]

As promised on my main, I'd write something for the archons. Venti finally came home and completed my godly team!! so; here we go!

When you played Genshin, you had taken a liking to the archons. Their bursts were pretty, their hair lit up (which was poggers) and they came with early pity for you! You had considered it to be lucky, so no complaints from your side, but now being 'isekai-ed' you figured it was more than just luck.

The tradition of gathering around with the Seven to drink, returned. The meeting place switched every month, and the archon from that region would provide the wine and foods. (If you're underage/don't like alcohol they will always bring non-alcoholic drinks. If not? Venti only cares about you and probably brings alcohol only. Too bad Ei. You're not getting Dango milk.)

This month Venti had accompanied you from Mondstadt to Liyue, where you’d meet the other archons. It always was a mess, a delightful one, but if you had not been there, sitting between all of them, you were certain war would break out.

Venti would be drunk in no time. Definitely tries to pass out in someone’s arms on purpose. If he couldn’t get close to you, he would pass out in the nearest other persons lap. (Everyone’s reaction is funny. Some get used to it, but the Tsarista in particular would give him the coldest glare knowing in your presence she couldn’t turn him into an ice cube.)

The Tsarista who would try to keep everything perfect for you, slightly irritated by how chill everyone is around you, but once chaos breaks free- she would sigh and sip on the drink that was poured by you. (Will turn anyone's drink in ice if they interupt her conversation with you. These moments are so precious to her so everyone else- quiet!!!)

Zhongli, drunk on Osmanthus wine, who would tell you the entire history of Liyue like a bedtime story. Would become strangely offended if someone told him to shut up (most likely the Pyro archon or drunk Venti.)

Hydro archon who would manipulate the fluids into beautiful shapes for you, and once she has had a drink would sing the most beautiful songs, though probably will be interrupted by the other archons. (Most likely to steal your attention bc she's so graceful and pretty)

Ei who would feel out of place, lingering by your side for that small comfort you give her. Any deserts will be eaten within the first hour, and doesn’t touch any drinks unless its sweet or you poured it specifically for her.

The pyro archon who would proudly explain her culture to you. She is fierce, and isn't afraid to take on a drinking battle with Venti (she wins). Will end up glancing at you, waiting until you praise her for winning the ‘battle’.

Kusanali who is the youngest of the seven. Would be denied drinks and babied at times. Turns out she's already 500 years old. (Would chat calmly with Tsarista about culture and would also be the only one to strengthen the relationships between nations)

At every gathering there will be someone who spills another ones secret. It can range from an awkward moment to government problems that go way back (everyone judging each other’s ruling to make themselves look better, smh).

At times the air would become almost suffocating with all the archons radiating their own elemental energies. Normally opening a window would be okay enough, but if you had a drink as well; you probably could feel the elements tickling on your skin. It's probably better to not sit too close to everyone.

BONUS

Being extremely close with the archons because you have friendship 10 with them. They rotate regularly in your team but it’s always an archon who supports your main DPS.

Venti would be your best friend, becoming more open with himself and his actions as an archon instead of the carefree bard. He will continue to sing for you and will love to hear you sing with him as well. HUGS!! If u bump into him during your stays in Mondstadt you will be hugged.

Zhongli, who would let you explore every part of Liyue with him telling the culture of his own land. Constant ASMR because he will not shut up. Its fine though, because you’re used to him saying ‘Osmanthus wine ta-‘

Ei, who would reign instead of the Shogun when you’re around. She would let you take her through the shops in Inazuma, getting discounts everywhere because it’s the Creator and the Shogun!! Wanting you to visit the Narukami Shrine with her to visit Makoto, because in her mind she wants her to be blessed with your presence as well.

TAGS: (People who I'd like to brainrot with, if you're not here I forget a lot of people so please still brainrot with me-)

@karmawonders @chocoenvy @kaz3yo

I'm so sorry if I wrote any unreleased archons wrong!! It's just how I'd see them right now :)

[shiningstarr15]

So I wanted to give my opinions on some highlights from the new episode of “The Owl House”

Spoiler warning ⚠️

...

...

...

I am in LOVE with the idea of bard magic. Since I’m such a musical geek the idea of magic that is conjured by playing instruments is so appealing to me. If I were a witch on the boiling isles, I would definitely practice bard magic 😍 also I just love the BATTS lol

Eda my poor girl! 😭 so scared of losing her found family, believing she’s “no substitute for the real thing” who says it isn’t real honey!? FOUND FAMILY IS REAL FAMILY FIGHT ME!!

RAINE WHISPERS 👏 Jesus Christ I’ve only just met them and already I would die for them. They are so sweet and adorable and I want the absolute world for them 🥺 also they are the head of the BARD COVEN how could I not love them!? (Also belos I swear to god if you do anything to them I will hunt you down and kill you myself!)

Speaking of, I love the fact that fanfic girl katya, from the first episode came back and is also a bard witch. Just. Everything is awesome about that 😍

RAEDA!! Omg did y’all see the intense blushing and flirting between these two!? They had a past and I wanna know more about it! Did they date before? If they did why did they break up?? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! (Also I ship them hardcore)

Eda is sitting here believing that she has no purpose in life if she loses Luz and King. She’s willing to sacrifice her own life to save them and the boiling isles. 🥺😭

And then, Raine sees the picture and it all comes together for them. “Do you have kids!?” YES SHE DOES. And Raine knows this now and is just like “uh uh you aren’t sacrificing yourself your kids need you” 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺

Eda sobbing at the idea of losing Raine, losing Luz and King. These people, are the most important thing in her life. She can’t bear the idea of losing them. It hurts so much. And she’s so scared and vulnerable here. We don’t see eda vulnerable that often so that’s how you know, These people are her family. She loves them and doesn’t want to lose them.

And finally, the highlight of the episode for me..

KING CLAWTHORNE!!! OMG WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMED I FUCKING SCREAMED!! King has been going through an identity crisis since finding out the truth of his birth. The fandom has speculated for a long time what kind of relationship king and eda have. But now that we know king is literally an 8 YEAR OLD CHILD, it was pretty clear to us that eda was his mother. But, the fact that king HIMSELF went and made it OFFICIAL. He said “you’re adopting me. So now we’re bound for life and there’s nothing you can do about it.” And eda is SOBBING now bc this whole time she thought the thing king wanted to talk to her about was leaving the owl house. He surprised her, he surprised us, and he left me an absolute blubbering mess!!! 🥺🥺😭😭🥰🥰 (also I was always trying to figure out him and luz’s relationship and this confirms that they are in fact surrogate brother and sister and that just gives me even more serotonin!)

So yea needless to say this episode was AMAZING!! The Owl House continues to be one of the, if not the, best Disney channel show airing rn. They deserve all the praise and especially Dana herself for being an emasculate writer that knows EXACTLY how to write the most beautiful relationships, friendships, and found families.

[silverjirachi]

🕸️: d&d character ask game: 1, 3, 9, 15, 22, 29, 25 and 38! i'm sorry if it's a lot, but i really do wanna know❣️

NO OMG IM SO EXCITED!! I'll be answering for Corian, my homebrew artificer from Kibblestasty's Inventor/Revised Artificer class, because he's the one I'm playing currently. Otherwise I have a long-term bard named Rhys who has many many different alternate selves who some of you may know from my other posts or rp videos.

✨ CORIAN'S DND ASKS ✨

What is your character’s morning routine?

I answered this one before so I'm going to copy and paste from the other one (forever ago!! it 's ok if you didn't know) because it hasn't changed much.

Corian is very messy and not a very consistent person, so his morning “routine” varies widely. When he manages to wake up early and is feeling like a morning person, he goes down to the bakery in his hometown, Leviathan, and grabs some pastries and coffee for breakfast. He might have classes to teach at the wizarding school or other important uhhh business in town don’t worry about it (he is/used to be a spy for an evil organization in-game shhh).

Most of the time though he just wakes up any time between 10am and 12pm, slaps himself in the face a little bit, downs some shitty instant coffee or any leftover alcohol and eats whatever breakfast he can scrounge together while he’s already working on gadgets for the day. Theoretically he reads the paper in this time too. That’s a very civil and professional thing to do, right? His mechanical familiar, Cogs, holds up whatever he’s reading and turns the pages for him if his hands are busy, or Corian uses his mechanical third arm he straps to his equipment to turn the pages himself and assist in the drinking coffee.

3. Do they eat breakfast? What’s they favorite?

I kinda answered this one with the morning routine post, but Corian has a pretty big sweeth tooth and loves going to the Leviathan bakery!! For any kind of pastries really but he got kind of a reputation in-game for bringing "apology donuts" to the party for 1. spying on them and 2. accidentally on purpose showing them the dildo room in his house.

So.. donuts??

But also any food that his mom used to cook for him. He really misses his family and anything she cooked was probably amazing bc she's one of Those Moms™️

9. How do they like their mornings? Rainy and chilly? Bright and sunny? Not at all because they don’t wake until noon?

Yeah Corian is a late riser so mostly up at noon when he has the luxury of it. (But he was also a middle school teacher at a magic school so...)

However he does like a good, quiet, rainy morning. Corian has an... interesting... relationship with the rain and thunderstorms. (His gun is powered on storm energy, and the gun as a.. loaded... backstory).

However he hasn't experienced a good non-sleety rain in a long time, because when he was "exiled" (for lack of a better word) to his current hometown, Leviathan, by the evil org he worked for, Leviathan is really far north and so it's always snowy. (I jokingly have called it dnd alaska). He's grown to love the snowy mornings too, as long as it's light snow and not like a blizzard or that horrible sleet shit.

15. Do they prefer warm days or cool ones?

I think Corian used to prefer warm days, but he's lived in Fantasy Alaska for so long he likes the cold now. He's made peace with it and decided he enjoys it. We'll see what happens when he gets back to a sunnier climate.

22. Do they like to share meals with their party?

YES. YES OH GOD YES. Corian LOVES getting to eat meals with his little found family because it reminds him of his huge family back home. (He's one of six siblings). One of our other party members, the rogue/monk name E'kayah, is an excellent cook and always making the nicest, cutest meals and Corian genuinely thinks it's so sweet. The other party member is also his current girlfriend (maybe too strong a term for either of them, but he still cares about her alot) so that's nice too.

25. What is their comfort item/habit?

TINKERING. Corian is an artificer and a big component of my particular subclass (Gadgetsmith) is that he's constantly coming up with new inventions. So in any downtime or when they're just sitting around chilling (and sometimes even at dinner) he just has stuff out and is tinkering. Corian has a mechanical familiar, Cogs, that's a tiny modrone that was a result of said tinkering, and he also has a Clockwork Amulet given to him by his father (also a clockmaker/artificer) that he always keeps close to him.

29. Do they use napkins when they eat?

Only if absolutely necessary.

38. Do they remember their dreams?

Yes. Corian has a really vivid imagination so he is constantly having bizarre dreams that he probably rants to the party about at breakfast. ("Lena I had a dream your hair was made of glue!") And some of these dreams have probably inspired inventions. Corian's also had his fair share of recurring nightmares due to things in his backstory, which were exacerbated during their stint in the Shadowfell, but they're out of the Shadowfell now so those should be getting better!!

Thank you so much for asking, this was so much fun!! 💖✨

Ask me Dnd things?

✨

[witch-witcher-witchless]

@firefly-party

Your lovely comment: You are sooo adorable! omg! but listen here, i'm totally the same! Look, you're an amazing author and you're also writing Jaskel! You make them tick exactly the same as i imagine them... and...this is everything to me? i'd die for you! hahaha 💖 So go on and ramble all you want bc i won't stop either 😂 (i also recognized you from that lovely comment you left in my work here on ao3? (i still have that screenshot saved! hehe) so imagine me all 👀👀👀 when i saw your jaskel fic!)

Still AHHHH 😂

I also wanna apologize in advance in case my comment doesn't make much sense. i read your reply around...6am today (after i went to bed at 2am (oof)) and i couldn't stop thinking about your words and my brain went fully brrrrrr-mode so i grabbed my phone and took notes about all the things i want to mention in *this* reply right now. i hope i can...decrypt my sleep deprived notes 😂

It's all good! I'd never even guess a sleep deprived person wrote this!

Coming back to the day to day trust thing and how they both experience it more or less for the first time? Look, Jask is a popular bard. Ppl like him for his fame and for his looks but they never *know* the real Jaskier. So the first time Jask experiences full friendship and trust bc Eskel's not the type to just jump at him bc he's good looking or for any kind of fame. They become friends over the time travelling together, with Jask stitching wounds, gaining some money with music and entertainment while eskel's the one to hunt for food and who keeps them safe. Both simply caring for each other's well being.

Ohhhh, that's spot on, I think! I def think Eskel is the type to try shake (metaphorically?) Jaskier off of travelling with him when he first gets a bard-barnacle. A bardnacle if you will, but ends up just automatically gathering more wood for a bigger fire, hunting more food, picking Jaskier's favourite cooking herbs along with his potion ingredients, and he suddenly realizes that yes, Jaskier is his friend -and Jaskier has never had anyone actually work for friendship before, never had that kind of thoughtfulness reciprocated. Ever.

Eskel's might be overwhelmed with Jask's trust at first? He has to learn being accepted by a human being. A human who cares for a scarred witcher.

And Jaskier, never really experiencing that kind of "deep" friendship before gets all handsy bc he's nervous and constantly has to check that Eskel's really real? And as you said, those casual touches are overwhelming Eskel bc.... who'd do that willingly?

Omg yes! At first Eskel just feels constantly alert, like he can't relax because why is this human even looking at him -is it the scars? Is it his eyes? Is it when the ridiculous bard managed to pull a full laugh out of him and inadvertently flashed his sharper canines? WHAT IS HIS PURPOSE AND WHAT DOES HE WANT FROM ESKEL ;-; there is no bestiary entry for bards and most of his experiences with humans has been transactional at best

Another thought i had is... the moment Jask realizes he has Eskel's full trust is when he's washing his hair? when eskel leans back into his touch, fully exposing his neck, simply knowing that Jask would never hurt him.

Or maybe when he stops trying to hide is scars under a cloak hood, when he stops hiding his smiles and making sure that Jaskier is always along his 'good' side? And the bath thing just reinforces it, really drives it home for Jaskier and made him have a true aha moment

Once they're a couple the could slowly discover each other's likes and dislikes, kinks ect. maybe also discover sth they never thought they'd be into before. and regarding your fic here... what if Eskel was never aware that he'd like being a (gentle) dom from time to time? I imagine that first time they tried this like this:

J: you ok? E: "yes..?" "did you like what we just played?" " I...dunno?" "do you want to try it again sometime?" "yes"...

sth like that?? XDDDD sry im so bad with writing LOL

And what if Jask discovers that he likes to sub? he's a bard, he's entertaining masses, dominating them with his music and stories... and this could be a nice change for him?

But they both have that special trust in each other to simply explore without ever feeling awkward or ashamed when there's sth they don't like. Or would totally safeword if there's anything that's an absolute no-go, or when sth doesn't work out.

they *know* that their partner wouldn't make fun of them. they just want to do the things that makes the other one happy.

Eskel's also learning that he can "take things"/ want things for himself. He learns to be greedy which he never dared before bc it's selfish, and in some way showing vulnerablilities? But he trusts Jask enough to know that he loves doing those things with/for Eskel. No matter if it's their daily life or in bed. Ohhh and also... i think they both need to learn how to accpet real praise? I imagine Eskel being the kind to politely refuse praise or to turn away and snorting when he hears nice words. it's completely new to him to be called "beautiful"... As for Jask, he hears praise all the time but it's from ppl he doesn't really care about (that sounds harsh but eh). so they learn that this praise is not a lie or a shallow side-comment.

Yessss, all of this!!!! You know the meme with Geralt in the bath and Jaskier just complimenting him until he's looking like he'll fling himself out of the water and hide "I think I need my safeword"

anyway...wow this is a lot, and look.... you gave me so many plot bunnies to handle too xD (im not even done with my notes but lkfjldgj) i cant stop thinking about them since the moment i got up xD fuck! xDDD

i have no idea if this is simply... yeah... well this absolutely IS rambling about them. sry if i missed any point in your reply you needed an answer to. D: I just want them to be happy and to grow together in any possible way reagarding their friendship, trust and as lovers.

I'm sure they'd have plenty of ruined sex/orgasms bc they were "testing" sth new and it didn't work out but instead of being ashamed they can just laugh it off and go back to the things they like.

Jaskier's always been expected to be super smooth and suave and romantic, and Eskel's the first person he can laugh with and not take everything so seriously?? And big scary Witcher man can actually take his time and figure out sex where his partner isn't practically pushing him out of bed and out the door?? He gets kisses???

ok fuck, i have to stop here or it's getting out of hand (already has) XD im sorry for clogging your comment section 🙈😂 whoops.

Hmu on tumblr or twt or if you have discord??? lemme know?? 🥺

I really need to distract myself now. No Jask, no Eskel. *bonk* uhg.

Dude you're in good company, I could use a bonk too 😂😂😂

[actualbird]

Oh that's. That's a lot of alcohol. I did not think soju had five times more alcohol than beer it makes much more sense now. Thank you ihavenotfallenyet, you answered probably one of the biggest questions I had about alcohol!

Yeah the out of order events was something that I also wasn't that happy about, though I had already grown a tolerance to it since a lot of mobile otome games with events also kind of have this issue. It would be better if the events remained in the order they are but there's not much we can do aside from reading the event progression in order beforehand. Hopefully any other event shifts won't be as jarring as RRG, and at least Artem and Vyn have their progression more or less intact for their fans. Better two of them have out of order progression than all of them.

Vyn's perception is absolutely maxed as high as he can get it. There's a friend of mine who always makes bards with +10 charisma, and Vyn has that but for his perception. He probably does the same in dnd honestly, someone has to save the team from falling for lies and getting themselves in trouble.

xfjdtd nice way to use low rolls to your advantage. The image of a bard trying to serenade everyone with a beautiful song, realising it's just an off day for them and immediately switching gears to singing badly on purpose to annoy everyone is the best thing I've ever heard.

🌌

ohhhh, i didnt know this happened in other otome games too!!! tot is the first otome game ive played EVER which is surprising to me since im such a sucker for cheesy romance kjsdbgjsd. yeah, it was only rlly marius' relationship progression that got messed up. luke was fine because he and mc are already close so nothing noticeable was a discrepancy. marius tho, i kept squinting during RRG like.....dude, u havent smirked at mc for 3 whole scenes, are you sick? do you need a nap? im worried KJBKJSBGS

VYN WOULD MAX OUT HIS WISDOM and maybe get his proficiency there too. maybe also intelligence, but i do also want him to have a proficiency in dexterity bcuz hes a nimble archer and equestrian. im p sure his constitution is squishy as fuck tho, no offense, vyn. of all the boys, u look like a strong gust of wind could blow u off into the horizon.

and also if in my maybe future tot dnd fic and the fic is where the team play dnd, im so conflicted bc i want vyn to have a character cuz thats so fun but also, of all of them, he'd be the type to want to be DM the MOST. dnd is inherently improvisational storytelling and no single player has all control, it's a grp thing, yep, but also vyn would still enjoy like, Knowing Things The Others Do Not. i think he'd love creating the premises and lore and backstory and whipping those out when absolutely perfect to make the others scream.

also, because this one exchange my campaign team had with our DM fits vyn very well. adapted to the nxx team, it'll go like

the team: youre such a great DM!! can WE give YOU inspiration points?

vyn: i am flattered but that is an unwise decision. since i would use that inspiration to kill you all

my character, skirmish, is a tiefling bard and theyre a fucking nightmare. to give you an image of them, in our latest session, they rolled performance (really high) to sing a song about how these two villains we apprehended were just such shit people

and of course i roleplayed singing the song because u gotta commit to the bit. the song went like

yoURe boTH such terRRRIIIIBBLLEEE PEOPLEEEE~ nobody liKES YOUUUU~ and noboDY EVER WILLLLLL~

the performance was so rousing, the locals of the town were invigorated in rage against the villains and started throwing fish guts at them

[appassaddle]

In worldbuilding, one of the best touchstones you can give people is in arts. Music is especially great because it’s one of the longest lasting sense-memories people have, so giving that to your fictional characters makes them that much more real and relatable. ATLA, as a great fantasy world, makes great use of this (how many times have you sung a song from the show? be honest.) so this is a list of possible musical influences that could be part of the various nations outside of the music we’re given in-show. The musical possibilities with bending and having benders has just... so much cool potentital, because look at what we’ve got without even having powers!

Check it:

Earth kingdom – lithophones

The Earth Kingdom would have absolutely sick lithophones (instruments made from resonating stone).

Lithophones are also some of the oldest dated musical instruments, going back to prehistoric times, and can be found in locations/cultures around the globe (singing/ringing/sonic/resonant rocks of different types are everywhere) in both natural and man-made settings. (Musical caves/stalactite organs vs carved or shaped settings)

Some examples:

Bianqing: (also known as qing, biên khánh in Vietnam, and pyeongyeong in Korea) A stone gong originating from China, played in a set (or singular) hung on racks, with a characteristic angular shape. (Not to be confused with bianzhong, which are metal bells, often played together with bianqing.)

          [example] [example] [example]

Ðàn đá: a stone mallet instrument from the western/central highlands of Viet Nam. They are a historic instrument and got a revival in the 1950s, so they are fairly common in the modern era as well.

          [example] [example]

          If you’re interested in checking out the work of Viet musicologists, check out their website: https://www.vienamnhac.vn/home-page

For a look into how stone based instruments can be made, check out this report from a small town in Japan that specializes in a specific type of musical stone (sanukite): https://www.kensanpin.org/en/report/no47/

Some examples of instruments made from sanukite: [example] [example]

(I can also totally see towns in the EK having stones specific to their region and their local musical tone.)

Post metalbending revolution they would probably partner up with…

The Fire Nation likely has a strong lean towards metallophones. In Western music the most well known of these would be vibraphones, glockenspiels, and bells. (In the ATLA soundtrack, a notable metallic sound is Azula’s signature sting.) But for the FN, more likely influences could be along the lines of:

Gamelan: this is a genre/type of ensemble from Indonesia, the main three styles being Javanese, Balinese, and Sudanese. (Styles depend on island of origin and cultural purposes.) It has a rich history and cultural importance that cannot be done justice in a few lines her, but it’s absolutely amazing music. Gamelan is used for religious/spiritual purposes, dance, puppeteering/storytelling, theater, general concerts, community gathers, and more. Ensembles range in size and instrumentation, but the main timbre is in the various metallophones (barred, gongs, cymbals, etc.), as well as drums, strings, woodwinds, and singers. [example] [example] [example]

[If you’re interested in learning more, the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan actually has whole video modules via youtube to learn about the various styles of gamelan and multiple sources both print and online to access!]

Steelpan/steel drums: Originating from Trinidad and Tobago, these instruments have a very universal popularity for their bright tone and accessibility. There are many variations on steelpan such as the hang drum, handpan, steel tongue drum, and others. [example] [example] [example]

For the polar Water Tribes, I’d imagine they’d have a much stronger oral/vocal tradition than instrumental, with the exception being portable/durable instruments like hands drums, bone flutes, etc. (So this section is a little less instrument based and more appropriate vibes.)

Vocal/oral tradition: It’s hard to find a culture that doesn’t have some form of oral or sung tradition, but with the cultural influences behind the Water Tribes, I’d guess that a strong tradition would be in throat singing. Throat singing is found in multiple indigenous cultures around the world with various styles of overtone singing (producing more than one tone at once). Some examples are:

Inuit - [one] [two]

Tuvan (Mongolian) - [one] [two] [obligatory plug for The Hu bc they are some of the coolest people on the planet]

Tibetan - [one] [two]

Italian - [one] [two]

Ainu - [one] [two]

Tan Dun, Water Music: Tan Dun is a composer who has done film scores and currently focuses on what he calls “organic music” where the main focus is using naturally occurring materials/sounds. [performance]

Water drumming: One of the coolest ensemble performances, just straight up using water as an instrument. These examples are from Vanuatu and the Baka people of Cameroon. [one] [two] [three] [four] [five]

Sea Organ: Located in Zader, Croatia, this experimental instrument is played by the tides and waves. [video]

Hand drums/frame drums: these styles of drums can be found around the world, throw a dart at a map and there’s probably a style of hand drum from there. They are among the simplest style of drum to make, needing a round frame and hide to stretch over it. Here are just a few examples: [one] [two] [three] [four] [five] [six]

Air Nomads probably had a hug musical tradition between the temples, skybison herding, and traveling. Both singing and wind instruments were probably very popular (we see Aang being able to play multiple instruments). Simple flutes make good travel instruments and being able to share news and information via song when stopping at towns would be a valued skill (in communities before reading was a common skill, it would usually fall to either dedicated criers or bards to pass along information in an understandable and memorable way).

Singing/chants: Learning songs from around the nations would be fun for those who travel, it’s easy to imagine an informal song competition for the most variety or strangest or most locations or dirtiest ones learned during their travels. But given the strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the Air Nomads, some traditional Tibetan vocal music examples (a couple of other examples are under the Water Tribe section as well)- [one] [two] [three] [four] [five]

(Tibetan musical notation is also regarded as some of the most beautiful in the world, I’d strongly recommend taking a look.)

Sheng- This is a free-reed mouth organ from China and it has an incredibly long history. Traditional shengs are handheld with few keys, more modern versions vary in size, number of pipes, and keys. It’s a pretty delightful instrument imo. [one] [two] [three]

Panflute: There a lots of different kinds of panflutes found around the world, the most famous being the Greek and Peruvian styles. Some different kinds include paixiao (China), wot (Laos, northern Thailand), nai (Romania, Moldova), siku (Andean), and kuvytsi (Slavic). Variations include the cut of pipes to produce the sound, arrangement of the pipes, and materials used.[siku] [paixiao] [wot 1] [wot 2]

It would also be very cool to have carvings into the mountains that could be played by airbending oh man.

All of these are, of course, just barely dipping a toe into the vast amounts of beautiful musical cultures out there, but hopefully it helps inform and build on what is there. If something tickles your fancy, please feel free to go digging and find more about it! (If you aren’t sure where to start, I’m happy to help, just drop me a line and I can at least point you in the right direction. I make no claim to be any kind of expert here, but I can get you to them!)