Muttonhawk

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

I have been thinking, writing 'the hain equivalent of a smile' is a bit cumbersome. I tried thinking of some examples of quick body language that would work for the hain in my slough week post, but it wasn't exactly thorough. I reckon I'll give it a better shot this time.

So...what are we missing from human faces?
- Lips
- Eyebrow
- Nose bridge

What has been carried over?
- Eyes
- Jaw and mouth with teeth
- A head that can angle itself
- Hands and arms (this is not so subtle, but might make up for missing features)

A simple system

I know that there are more subtle expressions than the seven basic human faces, I'll just go with them for now as a starting point. Anyone can expand on these expressions for the sake of nuance when describing hain. Keep in mind that hain view things from the side of their heads, like birds, so make sure that you imagine the default position of their heads is side-on to the other party.

Anger:
- Eyes narrowed.
- Mouth open with teeth displayed.
- Head tends to stay still and focussed.
- Clenched fists, slightly bent elbows.

Fear:
- Eyes wide.
- Mouth closed, teeth audibly chatter, even if adrenaline has not been released. [Side note: Chattering teeth while idle and out of danger is a sign of long term stress and anxiety in a hain]
- Beak front turned slightly towards the subject, tends to flit from side to side to switch eye pairs more quickly and frequently.
- Slightly bent elbows, but fists not clenched by default.

Disgust:
- Eyes narrowed.
- Mouth closed and still.
- Head angled back slightly from subject.
- Hands neutral.

Contempt:
- Head angled back slightly from subject.
- Other features neutral.

Joy:
- One or both palms upturned and open.
- Beak angled upwards slightly.
- Other features neutral.

Sadness:
- Eyes narrowed or closed. Hain have tears like humans.
- Jaw generally clenched, but extreme sadness has the mouth held slightly open.
- Beak front angled downwards.
- One or both hands generally held against the side of the head.

Surprise:
- Eyes wide.
- Mouth clenched.
- Beak front angled towards subject slightly.
- Elbows bent to roughly right angles.
- Palms bared directly to subject.

What does everyone think about this? I know it's oversimplified and I am kind of tired but it might be a start.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I am very open to suggestions here. I'm not a body linguist by any means.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine returned the smile. "Yes. I had a feeling that Gallus would not sent Tzirret into combat without a good reason." She nudged Peiter with her elbow, "You did not need to be so worried after all. Though, it is still a worry that Tzirret could join the fighting anyway." Sabine looked ahead and her smile faded, "We should find Ma'tanza."

---

"It is Sabine and Peiter. They..." Tzirret looked away and lifted one side of his upper lip for a moment, "They do not think Tzirret is experienced enough to join the fight."

Tzirret's tone of voice lost enthusiasm. "I might still be a bit scared but I want to prove that I'm not afraid of everything anymore. It is not fair."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Peiter may have had preconceptions about Gallus' night, Gallus himself seemed confused by his reaction. Gallus lowered his brow and spoke, "Huh, I didn't know that you were informed of my mission." Gallus dismissed it with a wave of his arm, "Well, there's no harm in knowing now, I suppose. Yes, I was out of the stronghold for most of last night. Meesei recommended that I get a good rest but..." Gallus loudly stretched, "...time's wasting. I need to get something to eat."

"Um," Sabine leaned slightly to one side, "When are you going to talk to Tzirret?"

"Soon enough, soon enough," Gallus reassured. "And Peiter? Thank you for letting me know about all this."

---

Tzirret took a breath to speak, but stopped suddenly as he processed La'tahne's words. Regardless of what the gardener meant by it, Tzirret moved on with nothing more than and errant glance.

"Uh, yes, everyone is getting ready to march out." Tzirret seemed to deflate very slightly, "This one is going as well. He...wants to help but everyone thinks he should stay." Tzirret sighed and looked down, "This one has got braver lately, but everyone still thinks that he is too cowardly to help his friends."

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@Hael

Looks better to me.

<Snipped quote by Muttonhawk>

For some reason, I like the idea of Cornerstone moving away from the equator by a mile or two and driving Toun into a perfectionist rage. He'd immediately sunder the local tectonic plate and move Cornerstone back into place atop his new mini-plate, creating massive earthquakes and killing millions in the process.

*passes this idea on a note to Vestec*

@Cyclone

Well, I guess that's one method of creating a tsunami.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@Cyclone As long as cornerstone stays about on the equator, mostly for flavour reasons, I'm fine with that.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine took a short moment to think about her answer. She didn't immediately indicate a yes or a no. "I have not really got to know them very well yet. I normally practice magic on my own or with Meesei but there does seem to be more battlemages than scholars. It is different to Bruma. As for the alchemists, they are not unusual, but they are making a lot of supplies for the march." Sabine shrugged, "I thought there were just more fighters because the Senchal clan lost most of theirs."

"This is indeed a clan preparing to fight," Gallus added. "Although, I have spoken with Ri'vashi a number of times, and from what I can gather, she was raised with a more militant philosophy of leadership. It has influenced this clan much."

After another half a minute, Gallus had finished fastening his clothing and seemed ready to move out. He still looked tired, likely from oversleeping. "Er...what time is it, by the way?" he asked.

---

While Tzirret nodded gratefully at La'khay's mention of her advice, the word 'voluptuous' caused his mouth to tighten awkwardly and his ears to burn. It went downhill from there, leaving Tzirret paralysed with his hand clasping his upper-arm. He has almost forgotten how La'khay's mind worked.

"M-mwell," Tzirret's eyes darted to one side. He peered up at La'tahne nervously, telegraphing his discomfort, and then looked to La'khay. He spoke in a stilted tone, "Tzirret does not think he should talk about such things in public."

If La'khay wanted to know more about Tzirret and Ma'tanza's relationship, they could do so later. In an attempt to change the subject, Tzirret ran one hand over his head and changed his tone to try to be more upbeat, "So, what had been occupying your time, La'khay?"

A punishing twinge ran up Tzirret's neck as he remembered what La'khay's regular pastimes were, but hopefully she wouldn't be too graphic this time.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

...
@Muttonhawk You can teach stuff that is inside your domain (like me with dance and music)
...

@Double Capybara

Yeah, that's fair. I might go through it myself and see what I could justify to teach.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

Eh, forget the level up action idea, its silly, I was just thinking about what Vestec did but I think its different situations in different times.

Changing topics, technology.

I used as base the great Caveman 2 Cosmos mod for Civilization IV going from pre-history to classical age...

http://i.imgur.com/a0T9zmR.png

Here is the unedited version

http://i.imgur.com/GBe1YCC.png

@Double Capybara

That's a lot of freepoints...

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Mhm, I think I've left it too long as it is," Gallus murmured. He stood up from his bed and began to dress himself, speaking up to Sabine and Peiter. "Do you know if this change has anything to do with his lady-friend?"

Sabine answered after a pause. "Ma'tanza does not seem like someone who would want to put people in danger. We were actually going to try and talk to her and see if she could get through to Tzirret."

Gallus made an approving hum as he knelt down to buckle up his boots, "That's a good idea. Just let her know you're concerned, don't accuse her of anything. If she's going to help, she need only be aware of the situation." Gallus bent his head up from looking at his feet, "How about I go looking for Tzirret and have a talk to him in the meantime?"

What Gallus didn't say was that he knew that he couldn't guarantee getting Tzirret to stay out of the fight. He had a few suspicions revolving around his mind about Tzirret's motives, and he had a feeling that he would try to sneak along even if he was told to stay behind. Gallus would have to tread carefully.

"Was there anything else?" Gallus asked, standing up again. He looked to Peiter in particular, "How about you, Peiter? I have been quite busy lately. I've not had much time for you and Tzirret. How are things faring for you?"

---

Tzirret's ear twitched as La'khay spoke. He was heartened that he had something to talk about rather than just walking up with a mire of incoherent thoughts. "Tzirret is well, yes," he began quietly. He rubbed his upper arm with one hand and smiled upon bringing Ma'tanza back to his mind, "Yes, Ma'tanza. She is...great." Tzirret's eyes went to the floor and back to La'khay as he ended up deciding not to gush on about his feelings for Ma'tanza, "We met by the river before sailing from Senchal but we sort of...bonded slowly. This one thinks he may have overstepped a few times, but things are..." Tzirret broke eye contact and pulled a wide, almost giddy smile, "...better than great now."

As easy as it was to talk about Ma'tanza for days on end, Tzirret caught himself and brought his ears back a bit. He did not want to be rude by focussing on himself right away, especially in front of a stranger. "How has La'khay been? We have not spoken in a while." Tzirret did not spare the gardener, "And, did this one hear that you are the gardener. This chamber is very nice."

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

<Snipped quote by Muttonhawk>

Fear not!

Vulamera may create writing, but then give it over to Toun's dominion, if he simply asks nicely

Afterall, she thinks he's a bit dull, but ultimately admires Toun's dedication

@Hael

Hmm, I think I can live with that.