General concepts associated with constellations

A few thoughts of mine:

• Ara: "Sacrifice"
• Carina: "Stability"
• Equulkes: "Nascency"
• Lacerta: "Ambience"
• Mensa: "Evenness" or "Stability"
• Norma: "Angle"
• Pisces: "Pull" (as one pulls fish from the water)
• Volans: "Surpassing"

Link to the list from last page.

Let's see:

• Ara: I think the "sanctuary" angle Trainbarrel posted last page fits better, and Admetos covers Self-Sacrfice besides (and therefore most genuine Sacrifices), even the tribute angle could fit there as long as it is the caster's choice instead of being coerced.
• Carina: Decided to go with weight fn. (though it will mean I have to split hairs with it and the fishes later)
• Equuleus: I'll use the similar term Ephemerality for it
• Mensa/Norma: good suggestions, will use as is
• Pisces: Also a good suggestion, but I've slightly altered it to be more about magnetic attraction, consequently the lone southern fish is now associated with repulsion
• Volans: also a good suggestion, though I went with a different term (that kinda evokes Limit Break as a title). It also helps that I know of a character whose ability can serve as a frame of reference (Yachiyo Nanami)
• Lacerta: Interesting. Its added as "Vibes" (despite the potential risk of the slang being outdated), though I feel like it might overlap with Quaoar (currently governing Perception).

All that's left now is Columba, Crux, Dorado (I'm not going with Gold for that, its another fish not a city!), Leo Minor (considering Dullness given the Fishes and the Bears, but OTOH I want something more...original), Musca, Pavo and Tucana. So 7 more to go by my count.

Good good! I'm glad that this seems to be progressing! ^_^

I'll note that "ephemerality" isn't really all that similar to "nascency": the former speaks of something remaining only briefly, while the latter speaks of something just beginning—regardless of duration.

Just to let you know, checking the list, it appears that you did actually put in "Surpassing" for Volans.

Hmm, might had got it confused with the off forum copy I made on the computer. (also I missed Corona Borelais so that means there are eight open slots)

I'm sticking to Ephemerally for the Foal, feels less redundant/more workable

Okay, I'm gonna try a different tack. I had used attribute related to water (such as Flow for Aquarius) and air (Flight and Breath) so I might try doing something similar with the other elements, taking an attribute that is associated with an element, but isn't exclusive to it. However I only have one idea, that being Reflections/mirrors.

What ideas that are associated with fire/water/ice/wind/earth/light/lightning/darkness but not exclusive to them or direly connected to them? (as is the case of heat, cold, liquids, etc. Radiation and Illusions are also out)

Also looking into emotions, though specific ones as I already slotted Guilt, Love and Empathy to certain Astras.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Aug 17th 2023 at 7:34:51 AM

I'm not saying that you shouldn't!

I was, I believe, just noting that it's not a concept particularly similar to the other.

Which elements are associated with which remaining constellations?

I really don't feel like listing out a variety of associations for all of those elements... ^^;

that's okay.

I could try "Claws" and "Fangs" for the cats. After all I did already have Breath and Eyes used for some others (granted it's for Breath Weapon and Eye Beams). I'm not sure how it would work practice. Might also consider "Freaky Friday" Flip for Lynx, if only for a reference

Speaking of eyes, maybe I can pull something from the Argus Panoptes myth for use with Pavo and have that cover surveillance?

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Aug 18th 2023 at 7:51:51 AM

I could see "Claws" or "Fangs" being used in combat, to grant such features—or in dentistry and mani-/pedi-curing, to heal or decorate those features.

As to eyes, I think that it would make good sense to be able to apply the concept of "eyes" to surveillance!

okay...

• For Leo Minor I decided to consolidate Claws and Fangs into one (the matter is now finding a suitable umbrella term for both)
• Crux will get Faith (which would obviously entail religious belief, but also faith in any other circumstance as well).
• Columba would get Tranquility, which would encompass calmness and serenity (but not nonaggression)
• Lynx will get Transposing (originally decided on shifting, but then I remember that it is a little more broad than just swapping the location of multiple objects around), and yes it is to facilitate the Chrono Cross reference
• Corona Australis will get the gift of Prophecy

Will edit the list after, but that should leave Musca, Tucana, Dorado and Pavo (decided against surveillance for the latter, eyes thing aside, it also seems like tracking would be covered by Orion's domain of pursuit hunting, Scorpius' domain of ambush hunting, or Sextans' domain of location better)

For reference those constellations are respectively the fly, toucan, flying fish and peafowl. For Musca, I'm broading it to insects in general, maybe "cocoon" can be used for it?

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Aug 18th 2023 at 2:41:40 AM

Checking, it looks like "Dorado" is a dolphinfish, not a flying fish. (I thought that it was odd that there might be two flying fishes.)

As for Musca, what about "Becoming"—i.e. the changing of something from one state to another?

For Pavo, perhaps "Glamour"? Or something like "Appearance"? Or even "Beauty"?

Must've mixed it up with Volans, my bad.

"Becoming" seems interesting, though It implies a metamorphism flavor that might be made redundant by that Zeus has shapeshifitng in general as the domain.

Glamour/Appearance/Beauty likewise seems to already fall upon Chameleon's domain of stealth (albeit indirectly, so it is still worth consideration besides).

I'll prolly go with "frequency" for Musca. Bugs do have the ability to perceive things mammals can't (and the specific term can also entail the "tempo" or regularity of events)

ECIT: Glamour is also added for Pavo on a tentative basis.

EDIT 2: finally have concepts for Tucana and Dorado, Courage and Lucidity, respectively. All 120 slots are not filled (though some might be pending changes)

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Aug 18th 2023 at 4:32:39 AM

The thing about "Becoming" is that it's very general: it covers pretty much any change of state.

For example:

• A blue object becoming white
• A liquid becoming solid
• A kitten becoming a cat

I'm currently thinking of it as a useful verb: when you want a spell that produces a change in a subject, you use "Becoming"

... Buuut—perhaps in that it's too general.

Do you have something like "growth" yet...?

In short, if we're thinking of insects in general, the trait that jumps out at me is that of metamorphosis: that change in state from larva to adult.

Now, that's more permanent than "shapeshifting" generally is, and might be analogised to other permanent changes...

I mean, that's true of many groups of animals, I think: pit vipers can perceive infra-red, birds can see ultraviolet, sharks can detect electricity, etc. Conversely, humans can see colours that others can't, I gather.

That said, I could see it working with the vibration of wings, perhaps.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Aug 19th 2023 at 9:33:38 PM

Alright with the concepts slotted for now I'm gonna slowly work on elaborating on the effects, mostly to establish boundaries and use cases.

For the latter I'm planning on giving 4 examples. A conventional use (being what one would reasonably assume the Astras would do) an unconventional use (a plausible but unintuitive effect that usually relates to the semantics in mostly English or other wordplay), a mundane use (guess) and a Reversed effect (what could happen in the Hydrus Astra was used with it besides the usual dispell effect)

For example: Coma Bernieces, as it governs thread/fibers. The respective uses cases would be Prehensile Hair, manipulation of a thread of inquiry, enhanced sewing and unraveling of clothing.

As for boundaries. I'm leaning more onto the threads side, so it will not have anything to do with fiber as a tool for bowel control.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Aug 28th 2023 at 7:59:16 AM