The eyes of the sleeping man fluttered open at the loud yelling that he was hearing. Who could be disturbing his nap right now?? He’d only been sleeping for 6 hours! But seeing who it was, however, caused him to shoot up in surprise.
Alexander, is that you??” he exclaimed, bolting upright. “My gods, man, its been ages! How have you been? Wait, coma?”
Alexander threw his arms wide in greeting as he waltzed up to his old friend. “You know how it is! Can’t come back until the blow to the head actually kills me! But that’s all behind me now! Other than that I’ve been doing solidly! I hope times have been similarly kind to you!”
the great you/thou post. a quick and dirty guide for characters using archaic/middle english.
speedball samples. i just want to get writing and need to replace all of my you’s with thou’s!
you are writing a fromsoft character. -> thou are/art writing a fromsoft character.
i follow you on tumblr. -> i follow thee on tumblr.
(all of) you fromsoft roleplayers are so cool. -> ye fromsoft roleplayers are so cool.
A CONSONANT! hollowed be your knight, your humanity come. -> hollowed be thy ✅ knight, thy ✅ humanity come.
A VOWEL! your arcane needs leveling, your endurance is fine. -> thine ✅ arcane needs/needest leveling, thine ✅ endurance is fine.
BONUS ROUND: POSSESSIVE PLACEMENT! your blog -> thy blog. VS. the blog is yours. -> the blog is thine.
just like grammar used to make. i want to get down in the dirt with how these are used!
YOU/THOU: subjective/nominative 2nd person singular pronoun. when YOU indicates the subject, or the active force of a sentence - even if you’re asking someone to do something, the YOU in question is the one who could be doing an action. YOU play video games too much; could YOU play fewer games? -> THOU play(est) video games too much; could(st) THOU play fewer games?
YOU/THEE: objective 2nd person singular pronoun. confusing, right? it’s when YOU indicates the object, or the thing that is being acted upon in the sentence. normally another pronoun or proper noun will take up the subject slot. i/they/the borg messaged YOU; is it okay to message YOU? -> i/they/the borg messaged THEE; may i/they/the borg message THEE?
✅ if it’s acting (including existing), it’s thou! if it’s being acted upon, it’s thee!
(ALL OF) YOU/YE: 2nd person plural pronoun. we really have collapsed the modern ‘you’ down so neatly; we often don’t alter it at all if it’s referring to more than one person, unless we’re using 'y'all’ or 'youse’. if you’re familiar with y'all, you can just substitute ye! if not, the YOU refers to more than one person. YOU tumblr users disgust me -> YE tumblr users disgust me. YOU in and of itself is also technically a plural, albeit less formal; you don’t have to swap it for ye. THAT FIRST SENTENCE IS JUST AS CORRECT AS THE SECOND IN INFORMAL INSTANCES.
BONUS YE: if you want to get flowery and directly address multiple non-humans, you can swap THE/THOSE/THESE for YE, if 'the’ is being used poetically as a form of address - i.e. you wouldnt say this if you’re having a conversation with another person, you would still use the/those/these. you effectively have to talk to yourself. THE/THOSE/THESE mountains of my home delight me -> YE mountains of my home, YE bring me much delight!
YOURSELF/THYSELF: reflexive 2nd person singular pronoun. this one is easy. if you are telling a person to do something to themselves, or saying that they have done something to themselves, you use these. change YOURSELF into better armor for this fight; have you seen YOURSELF in that? -> arm THYSELF with more suitable armor; hast thou looked at THYSELF?
YOURSELVES/THYSELVES: reflexive 2nd person plural pronoun. i mention it because i have not seen 'yeselves’ used, though it may exist somewhere that i simply haven’t come across.
art thou a fancypants? culture thyself. i want to reflect my character’s age or class in my writing, when do i use you vs. thou?
the simple answer? it depends on the period you’re portraying. the older you are pre-17th century, the more likely thou and its relatives will be used. this is reductive, but it’s a good rule of thumb. however, you have to keep class in mind. if your character is speaking to their social better, use 'you’. if they are of equal or lower social standing, use 'thou’.
the more complicated answer? we see you start to phase out thou as old english transitions into middle english, and that’s going to vary by region; some say thou was on its way out in the 1300s, but will note its continuation through the 1700s, and people still use it to denote over-the-top formality. but since most of us are writing in fantasy settings that don’t directly correlate to real world time periods, you’re going to have to make a choice: is my character living in a period before you became more commonplace ( usually tied to social mobility becoming a thing ), and would use thou all the time unless speaking to someone above them? is my character royalty, will they use thou no matter what? is my character in a transitional period and wants to make a point, either by thou-ing everyone ( which could garner some anger ) or you-ing everyone ( which may be seen as too polite to people stuck in the old ways )? it’s going to vary, and it’s up to you.
these aren’t hard and fast rules, and if any of my fellow tumblr linguists or historians want to chime in with their own research ( hiiii ) feel free to do so. but if you’ve already decided that your character is a thou-thy'er, this guide should get you going.
“ What, a big tall knight like you can’t breach the walls of Stormveil Castle alone? And here I thought I had found the next Godfrey… “ Jack joked as she pondered his actual question. Most Tarnished felt the call of grace, to become an Elden Lord, even herself to some extent felt it. It was part of the reason why she had come all the way here in the first place. Although her true quest in these lands lie elsewhere, at least that’s what she believed anyway.
“ Aye, I have heard rumors of a route around Stormveil Castle, although none I’ve tested myself. But first, what exactly is your name stranger? “
Alexander chuckled a little internally at her ribbing, smiling slightly behind his mask. Perhaps he might have to storm the gates anyway, just to see if he could. “Ah, it seems my manners have failed me.” Alexander taps a gauntlet to his chest, bowing ever so slightly in greeting. “I am Knight Artorias of Anor Londo. Might I ask for your name in return?”
Funny moment I remember from the old days was when Alexander met one of the other four knights while still disguised as Artorias and they pointed out Artorias was left handed. My poor himbo immediately just going “oh shit,” especially cause Artorias had fought him with a broken left arm.
“ Hmm. If only others could be as sensical as you. “ Jack sheathed her weapon, although chose to remain atop her horse for the time being. She didn’t fear him in the slightest, if there was one thing Jack never lacked it was confidence. However his outfit and behavior were curious, although that could be said for most of the people she stumbled upon in the Lands Between.
“ So… did you stop me for a spot of conversation or are you in search of something? “
“As calming as conversation would be in this lonely land, I do have questions.” Alexander gazed north, where the Erd Tree shone great and golden in the sky. “That tree… I feel I am needed there, but I cannot say why. I feel a divine call, and have set upon a quest to find what draws me there. However…” His gaze drifts slightly to the left, to the massive castle looming over Limgrave. “My route seems blocked. Pray tell, traveler, have you heard of a way north that does not involve a one man siege? A mighty knight I might be, to attempt to claim a fortress by myself is not a choice made lightly.”
✕ there is so much development to be made from people just… being together. there’s no need for a whole huge big plot for muses to make memories. just conversation and doing mundane things together is enough sometimes.
So some more on the second muse I’m considering, because I’ve been having a blast on his profile~
His name is Farious of House Nariah, a minor noble and practiced swordsman, having developed an attachment to the katanas of the Land of Reeds and often eschewing a shield in place of a catalyst. He’s generally friendly enough when first met, and is more than willing to help his fellow Tarnished against mighty foes.
In truth, he was banished from his family for his more unsavory behavior, namely an unquenchable lust for blood and combat. While he’ll gladly help against a mighty enemy, he’ll just as gladly spring upon you and challenge you to a fatal duel, anything for that rush of violence and bloodshed. His appreciation of katanas in particular stems from their excellent ability to bleed his enemy dry.
There is little malice in what he does, indeed he might actually like you more after trying to kill you. Wanting you dead and trying to kill you are largely unrelated in his mind, with it simply being yet another source of glorious combat.
Despite his love of blood, he is terrible with Bloodflame, his ability to use incantations hampered by his refusal to put his faith in anyone but himself, instead choosing to supplement his martial prowess with sorcery, particularly favoring glintblade sorceries.
On the one hand I absolutely want to play this horrible bloody sorcerer because fresh characters can be fun, plus he’d be an Elden Ring native as opposed to adapted like Alexander.
On the other hand, there are some quests that seem relevant for his general characterization that’ll take me a little while to reach, and I’d like a better idea of how he’s liable to fit into the world before using him fully.
