iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

So I was working on my lexemes for #lexarch week 3, and while I will post the full list later, one word stuck out for...interesting reasons. The word, Kukāk [kʷukʷɒk], which means "shield", derives from the words for "arm or forelimb", Kuluk [kʷuluk], and "shell/carapace", Kāg [kʷɒg], respectively.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 16: The amount of currency in circulation is strictly maintained by the Verim Reserve, but generally as long as it is legitimate (I.E. the coin/bill is authorized as legal tender and is not counterfeit), anyone can acquire any denomination with relative ease.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 15: I mean, the actual currency is, by definition, the very heart of the economy. As I mentioned before, there are regulations and such set in place by the Golden Star Empire (with cooperation with the economic representatives in Eisui for the aspects on their soil)...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 14: The methods for pressing the coins have been standardized for a while now, and the bill production methods are also fairly streamlined as well. So, while minor tweaks to the process may be occasionally implemented, there are no current plans of note in the works at this time.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 13: The final product, whether coin or bill, is usually checked by hand before being shipped out of the production facility or otherwise officially put into circulation. While most anomalous products are filtered out and recycled if possible...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

A notable syntactic shift that came up while I was doing a translation a short while ago... The word for empire/country in "proto-Phori" was Rigādonn. However, in Modern Phori, it has shifted from a noun to an affix that denotes specific countries. There's also the bound root, 'rigā-'...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 12: Considering that this industry in particular is government-managed-and-regulated, most common folk in Shuunkuu cannot simply obtain these materials without going through proper channels and justifying their partition from the standard flow of the supply chain.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 11: While the main processes for pressing coins from plates and creating powder for inking bills have no notable byproducts, there are some postprocessing steps that occasionally do.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 10: Initially, these techniques were passed down solely from master to apprentice. However, with the rise of government mass production facilities, trade schools were established in the capitals of the Empire and Eisui to better instruct the next generation of metalworkers.

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Reposted by Paul B.

Laurie Williams @ldwilliams-uk.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Word of the day Petrichor ˈpetrīˌkôr Noun A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 9: Once raw ore is mined, they are transferred to different processing facilities depending on their ultimate purpose. After all, metal powder for inks require different processes compared to the pressings of coins.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Weekly Translation #15: "Why is the mountain burning?" #phori #aurem #linguistics #conlanging

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Another addition to #phori that I felt should have some distinction, especially considering the element exists in its sister languages. As for what that is, it is a discourse marker for interrogatives (I.E. questions). However, unlike Aurem, the #phori markers differ between Y/N and WH-questions.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

A passage translated from a post on r/Conlangs #phori #conlanging #linguistics

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 8: There are a few domesticated animals that are fairly common in #shuunkuu. Dogs are the most common since they are often used as herd guardians or hunting companions, and there are quite a few cat breeds favored by the upper class in the cities.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 8: Nothing *that* drastic, especially since regulations were put in place long before it would get to that point regarding the mining operations. There have been occasional conspiracies by particularly greedy nobles and merchants, especially in Eisui...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 7: There is a certain plant-themed dreamspawn that was initially defeated by Sever, and later defeated again by Shizuka after being revived by Sever's brother to serve as an agent for the short-lived Oblivion Provenance. Since their trump card is based on inducing fear...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 7: Due to constant psionic feedback from Verim, Mithril is considered sustainable as long as the mining operations remain within regulatory parameters. Platinum is also fairly regulated as well, so there is no current concern for depletion there either.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 6: There are various plants that are grown for agricultural purposes. The Goldenrod Fields in the western stretch of the imperial continent between Aurem and Verim is called that for the endless stretches of wheat cultivated in the regional farms.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 6: Generally, most of the mining is still done by a workforce subsidized by the imperial taskforce at the behest of the Verim Reserve. More importantly, they are guaranteed significant quality of life...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

#Lexarch Week 1 Words (9/7): Urūr (n, “snarl/growl”), Urūbū (v, “to howl”), Gūr (n, “wolf”), Kur (n.dim, “wolf pup”), Gūri᷈r (n, “werewolf”), Ṣaṣa (n, “hiss”), Ṣaṣu (v, “to hiss”), Ṣaṣ (n, “snake/serpent”), Nadi᷈l (n, “adder snake”) #linguistics #conlanging #phori

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 5: The actual mining processes are for the most part fairly straightforward, although the mithril veins under Verim do require specialized tools that bear the right resonance signature to harvest the ore without any impurities. #worldbuilding #shuunkuustonks

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Apparently, there's Marchexember now...which is a folk etymology title if I've ever seen one. I can just *feel* my historical linguistics professor cringing wherever he is right now... #linguistics

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 4: I have talked about wisteria in #shuunkuu, but it has a particular connotation in #phori. There's the term, Ze᷈ribe (shortened from Ze᷈ribeta), which literally means 'wisteria-like'. However, it has come to signify someone who is clingy or dependent on another person...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 4: While Platinum and Mithril are sourced from the mines under Verim, most of the copper, silver, and gold mines are actually located from the southwestern coast of the imperial continent to the western side of Mount Yakou in Eisui.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 3: I talked about common forest fungi in the domain of the forest elves with a similar prompt last month. That said, there is something else that comes to mind... There was once a mushroom that grew in the subterranean mines under what is now Verim in the modern day...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

A couple tweaks to #phori after a linguistics lecture I attended today... First, I want to distinguish the language's agentive/patientive animacy dichotomy from the theta roles used in syntax and grammar. The former is more along the lines of internal analogy within the morphosemantics of a word...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 3: For most coins, they are usually minted via a specialized machine that both presses the front and back sides into metal sheets while also cutting them into fairly precise sizes. Coins minted specifically in Verim are often quality-tested...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 2: While there are many kinds of materials (and materiel) that are traded between the three nations of #shuunkuu, the most important one is their currency. Despite using separate currencies in the past, Ustar and Eisui standardized them under imperial rule...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 2: There are two kinds of native wisteria in #shuunkuu. The first grows in and around Verim, usually exhibiting pale pink flowers during a full moon. Thus, this variant is known as "moonblush" wisteria among those within the Empire.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

A new interjection in #phori that just came to mind: Giṣorane [giʂɔɾɑɳe], which literally means "nicked soul", originating from Giṣoru, "to nick", and Anore᷈, "soul". However, its colloquial meaning essentially amounts to calling someone "reckless" or "careless"...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

#Marchistics Day 1: I probably will be talking about how the supply chains of the Golden Star Empire and Eisui operate, both independently and in-tandem, and how that connects to the prominent members in each nation. #worldbuilding #shuunkuustonks

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

#MarchWorldbuilders Day 1: I mentioned this during Lexember, but under Verim's eternal nightscape grows the Lunar Sycamore (or No̤mða᷈) which has natural bioluminescence in its silvery-cobalt leaves. These leaves are often harvested and its fibers are woven with silkmoth threads...

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Reposted by Paul B.

Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 25/02/2026

Here it is, the new and improved #MarchWorldbuilders! I will be online occasionally, but I'm going to spend a bit more time away from Blue Sky (and the internet) over the next month, so I might not interact as much. Please be understanding of my limits at this time.🙏 Talk to others! Make friends!

MARCH

WEEK 1: FLORA/FUNGI

1: Do you have any special/unique trees in your world?
2: Do you have any special/unique flowers in your world?
3: Do you have any special/unique fungi in your world?
4: Plant/fungus used in a symbolic way in your world
5: Plant/fungus used for healing or herbalism
6: A plant/fungus grown on a large scale for eating
7: Has your MC had any significant interactions with plants/fungi?

WEEK 2: FAUNA

8: What are some domesticated/companion animals in your world?
9: Have you created any animals/creatures for your world?
10: How does your world differentiate animals from other kinds of creatures or people?
11: Animal for riding or pulling wagons/carts/etc.
12: Animal used in a symbolic way in your world
13: Animals used in hunting: either to help the hunters (think hunting dogs) or those which are hunted
14: Does your world feature any rituals involving animals? Are they sacrificed or consumed?

WEEK 3: ORGANIZED RELIGION

15: Do the people in your world have any prayers, rituals, ceremonies, or acts of worship?
16: Who are the God(s) in your world and what does the church say about them?
17: Who are the priests in your world? Is there a head of the church?
18: Does your world’s religion put people into particular social classes or castes?
19: The church’s ties to the government in your world
20: Do gods reward the faithful? Or place curses?
21: Are people required to tithe, perform sacrifices, or have other religious obligations (e.g. fasting for certain periods)

WEEK 4: MORAL PHILOSOPHY

22: Are there people who can get away with murder in your world? (Official assassins)
23: Your world/MC’s thoughts on utilitarianism vs. individualism?
24: Does your world have a concept for sins and virtues? Do they have anything like our Seven Deadly Sins? Are people punished for sin?
25: Have any characters or cultures in your world had major disagreements about what is moral?
26: Philosophy on wealth, charity, and greed
(alt text continued in post)

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

r/CasualConlangs Weekly Translation #14: "Listen to the sound of all the birds in the trees." #phori #aurem #conlanging #linguistics

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Guess I'm gonna be talking about #shuunkuustonks next month XD

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

#FebruaryWorldbuilders Day 28: The Empire's greatest domestic strength post-Reality War is their supply and logistics lines that extend across all three major continents, allowing all manner of goods to flow unimpeded.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

#FebruaryWorldbuilders Day 27: Beyond Sever serving the Empire both domestically and across worlds, the nitty-gritty of the governments of #shuunkuu do not really play into much of the narrative. Even Sever's usurping of his own father in Book 3 is more of a personal matter than a political one.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 27: Due to the duality of magic and psionics existing in #shuunkuu, there has been a lot of technology originally developed for magic users, whether domestically or discovered during the Reality War, that has been adapted for psionic resonance.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 26: Generally, the Sentinels are the absolute strongest in their particular domain, whether with magic or psionics, and Sever sets a new bar beyond that with his own potential after he ascends to that role. After them, you have those who serve under the Sentinels...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Relating to a Telephone game entry I did for #phori on r/Conlangs The 'borrowed' word for "tattoo", zado̤r [ʒɑdøʁ] is similar to, but distinct from, the internal word, Nogo̤r [ɳɔgøʁ], which means "brand/marking".

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

An...interesting sentence I translated from r/CasualConlangs... #phori #conlanging #linguistics

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Some #phori paradigm leveling! E᷈gi ("human being) → Ezi E᷈gūm ("animal") → Ezūm This is mostly to draw an analogy with the modern form of the verb for "to live", Ezū, as well as other adjacent words. #conlanging #linguistics

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Reposted by Paul B.

President of the Antifa Hair Club For Men @nachosinabox.xyz · 25/02/2026

Merriam-Webster chose violence today

Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster V
@MerriamWebster
Ok. We promise this isn't rage-bait but...
The word 'irregardless' has been used since 1795.
This is just a fact.
-→>

Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster
Its inclusion in the dictionary is not
-a sign of the English language falling to pieces
-proof of the educational system failing
We include 'irregardless' because it has been
- used by a large number of people
- for a long time
- with a specific and identifiable meaning

Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster •
@MerriamWebster
The fact that the word is generally viewed as nonstandard, or as illustrative of poor education, is not important.
Dictionaries define the breadth of the language, and not simply the elegant parts at the top.
Irregardless, we're sorry and/or you're welcome.

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

#FebruaryWorldbuilders Day 26: The three main nations in #shuunkuu are fairly stable currently despite some...hiccups in the past. There are some factions that are unhappy with the leadership in each, of course, but they lack enough support to be much of a threat. #worldbuilding

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Reposted by Paul B.

Yoïn van Spijk @yvanspijk.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

'Ye' in names such as 'Ye Olde Inn' was originally pronounced 'the'. The pronunciation with y is due to a misinterpretation. 'Ye' originated as a second-best way of writing 'þe', þ being thorn, the original English letter for the th sound. Click my new infographic to read the story of thorn:

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

#FebruaryWorldbuilders Day 25: Generally the three nations of #shuunkuu are fairly amicable to one another in the modern day. While both Ustar and Eisui were temporarily annexed to unify the world under the Golden Star banner during the Reality War...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 24: Most who use regular magic just trained in their particular traditions, adjusting their invocations and rituals as need be. The Psionics users on the other hand were all born with a certain amount of ability...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 22 (catchup): Since much of the narrative follows Sever's rise to power, and later Shizuka's endeavors, I would say Psionics tends to get a bit more of a focus. After all, the first Reverie Core and a specific Goldentongue are the key plot points for the first part...

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Paul B. @sovest555.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

#Febchantment Day 23 (Catchup): Among the characters so far (or rather off the top of my head)... Magic: Shita, Genji, Aurelius, Shizuka* Psionics: Sever, MoL, Almos, Imbrek, Ezera, Shizuka Shizuka is in both lists because despite mainly being a psionics user...

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