This should've been Adh's first ever requested power

Tongue of Saipeng! (Loljk, that's not really the name of the power. I do hope someone gets the reference though.)

I seriously don't understand why this isn't the first thing I ever requested. I think I wanted to request it once, but decided against it for some reason.

Requesting for Adhamh:
IC Skill Name:Canid Communication
Power Class:Natural/Unique
OOC Representation: ~Speaking in tildes~ Canines respond through other RPers.
Description: Adhamh is able to speak to and understand all animals. He'd change between clicks and various other sounds depending on the animal he's currently communicating with. Edit: Adhamh is able to communicate with all canines (wolves, coyotes, foxes, wild/domestic dogs, and jackals) through the use of bodily gestures as well as growling, whining, yipping/yapping, and barking for short-distance communication and howling for long-distance. Short-distance communication range would be Mabi's provided visual range and long-distance would be the current map Adh is in.
Explain relation: Adhamh's always been heavily in tune with wild-life, so it's only natural that he develop the ability to communicate to those that don't speak common. Through Conri's help (as well as his newly-discovered canine blood), Adhamh easily learned the verbal and non-verbal languages of canines.
Notes:If he's speaking to someone's pet, the owner of that that pet would respond. This is only for canine pets.
Level:0?

IC Skill Name:Heightened Hearing
Power Class:Racial/Sensory
OOC Representation: Conversations that occur from a distance (Still within OOC chat range, of course.) Conversations between animals that I make up.
Description: To tie in with his animal-speaking ability (see above) and his half-canine nature, Adh can hear sounds out of normal earshot/have a frequency higher than humans can handle.
Explain relation: Racial trait.
Notes:The Lycan racial hearing only affects his ability to hear some animals that speak out of normal human range. There are animals though that make sounds at an infrasonic level(below average for both humans -and- canines). Adh cannot hear those.
Level:0?

Glacia: ~So you can understand my catspeak....remind me to kill you later~

I don't think this is really a power so much as just a language. But this is your request, and I'm not one to say yes or no to whether or not you want to post it.

Eh, I thought that at first, but I wasn't sure if it would have to be approved or not. In order for it to count as a language, Adh'd have had to speak to every animal constantly in order to learn their communicative methods. And I'm not gonna lie and say he's done that. He's just become in-tune with animals, that he's just developed a general ability to speak to them. By general, I mean that he doesn't change dialect or anything like that between a raccoon and a snake. All animals would be able to understand him (When he uses the power, of course).

Here's a visual aid (if you can read my horrid hand-writing):

That says fish btw, not Ash.

Therefore, it's more of a power than just a language. *folds up retractable pointer and rolls up projector screen*

It doesn't apply to human languages, right? Even though humans and such technically count as animals.

They do count as animals, but nope. It doesn't apply to German or anything like that. (Though Adh does know Spanish)

What about creatures that do not use sound to communicate? Or animals that use sound signals outside of the range of frequency we can perceive? How would Adhamh talk to them?

@Soifa Nevermind. It would. Because I can't think of a viable reason for Adh to not be able to.

@Nai Right, hadn't thought of that honestly. Okay, changing the "general speak" thing. Instead, Adh's dialect would change to suit the animal he's speaking to. Yeah, in retrospect, the general speak doesn't make sense. He'd click to some animals, growl and snarl to others. As for the animals that use sounds we can't perceive, I'll have to add another power.

Well honestly anyone can speak other languages, it's the ability to understand that matters. I think Adhamh would be able to speak and understand animal languages, but maybe not things like German, Japanese, etc etc. as they are complex languages as opposed to more general animals who use sounds to speak (sounds including meows, barks, growls, clicks, and stuff of the like)

Just my normal thought process.

Otherwise it's like saying "I want to understand everyone ever" and I don't really like that power.

The ability to communicate perfectly with animals like we do with other humans doesn't exist. Yes, we can try to, and we can assume that we can, but we aren't 100% certain. This is the ability to make that assumption a certainty. It wouldn't be a "I think the wolf is saying that it wants to eat your face off", it'd be a "The wolf is saying that it wants to eat your face off." I understand why others say they can understand cats/dragons, because they're either part cat or part dragon. In Adhamh's and Auron's case, they both have dragons they can speak to in both common/draconic, therefore making their knowledge of the language a certainty. Adhamh learned from Lysandr and Auron would've learned from Tihk. Adhamh does not have access to a talking raccoon, fish, -insert other animal-. He does have access to Kathal and Conri, but that's it. (Other than the previously mentioned Lysandr)

As for the human languages, that's why I originally said no. Honestly though, like I said, I can't find a viable reason why he wouldn't be able to. Soifa questioned me on that and I wasn't able to come up with a good reason. I don't want him to be able to understand every human language, but my power requests that he can understand -every- animal. Humans -are- animals, so the various languages that we have would unfortunately fall under that. So unless "that's just how the power works" becomes an acceptable reason to be able to exclude human languages from the ability, I'm gonna have to leave it. The only excuse I could think of was the fact that since Adhamh considers animals to be superior to humans, therefore they don't count as "animals" to him and therefore are excluded from the power. That makes it sound like it's magic powered by belief, which is something I don't like.

Maybe you can treat it as a spell. When it's cast, whatever animal he's trying to communicate with, is the one that he understands fully. That way it can be controlled to what he wants to understand/what you want him to understand. If he doesn't beleive humanoids are animals, he'd never cast it on them, ect..

Thing is though, a spell isn't Adh. He's a physical person, not magical. A spell wouldn't suit him.

What if he's not consciously casting the spell, though? Would that work? I dunno, just a thought.

But thing is, what would start the unconscious spell casting? Adhamh has no magical background.

Would it work if he went to a druid and asked for the ability to be able to speak to animals sans the human languages that he doesn't already know? Druids are said to be closer to nature than ordinary mages/people, so it wouldn't be unheard of for a druid to be able to cast a spell such as that.

Ask a druid.

-leaves thread, druids are lame-

:l By that are you offering an approval for Adh to go ask a druid for the power?

..He can ask? There's not druids in Emain that I know of, so I wouldn't..really..know off the top of my head.

I'll talk it over with some people.

We have PC Druids, and then the only NPC Druids are Tarlach and Berched.

Mores was a druid.


Nia is a druid, but she only specializes in plant-talk. Though there are some living plants that she can communicate with. So they're kinda animalish?

What I meant by treat it like a spell, is that spell-like-abilities are usually natural abilities that someone has, that's similar to a spell, but it's not something they learn. It's skills that are natural to them. So even if he's not 'in to magic,' it may just be something he can do.

There is a lot that I have to say about this, but I cant think of the correct words to say it.

I dislike that you do not have a valid reason besides that's how the spell works as to why it wont work on humans.

I would also want you to be more accurate with what types of sounds you would be making with the animals, at the moment it just seems too general. I think of parseltongue to some degree.

I believe there should also be a limit to the distance said words can travel between animals. I think this could easily be used for metagaming which is why I am wary of this power.

Kinda seems like you watched The Wild Thornberrys when posting this power.

I'd like to add that I'd prefer it if we went off the idea that not every animal ever understands common.

Maybe certain domestic ones to a degree, but I highly doubt we can go speak...I dunno..Dragonfly to a dragonfly and ask what someone was saying. Seems too meta-game-y.

Well, you can just consider the level of functionality an animal has in all actuality. I mean..a dragonfly has less synapses than my pinky.

Well, I saw a lot of points, and I'll revisit them lightly.

@Auron: Just because people are born a certain species doesn't mean they instantly understand the language. Though, they may care the means to understand such language. And Ash has his own language?

@Soifa: Well, we can just throw in there then, not all wolves/dog-types in Erinn speak them same wolvenese.

@Druids: I -THINK- a mabinogi druid (OOC) are those in-tune with spirits and mana, and not just use it. While they may have transformation abilities? I never seen Berched or Tarlach express any kind of feeling towards animals.

I am no animal expert, but I am fairly sure animals don't actually have a language( except for the more advance ones, like dragons ect), like most people in RPS seem to believe. They communicate through pheromones, pitch, facial features, and other sort hormones, body languages, ect. Darn you Disney and you warped reality!

I never seen a cat go. "Meow meow, meow meow meow, meow, meow." Meaning he wants the ham in my hand, or something.

So, in short, what I am proposing: Is that instead of Adh being able to talk to every animal, and turn RPS into an anime version of Disney, ermm... more than it is. Is that Adh is able to comprehend most mammal's sign. Not directly understand them, like, "Growl growl, bark, blink, sniff, bark growl", but if Conri is growling at something, he can understand if it's an angry growl, a threatening growl, if he wants to go potty, and a lot of stuff that will let him infer a conversation.

Here is an example because I am feel I am rambling.
What should not happen: Auron is running around in the forest, he sees a bear and goes up to it. They start talking about how the weather is. Ask him if he is going to steal some honey and propose ways he can do it.

What should happen: Auron is running around in the forest, he sees a bear, and approaches it, giving off the vibe he doesn't want to attack, but like in all the animal kingdom, you must be alert, so he growls lightly. Eventually the bear gives the sign he will not attack, and through a growl and various signs, he lets Auron know he is hungry, but it's about to rain. (in this case, it's hardly a power)

The closer he is to the animal(personally) the easier it'll be for him to understand. But keep in mind, in order for to communicate more profoundly, he will have to mimic similar tones/ect. Not like I seen people do, who just stand there and meow at each other.

One of my newest characters(No bio, don't ask), is able to do just that. While it seems he is talking to them, he is actually inferring what they are saying.

Here is some smart guy, whose statement I stole from Yahoo.

Non-humans do have a language, even if it is not what is expected by the definition of language. Many non-humans use body language and noise. I believe that this language does not convey actual words, but more of feelings. Some curve their bodies away from others, giving off the feeling I'm small, I'm not worth your time. It's not like a foreign language like Spanish were hola=hello, it's not a direct translation. You have to interpret the words. This is my belief. To note, if two dolphins are communicating in a pod and they are greeting each other do you think they are actually saying, "Hey, what's up? I missed you." or conveying the feelings of happiness, love, and curiosity. In no way am I implying that non-humans are stupid, I'm simply saying that non-humans definitely have a language, it is just different from ours.

Spoiler:

Didn't know there were updates on this until Xeek pointed it out to me yesterday.

I think you guys are misinterpreting this a bit. Though that's mostly my fault. I did this while working on a research paper. Before I answer all the questions, I'm going to propose a change to the power in its entirety and answer the questions that'd still be relevant to the changed power.

Instead of all animals, I'm limiting it to canines. Canines being wolves, domestic/wild dogs, jackals, foxes, and coyotes. (I think I covered all the existing canines in Mabi.) This is not to say though that he won't try to -interpret- other animals.

Teoxihuitl wrote:I dislike that you do not have a valid reason besides that's how the spell works as to why it wont work on humans.

I would also want you to be more accurate with what types of sounds you would be making with the animals, at the moment it just seems too general. I think of parseltongue to some degree.

I believe there should also be a limit to the distance said words can travel between animals. I think this could easily be used for metagaming which is why I am wary of this power.

I dislike that fact as well, but I don't have solutions to every problem. Trying to come up with a solution doesn't always yield results. Which is why I appreciate the alternate solutions I was given and am attempting to work with them. With the limitation to canines, that should definitely exclude human languages (other than Common/Spanish.)

It will be a mix of growls, barks, whines, yips/yaps for short-range communication and howling for long-range. (I'll cover the range in my response to your next point.) Like humans, canines also have non-verbal communication. A dip of the head or turning his head to either side is a sign of respect.


Yeah, there will be a limit. Short range is Mabi's normal visual range. Long-range is within the map. It also depends on the canine as well. He won't be able to hear a fox as far as he'd be able to a coyote. Adh will not be able to communicate with a wolf in Gairech if he's in Dunbarton, but if the wolf is near Rabbie, yeah (if howling, of course.)

@Xeek I didn't mean he'd actually go "Meow." "Bark." or anything like that. I meant he'd make the vocal noises that vocal animals make to communicate. But I explained all that in the answer to Teo so.. ^

I think I covered everything that'd apply to the change described above? Before I go and make add the limitation to the original post, I want to make sure it's a plausible solution.

I figured he didn't directly go "Bark" instead he barked, but where I was getting at, as we all should know, animals don't REALLY have a language. They can't just meow at each other, instead they give of signals and from the tone of their pitch others(Even different species) can infer their emotions.

Ex. "Hooowwwwwwwwl!" Can mean, "Yo yo homie G's I found ourselves some lunch"

But the same howl, with a different tone/length can be. "Oh no, billy died"

I figured this way would be more realistic and solve be a better solution to Teo's request.
Like, from a Howl, Adh wouldn't be able to tell what Stickie is doing, or what he is eating, but he would be able to tel that he is was sighted by the wolf.

Xeek wrote:I figured he didn't directly go "Bark" instead he barked, but where I was getting at, as we all should know, animals don't REALLY have a language. They can't just meow at each other, instead they give of signals and from the tone of their pitch others(Even different species) can infer their emotions.

Ex. "Hooowwwwwwwwl!" Can mean, "Yo yo homie G's I found ourselves some lunch"

But the same howl, with a different tone/length can be. "Oh no, billy died"

I figured this way would be more realistic and solve be a better solution to Teo's request.
Like, from a Howl, Adh wouldn't be able to tell what Stickie is doing, or what he is eating, but he would be able to tel that he is was sighted by the wolf.

No yeah. The vocal/gestures don't mean specific things. Different pitches have different meanings. Stop abusing Billy D: < Though animals DO have languages, they're just not like ours.