Dictomancy
AKA Wordsmiths, Websters, Grammarians Words have power, the power to shape human thought and emotion, as well as the world around us; for example, if there was no word for chair, would you know what a chair is? Of course not. That’s the power of words. But despite their power, words are shaped by humans and their societies. The concept of chair existed as some sort of Platonic ideal in the Statosphere, but humanity was the one to look at a chair and say, “This is what a chair is. We name you chair.” Humanity created words to describe the chair, noting its color and texture, as well as words to describe its purpose (“to be sat in or to be used as a makeshift weapon,” as some of the less reputable dictionaries put it). Words don’t only describe what we see, but what we feel. What is love? Well, if you look in a dictionary, you can easily find out. The same for happiness or sadness. What’s more, words can be used to manipulate emotions and people; the right word can stop a war (or start it, if that’s your thing). Give a bad eulogy at a funeral and you can bring out rage instead of grief. Words and language separate us from the animals and put humans in a class of their own. As long as words and communication exist, there’s no need for something so crass and uncivilized as fighting, when you’ve already got the most powerful form of threat de-escalation ever conceived literally on the tip of your tongue. Dictomancers recognize the power and paradox of words: humanity creates and shapes language and words, but words also shape and create humanity. Why use your fists when you can just use your words? Want to know more about the Dictomancer? Read the entire adept school here.
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About UsWe play pen and paper bullshit and record it. That's why this podcast is called Pen & Paper Bullshit. Archives
November 2018
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