What Would Your Shardblade Look Like?

[Koloss17 She/They]

So this is purely fluff, just to stretch your creative mind. I’ve been wondering lately—what would my Shardblade look like? Obviously live shardblades can change form, but they generally have a base form.

And when it boils down to it, I think that base form design has three main factors: your Radiant order, your personality, and your preferred fighting style.

And because there are so many different aspects of a sword, I have decided to make a template! You are free to use it or not. Whatever floats your boat!
 

Template:

Quote

Radiant order:

Base sword type/inspiration (if applicable):

Blade description (color, design, general shape): 

 

Guard description (shape, color, is there even a guard?):

 

Grip description (longer or shorter? Color, patterning, so on):

 

Pommel description (design, color, shape. Will it be sharpened or pointed?):

Sword length:

Other common weapons you would change it into:

Drawing/sketch (if you want!):

Reference images:

 

 

Koloss17’s Shardblade:

Spoiler

Radiant order: Truthwatcher

Base sword type/inspiration (if applicable): Chinese Dao broadsword, specifically the sword form of the Guandao.

Blade description (color, design, general shape): The blade would be a single edged sword that would increase in size slightly the further from the hilt you go. There would be a point to it, but it wouldn’t be particularly stabby. 

Texture-wise, it would have a Damascus style with swirling mist patterns, which nicely fits the Truthwatcher’s Mistspren. Ideally it would be a black stained sword with silver engravings, but that doesn’t really feel like a Truthwatcher blade, so probably light silver with golden engraving.
 

Guard description (shape, color, is there even a guard?):

The guard would be a basic circular guard, with function being more important than design. This would probably be black or gold in color, but mostly be fairly simple looking. However, there would be a simplified twisting vine pattern reaching upward from the hilt as a little bit of design, similar to the Guandao reference image (except not a dragon). This would match the guard color.

 

Grip description (longer or shorter? Color, patterning, so on):

It would have a relatively long grip, but would not be a double handed sword grip, as the sword is meant to be a one hander in sword form. Ideally, the grip would have a barber shop/candy cane swirl, but I’m not sure how practical that would be. The grip would be a dark silver or even black.

Pommel description (design, color, shape. Will it be sharpened or pointed? Is there even a pommel?):

Pommel will have a point, with a slight curve to one side, mirroring the blade. It will have the same coloration and design of the blade, with the purpose of being another sharp object that my opponent would have to worry about.

Sword length: I would say this will be on the shorter side (for a shardblade), with the full length being between 4 and 5 feet.

Other common weapons you would change it into: I would think it would be so cool for the hilt to lengthen into a polearm, transforming the shardblade into a guandao. The circular attack patter of a guandao would be perfect if it has potential to instantly kill on hit.

Drawing/sketch (if you want!): Sadly, I suck at drawing, so my dream blade cannot be made manifest.

Reference images:

For reference, this is a Guandao.

general idea for the sword blade design, but with the blade being slightly on the longer end, and a hair on the slimmer end.

This is a Damascus design, and I’m thinking somewhere in between the knife’s design and the extremely swirly design behind it.

 

Edited January 5 by Koloss17

[Ravenclawjedi42]

@Rallohir isn’t too active anymore, but when he was he was nice enough to draw me a Shardblade, which is seriously beautiful:

Spoiler

And so this has become my Shardblade (although at times it would be a Shardpen which would totally word). In accordance with this Shardblade:

Spoiler

 

Radiant order: Truthwatcher

Base sword type/inspiration (if applicable): I know almost nothing about swords, but long and thin.

Blade description (color, design, general shape): the blade itself is dark grey, almost black, with light grey trim. It glows with a green light.

 

Guard description (shape, color, is there even a guard?): The guard is heavily textured and curved with alternating light grey and green lines. Two green tassels, akin to mist, hang off the edges.

 

Grip description (longer or shorter? Color, patterning, so on): The grip is more a continuation of the guard than anything else, being light grey and green.

 

Pommel description (design, color, shape. Will it be sharpened or pointed?): Instead of a pommel there is an emerald green tassel that seems to fade into mist.

Sword length: Very short for a Shardblade, about 4 feet 8 inches, or 1.5 meters.

Other common weapons you would change it into: Dagger, pen (mightier than the sword), dart, book, globe.

Drawing/sketch (if you want!): See above

 

[Ookla she/her]

Radiant order: Truthwatcher/Willshaper (about equally)

Base sword type/inspiration (if applicable): Zwiehander

Blade description (color, design, general shape): If I had my way, my Blade would be gold with red accents and fiery designs all over it--the edge of the blade would have flame-like serrations because it looks cool and the Blade cuts through anything anyway.

Guard description (shape, color, is there even a guard?): Nice, wide guard, not too thick, plenty of decoration and colored red. Also, there would be a red-adorned ricasso above the guard for when I need to half-sword.

Grip description (longer or shorter? Color, patterning, so on): More red and gold flame designs. I like my grip relatively long, especially for a weapon intended to be two-handed, and I'd want the shape to be relatively oval and really comfortable in the hand.

Pommel description (design, color, shape. Will it be sharpened or pointed?): No sharp things on pommels! Seems like a great way to injure oneself. But I'd keep up the fire motif for sure!

Sword length: About the same as a zwiehander. For my height, probably about five feet from tip to pommel. I know Shardblades are super fancy magic swords, but mine has to be wieldable.

Other common weapons you would change it into: Spear, longer spear, bec de corbin, poleaxe, Dane axe, dagger, and stick! I have a lot of favorites.  

 

Can you tell I watch a lot of Shadiversity videos?

[Koloss17 She/They]

15 hours ago, Ookla said:

Can you tell I watch a lot of Shadiversity videos?

I really want to get into his stuff, but his second channel is just too problematic for me, as he is very clearly anti-queer

But yeah! Sword YouTube ftw!

[Ookla she/her]

2 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

I really want to get into his stuff, but his second channel is just too problematic for me, as he is very clearly anti-queer

But yeah! Sword YouTube ftw!

To be fair, I tend to agree with Shad on that particular issue. At the same time, though, I don't believe I have the right to tell other people what they can and can't do, so I generally prefer to express my opinion and move on with life. I know people in the LGBTQ+ community, and while I may not agree with them, I think they're great people.

There's a couple other SwordTubers out there who aren't quite the firebrands Shad is, if you're interested; I really like Skallagrim's videos, and Scholagladiatoria has some cool information about various weapons, too. They're both fairly levelheaded and tend to stay out of anything politics, for the most part. (I mean, Skall does do a lot of videos on how weapon bans aren't always thought out very well, but at this point I hardly consider that political. It's mostly a case of Logic vs. Law)

[Rallohir he/him]

On 1/5/2024 at 5:23 PM, Ravenclawjedi42 said:

@Rallohir isn’t too active anymore, but when he was he was nice enough to draw me a Shardblade, which is seriously beautiful:

  Reveal hidden contents

And so this has become my Shardblade (although at times it would be a Shardpen which would totally word). In accordance with this Shardblade:

  Hide contents

 

Radiant order: Truthwatcher

Base sword type/inspiration (if applicable): I know almost nothing about swords, but long and thin.

Blade description (color, design, general shape): the blade itself is dark grey, almost black, with light grey trim. It glows with a green light.

 

Guard description (shape, color, is there even a guard?): The guard is heavily textured and curved with alternating light grey and green lines. Two green tassels, akin to mist, hang off the edges.

 

Grip description (longer or shorter? Color, patterning, so on): The grip is more a continuation of the guard than anything else, being light grey and green.

 

Pommel description (design, color, shape. Will it be sharpened or pointed?): Instead of a pommel there is an emerald green tassel that seems to fade into mist.

Sword length: Very short for a Shardblade, about 4 feet 8 inches, or 1.5 meters.

Other common weapons you would change it into: Dagger, pen (mightier than the sword), dart, book, globe.

Drawing/sketch (if you want!): See above

 

It is done...

[Duxredux he/him]

I don't think that's for me to decide. It's the Spren's choice with how they choose to present themselves to the world. Syl would have something to say to this because she is amazing and articulate.

If I had to choose one, I considered my background long and hard. The only armed combat training I've received was a smattering of 2-stick Kali, which doesn't translate well to a Shardblade anyway. The closest is to that is... a stick.

[Koloss17 She/They]

1 hour ago, Duxredux said:

I don't think that's for me to decide. It's the Spren's choice with how they choose to present themselves to the world. Syl would have something to say to this because she is amazing and articulate.

If I had to choose one, I considered my background long and hard. The only armed combat training I've received was a smattering of 2-stick Kali, which doesn't translate well to a Shardblade anyway. The closest is to that is... a stick.

I mean, to be fair, I have absolutely no combat experience. But if I were given a Shardblade, you bet your crem that I’m going to learn how to use it.

[Ravenclawjedi42]

15 hours ago, Rallohir said:

It is done...

I am officially in love with that Shardpen. I wonder what the ink would be made out of? The body would be the alloy of Tanavastium and Korkelliumium that Brandon’s mentioned a few times, but the ink? 

Edited January 7 by Ravenclawjedi42