User:SleeperGuy/sandbox/Tonqi
Tonqi is the friendly green dragon mascot of the Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE), continuing the classic tradition from early KDE releases. Rendered in charming early 3D style, Tonqi brings a nostalgic touch to TDE, reminiscent of the original mascot artwork from the KDE 2 and 3 eras. Alongside his fellow dragon companions, Tonqi lives in the digital world of TDEvalley, keeping the spirit of the desktop light and fun. <ref>This whimsical backstory is fictional and meant to add a bit of retro charm and personality to the TDE community.</ref>
Looking for classic dragon artwork? Visit the User:SleeperGuy/Artwork/Mascots page to see Tonqi and friends in their original 3D glory!
KDEValley's Story
Once upon a time, there were cyber creatures known as KDE Dragons. Under their scales were Qt hearts and free software. These dragons were scattered all around Flossland, tending to their own business.. Life was super simple, and things only changed slowly, much slower than what happened in Proprietaryland across the Belief Ocean.
But one day, a wizard, or pyjama-loving computer scientist, named Kandalf, traveled to the location of what would be today's KDEValley and decided to stay. Using his powers, he gathered the dragons to build a town which they could have never have built alone. <ref>Matthias Ettrich announced KDE in 1996.</ref> Kandalf named the place KDEValley and the dragons began to refer to themselves as the "KDE Dragons". Kandalf worked as the new town's ambassador of the time, communicating with other colonies across Flossland as well as inviting more dragons to the town. Konqi was the first dragon who joined Kandalf, and worked under Kandalf as his assistant. <ref>In April 1999, Konqi was announced as the new animated assistant to the KDE Help Center. This first version of Konqi is designed by Stefan Spatz, in-used from KDE version 2.x to 4.x.</ref>
Years later, the town of KDEValley began to take shape. Seeing his task completed, Kandalf passed the town to the hands of the dragons and continued on his journey. After Kandalf's departure, Konqi was chosen to be the town's next ambassador. <ref>The community loved Konqi and later he replaced the previous project mascot, Kandalf, from version 3.x onwards.</ref>
The Great Fork in the Road
For a long while, harmony reigned in KDEValley. The dragons crafted tools, painted interfaces, and sipped binary tea under Qt-coded stars. But as time marched on, a wind of change blew through the valley. Some dragons dreamt of sleeker shapes and ever-shifting skies — of plasma storms and neon glows. They called this path "KDE 4."
Yet not all dragons wished to leave the sturdy cobblestones of their old town. Many still loved the classic halls built on KDE 3.5 — halls with reliable scrollbars and chunky charm. So, with great care, a group of these dragons picked up their favorite libraries, scrolls, and widgets, and set off to build a new town, not far away. They called it TDEvalley, the Trinity Desktop Environment.
Leading them was a familiar figure — Tonqi, a cousin of Konqi, sharing the same 3D scales and KDE lineage. Tonqi became the guardian of tradition, ensuring the essence of the classic KDEValley would live on — stable, fast, and friendly as ever.
<ref>The Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) forked from KDE 3.5 in 2010 to preserve and continue development of the classic desktop environment.</ref>
And so, while KDEValley continued to grow skyward in ever newer directions, TDEvalley stood proudly on solid foundations — a place where dragons old and new could enjoy the desktop as it was remembered, with Tonqi's smile welcoming all who visit.
Tonqi
Tonqi is the ambassador of TDEvalley, proudly carrying the legacy of the original KDE Dragons. With pixel-perfect determination and a firm grip on simplicity, Tonqi ensures that the spirit of the classic desktop thrives — fast, stable, and charmingly old-school. While his cousin Konqi wandered off toward shinier skies, Tonqi stayed grounded, helping dragons build a desktop that Just Works™.
Tonqi may not have fancy animations or plasma magic, but he has something better: reliability, and a red scarf that hasn’t changed in over a decade.
Name
Tonqi’s full name is often debated — some say it was “Tonqi” before a keyboard glitch rebranded him. Officially, though, he’s known simply as Tonqi of TDEvalley, the guardian of traditions and tidy toolbars.
Unlike his cousin Konqi the Konqueror, Tonqi never got too carried away with grandeur. He preferred panels that don’t wiggle and windows that remember their size. But don’t let his modesty fool you — Tonqi knows every config file by heart.
Appearance
Tonqi maintains the noble appearance of the original dragon design:
- A classic green polygonal body, full of 2000s charm.
- Two strong yellow antlers, looking like sideways "K"s.
- A proud red scarf with a white "T", now retro in the best way.
- Golden tail spikes, still untouched by vector graphics.
- Rendered with love using early open-source 3D tools.
Personality
Tonqi, like most classic KDE dragons, is:
- Dependable
- Calm and focused
- Practical
- Detail-oriented
- A bit grumbly about unnecessary changes
- Extremely loyal to his community
Katya
Katya is the calm voice of reason in TDEvalley — graceful, no-nonsense, and always five configuration steps ahead. Inspired by Katie, the original KDE mascot for women contributors, Katya continues her legacy in TDE by championing clarity, accessibility, and tidy code.
Although she's often mistaken for Tonqi's assistant, Katya is actually his equal in every sense — and occasionally the one who has to reboot him when he gets stuck in a loop.
Role
Katya ensures that the user experience in TDE remains consistent and clean. She’s the first to test new tools and the last to approve a patch that breaks tab order. If Tonqi is the heart of TDEvalley, Katya is the mind.
<ref>Katya is a tribute to Katie, KDE's original mascot for women contributors, created around the time of the KDE Women initiative in 2001.</ref>
Personality
Katya's traits include:
- Wise
- Responsible
- Patient (especially with Tonqi)
- Analytical
- Supportive
- A bit sarcastic when tired
Together, Tonqi and Katya represent the living memory of the classic K Desktop — not frozen in time, but thoughtfully preserved, improved, and still very much alive in TDEvalley.
Appearance
Katya generally looks like:
- A bright green, cartoonish dragon with classic 3D charm.
- She has short, rounded wings and long fangs protruding from her upper jaw.
- Wears a simple white sleeveless dress that reaches her feet.
- She accessorizes with a bracelet on her wrist, a necklace with a star pendant, and a stylish headband holding back her horns.
- Her horns are curved backward and colored white, distinct from most dragons.
- Big expressive eyes and simple eyebrows add to her calm but confident appearance.
(She doesn’t bother with trends — Katya prefers timeless, functional style.)
<ref>Content from KDE Wiki Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). All contributions to the KDE Wiki are licensed under this license unless stated otherwise.</ref>