plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows

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If Obi-Wan had actually stayed on Mandalore with Satine after the Civil War and left the Jedi Order, it would've made The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones peak comedy.

Like, Qui-Gon would still be sent to Naboo and end up on Tatooine, he'd still meet Anakin and take him back to the Temple. But, in this AU, he survives the battle on Theed and takes Anakin as his padawan. And the entire Order would be making jokes:

"Congrats on the new padawan! Hope he sticks around longer than the last one!" "We'll keep this one off the bodyguard missions, eh Qui-Gon?"

So one day little Anakin’s like "hey master, what happened to your last padawan?" And Qui-Gon's like "oh he ran off with a girl, yeah he's royalty in the Outer Rim now".

And it's all fine and dandy until Anakin’s nineteen and they get assigned to protect Padmé, and Qui-Gon takes one look at this kid's face and thinks "You've got to be fucking kidding me, this shit again??"

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Nainital, India - Author: Serious-Pattern619

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Superman (2025) dir. James Gunn

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woke up early to try and write fic and did it happen? nooooo.

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this is so shit bro

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

Kogonati Rinyaa: Greetings etc.

These are kogonati rinyaa, which can be directly translated as 'good-telling language', and more loosely as 'greetings' (although they encompass more than just greetings). It's the things you say to express respect and shared space to the people you're interacting with.

An important cultural note — kel dor are very egalitarian, and too much formality can actually be considered quite rude. It's better to underestimate than overestimate, within reason.

Hello!

⟶ kohtooyaa!

This is your general all-purpose greeting, can be a polite hello to someone in a formal setting or it can be something you use on family, especially family you haven't seen in a while. If you don't know what level of formality to use, go for this one.

⟶ koyaa!

This is the most common slang greeting, used between people who know each other and in contexts which otherwise demand casual speech, such as between children and coworkers and people otherwise on the same team, so to speak. It's actually somewhat rude not to use koyaa in the correct situations; you'll be seen as being aloof or giving yourself airs.

⟶ kiši!

Slang again, used both as a greeting and a term of address. It comes from kiah de šinon, which is more or less 'my love', except it covers all forms of love. Perennially very, very popular with teenagers and young adults, among whom it takes on a similar sort of vibe as 'bestie' (and yes it can also be used ironically or with hostility lmao). Do be sparing with it if you don't want it to start sounding ironic.

⟶ oe!

[strong speech] This is a perfectly normal thing to say to your parents and grandparents, and to good friends, but not so much casual acquaintances. There isn't a good English equivalent, as far as I can think of. The vibes are a bit like "hey bro!" but intimate rather than casual.

⟶ kohti tooyaa!

This is a more formal greeting, a step above kohtooyaa. kohti means 'good'; it gets crunched down to ko/koh when prefixed to a word. Only use this one for explicitly formal contexts, like courtroom settings, business meetings, etcetera. If you say this when meeting a random kel dor, they'll probably assume you either think you're hot shit or are intimidated by them.

⟶ kogonati kohdatooyaa.

This is the formal version, used in very formal situations only, such as planetary government or top-level clan administration. (Do NOT err on the side of caution here; outside of these super-formal contexts it can be seen as pompousness, giving oneself importance beyond what's actually there.)

Thank you!

⟶ koysaa!

"Thanks!" Like kohtooyaa, this is the general all-purpose thankyou, appropriate to almost all social and familiarity levels.

⟶ gisi!

[strong speech] A very informal thankyou, along the lines of "chur" or "shot, bro". As with all strong speech, use this with close family, if you're trying to flirt, or trying to pick a fight.

⟶ kohti aysaa!

The formal version of koysaa. aysaa comes from a root meaning 'help, assistance'; it's not only used to say "Thank you for your help!", but that is a large part of its use cases. You would not usually use this with your friends and family, but it can be called for if they've really done you a huge favor.

⟶ kogonati kohnari aysaa de!

The most formal expression of gratitude, reserved for government-level formal situations or possibly if someone's literally just saved your life. The latter is very rare; it needs to be a genuine near-death experience and most people will still be discomfited by receiving such intense gratitude.

I'm sorry.

Where English (and Basic) can use the same words to express both guilt and condolences, keldeorinyaa distinguishes between the two.

⟶ komešinai.

The general expression of condolence and sympathy. Technically this is a verb, from mešingiah (feelings of sympathy, compassion), but it's basically only used in this way, to say "I recognise your suffering." Broadly appropriate for the vast majority of contexts.

⟶ komeši.

More or less "RIP my dude", or "that sucks, bro." Expresses genuine sympathy, but in a very casual way, and therefore should be used a little differently depending on how close you are to the person you're sympathising with. Use it for your classmate who failed an exam, your sibling who just got fired, or the stranger on the road who just stepped into a deceptively-deep puddle.

⟶ meši de.

[strong speech] "Haha, RIP in fuckin' pieces bro," or "Sucks to be you, I guess." This is not so much sympathy as a lack of it… you got yourself into trouble, you should have seen it coming but you didn't and now you're gonna get roasted for it. Limited to close relationships, for obvious reasons.

⟶ kogonati kohmešinai de.

The most formal expression of sympathy. Basically reserve this for funerals of people you didn't know well. The other main usage will be officials on space!TV expressing condolences to the victims of natural disasters.

⟶ komezakhai.

"It's my fault, I'm sorry." This is what you say when you fucked up and are trying to put it right. It's broadly appropriate to everyday contexts, from stepping on someone's toes by accident to kids apologizing to each other after a playground fight.

⟶ komez.

[strong speech] More or less equivalent to "Oops, my bad." You might be genuinely contrite, if you're saying it to family or close friends. If not, you might not be sorry at all. Use this with someone you're not very close to and you might get punched in the face.

⟶ kohti mezakhai de.

"I apologize for my actions." More formal than komezakhai, and usually implies a more severe degree of fuckup. If you deliberately did something to hurt another person, this is your default apology. It might also be used for unintended harm of significant magnitude, or a minor action that snowballed into unforeseen consequences. It also has to be accompanied by action; if you don't genuinely try to atone, this apology becomes an insult in its own right.

⟶ kogonati kohmezakhai de.

Reserved exclusively for the worst, most severe fuckups, and usually those committed by someone with a high degree of social standing. Think of politicians resigning after a scandal; it's that level of serious.

Note. Kel dor culture also believes that certain actions simply cannot be apologised for; any attempt to do so will be seen as refusing to accept the magnitude of one's actions. This includes crimes like murder and manslaughter, theft of food during times of famine, and also unforced participation in war. Similarly, there is no real concept of forgiveness, or of accepting an apology given to you. Either the apologiser proves they can do better, and are worthy of being trusted (mostly by everyone else around them), or they don't (and find themself experiencing social consequences for it).

Goodbye!

⟶ leksana di!

"See you next time!" This is the everyday goodbye, equivalent to kohtooyaa. It's a contraction of lede ksanadiča ka — le de means 'next', and ksanadi means 'to see'. This is often accompanied by a tap of two fingers to the forehead above the eyes, the equivalent of a polite wave.

⟶ halaššao (alilamai) yata!

"Clear skies be with you!" Just slightly more formal, tends to be said of longer partings, such as a child going on a school camp or a friend going to work or study in a faraway city. Clear, sunny skies on Dorin are very rare; if it's not water vapor it's dust clouds, and if it's clear but windy it doesn't count lmao. alilamai is the verb, and it can be dropped in casual speech, because yata is a benefactive particle, i.e. you're wishing something good for the person you're talking to.

⟶ lekde!

"Seeya!" Very casual, but still broadly appropriate; say this to the uncle you ran into at the supermarket, or your friends heading home after school. You probably would not say it to someone you didn't expect to see again sometime soon.

⟶ šaapage!

[strong speech] A forcible goodbye, said to shoo your close friends out of the house so you can get some damn sleep. Outside of close relationships, it's more or less "Piss off!" It's much softer for close friends and family and implies a practical reason; a common use is sending the kids off to bed in the evening.

⟶ lede ksanadiča ka!

An everyday-formal goodbye, usually in arranged, organized contexts, such as going back home after visiting faraway relatives, or a school trip thanking their hosts. A fairly direct translation is "Until we see each other again!"

⟶ kogonati kohdatooyadila de.

A super-formal farewell, used to conclude public events, and in high-level official, legal, and government proceedings. This is basically the super-formal greeting, with tooyadi (to meet) put into the completive aspect to indicate that the meeting is now over. As with the greeting, avoid using unless you're sure it's called for.

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

The OP uses he/him pronouns.

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

i think one of the most infuriating things about using the Force would be the fact that in order to reach out, you have to instead open yourself up and let it in. you must make yourself passive, in order to be active, you know? to see what is really out there, you have to allow yourself to look, which means pausing and offering up your attention non-judgmentally in order to take in the world before you act upon that information. you have to get yourself out of the way, because when your thoughts and anxieties are in the way, you cannot see past them. they are a shield blocking you from seeing the moment, and a filter that leads to motivated reasoning, seeing what you want to see instead of what is really there.

so in a high stress environment, when there is much on the line (fear) or innocents are being harmed (anger), the ability to actually take a second and put aside those feelings in order to understand the situation better and actually be able to fix things is no mean feat. you have to be able to simultaneously detach so that you can focus and act in the best interest of everyone with full awareness of the risks and benefits, while remaining deeply engaged and compassionate for everyone involved. it's not easy, it's not about ego and glory and pleasure, it's about loving the world enough to be an agent of peace no matter the cost. that kind of altruistic discipline would take a lifetime of study, and i think is so deeply admirable as a concept.

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🍖 How to Build a Culture Without Just Inventing Spices and Necklaces

(a worldbuilding roast. with love.)

So. You’re building a fantasy world, and you’ve just invented: → Three types of ceremonial jewelry → A spice that tastes like cinnamon if it were bitter and cursed → A holiday where everyone wears gold and screams at dawn

Cute. But that’s not culture. That’s aesthetics.

And if your worldbuilding is all outfits, dances, and spice blends with vaguely mystical names, your story’s probably going to feel like a cosplay convention held inside a Pinterest board.

Here’s how to fix that—aka: how to build a real, functioning culture that shapes your story, not just its vibes.

─────── ✦ ───────

🔗 Culture Is Built on Power, Not Just Style

Ask yourself: → Who’s in charge, and why? → Who has land? Who doesn’t? → What’s considered taboo, sacred, or punishable by death?

Culture is shaped by who gets to make the rules and who gets crushed by them. That’s where things like religion, family structure, class divisions, gender roles, and social expectations actually come from.

Start there. Not at the embroidery.

─────── ✦ ───────

2.🪓 Culture Comes From Conflict

Did this society evolve peacefully? Was it colonized? Did it colonize? Was it rebuilt after a war? Is it still in one?

→ What was destroyed and mythologized? → What do the survivors still whisper about? → What do children get taught in school that’s… suspiciously sanitized?

No culture is neutral. Every tradition has a history, and that history should taste like blood, loss, or propaganda.

─────── ✦ ───────

3.🧠 Belief Systems > Customs Lists

Sure, rituals and holidays are cool. But what do people believe about: → Death? → Love? → Time? → The natural world? → Justice?

Example: A society that believes time is cyclical vs. one that sees time as linear will approach everything—from prison sentences to grief—completely differently.

You don’t need to invent 80 gods. You need to know what those gods mean to the people who pray to them.

─────── ✦ ───────

4.🫀 Culture Controls Behavior (Quietly)

Culture shows up in: → What people apologize for → What insults cut deepest → What people are embarrassed about → What’s praised publicly vs. what’s hidden privately

For instance: → A culture obsessed with stoicism won’t say “I love you.” They’ll say “Have you eaten?” → A culture built on legacy might prioritize ancestor veneration, archival writing, name inheritance.

This stuff? Way more immersive than giving everyone matching earrings.

─────── ✦ ───────

5. 🏠 Culture = Daily Life, Not Just Festivals

Sure, your MC might attend a funeral where people paint their faces blue. But what about: → Breakfast routines? → How people greet each other on the street? → Who cooks, and who eats first? → What’s considered “clean” or “proper”? → How is parenting handled? Divorce?

Culture is what happens between plot points. It should shape your character’s assumptions, language, fears, and habits—whether or not a festival is going on.

─────── ✦ ───────

6. 💬 Let Your Characters Disagree With Their Own Culture

A culture isn’t a monolith.

Even in deeply traditional societies, people: → Rebel → Question → Break rules → Misinterpret laws → Mock sacred things → Act hypocritically → Weaponize or resist what’s expected

Let your characters wrestle with the culture around them. That’s where realism (and tension) lives.

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7.🧼 Beware the “Pretty = Good” Trap

Worldbuilding gets boring fast when: → The protagonist’s homeland is beautiful and pure → The enemy’s culture is dark and “barbaric” → Every detail just reinforces who the reader should like

You can—and should—challenge the aesthetic hierarchy. → Let ugly things be beloved. → Let beautiful things be corrupt. → Let your MC romanticize their culture and then get disillusioned by it later.

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📍 TL;DR (but like, spicy): → Culture is not food and jewelry. → Culture is power, fear, memory, contradiction. → Stop inventing spices until you know who starved last winter. → Let your world feel lived in, not curated.

The best cultural worldbuilding doesn’t look like a list. It feels like a system. A pressure. A presence your characters can’t escape—even if they try.

Now go. Build something real. (You can add spices later.)

—rin t. // writing advice for worldbuilders with rage and range // thewriteadviceforwriters

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:

🕯️ download the pack & write something cursed:

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

AotC Opening Crawl: in keldeorinyaa!

[Go HERE for the Phantom Menace crawl]

More Kel Dor conlang translations coming right up! :D Here's Attack of the Clones.

Again, here's a link to my dictionary sheet.

Disclaimer: this is Baby's First Conlang and I'm doing it for fun; don't expect linguistic accuracy. My primary motivation for conlanging is as worldbuilding first, learning some cool stuff about linguistics second. Also I have never taken a thing 100% seriously in my life.

Pronunciation notes---

�� = the 'sh' in sheep

ň = the 'ng' in thing

č = the 'ch' in cheese

ao = oh, as in "oh dear"

ë = schwa-ish, very unstressed vowel, 'uh'

ř = rhotic r, american-english style

r = tapped r, spanish-style

rr = rolled r

Translation Notes---

There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several thousand solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic.  repabliki ča senët de kalpa di. ksangokiya halmizeolko di na repabliki bei nadi naaz koriyale. [republic senate] [loc.p1] [discomfort] [copula]. [thousand-and] [star system] [topic.p] [intention.m] [republic] [from] [go] [intention] [declare-past]

⟶ repabliki and senët, as u can probably tell, are loanwords.

⟶ kalpa = dissatisfaction, discontent, discomfort, it’s a broadly negative word, useful in all circumstances where things could definitely stand to improve. The vibes are off, but you may not know how or why, just that you can feel it.

⟶ ksangokiya = ‘thousand-plus’, used to denote big but vague numbers. Can be used in the more literal sense, as here, or in an exaggerated sense like ‘a gazillion’.

⟶ halmizeolko = star system. halmi = star, zeolko = system, array, network. (Pronounce zeol a bit like soul, but with a z.)

⟶ bei nadi = to go from, to leave; nadi (to come/go/move about) conveys no directional info on its own, so you can add a directional prefix (eg. hainadi, to go under/downward), or you use a locative particle to denote how you’re moving relative to a location. bei is used for an origin point, or a point you’re moving away from. 

⟶ naaz = intention, motivation. The general structure of phrases like these goes thus: [modifying phrase] [modified noun] [primary verb].

This separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy.  orokvike rrewanadyaan kauntë dooku a separatisti anakhal di, torowi jedai naitage halmiyanšan ade maskar ki tsvakanja ei naraysa orakave geli me. [mysterious] [leader] [count dooku] [relational.p] [separatist] [team] [topic.p], [not many] [jedi knights.pl] [focus.p] [galaxy] [loc.p2] [peace] [and.p] [justice] [cultivate-nom.] [difficult] [make] [judgy-hindsight.p]

⟶ orokvike = literally ‘unknown’, but same diff.

⟶ rrewanadyaan = leader. This whole phrase is more directly translated as “the Separatists and their mysterious leader Count Dooku”; ‘leadership’ would be rrewanakkare, but this is for talking about the state of leadership, not a specific person. 

⟶ kauntë = direct transliteration of ‘Count’. He does not get the honorific particle ila because he’s doing sketchy shit in this movie, but he also hasn’t earned the shit noun class just yet. The ë at the end is nearly silent, it’s just to denote a gap in pronunciation between the /nt/ and /d/, cause you can’t have these consonants all together in keldeorinyaa.

⟶ separatisti = transliteration of ‘Separatist’. Again, the final i is not strongly pronounced, you just can’t have two consonants at the ends of words.

⟶ torowi = ‘not enough’, a vague quantifier expressing insufficient numbers or amounts.

⟶ jedai naitage = Jedi Knights, plural. Compare to the dual number used in the TPM crawl, naitaga vs. naitage. Plural markers for Class 4 (people) and Class 8 (ancestors) are identical, which is helpful.

⟶ naraysa = nominalized form of naraysi, to cultivate. This is the same sentence structure as naaz in the previous paragraph; the focus is not on the Jedi's actions but the fact that the Separatists are causing difficulties that make it hard to do their job.

⟶ geli = a shortening of geliši, to create/make. geliši is used for physical creations; geli can be used much more broadly, and as here is added to adjectives to communicate More Adjective.

Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to assist the overwhelmed Jedi.... naboo ča gzenyaan kuin senëtyaan amidala ila di na repabliki ča senët i laňadiyeh hadi a, repabliki ča durakhal geliša a garrane jedai aysaka ei votoriyi zakhi...  [naboo] [genitive.p2] [former] [queen] [senator] [amidala] [honorific.m] [topic.p] [intentional.m] [republic senate] [destination.p] [return-ongoing] [conjunction.p], [republic] [genitive.p2] [army] [make-nom.] [relational.p] [overwhelm-adj.] [jedi] [help-nom.] [focus.p] [vote] [purpose.p]...

⟶ ...still tossing up on whether this should have been broken into more than one sentence lmao

⮡ read it in chunks. Former queen of Naboo, Senator Amidala >>> returning to the Senate >>> creation of an Army of the Republic >>> to help the Jedi >>> to vote on.

⟶ gzenyaan = predecessor, the former occupant of an office or role, the person who did this before you. 

⟶ senëtyaan = Senator, half a loanword. keldeorinyaa uses ‘-yaan’ as an agent suffix the way English uses ‘-or’ or ‘-ist’; if it ends in '-yaan' or '-aan' it's almost definitely an agent noun.

⮡ Senators get the ila honorific particle by default in formal speech. It's much rarer in informal speech and story narration, basically reserved entirely for people the speaker thinks actually deserve it. Lucas and the movie have a high opinion of Amidala, so it needs to be here.

⮡ Grammatically, the most relevant personal description is the one immediately preceding the person's name. Modifying phrases (the former queen of Naboo) precede the phrase being modified (Senator Amidala) as seen above.

⟶ Two modifying phrases chained together! To create an army / to help the Jedi. geliša is the noun form of geliši (to create), aysaka is the noun form of aysaki (to help). These are the same verb class, i-type, so they're made into nouns the same way.

⮡ Most verbs are i-type, helpfully.

⟶ votoriyi = to vote. Compound of a loanword (vote) and a native verb (riyi, to speak). There’s a few similarly-derived words like this (for example, lekturiyaa 'a lecture’).

Cultural notes—

⟶ As mentioned in the last post, Kel dor culture has a strong taboo against physical violence. Keldeorinyaa used to have words for military concepts; these days it has euphemisms. I have used durakhal for 'army' here; this is derived from durali, to defend, and anakhal, team. In vibes, it's more like 'defence force', and believe me Dorin takes the 'defense' part deeply fuckin seriously. There are extensive and passionate debates regarding whether this word is accurate and/or appropriate for the Grand Army of the Republic.

⟶ Another thing to keep in mind is that Kel dor culture is actively hostile to the idea of monarchy or nobility, and even to the idea of inherited authority on smaller scales. This, once again, derives from the fact that Dorin is Giant Storm Hellworld. You only get given as much authority as you demonstrate yourself capable of handling. If you aren't an effective leader, the group will pick someone else to do your job.

⮡ Even if you are an effective leader, you should still expect to be questioned and argued with. Kel dor cultures believe that part of a follower's job is keeping their leader on their toes, so to speak, questioning their judgement and suggesting alternative actions. Partly this is because it makes the leader think about what they're doing... and partly just in case the leader fuckin dies. Unquestioning obedience is seen as intellectual and moral weakness, like skiving off your responsibilities to let others carry the load.

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

Alot of people don't like Plo koon they like the made up version of him, Where he's NOTHING like other meanie jedi and the same people hate the made up version of Mace where's he's cruel, mean spirited and arrogant, If Mace had been the one to tell Anakin to leave when Ahsoka was missing people would write essays about how corrupt and evil he is while for Plo koon if he had been the one to defend the Zillo beast people would never stfu about how good a jedi he is

Tldr People like/dislike fanon versions of both characters and hold Mace up to unfair standards

Edit: sorry it took so long to post, I completely forgot about this blog oops

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(Link above screencap of stuff.co.nz headline “Kiwi pukupuku/little spotted kiwi rediscovered on mainland Aotearoa after 50 years.”)

(And yes, one of our main, reputable national news sites is just called “Stuff.”)

This is much more exciting for Kiwi bird-enjoyers than Sir Peter trying to resurrect the moa. Good on you, kiwi pukupuku, for proving you’re experts in How Not To Be Seen, but it is very nice to see you.

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

I just made a new sideblog and found out this setting is disabled by default.

This means that ALL new blogs will NOT have a [username].tumblr.com page. Not only that, but they will not have any themes besides the mobile-default.

As someone who really likes custom themes and Tumblr still having a fully customizable profile page, please turn this on!

You can make a website for your tumblr blog that is entirely your own!

Finding posts on your URL.tumblr.com page is much easier due to the ability to use your Archive and url.tumblr.com/tagged/[tag] pages!

Visiting your mutual's tumblr pages will become much more fun if they do the same! I used to always associate blogs with the themes they had, but that's sadly not possible anymore :(

If Tumblr themes die out, it will truly be an end of an era for the internet, and the future will hold only mobile-orientated, endless-scroll design devoid of personality.

Even if you don't like themes, this is a move that almost destroys Tumblr's origin as a blogging website and showcases the takeover of social-media-sameness.

Having your own URL and custom theme is fun! Try it today!!!

Edit: I focused on promoting custom themes but I do encourage people to simply turn on this setting for the URL. You can pick a free tumblr theme or even leave on the tumblr mobile-orientated default!

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Sound on to hear the water running through pebbles

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Satine and her ba’buir, Aris Kryze, going at a meeting with other Clan Alore

Close ups and some more info under the cut

To figure out how the armor of House Kryze might look like I mainly took inspiration from:

1. Fenn Rau’s beskar’gam, specifically the one that is clearly inspired by the Satine’s Royal Guards during the Clone Wars, and that also has the colors of House Kryze, gold and blue

2. The Clan Kryze guy from Rebels, that wears a symbol on his helmet similar to the symbol of the House, and also one on his pauldrons that, since it’s different from Bo’s Nite Owls, makes me assume it might be a symbol of the Clan instead

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I’m of the firm opinion that the Jedi are like a small town where everyone knows everyone.

Your average padawan will be like “this is my older padawan-sibling, and this is their favorite crechemate. And this is their favorite crechemate’s usual mission partner. And this is their usual mission partner’s platonic life mate. And this is their platonic life mate’s grandpadawan. The grandpadawan is also my Huttese tutor.” And it goes on and on and on.