#conlang idea

[conlangcrab]

Ansendir is online

Here you have the link to the open-edit Google doc, go crazy with it. The current dictionary has 888 words.

Go ham :D

[ashleyrowanthewriter]

A question for transfem conlangers!

As a joke an exercise I'm making a pidgin for us. Here are the languages I chose to gather words from.

Should I add/remove some? If so then why?

Thank you in advance!

[multiversetravelingjournalist]

Mass Effect Conlang Project

Am I a conlanger or am I a masochist? lol. either way, I have been compelled to at least create a list in my computers file system of races from the Mass Effect Franchise that I want to try constructing languages for.

I have sixteen species listed so far that I have created a word document dedicated to each one's grammar. those species being:

Angara

Asari

Batarian

Drell

Elcor

Hanar

Kett

Krogan

Leviathan

Prothean

Quarian

Salarian

Turian

Volus

Vorcha

Yahg

I will level with you who are reading this post. not all grammars are going to get the same amount of attention. some I will be more interested in and thus spend more time on (*cough cough* Krogan). Some will get a barebones description of their grammar (Currently unknown). Not only that, but I won't be sticking to the canon. I am going the path of the Without Hesitation fanfiction and making this a self-indulgent side project that I will be sharing with you.

but overall, I hope to have fun with this side project. and I hope you who are reading this will be amused by what I come up with.

[aromantisk-fagforening]

Not to be nerdy and queer, but imagine making a conlang with like 10 base genders (gender systems maybe?), where gender affects verbs and adjectives and stuff, also designing it for being easy to make language for your own genders (high variation between spelling of pronouns and adjective modification, unlike French).

[tachvintlogic]

Oh my god, THIS. I have an eerily similar idea in my drafts. However, there is no ambiguous pronoun for when a person's alive/dead state is unknown. There's inanimate, animate-alive, and animate-dead.

The culture surrounding the language with these pronouns would be big into communicating with ancestors and getting messages from the dead. It would be very, VERY taboo to refer to someone as dead if they are alive and vice versa. Using dead pronouns for a living person is considered one step below literally trying to kill them. Referring to a dead person as alive is thought to risk trapping their soul in their decaying body.

Which means if there's a missing person's case, and no one knows if the missing person is alive or not, it's incredibly difficult to talk about them without expressing an opinion on their alive/dead state.

Worse, these pronouns are part of a grammatical gender system with adjective agreement, so carefully avoiding pronouns isn't enough. Any poorly thought out sentence in front of worried loved ones can ignite a fistfight and exploited for angst-potential.

Police and detectives who work on missing person's cases get around this by solely referring to the person's body. "So-and-so's body did this" instead of "So-and-so did this." The word "body" is always considered an alive noun, even if the body in question is a corpse at the current time. This allows them to talk about things the missing person did without implying anything about the current state of their soul.

Random linguistic worldbuilding: A language with six sets of pronouns, which are set by one's current state of existence. There's a separate pronoun for people who are alive, people who are dead, and potential future people who are yet to be born, and the ambiguous ones of "may or may not be alive or aleady dead", "may or may not have even been born yet", and the ultimate general/ambiguous all-covering one that covers all ambiguous states.

The culture has a specific defined term for that tragic span of time when a widow keeps accidentally referring to their spouse with living pronouns. New parents-to-be dropping the happy surprise news of a pregnancy by referring to their future child with the "is yet to be born" pronoun instead of a more ambiguous one and waiting for the "wait what did you just say?" reactions.

Someone jokingly referring to themselves with the dead person pronouns just to highlight how horrible their current hangover is. A notorious aspiring ladies' man who keeps trying to pursue women in their 20s despite of approaching middle age fails to notice the insult when someone asks him when he's planning to get married, and uses the pronoun that implies that his ideal future bride may not even be born yet.

A mother whose young adult child just moved away from home for the first time, who continues to dramatically refer to their child with "may or may not be already dead" until the aforementioned child replies to her on facebook like "ma stop telling people I'm dead" and having her respond with "well how could I possibly know that when you don't even write to us? >:,C"

[mvtj-aegir]

Aegir: Verbal Paradigm Idea 1

The idea right now is that, in addition to encoding tense and aspect, which is non-future and future for the former and Inchoative and Terminative in the latter, which I am not sure of keeping for now, the verbs of Aegir conjugate for whether the action happened in water or not, known respectively as Aquatic and Terrestrial.

[badconlangingideas]

#541

A conlang where the words for west, east, north, and south are derived from the words for "left-wing", "right-wing", "authoritarian", and "libertarian".

[heimeldat]

I've spent an inordinate amount of time parsing the few examples we have of Old High Gallifreyan text, and here at last is the result of my labors!

The Old Gallifreyan alphabet:

The alternate forms of letters may be used interchangeably with their main forms; the differences are purely cosmetic, much like the difference between cursive and print-style writing.

Now for my analysis of the existing texts. It's rather long, so I've put it below the break!

EXAMPLES OF OLD HIGH GALLIFREYAN TEXT

ITEM ONE

Supposedly from “The Five Doctors,” though I can’t spot this writing anywhere. Translation given in episode.

ORA PSYERPA

O – honorific indicating uniqueness, may be rendered with the definite article “the”

R – combined with the definite honorific, a common abbreviation of Rassilon’s name

A – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Psyerpa – a general term for harps and other large stringed instruments

Thus, the full text reads:

O-Rassilon-ya psyerpa

The Rassilon’s harp

ITEM TWO

From “The Colony in Space,” across the bottom of the Doctor’s mugshot. No translation given.

QU  ETHOA TRIOUAX BRIA

Qu – This is not a complete word, merely a letter used in this case for alphanumerical file designation: note that it stands alone, separate from the main text.

Ethoa – exile

Triouax – an infinitive verb, “to persist” or “to remain in effect”

Bria – a conditional modifier used exclusively in bureaucratic contexts, implying the need for occasional update of information or policy.

This text is a record of the Doctor’s sentence, and may be rendered something like this: Exile: to remain in effect barring further review.

ITEM THREE

From “The Time of Angels.” Translation given.

JUSYMOU CAIDEU OXA OOYY MAISOM

Jusymou – An archaic greeting, roughly equivalent to “well met” or “hail.”

Caideu – self, soul, or “hearts” in a poetic sense

Oxa – prepositional suffix, “part of”

OOYY – a conceptual abbreviation that combines the two meanings of the solitary letter O (definite article + symbol of individuality) and the mathematical use of the letter Y (usually indicating a dimensional shift). Literally, this means something like the individual, shifted two dimensions. In practice, it refers to a Time Lord’s fifth dimensional aspect.

Maisom – name, designation, identification

Thus, a literal translation would read something like this: Greetings, soul-linked fifth-dimensional name!

Or as the Doctor paraphrases it: Hello, Sweetie.

ITEM FOUR

From “The Five Doctors.” Translation is given, though it’s not specified which face of the obelisk corresponds to which section of the text.

First Face:

RA NASA TO TANA EURIFSTAN OBLR ORE NATA

Ra – where

Nasa – sleep

To – in

Tana – lies, reclines, rests

Eurifstan – eternal, endless, timeless. Here it modifies the verb, so it should be rendered as an adverb.

Oblr – abbreviated form of obelar, tomb or grave

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

E – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Nata – a basic verb of being, is

This yields the following literal translation: Where sleep-in lies eternally, tomb Rassilon’s is.

Or as the Doctor translates it: This is the Tomb of Rassilon, where Rassilon lies in eternal sleep.

Second Face:

The text on the second face is never seen. The Doctor translates it as: Anyone who's got this far has passed many dangers and shown great courage and determination.

Third Face:

ULIREIF RAENATA TOAAN LAKI FSTA TORARO

Ulireif – to lose everything, to be utterly defeated

Raenata – an emphatic form of the being-verb nata, indicating that something really, truly, permanently is

Toa’an – to win everything, to be crowned victor

Laki – a compound conjunction combining la (so) with ki (and): “and so”

Fsta – an abbreviated form of festoa, a winner or leader

Toraro – future tense of torar, to fail or collapse

Thus: To lose all is truly to win all, and so the winner will fail.

Or as the Doctor puts it: To lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose.

Fourth Face:

KIRA ATOUNA OR TA LIRI EUKI RAATO SUTE ANAAN FEIRLIO REUNT

Kira – takes

Atouna – ring

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

Ta – from

Liri – hand

Euki – a compound conjunction combining eu (then, next, afterward) with ki (and): “and then”

Ra’ato – future tense of ra’at, to wear

Sute – reward, prize, payment

Ana’an – desired, sought-after

Feirlio – future tense of feiril, to get or acquire. Note that this is an irregular verb: the last two letters switch places when adding any tense ending.

Reunt – immortality, eternity

Literally: Takes ring Rassilon-from-hand and then will wear, reward-sought will have: immortality.

Or as the Doctor translates it: Whoever takes the ring from Rassilon's hand and puts it on shall get the reward he seeks: immortality.

[multiversetravelingjournalist]

agreed. one of my conlangs has a base twelve system but every digit after that would be in base ten. I also want to create a language with fractions as a counting base.

There should be a conlang community but for math. I wanna see counting with factorial base systems and people make up symbols for increasingly useless numbers. Maybe this can make some calculations more intuitive and others much more cursed.

[conlangcrab]

Conlang challenge: translate Caramelldansen into ur conlags

[serpentface]

Do you conlang? I was wondering if you had naming languages (or possibly even more developed ones) for pulling the words you use. I tried to search your blog but didn't find anything, wouldn't be surprised if the feature is just busted tho. Your worldbuilding is wonderful and I particularly enjoy the anthropological and linguistic elements.

Ok the thing is I had kind of decided I was not going to do any conlanging because I don't feel like I'm equipped to do a good job of it, like was fully like "I'm just going to do JUST enough that it doesn't fail an immediate sniff test and is more thoughtful than just keysmashing and putting in vowels". And then have kinda been conlanging anyway (though not to a very deep and serious extent. I maybe have like....an above average comprehension of how language construction works via willingness to research, but that's not saying much, also I can never remember the meanings of most linguistic terms like 'frictives' or etc off the top of my head. I'm just kinda raw dogging it with a vague conceptualization of what these things mean)

I do at least have a naming language for Wardi (and more basic rules for other established languages) but the rudimentary forms of it were devised with methods much shakier and less linguistically viable than even the most basic naming language schemes, and I only went back over it LONG after I had already made a bunch of words so there's some inconsistencies with consonant presence and usage. (This can at least be justified because it IS a language that would have a lot of loanwords and would be heavily influenced by other language groups- Burri being by far the most significant, Highland-Finnic and Yuroma-Lowlands also being large contributors)

The 'method' I used was:

-Skip basic construction elements and fully move into devising necessary name words, with at least a Vibe of what consonants are going to be common and how pronunciation works -Identify some roots out of the established words and their meanings. Establish an ongoing glossary of known roots/words. -Construct new words based in root words, or as obvious extensions/variants of established words. -Get really involved in how the literal meanings of some words might not translate properly to english, mostly use this to produce a glossary of in-universe slang. -Realize that I probably should have at least some very basic internal consistency at this point. -Google search tutorials on writing a naming language. -Reverse engineer a naming language out of established words, and ascribe all remaining inconsistencies to being loanwords or just the mysteries of life or whatever.

I do at least have some strongly established pronunciation rules and a sense of broad regional dialect/accents.

-'ai' words are almost always pronounced with a long 'aye' sound.

-There is no 'Z' or 'X' sound, a Wardi speaker pronouncing 'zebra' would go for 'tsee-brah', and would attempt 'xylophone' as 'ssye-lohp-hon'

-'V' sounds are nearly absent and occur only in loanwords, and tend to be pronounced with a 'W' sound. 'Virsum' is a Highland word (pronounced 'veer-soom') denoting ancestry, a Wardi speaker would go 'weer-sum'.

-'Ch' spellings almost always imply a soft 'chuh' sound when appearing after an E, I, or O (pelatoche= pel-ah-toh-chey), but a hard 'kh' sound after an A or U (odomache= oh-doh-mah-khe). When at the start of a word, it's usually a soft 'ch' unless followed by an 'i' sound (chin (dog) is pronounced with a hard K 'khiin', cholem (salt) is pronounced with a soft Ch 'cho-lehm')

-Western Wardin has strong Burri cultural and linguistic influence, and a distinct accent- one of the most pronounced differences is use of the ñ sound in 'nn' words. The western city of Ephennos is pronounced 'ey-fey-nyos' by most residents, the southeastern city of Erubinnos is pronounced 'eh-roo-been-nos' by most residents. Palo's surname 'Apolynnon' is pronounced 'A-puh-lee-nyon' in the Burri and western Wardi dialects (which is the 'proper' pronunciation, given that it's a Kos name), but will generally be spoken as 'Ah-poh-leen-non' in the south and east.

-R's are rolled in Highland-Finnic words. Rolling R's is common in far northern rural Wardi dialects but no others. Most urban Wardi speakers consider rolling R's sort of a hick thing, and often think it sounds stupid or at least uneducated. (Brakul's name should be pronounced with a brief rolled 'r', short 'ah' and long 'uul', but is generally being pronounced by his south-southeastern compatriots with a long unrolled 'Brah' sound).

Anyway not really a sturdy construction that will hold up to the scrutiny of someone well equipped for linguistics but not pure bullshit either.

[multiversetravelingjournalist]

Arknights: Durin Conlang

So... I just learned that Arknights and its world of Terra has its own version of the vertically challenged underground-dwelling comedy relief people. so, like any sane artist I decided that they too will get their own language alongside the other languages I have cooking for the other nations (which I should make a list for, like the Mass Effect one).

in under an hour of brainstorming, I know these things will be featured:

Grammatical features will be governed by affixes that change and or remove the existing phonemes/suprasegmentals of the root word. in other words, changing the stress and/or tone, the place/ manner of articulation of the consonants, and/or the openness, frontness, nasality, length, voicing, etcetera of the vowel will determine things like tense, plurality, person, and other features that I haven't seen in any other natural or constructed language.

Derivational affixes (those that change the definition of the word itself down to whether it's now a noun or a verb) will use the more traditional prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes, and the rare infix. as well as good old compounding.

derivation includes a tool for doing the verb, a person who does the verb, and the person who is the receiver of the verb. e.g. "weapon", "warrior/soldier", and "murder victim" could have the same root.

the two systems above have their own metaphorical terms to describe how they work and are viewed by native speakers. respectively, they are called "Sculpture" and "decoration". with grammar being viewed as -- in this case -- literally changing and refining the shape of the word. while the derivations are viewed as adding little touches to an already finished work.

The phonology of this language will have lots of plosive. perhaps in addition to using most places of articulation, they are more diversified by secondary articulations like aspiration, palatalization, labialization. maybe there are additional phonemes such as affricates, nasal releases, lateral releases, rhotic releases, that will drive up that plosive count.

Syllables might have plosives and/or affricates in the onset and the other consonants like nasals and liquids in the coda. this is based on English onomatopoeia like "bam", "clang", "crash", etcetera. a sort of friendly acknowledgement at the literary roots that the race is no doubt based on.

These are the things that I am most sure to include in the final version of the language. but they are also subject to change. already I am wondering if I should switch the morphological nature of the grammar and derivational morphologies. seeing as derivation is more like changing the shape of a word more deeply while morphology is more like the bits and pieces you would add afterwards. what would you think?

there are also some features I am considering but not yet sure about committing to just yet. some of those features being:

subject and object person being marked by the manner of articulation in the onset and coda.

tense/aspect/mood/other marking via the properties of the vowel in the root's nucleus.

direction words encoding three-dimensional information due to living in an underground maze-like environment.

a metaphor for time going from light to dark.

This is all I got for now, I'll try to keep you updated on any progress. till then, feedback is appreciated. till next time... ;).

[conlangcrab]

^^^ This is where the Ansendir project going to take material from for now.

Ansendir Arifypá Ariharzón Arin Aripor Arisýn Arisýruto Arrienari Aruto Aruár Bakár Benkin Bennorbon Bonrurulórri Burudánmá Buruin Bárirórri Bégórridun Bémurri Bónhinrar Bórónon Býnéreru Býtar Býón Dapón Debebyr Deféri Denren Derironan Dinforisi Donka Dungér Dánnuru Dérvórár Dórkýrugán Dýmén Dýrlen Enbóvi Enmo Enméan Entánwiru Enyrnón Eriru Erpyryn Erriór Ersý Erér Farrilérriberu Favunpý Fenkirilyn Fenmór Fepunda Forrionfá Fynvýru Fyrwyýr Fámo Fánbýyn Fánhýn Féndin Fýzó Gainnyr Ganoren Garbyrrián Garrónmyn Garvári Genlen Gentórtór Geynpi Gonga Gynurzén Gákoru Gándón Gánýrriun Gármár Gárrifý Génhónýri Gérku Górribiki Góán Gýerkán Harnopan Havián Heersur Hepérkun Hirhunpón Hiruiri Hiwurunor Hongernór Honén Hufenwin Hurulenýn Hámurukór Hánlakóri Hánlýwon Hárhéar Hárriden Héndý Hóanuri Hódyruby Hónwaruén Hónwýrisun Hónórdýr Hýnharrifó Inar Inirgýr Insur Inzyrufý Irdáreru Irenvo Irin Iriur Irle Irnýn Irrisár Irtekýn Iruhyr Irumár Irunénlý Kanku Kantówe Kapurvyn Karián Karriýnwe Kervóruýn Kidánár Kofinse Korar Korgen Kulu Kurueruan Kynhor Kynwin Kyrmerupá Kyrriburuiru Kárfon Kárgénfyn Káránán Kénynfan Kérizýngen Kérénryn Kóndón Kónvo Kýhu Kýngalan Kýrisi Lamóderu Langinár Lerrianwári Lesýruon Lirritón Lonan Lonpýn Lunar Lunzoárri Lyrgykin Lyriaruhe Ládante Lánorýru Lénánen Lénýn Lérukyren Lórinármer Lýrmunro Lývánván Mahónpu Mandén Mantáruhé Menbóde Meridá Mersar Meruýn Mirrifenpóri Mirsýn Monen Monháin Morrigilá Morunhó Moruverfu Myhán Myrren Mábirbá Mégoruký Méhun Ménróin Mýur Nayrýrri Nazánfén Nenzir Nenzéru Ninpá Ninráru Ninwon Nirlirri Norin Normo Nuoriráru Nurbimé Nurláru Nynvanvén Nály Nánormeri Nárnurupá Náun Néruerkun Nónsyrriárri Nóntórupon Nóorweri Nórhoyn Nórvon Nýruboký Ondepir Onlun Ontinka Onzáon Ordýdé Orgin Pafáhyn Panhyr Panronsá Penfoér Piruunzy Pivánwéri Ponkázár Porkynýr Porzode Pufyr Puén Pypuryr Párýr Pénhoruvén Pénsá Pórudý Pýnwe Pýruárwý Pýrárláru Rarite Rarrigýnhé Rarzy Rerkéhan Rezýrunýr Runnýn Runun Rurrikerufin Rybýn Rydinpán Ryku Ryneri Rynzerukur Ryrgén Ryrlidyn Ráha Répárivý Répéon Rórgor Rýtó Sawynpir Serrikurukoru Serén Seánón Sinen Sitiru Sunérri Surukán Synvar Sányntun Sárkar Sáruwéán Sávénýr Séhydórri Sénungýn Sénvurly Sényrri Sérrivyruár Sérvýnmón Sónfun Sónfuriar Sórar Sýpángu Sýruón Tanzyri Taónte Terizo Tezurgi Tión Torbétun Torlan Tunli Tuver Tyrripýnzy Tyruýn Tyón Tánzoruhár Tánzyriru Téréru Tónmyrri Týnanhin Týrumýbá Unbónurri Undán Unirkar Unmórzá Unsypin Unurmýn Urfá Urlóbur Ursýn Urtinin Uruzunvir Urzér Vanwó Venarpo Veworréru Vewélé Vigurri Vinkéýn Vinyr Vinýrri Viruner Vokówór Vonon Vorisa Vuben Vunango Vunir Vunpyreru Vuporri Vurirvóru Vuto Vytó Vánruriker Vónnadón Vórýn Výbon Waan Warienkár Wefáruórri Wenbýfór Werripe Weérridá Wihézyn Wirin Wiruhoniru Wizonti Wonber Wonmonfýru Wonurhun Wuninzin Wuniru Wurva Wyfórbe Wyrbán Wyréntón Wáhu Wápénnýn Wármun Wérren Wéwenýru Wódán Wófype Wóngor Wónhir Wónhýndá Wónrár Wórpinzyn Wýte Ynkefý Ynlyr Ynran Ynti Yntuun Ynunwur Ynzurpo Ynzý Ynórisýrri Yriin Yrimeréru Yrulirfuri Yrunnó Yruwen Yruzurumo Yrvurpár Zararu Zarugyn Zierpiru Zinbirri Zinwónbýn Zirankór Zirunuén Ziénne Zoenden Zonorri Zosar Zunbýmyn Zunwun Zurupyrriga Zurwo Zynfýn Zánkýrrifén Záráru Zégórri Zóloryr Zónhórri Zónké Zónon Zórukindan Zýrriká Ánmonna Ánpýr Ánreru Ánráru Ánýran Árbe Ároron Áruirulu Áruzenvy Énlyrri Énperbyn Énpár Énsan Éntorpan Énvan Érfi Érger Érkurigaru Érriur Érubun Ónhirriser Ónlykáru Órsur Órubo Órzénaru Ýnanzuru Ýndin Ýnerwo Ýnmorzan Ýnnandur Ýnnón Ýnránan Ýnsór Ýnér Ýrmon Ýroruné Ýrutýn Ýrýruvuri

[probablygoodrpgideas]

Conlang that has a pronoun between 1st and 2nd person plural, for a group of people that you think you might be part of but you aren't quite sure, like when a friend tells you about a party and you're not quite sure if you're invited and ask if the guests will have to bring their own food

[elizaditton]

Too Small To Be Afraid (Chapter 12)

Links:

Cover / Master Post / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

- - - - - - - - - -

The past few days at Pacific Deskmate High School have been more or less an improvement over the first two. But despite somehow becoming friends with a perthean, I've been struggling more than ever to hide my fear.

On Secandday, Derrick dropped his Biology textbook right beside me on his desk! All I could do was stand there, adrenaline flooding through my system as I ruminated on how easily I could have been crushed. Would he have even noticed if the book landed right on top of me? Was he trying to kill me? Honestly, it wouldn't be hard at all for him to drop a book like that on me and make my death look like an accident...

On Sirdday, he poked me in the middle of Algebra to ask if I had written down a certain formula before the teacher cleared the whiteboard. I'm not sure whether or not he was trying to be gentle, but the force of that unexpected poke was enough to send me into a spiral about how he could easily pin me down with nothing more than a single finger if he wanted to.

And on Forsday, after our English lesson on Greek and Latin root words, I was glad to watch him happily ramble away on the subject. It was only when he lifted me up off the desk that I guess he somehow managed to forget he was dealing with a human! He snatched me up so fast, so effortlessly, as if I didn't even weigh a thing! I thought for sure I would be flung across the room! He apologized, so I know he could tell I was scared, and that's not good.

If I were to slip up and reveal to Derrick that I have a fear, it'd ruin our friendship for sure! We'd be worse off than we were at square one! I need to make sure I'm doing whatever it takes to keep this fear hidden from him. I've never let a perthean find out about my fear before, and I don't plan on letting one find out now! Who knows how Derrick would react after finding out about my fear?

Ever since Derrick and I became friends, I've felt guilty for having this fear. I don't want him to think I see him as some kind of monster! But standing here on the balcony, watching him approach me, all I can think about is how much I want to get out of here before it's too late!

I tighten my grip on the balcony railing until my knuckles turn white to keep myself from running away, but that doesn't stop my legs from restlessly fidgeting beneath me. My heart pulsates as I'm covered by Derrick's shadow, and my lungs gasp for more air than I can take in with each shallow, shuddering breath. I need to get away from him!

"Hey, Kaylin!" Derrick says, smiling down at me.

My heart skips a beat as I stare into his big blue eyes, nothing short of terrified at the sight of my perthean friend. I try in vain to back up, my grip on the railing stopping me. I know I can't just run away— that would reveal that I'm afraid. As slowly and as steadily as I can, I take a deep breath and hold the cold surface air in for a moment before setting it free.

"Hi, D-Derrick!" I say, kicking myself for stuttering.

"How are you this morning?" Derrick asks, holding out his index finger for me.

I know I can do this, I've done it before. I release my hands from the balcony railing and carefully wrap my arms around Derrick's finger. It twitches in response to my touch, catching me by surprise. It still blows my mind how something as minute as a twitch to a perthean can translate into a harsh jolt for a human like me!

"I'm good!" I manage to squeak as Derrick lifts me from the balcony. "And you?"

"I'm doing well," he responds with a slight chuckle that I'm almost certain I can feel through his hand as he sets me down in his palm.

Once I'm settled in his hand, Derrick turns and starts heading to our first class. As we're moving along, I find myself staring at the fingers that surround me. They're a bit... close. Too close. Each long, curled digit is about the same length as I am, and about as wide as a tree trunk. A trunk of a human-scaled tree, that is— like we have in the undercity. I don't even want to consider the thought of a being with fingers that would match the width of a perthean-scaled tree! Such a being could easily hold a perthean in their hand the way my deskmate is holding me now...

I watch Derrick's fingers as they curl inward, every second inching closer and closer to where I sit in the center of his palm. My core tightens and my racing heart sinks in my chest. Does he realize what he's doing?

Without warning, each massive extremity begins to slowly wrap around me. I let out a gasp. What's he doing?! I look up at Derrick as his grip on me tightens. He's... smiling?!

My insides churn upon seeing a twisted smile plastered across my deskmate's face, and narrowed brown eyes that show no signs of mercy. My heartbeat rings in my ears as I squirm between the fingers fastened around me in a pathetic attempt to escape from Derrick's unyielding grip on me.

"W-what are you doing?!" I stammer, trembling in my deskmate's clutches.

"What I should have done the moment I first laid eyes on you," he says, letting out a loud, deranged cackle as he tightens his grip on my figure.

As I'm gasping, fighting for air, a sob rises in my throat.

"I-I thought we were friends!" I cry.

My deskmate lifts me close to his eyes. Those narrowed brown eyes... there's something off about them.

"No real perthean would be caught dead befriending a pathetic little weakling like you!"

"P-please!" I beg, tears streaming down my face as I struggle with all my might to escape this perthean's grasp. "D-Don't hurt me!"

"Huh?"

I open my eyes and look up at my deskmate. He's stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow at me. His big, blue eyes look to be searching mine for some kind of explanation to what must have sounded like quite a perplexing remark.

Blue...! I knew his eyes were blue!

I look at my surroundings. I'm in Derrick's open palm, and his fingers are only bended toward me slightly. I look at myself. One of my legs is curled inward, and the other is stretched out as if I tried to scoot backwards. Oh no. What happened here?

"Kaylin?" Derrick says as he lifts me closer to his face, his eyes filled with concern. "Don't what?"

"I-I—" I stutter.

I stare into Derrick's eyes, my heart sinking further in my chest with each rapid beat. I can't think of anything to say! He's bound to realize I have a fear now!

"Don't... don't forget there's an English quiz today!" I blurt out.

Really?! That's all I could think to say?!

"Oh, is that all?" Derrick says with a chuckle. "I could have sworn..."

I resist the urge to curl up into a ball with all my might as I quake in my deskmate's hand. Is he about to call me out?

"Nah, it's nothing. Nevermind," he says, continuing the walk to our first class.

That was close. Too close.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brittney huffs and puffs down the hall with the neon pink and orange lunchbox she retrieved from her locker after gym. Even after cool-down, showering, and changing back into our regular uniforms, I'm surprised to see her still struggling to catch her breath.

"Hey," I say, coming alongside her after we reach the cafeteria. "Good running today."

"Thanks!" She laughs. "Running always takes it out of me, but knowing lunch was coming was enough to keep me going!"

We sit down together at an empty table and take out our lunch. I unwrap what I'm decently sure is a turkey and swiss sandwich and take a bite. Brittney takes out a thermos and a grilled cheese.

"Grilled cheese again?" I ask.

"I guess so. What's the note of the day?" Brittney asks.

I'd completely forgotten to check for a note from Dad. I rummage around the brown paper bag in front of me and pull out a note. This one says:

What is a geode without its crystals, an oyster without its pearl?

So it is with a person's heart.

- Zenara

"Wow," Brittney says. "I didn't think your Dad was one to quote Zenara."

"He found one of my mom's old poetry books when we were moving and has been flipping through it over the past few days," I say, setting the scrap of paper down on the table. "I'll probably be getting more notes like this."

"So..." Brittney says, folding her hands together and propping her chin on top of them. "Speaking of looking into people's hearts, how are things going with Derrick?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, befuddled.

Brittney rolls her eyes. "You know, seeing him for how he is on the inside in spite of how he appears on the outside! Like the quote?"

"So that's what that means?" I say, looking back to the note. I've never really been one for poetry— it usually goes right over my head. I figured it was the same with Dad, and especially Brittney.

"Anyway, spill it! How are you two getting along?" Brittney asks, eyes wide with anticipation.

"You say that like we're dating or something!"

"You know what I mean, girl, now spill!"

"Well," I sigh, "things are going... well, they're going."

Brittney pouts. "Come on, you know I want more than that!"

"Okay, fine, fine!" I say, waving my hands. I stare at my sandwich in contemplation. "Ever since we became friends... I've felt guilty for having a fear. And not only that, it's been getting harder to hide it!"

"Go on," Brittney says, her brows turning upward.

"I guess it's only a matter of time before Derrick finds out about my fear. And after that, I'm not so sure he'll want to stay friends with me."

"Why not?" Brittney asks.

"I mean— who would want to be friends with someone who only thinks of them as some kind of monster that's out to get them?" I rest my cheek on my hand in defeat. "Maybe I should just tell him I have a fear and get it over with. That way, at least I'll know how he feels, and if he doesn't want to be friends anymore then it'll hurt less now than it would if he found out later on."

"I-I wouldn't do that!" Brittney blurts out.

"What?"

"I-I mean, normally I'd tell you to be honest, but Derrick..." Brittney trails off, looking down into her soup.

What's she going on about?

"Brittney, what about Derrick?" I ask.

Brittney shakes her head. "Nothing. It's nothing. What I mean to say is... I don't think telling him outright that you have a fear would be the best idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, some pertheans don't really know how to act around humans who are afraid of them. For some, it might get to them."

My insides twist. "Are you saying Derrick is like that? Would he really be hurt to find out about my fear?"

"Well..." Brittney says, averting her gaze. "All I'm saying is I wouldn't tell him if I were you. Derrick is... sensitive."

I know Brittney's known Derrick much longer than I have. If she says I shouldn't tell him about my fear, I'm inclined to trust her judgment. I just can't help but wonder... what isn't she saying?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, what are you up to this weekend?" Brittney asks as we approach the spot on the balcony where we've been meeting up with the boys.

"I don't know, I might try my hand at gardening. We found one of those indoor planters when we were going through our stuff before the move."

"Ooh!" Brittney says, clapping. "Gardening! I've always wanted to try! Especially since the undercity is so void of greenery compared to above ground."

"After that, Dad and I will probably watch Stranded together," I say, wondering how much we need to catch up on before Restday night's new episode.

Brittney's eyes get wide and she grabs onto both of my arms. "Did you say... did you say Stranded?!"

"Um... yeah?" I say as I look down at the hands gripping my arms, her grip a bit too tight for my liking.

"I. Love. Stranded. It's like, my favorite show ever!" She gasps. "Do you read fanfiction?! I'm working on this one story about Jack and Merlot— I should totally send it over to you!"

"Hey guys!" my deskmate says.

Dread fills the air, and a burning anxiety creeps up my spine. My legs quake, and I nearly trip over them as I leap behind Brittney to shield myself from this perthean boy. This perthean boy... who's supposed to be my friend. I realize I shouldn't be hiding from Derrick, especially since I don't want him to find out about my fear— but no matter what I do, I can't seem to stop myself from shaking uncontrollably like a cold, wet puppy!

"Kaylin? Are you—" Derrick starts.

Brittney laughs. "If you think this is bad, you should have seen her this morning when I snuck up on her with a hug!"

What? Brittney didn't do that! I didn't even see her today until it was time for gym! I look at Brittney, and she looks back at me. She winks.

"Ha, ha... yeah," I say, slowly coming out from behind my friend. I fold my hands together in front of me, all the while trying my hardest to suppress my unrelenting trembling.

I look up at Derrick, who stares right back at me with a blank expression. He hums flatly. Does he buy it?

"Well, I'm not sure where Kevin went, but Kaylin and I should probably be getting to Biology," Derrick says. "Are you okay waiting by yourself?"

"Yeah," Brittney says. "Kevin's a slacker. I'm used to it by now. You guys go on ahead!"

A knot forms in my throat as Derrick lifts his index finger and places it in front of me. With how many times we've had to do this so far, even today alone, shouldn't I be used to this by now? I try to be discreet about wiping my sweaty hands on my skirt, and then manage to wrap my arms around Derrick's finger in spite of the sinking, spiraling feeling in my gut.

"Have fun, you two!" Brittney calls out as Derrick lifts me from the balcony.

I expect Derrick to say something in turn, but he remains silent. He places me in his palm and turns to head to our Biology class. He remains silent the whole trip there.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Our Koronian class has nearly passed us by, and Derrick has barely spoken a word to me since the incident at the balcony before Biology. I try to focus on the lesson being taught, but the history of adjectives in the Koronian language fails to occupy my brain as much as my anxiety does.

Does he know I have a fear? Is he mad at me? Does he think I see him as a monster? Does he still want to be friends with me, or is he thinking about some way to go about telling me how inconsiderate it is to have a fear of pertheans? What if he hates me? What if we end up being stuck in an even more awkward relationship than what we had when we first met? What if he doesn't want to be deskmates anymore?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Derrick's notetaking. I know he loves languages, so I was sure he'd be taking as many notes about Koronian as possible during class. What I find odd, though, is that I haven't heard him write anything down until now. After a few seconds of pencil scratching, he goes silent again.

I try to take my focus off of Derrick and keep it on the teacher, but just as I tune back into the lesson, his notebook slides into my peripheral vision. Do I dare look? I pretend I don't see the notebook and shift my focus away from Derrick. After a moment, he slides the notebook closer to me. As worried as I am, I can't help but wonder what he wants to tell me. I hesitate, but take the bait and read the note presented to me.

Are you afraid of me?

Hot blood rushes to my cheeks, and my heart pounds against my ribcage. My whole frame trembles as I turn my head to the shaking hands in my lap. He knows.

I try to steady my quivering breaths. I can't let myself panic. Not now. Not in the middle of this class, not in front of all these pertheans... not in front of Derrick. We're so close to the end of the schoolday. All I have to do is sit through the rest of Koronian, get to the balcony, and go home! He'll forget all about this tomorrow, and I'll have a better chance to hide my fear then.

Derrick taps his notebook, drawing my attention back to it. Why is he so insistent? He underlines the question he wrote with his pencil. He's not going to be satisfied without an answer, is he?

I stare down at my own notebook laying atop my desk. What should I do? Should I answer? Should I try to continue ignoring him? How long can I keep this up?

As I'm lost in contemplation again, a large, warm surface presses against my back, poking me. That's it. I scrawl down a response in my notebook.

Why are you so insistent on me answering this question?

I can't keep from trembling as I push my notebook to the side of my desk. Derrick leans over in his seat. He's so close! I try to take deep breaths in and out, but my constant shuddering makes my breathing anything but smooth.

Derrick sits back in his seat. Silence. Maybe he'll finally leave me alone. Just as I begin to let my shoulders droop and my muscles relax, I hear it again: the scratching of Derrick's pencil against paper. A few seconds later, he pushes his notebook back into my view.

Why are you so insistent on not answering this question?

He just won't let it go! What should I say?! What should I do?!

Brittney said I shouldn't tell Derrick about my fear because he's 'sensitive.' But what was it she didn't tell me? What's going to happen if I'm honest with Derrick? Should I lie?

Derrick underlines the question again.

Are you afraid of me?

My heart sinks, weighing me down, and there's an aching unease deep in my inner core. Do I tell him? Can I tell him? I stare at my notebook as anxiety creeps up my back and threatens to choke me. Hands trembling and barely able to grip my pencil, I write my response and slide my notebook back into Derrick's view.

I'm sorry.

He's quick to scribble down a response.

You're sorry?

I don't think and simply let my pencil glide along my paper. I slide over my answer:

I'm sorry that I'm afraid of you.

I sit in my anxiety, nervously awaiting Derrick's inevitable reply. What will he say now? Will he call me a coward? A bigot? Would he call me... a tiny?

Silence. He must be satisfied with my answer. I just hope things aren't awkward for us after class. I rub my legs to keep them from jumping up and down under my desk, and return my focus to the teacher.

Scribbling. It's quiet at first, then harsh. There's the sound of an eraser rubbing the paper, followed by more harsh scribbling. I clench my fists as tears prick the edges of my eyes. He's really going to let me have it, isn't he? My heartbeat, oddly enough, slows down as I think through what must be in store for me. Deep down, he's no different than that man, is he? Merciless. Unforgiving. Cruel. No perthean could ever be understanding when someone thinks of them as a monster, could they?

Derrick slides his notebook back over. Blinking back tears, I brace for impact, breathing in and out, and turn to see what it is he's penned.

Let me help you.

What? What's he talking about? He's not going to let me have it? I hesitate before looking back at Derrick as apprehensively as ever. He's... smiling.

"What?" I whisper.

He points to what he wrote on the page, and looks back at me. I spin back around in my seat, my mind buzzing with questions. What does he mean? Is that even possible? Is he joking? I pull my notebook back towards myself and start writing. Once I'm finished writing, I push my notebook back into Derrick's view.

What are you talking about?

Again, he doesn't hesitate, but writes his response swiftly.

Are you free to meet behind the school after class?

An uneasiness creeps up from my gut and into my throat. I gulp. He wants to meet after school? What does this mean? Is he serious, or does he have something more sinister in mind? I stare at my hands in my lap. What should I do?

I turn around and look Derrick in the eyes. As he smiles at me, his wide blue eyes seem to smile, too. I have no idea what to say, and I can barely breathe! He looks at me with anticipation. Almost as if to ask, 'Well? What do you say?'

I nod. I have no idea what I'm supposed to expect, but at this point, what do I have left to lose? Derrick laughs softly as he continues smiling at me.

"Mr. Drake and Miss Finch!" the teacher says, raising her voice and catching Derrick and I by surprise. "Is there something the two of you would like to share with the rest of the class?"

I turn back around in my seat, my heart fluttering and my cheeks as hot as ever.

"No, m'am!" Derrick and I both exclaim.

I try to focus on the lesson again, but all that comes to mind is my deskmate. Really, what could he possibly mean by helping me? And what did I just sign up for?

[hungwy]

conlang construction idea sort of inspired by book title syntax. like consider a book titled "art and its interpretation"

dǎlmep it čallǎ'paska ǎlbussa dalmæp it t͡ʃəllaʔpəs-kə albu-sːə art and interpret-GER this-GEN art and the interpretation of this"; "interpretation in the art" ; "the art's own interpretation"

dǎlmep it čallǎ'paska emussa dalmæp it t͡ʃəllaʔpəs-kə æmu-sːə art and interpret-GER that-GEN "art and the interpretation of that"; "interpretation done unto the art"

sort of a conflation of agency and scope (yet, i guess, has the affect of a definite article) and with other nominals could probably emphasize either agency or scope alone. the "this" brings the scope closer while the "that" pushes it further. the first example is either interpretation within [the] art [world] itself or [the] art [world] as an actor making an interpretation [of something else or even itself]. meanwhile the second example is the interpretation of an artistic object or art totally as an object of consideration.

obviously the semantic specifics of this would vary depending on the noun. these two constructions form a distinction otherwise not made with the usual [Noun]'s [Gerund] construction:

čallǎ'paska dǎlmepssa t͡ʃəllaʔpəs-kə dalmæp-sːə interpret-GER art-GEN "interpretation of (the/an) art"

not clear if it means "interpretation which belongs to art" or "art as an object of interpretation". context would probably decide

another example:

Sikadka hǎssssa camil su. sikəd-kə hasː-sːə t͡səmil su make-GER woman-GEN good COP "the making of the woman is good"

(first of all, check out that quadruply-geminated s) in-conlang this would be opaque as to whether we're discussing the making (birth? general situation?) of a woman or the creation belonging to a woman. however this could be cleared up with the agency/scope-specifying construction above:

Hǎss it sikadka ǎlbussa camil su. hasː it sikəd-kə albu-sːə t͡səmil su woman and make-GER this-GEN good COP "woman and the making of this is good" -> "this thing created by the woman is good"

Hǎss it sikadka emussa camil su. hasː it sikəd-kə æmu-sːə t͡səmil su woman and make-GER that-GEN good COP "woman and the making of that is good" -> "the making (again, birth? general situation? actual creation of?) which affects the woman is good"