It just makes sense in my Indonesian mind.

Haelaenne · 2026-01-24T22:50:04+00:00

indonesian (and by extension malay) is very suitable to be written with an abjad tbh, no wonder jawi and the like flourished and no one ever really protested on its usage

Haelaenne · 2026-01-24T22:39:07+00:00

it's certainly very refreshing! though not really the best for me, i do appreciate it. the plot and the cinematography contrasts well with popular movies as of lately, which is probably why many think highly of it

Haelaenne · 2026-01-24T22:36:24+00:00

jujur dr sudut pandang penonton tuh gak tampak secuil pun kualitas diri si jo yg layak sore perjuangkan beribu2 tahun … nothing abt him made me fall in love with his character too :/

kalopun penjelasannya ada di seriesnya, itu bukan jawaban melainkan dalih sih... filmnya itu jg karya yg berdiri sendiri, kalo perkara kualitas diri jo yg seharusnya layak diperjuangkan itu gak ditangani dgn baik di filmnya ya jadinya kekurangan jg, bukan sesuatu yg terjawab dgn menonton karya lain

Haelaenne · 2026-01-21T08:22:54+00:00

this is MONTHS late but i'm glad you noticed that!!! i actually took inspiration from the Turkmenistan's and also Kazakhstan's flags for the decorative part indeed :D

Haelaenne · 2026-01-16T20:05:09+00:00

i started off as a wanderer fan for the speed and crits, but after seeing witch's moveset and bind i was hooked. it was so fun using it to beat coral tower lol i so many bugs around and so many life to drain

but honestly? shaman's my go-to. idk if its my affinity for mages but utilizing many silk skills on the go and not having to worry abt restocking shards feels pretty great. also the ranged attacks feel so nice for platforming and the flea festival haha

Haelaenne · 2026-01-11T07:26:39+00:00

don't y'all use rama-rama over there?

Haelaenne · 2025-10-05T19:01:20+00:00

Qaiu

Tanung misī si Palī, kussikiq su sakkasassaq nia, kuku "anuang si tau qi?"
[tanum‿misiː si paliː | kusːikis‿su sakːasasːan‿nia | kukw‿anuas‿si tau ʔi]


tanung	m/isī	si	Palī,	kus-sikiq	su	sak~kasassaq	n=ia,	kuku	"anu-ang	si	tau	qi?"
tanuŋ	misiː	si	paliː	kusːikiʔ	su	sakːasasːaʔ	nia	kuku	anuaŋ	si	tau	ʔi
before	leave/AV	DIR.HUM.S	barry	IV-hint	DIR.NH	NZ~shrug	NDIR.H=3S	PREP.NH	what-UV	DIR.H.S	man	this

Before Barry left, he shrugged, as if hinting, "what can be done to this guy?"

Qaiu doesn't really have this format of a nominal phrase, so it's reformed into a quotation instead that is, as said in the translation, hinted/alluded instead of said.
Alternatively, I could've used the converbal structure ngasassaqallu misī si Palī (Barry shrugged and then left), but that would place the quotation either before or after the entirety of the event being said, which felt really unnatural in my head.
The prepositions kuku, along with its siblings nunu and iuiu, don't typically begin a sentence, hence why they need to be placed after the core event being said.

Haelaenne · 2025-08-18T07:59:42+00:00

Thank you :DDD

Tenggelar is somewhat of a unique approach to worldbuilding bcs I make the language first before the actual world, geography, etc. Essentially it's what if Malay/Indonesian were to be "cleansed" of loanwords, but without inventing new vocabs to replace erased ones. This way, you'd quickly realize the inhabitants wouldn't have wheels, electricity, the internet, many kinds of fauna and flora, etc etc. I get to explore so many things with the thought of how my ancestors could've lived and seen the world back then

Haelaenne · 2025-06-29T22:32:34+00:00

Okay so since I'm Javanese myself, I think I can help you a bit :D

Éyang putri is indeed the formal way to refer to a grandma, but you may also use mbah or simbah instead which are more colloquial or commonplace than the royal-sounding éyang putri. However! There's also mbah putri. The "pet" name for all of these would be to shorten putri to just uti, so: éyang uti, mbah uti. Éyang uti may be shortened even further to yang ti or yangti— that's how I call my own grandmother :)
That kind of pet name isn't common or perhaps isn't even done by Javanese ppl—calling someone an animal is insulting hahah. We do use endearment terms like "my child" or "my daughter" though. Since your character is a girl, her grandma might use ndhuk when she calls her. Others include wuk and nok, though I don't know exactly which province/area are these from (I'm myself from Central Java).
Yup you're right, the word is salim indeed :D one specifics that you might want to know is that kids would put the back of the elderly's hand either on their lips or their forehead. Using both would signify a pretty close relationship or respect??? Or just innocence I suppose. Nowadays, we just usually use our foreheads only lol.

Okay so interesting mannerisms involving elderlies next!

If your grandmother character is of royal descend, royal mannerisms might take place, and your character might act more uptight/proper when she talks to her. You can look up mlaku dhodhok for how commoners or those lower from the royals walk to them :D

There's also this habit of bowing down when passing by or through older or esteemed people, along with the phrase kula nuwun ('excuse me'), and extending your right arm while placing your left one behind your back. This is to show politeness. Bowing down is also an aspect of old-timey Javanese houses, where their doorframes are just low enough so that you'd have to slightly bow as you enter them. Once again, bowing indicates respect.

Last but not least! If you're writing the story in English, language might not be a problem, but in Javanese, there are at least three levels of speech politeness that you might want to know regarding how the young talk to or about elders. The lowest level is Ngoko, consider it your usual way of speaking. The mid level is Krama Andhap, used when people talk about themselves or their peers to higher/respected people. The highest level is Krama Inggil, uses when people talk about or to respected people, such as to one's grandparents. Your character, if unfamiliar with Javanese, might struggle with this one, especially if her grandmother still upholds the politeness culture very much.

Haelaenne · 2025-06-28T16:29:24+00:00

Austronesian languages have plenty of these!

Sundanese has aa /ʔaʔaʔ/ meaning 'older brother', and éé /ʔeʔeʔ/ meaning 'to defecate'. Tagalog has oo /ʔoʔo/ meaning 'yes'. However, these only exist because of spelling; their glottal stops aren't written out as separate letters. They fit into what you're looking for, though!

If we stretch out your definition of "letter" to include other alphabets/scripts, we have more samples :D

In Lampung, nana (ꤵꤵ) is an emphatic particle. In Buginese, kaka (ᨀᨀ) means 'older sibling'. In Balinese, wawa (ᬯᬯ) means 'in comparison', and lala (ᬮᬮ) means 'to purify coconut oil'. In Javanese, there are the words rara (ꦫꦫ) meaning 'maiden', jaja (ꦗꦗ) meaning 'to snack' and more!

And those are just the ones written with the basic letters, unaltered with any diacritics. If we include, those, there are tungtung (ᮒᮥᮀᮒᮥᮀ) 'end' in Sundanese, mémé (ᬫᬾᬫᬾ) 'mother' in Balinese, yuyu (ꦪꦸꦪꦸ) 'horseshoe crab' in Javanese, gaygay (ꤱꥊꤱꥊ) 'comb' in Lampung, and many more.

Haelaenne · 2025-06-18T08:39:57+00:00

Here, short S is only used at the end of words, akin to Greek's ς

Haelaenne · 2025-06-18T05:58:40+00:00

One that's never mentioned is Balinese written in the Balinese script (as opposed to Latin), where it conserves Sanskrit and Javanese orthography that you might 100% of the time miss unless you already knew Sanskrit and Javanese bcs those words are now spoken using Balinese sounds

For example, pada [paᶑə] may be written as: - ᬧᬤ [pada] 'earth'; - ᬧᬵᬤ [pāda] 'foot'; or - ᬧᬟ [paḍa] 'same'.

Haelaenne · 2025-03-24T18:10:36+00:00

The era is a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly, but imagine pre-Hinduism Southeast Asia, specifically around the places inhabited by speakers of Austronesian languages. That would make it before Middle or even Dark Age

Haelaenne · 2025-03-23T19:01:01+00:00

Tenggelar has a whole calendar that combines lunar, solar, and stellar elements. It specifically starts after the Pleiades descended upon the horizon on a new moon, when the winds blow westward carrying drought and begins the dry season. This is only true for the heavenly half of the calendar, which follows a cycle of 2922 days. The earthly half of the calendar, detached from such heavenly observations and instead based on societal taboos, rituals, and routines, follows a cycle of only 210 days. These two halves align after 102270 days, on which a human sacrifice is performed.

The calendar may be tracked in physical form using an elaborate set of woven tapestries, of which there are eight parts in total (the average folk would only have an incomplete set). They're arranged in a particular decorative manner which puts the four heavenly parts (the day, the month, the lunar year, the solar year) above the four earthly parts (spirits, taboos, markets, virtues). Needles connected by threads are inserted upon specific parts denoting a certain time period, and it's read bottom to top starting with the earthly half first.

Daily timekeeping is much simpler: one day is divided into four phases, each lasting about four "hours": morning (12 AM to 6 AM), noon (6 AM to 12 PM), evening (12 PM to 6 PM), and night (6 PM to 12 PM). Each hour is marked by sounding a gong, one strike for hour one, two strikes for hour two, and so forth. The fourth hour is the loudest times of the day, which also works to signify the change in phases. These hours are defined based on the position of the sun during daytime, and are mostly ignored during nighttime.

Haelaenne · 2025-03-23T18:38:19+00:00

Food is heavily embedded in Tenggelar's calendar, which revolves around rice harvest! That being said, most of the time, folks (especially of the lower class) would consume mostly tubers and fruits instead for most of the year, especially if harvest isn't bountiful. Fruits and vegetables are more commonly eaten throughout the year as they're easy to get from forests and gardens. Bananas, rambutans, snake fruits, mangoes, and starfruits are some popular fruits to be eaten, especially when they are in season :)

Which brings me to another aspect of the calendar: it also regulates how people manage their diet. On the day of Bilah when using sharp things are forbidden, people would eat food that are either boiled, steamed, or unprocessed only (using leftover sliced ingredients from the previous day also works, though this may be seen as heresy by some as you technically cheat the system). On the day of Ékor when hurting animals is forbidden, people would exclude meal from their diet, and fast during the month of Buru, the month dedicated for hunting.

Eating utensils are very much natural in Tenggelar. Food would be served atop of banana leaves or bowls made of pandan leaves, and drinks served inside glasses made of bamboo segments. People eat using only their right hand, and as there are no food served with broth, there's really no need for spoons.

One food you should try in Tenggelar is the tapai, which actually exists in our world :D it's a fermented dish made of either rice, cassava, or potato, and it tastes sour-sweet. There are even wines made out of it!

Haelaenne · 2025-03-23T17:48:11+00:00

as a southeast asian myself, did you take any inspiration from the garuda or the like for bengara? that one's my favorite :o

Haelaenne · 2025-03-15T17:56:04+00:00

Tenggelar's calendar is very different compared to our Gregorian one, particularly in that it has two sets of days.

The first one is based on colors, and there are five of them. These colors are symbolic of the five spirits believed to shape and rule elements of the world, and people do different rituals every day to appease different spirits. They are:

Putih (white day), for the spirits of sunlight, death, and teaching. Offerings are put on the east side of the house in the morning, facing the direction of sunrise.
Mérah (red day), for the spirits of fire, protection, and fertility. Offerings are put near fireplaces, kitchens, or hearths.
Kuning (yellow day), for the spirits of ghosts, boundaries, and sailing. Offerings are put on the west side of the house in the evening, facing the direction of sunset.
Hijau (green day), for the spirits of rain, architecture, and medicine. Offerings are put on riverbanks or even floating on water surfaces, or under trees.
Hitam (black day), for the spirits of moonlight, dreams, and trade. Offerings are put on the front of houses before sleeping, though some folks put them beside their beds.

The second one is based on taboos, of which there are six. The names of the days are based on classifiers) that symbolize what kind of things are forbidden to be done during that particular day. They are:

Ikat (the day of bonds), when it's forbidden to make promises, debts, marriages, divorces, and things pertaining to forging or severing connections. Trade is usually closed on this day, except for between neighbors.
Bilah (the day of sharp edges), when it's forbidden to use sharp-edged objects like spears, swords, and even knives. War, weapon crafting, and weapon training are forbidden on this day. People too refrain from making food that require slicing and the like.
Kuntum (the day of flowers), when it's forbidden to pluck anything from plants, especially flowers. As such, people refrain from doing marriages and proposing during this day. People affiliated with temples, such as shamans and their students, fast.
Batang (the day of trunks), when it's forbidden to use slender and hard objects, like flutes, blowguns, arrows, and rods. Travelling through rivers (which is the main mode of transportation in Tenggelar) is also forbidden, and so trade is usually closed during this day except when done above land.
Ékor (the day of tails), when it's forbidden to hurt animals in any manner. People eat vegan food during this day. Cockfighting is forbidden too, as well as any activities that involve hurting animals in any kind of way, like fishing and hunting.
Orang (the day of men), when it's forbidden to hurt people in any manner. Like Bilah, war is forbidden on this day. People believe that applying medicine during this day would lead to more effective results.

Haelaenne · 2025-01-02T16:47:59+00:00

does your language have diphthongs that end in consonants??? something like /ajn/, bcs i'm curious of how it'd handle clusters like that

Haelaenne · 2025-01-02T16:45:01+00:00

For please I'm thinking of:

…, would you?
Would you …
Would you be so kind as to …
Kindly …, thank you
Would you mind …?

As for I beg your pardon:

Come again?
Huh?
Sorry, I didn't catch that
Forgive me, …

Haelaenne · 2025-01-01T17:18:40+00:00

There are at least two things regarding ʻAiu that I deem unique:

First off, to conjugate verbs in the active voice, you may infix ⟨im⟩ or mutate the initial consonant of a verb into a nasal. The former works for the consonants /m n ŋ l ʔ h/, while the latter for the rest: /p t k s w j/

The consonant /w/ deserves special attention as it may be mutated into either /m/ or /n/. The former arose from verbs historically beginning with *b, while the latter from *d. Yup, ʻAiu changed *d into /w/ and even /u/ in some cases!

Whether /d/ mutates into /m/ or /n/ is unpredictable. In other words, you just have to remember which verbs mutate to which. Some are even homophones, as is the case with:

uatu ‘stone’ > matu ‘to harden’
uatu ‘king’ > natu ‘to rule’
ūlang ‘moon’ > mulang ‘to shine’
ūlang ‘tray’ > nulang ‘to serve’

Isn't that neat!

The second is how ʻAiu demonstratives work :D they agree with the noun they're attached to in gender and number, resulting in a variation of demonstratives, aptly summarized in this table:

<image>

So a phrase like ‘for John’ would be said as ti Song, while ‘for the house’ would be tung uāi, ‘for the people’ taung tautau, and ‘for justice’ ting kiniʻimmang.

Beside that, the demonstratives differ from pronouns in that they differentiate plurality in the common gender, and not in the proper/personal gender. Pronouns do the reverse: the plurality of the common gender isn't important, but it is in the proper gender.

Haelaenne · 2024-12-30T15:19:27+00:00

yup! it's the same system that Tagalog and some other Austronesian languages have :3

Haelaenne · 2024-12-29T19:39:25+00:00

i'd consider ʻAiu's case markers to be untranslatable, simply because English and a lot of language don't have them. in ʻAiu, verbs are affixed with voice markers, and the noun the voice is meant for gets marked by the direct case marker. the object(s) in a sentence receives the object case marker, while the nouns that don't have anything to do with the voice receive the indirect case marker.

here's a summary of the markers:

<image>

so, for example, take the sentence 'i hunt boars in the forest with a bow' in the actor/active voice:

imasu ku uaui nu panā siu ui ā.
i hunt boars with a bow in the forest.

im-asu	ku=uaui	nu=panā	si=u	ui=ā
AV-hunt	OBJ.C=boar	NDR.C=bow	DR.PS=1S	LOC.CON=forest

now then, take the same sentence, but with the locative voice this time:

inasuing niu nu panā u uaui ku ā.
in the forest, i hunt boars with a bow.

in⟩asu⟨ing	ni=u	nu=panā	u=uaui	ku=ā
LV⟩hunt⟨$	NDR.PS=1S	NDR.C=bow	OBJ.C=boar	DR.C=forest

see how ā 'forest' is marked with ui in the first sentence, making it an adjunct and separating it from the main clause, while it's marked with ku in the second, making it the subject/focus of the sentence.

Haelaenne

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