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Alternis Kerbol Travelling Circus -- Episode 34: Over the Hills and Far Away


Geschosskopf

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2 minutes ago, insert_name said:

Unification wars, saints, uncaring gods and a strange netherworld? are you sure this isn't 40k?

No, not WH40K.  The Emperor is not fed the souls of psykers, he's not an undead demigod from the ancient past, or any of that.  He's a mortal kerb (of the Ruling Caste, of course) who has his domestic servants put his pants on him 1 leg at a time just like normal folks :D  And I doubt you'll find any Kerbal deity (other than The Kraken, and that's not really a good example) who has ever cared the least bit about Kerbals :) 

As to the loss of individuality at death, that's the original human concept and even today a number of major (and many minor) religions retain this.  "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" applied to both body and spirit.  The idea of individuality persisting after death is actually a fairly recent innovation in human history.  It seems to have made its first appearance in the Late Neolithic but didn't become relatively common until some point in the Bronze Age (the timing varying with location).  The spread of this belief seems to have been associated with the appearance of stratified societies, especially where that stratification was dictated by a warrior elite and the idea of divine kingship came along.  Basically, if the king was a god (or would be when he died), then necessarily he had to retain his individuality.  Thus, many societies went through a period when the kings had individual (and very elaborate) tombs but the bones of commoners were still intermingled in communal tombs as had applied to everybody before.  Eventually, egalitarian evangelists made commoners think they also retained individuality and that the afterlife would be better than their usual lot of toil and misery.  Thus, the idea became wide-spread in many major and (even more minor) religions around today.  It is, after all, a great selling point.  Nothing puts butts in pews and money in the collection plate like the promise of paradise.  It's therefore rather surprising that the idea didn't take root sooner and become universal today.

 

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23 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

But yeah, I don't encourage emotional attachment to my Kerbals until the end of the story, when we know who's still standing :)

Despite your warnings, I cannot help but root for Geoflan. He reminds me of Professor Challenger from The Lost World, or Axel Lidenbrock from Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Let's hope that, should the Laythean natives prove to be aggressive, he can run a mile in under five minutes. :wink:

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22 minutes ago, UnusualAttitude said:

Despite your warnings, I cannot help but root for Geoflan. He reminds me of Professor Challenger from The Lost World, or Axel Lidenbrock from Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Let's hope that, should the Laythean natives prove to be aggressive, he can run a mile in under five minutes. :wink:

Well, I'm pulling for him, too.  I've spent a LOT of time preparing his reception and I'm already irked it's taken so long to get an ambassador even into Laythe orbit.

But somehow I keep thinking of that lawyer in the 1st "Jurassic Park" movie :D 

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On 12/12/2017 at 6:01 PM, UnusualAttitude said:

Oh dear... that doesn't bode well for him...

But I KNOW you've been thinking about that all along :) 

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

EPISODE 25: The Thing

Spoiler

 

NOTE:  This episode and most that follow on the surface of Laythe will require beaucoup hand-waving and an inordinate amount of suspension of disbelief, willing or not.  For instance, when you see the Laytheans and their stuff in the pics below, imagine they're using all natural materials.  Their boats are dugouts, their huts are palm fronts, their helmet rings are shell necklaces, etc.  So please ignore their uncanny resemblance to modern rocket parts and believe you're seeing something else.

ALSO NOTE:  The Laythean language is based heavily on Tok Pisin, one of the official languages of Papua New Guinea.  I consider this an appropriate choice for reasons that will become apparent as the story unfolds.  And for the last couple months, I've put in a LOT of time on Memrise trying to learn the basics of this language,   But I still suck at it, so I apologize to any Tok Pisin-speaker who might be offended.  But remember, Tok Pisin isn't particularly standardized even in PNG, and what I write here is, strictly speaking, Laythean, not Tok Pisin, so please consider any egregious errors in that light :D ,  I'll post a guide for how Earthlings should read Laythean shortly.

Anyway, on with the show....

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

With the LE-2 FORLORN HOPE and its ambassador safely in Laythe orbit, it was time to find a place for it to land.  Monolith Island straddled all 3 terrestrial biomes of Laythe (Northlands, Equatorial Lands, and Southlands), and the Circus thought it would be nice if FORLORN HOPE could get the Science! from all of them, although this wasn't a huge priority.  Still it was worth considering, as were various possible routes to the Monolith area.  Thus, the next SLOP to go down would explore more areas of Monolith Island, which had hardly been touched before, SLOP-2 having run away quickly as soon as it spotted the Laytheans.

With all this in mind, Mission Control brought SLOP-5 down well east of Monolith Point, near a large inland lake.  The terrain around this lake proved to be quite steep, as if it was a cenote or old volcanic caldera.  This was obviously not a good landing site for FORLORN HOPE.

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Heading NW from the lake, SLOP-5 soon reached the shores of the large northern gulf of Monolith Island.  This looked like a reasonably good place to land.  Also, the terrain between there and the west coast at Monolith Point wasn't that bad for slopes, although it was mostly dense jungle.  And it was about an 80km trip, all in the Northlands.  Still, this was good to know as a fall-back option.

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Heading SW, SLOP-5 eventually reached the west coast of Monolith Island about 36km south of Monolith Point, in the area Lizeny had bet would be the landing site of LE-2 FORLORN HOPE.  This was definitely a good spot, a large tidal plain, smooth and mostly level for a long way in all directions.  It was also in the Equatorial Lands biome.

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Continuing SW from there, to where Alice had bet on, the terrain was rather rougher.  It looked doable but why make the trip longer, except to do more biomes?  Lizeny's bet was looking good so far.

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SLOP-5 didn't linger long here bur reversed course, returned to Lizeny's big mudflat, then began following the coast back north towards Monolith Point.  This was both to scout FORLORN HOPE's potential route and also to check back in on the Laytheans.  From Lizeny's favorite landing site north about 2/3 of the way to Monolith Point, the terrain sloped steeply down into the sea.  It looked passable for FORLORN HOPE, but not optimum.

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Then, about 10km S of Monolith Point, there was another wide beach/mudflat from there all the way to the Laytheans.  Landing at the south end of this flat would have several advantages.  First, it was close enough that the Laytheans would surely see FORLORN HOPE come down and be able to get ready.  Second, it was a short trip.  Third, there were fewer potentials for nasty surprises en route between landing and reaching the Laytheans than going through the jungle.  Mission Control was beginning to think this would be the best landing site for FORLORN HOPE.  Geoflan began to think he might win 2 tots of grog out of this.

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Then it was time to check back in on the Laytheans.  This time, there'd be no hasty retreat.  Given that the ambassador would be arriving soon, the Laytheans might as well start getting used to UFOs.  And to further that along, a junior Boffin had suggested adding a microphone to SLOPs 5 and 6, and ditching at least one of them near the Laytheans, to maybe gain intel on them.  While this modification had been made as it added negligible mass, Mission Control wasn't sure about actually doing this until its new BUNGLEr contingent arrived, learned of this capability, and insisted on it.  So SLOP-5 would circle around the Laythean settlement several times, then ditch just offshore and look and listen to the Laythean response.

SLOP-5 now approached the Laythean beach houses from the south instead of from seaward as SLOP-2 had done.  The huts were still there and appeared to have activity still going on.

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Next, SLOP-5 climbed the hill to the north and circled the Monolith and the huts near it several times, low and slow (I still don't know why I can't see the trees all over this area from the air, yet see them when I'm on the ground).  Several Laytheans were spotted in the vicinity of the huts.  Apparently, SLOP-2 hadn't scared them off.  Of course, it had been about 70 days since SLOP-2's brief fly-by so maybe they'd run away and come back in the meantime.  Still, they didn't appear to panic as SLOP-5 flew over.

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Then it was back to the beach and some circles around those huts.  It appeared that the Laytheans had outrigger boats and were doing something near them.  The Laytheans looked up and watched SLOP-5 but didn't appear too concerned.

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SLOP-5 then flew a bit out to sea west of the beach houses, turned back towards shore, and ditched about 400m offshore.  It was facing the beach to observe the approach, if any, of the Laytheans.  Then it was just watching, listening, and waiting.

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After some minutes, the microphone on SLOP-5 picked up 2 distinct sets of rhythmic splashing, sounding like they were getting closer.  SLOP-5's camera was near the waterline so was continually being splashed by waves and always had some water droplets on it to go with the several bug splats it had picked up in its flight so far.  Thus, the images were a bit indistinct.  However, it was clear that 2 Laytheans had paddled boats toward SLOP-5 and had paused some distance away to discuss things.  Back in Mission Control, the BUNGLErs listened intently, while the Boffins started giving thought to building boats themselves, something they'd never considered.

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BUNGLEr 1:  I thought I recognized a few words there.... 

BUNGLEr 2:  SHUT UP!  They're still talking!

The boats splashed closer, slowly and gently, with the Laytheans continuing apparently to discuss SLOP-5.  And now several of the BUNGLErs were pretty sure they recognized some words.

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BUNGLEr 3:  That last bit was pure Middle Porkerblese.  I don't believe it!

BUNGLEr 4:  And I'm sure we're all hearing the Early Modern Kerbish, right?

BUNGLEr 5:  Ssssshhhhhh!  We can play the tape back later.

Meanwhile, the Laytheans continued to converse...

Laythean 2:  Yumi wetim na lukim long em, sapos em i mekim samting.

Laythean 1:  Orait, yumi wetim inap long mi kauntim long wan handet.  Wan, tu, tri, foa, faiv, siks, seven, et, nain, ten.......

The BUNGLErs looked at each other in disbelief.  None could now deny what they were hearing.  The Laytheans were definitely speaking bits and pieces of obsolete, even dead, Kerbal languages.  It was a kreole, mostly Early Modern Kerbish but with numerous additions from other languages as old or older, with a syntax uniquely its own, following its own logic.  How could this be possible?  As this realization sank in, the Laythean finished its count to 100.

Laythean 1:  Oriat, em i mekim nating.  Mi paitim em nau long pul bilong kanu.

SLOP-5's camera recorded the Laythean coming next to it and smacking the drone with a paddle.  KLANK!

Laythean 2:  Hmmm, mi no laik kaikai dispela.  Em i bagarapim tif bilong mi!

Laythean 1:  Ating em i gat abus insait long sel strong olsem kuka?

Laythean 2:  Nogat, mi tingim em i no samting tru.

Laythean 1:  Husat i wokim em, a?  Em i ausait long save bilong mi.....

Laythean 2:  Mi no gat tingting.  Mi laik go bek long ples nau.

Laythean 1:  Mi laik kisim em i go bek long nambis.

Laythean 2:  Sapos em i kaikaim yu?

Laythean 1:  Em i no gat maus.  Yu helpim mi i pulimapim em i go bek long nambis.

Laythean 2:  Orait, orait!  Tasol sapos em i stat long kikim, mi larim yu na mi ranawe kwiktaim!

The Laytheans now moved out of frame for a while.  SLOP-5's microphone picked up various thumps, bumps, and scrapes, and the camera jerked periodically.  Eventually, part of what appeared to be a net (it was badly out of focus due to being right on the lens) was draped over the camera. Then the indistinct shapes of the Laytheans and their boats returned to view as they began paddling back to shore, dragging SLOP-5 with them.  One of the Laytheans appeared to look back at SLOP-5 frequently, the other only occasionally.

During the several minutes of the trip, the BUNGLErs were in deep discussion. They played the tape back many times.  The consensus was, shockingly, that they could already understand most of what the Laytheans were saying.  For instance, the last sentence before the tow started seemed to be "Alright, alright!  But if it starts to kick, I'm leaving you and running away fast!"  It was incredible.  The BUNGLErs had been expecting that the Laytheans would communicated in some totally alien manner, such as by pheromones, and they'd never figure it out.  But here was the language of an alien species handed to them on a silver platter, the thought of which made them all hungry.  True, there were a few words they didn't know at all, and some they were only guessing from context, but it was still a very good start.  They immediately began preparing a briefing for Geoflan.  Meanwhile, the junior Boffin who'd suggested the microphone got fast-tracked.

Eventually, the Laytheans got SLOP-5 to shore, beached their boats, and wrestled the drone up onto the strand, removing the net and ropes in the process.  Then they stood in front of the camera, in perfect focus for the 1st time.  Up until this point, the BUNGLErs were thinking that these Laytheans must be Kerbals.  But that theory quickly disintegrated as the appearance of the Laytheans became clear.

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Tune in next time for more of the slow spiral into damnation.

Edited by Geschosskopf
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A Guide to Reading Laythean

Laythean is heavily based on the real Earth language of Tok Pisin, one of the official languages of Papua-New Guinea.  I say "heavily based on" instead of "copied directly from" because 1) I don't know a lot of Tok Pisin myself so I can't be perfectly true to the real language, and 2) because of the various differences between my KSP universe and the real world.  However, using Tok Pisin references will still help you a lot because that's where I get all this from.  My 2 main sources are:

Consonants have the same sounds as in English.  The letters C, Q, X, and Z don't exist.  C is redundant and K or S is used instead.  Q is replaced by KW, X by KS, and Z just doesn't happen.  Silly English things like double consonants where only 1 is pronounced simply to affect vowel sound don't exist, either, because vowels always have the same sounds regardless of consonants.  Consecutive consonants are each pronounced individually.

Vowels are pronounced like in German:

  • A is the short O in English "stop"
  • E is the long A in English "take"
  • I is the long E in English "feet"
  • O is the long O in English "home"
  • U is the long U in English "July"
  • AI is the long I such as in "Samurai"
  • AU is the OU sound as in English "house"

Most of the vocabulary is based on English words but spelled using the rules above.  There are a few extra idiosyncrasies, such as an English F is often replaced by a P, an English TH by F, and a lot of English Rs (especially at the ends of words) are dropped.

*** Laythean Prepositions ***

Spoiler

The Laythean word "long" is a multi-purpose preposition.  By itself, it can mean things like "to", "from", "at", etc.  However, "long" is often used with other prepositions, such as "ausait long", in which case "long" is the "of" of a prepositional phrase.  IOW, "ausait long" means "outside of".  The leading preposition in such phrases are usually English words.  Other examples are:

  • insait long = inside of
  • aninit long = underneath
  • antap long = on top of
  • bihain long = behind
  • bipo long = before
  • namel long = between / in the center of (from English "navel")

However, some of these prepositions, when used alone, without the following "long", are adjectives and/or adverbs.  Others, especially when adjacent to the verbs "go" (go) and "kam" (come), can be verbs.  Such as:

  • go antap = climb
  • bihain = after, later
  • bipo = ago

There are also a few other special prepositions that don't use "long", such as:

  • wantaim (from "one time") = with.  "Yu kam wantaim mi" = "you come with me."
  •  

*** :Laythean Possessive ***

Spoiler

"Bilong" (from "belong") means "owned by", "'s", etc.  This is indicated by the construct "(Noun A) bilong (Noun B)", which means "(Noun B)'s (Noun A)".  This construct also includes more adjectival meanings such as "for the", such as "kaikai bilong kukaut" = "the food for the cookout".

Possessive phrases with "bilong" can stack, which can lead to some cumbersome sentences.  "Skru bilong lek bilong yu" = "joint of the leg of yours" = "your knee".

NOTE:  Bilong can also be used in the construct "{Verb A) bilong (Verb B)".  In this case, "bilong" isn't a possessive, it's an adverbial thing meaning "in order to" or "for the purpose of".  "Mi kam bilong skulim yu" = "I come in order to teach you."

***  Laythean Pronouns ***

Spoiler

 

Laythean has a very large number of pronouns.  Some are fairly simple, such as:

  • Mi = I/me (1st person singular)
  • Yu = you (2nd person singular, only 1 specific person)
  • Em = he/she/it (3rd person singular)
  • Dispela = this/that
  • Ol = them/they (but also see Plurals below)

Others depend on the situation and are best shown with a Venn Diagram.  The speaker is on the right, the listener on the left.  The "mi's" and "yu's" change depending on who's speaking.
 

Spoiler

 

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*** Laythean Question Words ***

  • Spoiler

     

    • Who/Whose = husat (who's that?).  "Husat i tisa bilong yu" = "Who is your teacher?"  "Dispela dok bilong husat?" = "Whose dog is this?"
    • What = wanem (what name?) or wanem samting (what thing?).  "Wanem kain wok bilong yu?" = "What kind of work do you do?"  "Em i wanem samting?" = "What is it?"
    • Where = we (pronounced like English "way").  "Yu go we?" = "Where are you going?"
    • Why = long wanem (for what?).  "Long wanem yu paitim mi?" = "Why did you hit me?"
    • When (as part of a question) = wanem taim (what time?).  "Wanem taim yu go?" = "When are you leaving?"  However, "when" used to point to a specific time, such as for "when (at the time that) something happens", the word "taim" is used.  "Taim em i kam bek" = "When (at the time that) he comes back."
    • How = olsem wanem (like what?).  "Olsem wanem yu go long taun?" = "How are you going to town?"
    • How many / how much = hamas (how much?).  "Hamas kaikai i stap?" = "How much food is there?"  However, "Hamas long kaikai?" = "How much for the food?" as in "how much does the food cost?"

     

*** Laythean Adjectives ***

Spoiler

Most adjectives are a compound of an English-derived word with the suffix "-pela" (from "fellow").  These adjectives usually go in front of the noun they modify.  For example:

  • bikpela dok = big dog
  • longpela man = tall man, longpela taim = a long time
  • naispela = nice, handsome, beautiful, cool
  • sotpela = short
  • pinkpela = pink
  • grinpela = green, etc.

An exception is "liklik", which means small.  "Liklik" usually goes after the noun it modifies.  "Liklik" can also go after another adjective to mean "sort of", "kind of/kinda", etc.

  • samting liklik = a small thing
  • Dispela kaikai i gutpela liklik = this food is sort of good (but not great)

Adjectives can be emphasized by repeating them in front of the noun, or by adding other words after the adjectives.

  • bikpela bikpela maunten = very big hill/mountain
  • Dispela pukpuk i bikpela tru/tumas/moa!  = That crocodile is REALLY BIG (true/too much/more)
  •  

*** Laythean Plurals ***

Spoiler

The ONLY indication of plurality is inserting the word "ol" (from "all") before the noun that is plural.  Verbs, adjectives, and the nouns themselves don't change.  However, "ol" does not mean "all", it means 2 or more, but not everything.  To indicated "all", you use "olgeta".  The exact number meant by "ol" and "olgeta" depends on context.  For example, suppose you have a bunch of bananas.

  • Banana = 1 banana
  • Ol banana = 2 or more bananas, but not the whole bunch
  • Olgeta banana = all the bananas in the bunch

Some nouns are supposed to be plural by default, such as "bin" = "beans", where you're usually talking about a can of them.  I suppose this should also apply to "spoa" (spore) but I'm not smart enough to keep track of this sort of thing, so you'll probably see "ol spoa" in the story, even if this is probably incorrect.  But hey, this is Laythean, not Tok Pisin....

  •  

*** Laythean Boolean Operators Conjunctions (AND, OR, NOT) ***

  • Spoiler

     

    • AND = "na"
    • OR = "o"
    • NOT = "no"

    When listing a bunch of nouns, "na" is put between each of them instead of commas.  Nothing special about "o".  "No" can be used in the Boolean sense of negating verbs and adjectives, and also as part of negative adjectives.

    • Buk na pepa na pensil = book, paper, and pensil
    • Mi o yu = Me or you
    • Wara i no hat = The water isn't hot.
    • Nogut = bad / evil
    • No gutpela = not good

     

*** Laythean Sentences ***

Spoiler

Sentence structure is very similar to English, usually subject - verb - object with various phrases and clauses added.  The main thing is the frequent inclusion of "i" between subject and verb.  This "i" isn't really a translatable word, it's simply a marker for the predicate of the sentence.  However, if the subject is "yu", "mi", or "yumi", the "i" isn't used.  I don't know why this is.

  • Mi go long taun = I am going to town.
  • Em i go long taun = He/she/it is going to town.
  • Mitupela i go long taun = We are going to town.

If there are multiple verbs in the sentence, each has its own "i" marker (unless the subject is "yu", "mi", or "yumi").

  • Yu ken go long taun = You can go to town.
  • Em i ken i go long taun = He/she/it can go to town.
  • Mitupela i ken i go long taun = We can go to town.

As with English, sentences can be rearranged, such as object - verb -subject, etc., or putting the question words at the back instead of the front.  This frequently requires changing some of the words.

  • Husat i tisa bilong yu? = Tisa bilong yu, em i husat? = Who is your teacher?
  • Olsem wanem yu go long taun? = Yu go long taun olsem wanem? = How are you going to town?
  •  

*** The Word "Stap" ***

Spoiler

When "stap" (pronounced like English "stop") is used with the predicate marker "i", as "i stap", it means all forms of the verb "to be".  Thus, "i stap" means "is", "are", "was", "were", etc., and also in the broader sense, "to exist", "to live", "to stay".  When used by itself, just "stap", it can mean "stop" both as a verb ("stop doing that") or noun (bus stop).  In the verb sense, "stap" can thus mean the opposite of "i stap", IOW, to die/cease instead of live/exist.

  • Dok i stap aninit long haus = The dog is under the house.
  • Em i stap long Amerika = He lives in America
  • Mi stap long Amerika = I live in America
  • Yu stap paitim mi! = You stop hitting me!

"I stap" can also mean "in the course/middle of doing something".

  • Em i wokim haus = He/she is building a house.
  • Em i wokim haus i stap = He/she is in the middle of building a house.
  •  

*** Laythean Tenses ***

Spoiler

The present tense is the default.  Unless the sentence uses one of the following, it's present tense.

The past tense is indicated ONLY by inserting the word "bin" (from English "been") in front of the verb.  "Bin" replaces the predicate marker "i" if the sentence would have used that in the present tense.

  • Mi go long taun = I am (in the process of) going to town
  • Mi bin go long taun = I went to town
  • Em i go long town = He/she/it is going to town
  • Em bin go long town = He/she/it went to town

The future tense is indicated ONLY by the addition of the world "bai" (from English "by and by").  Usually, this goes in front of the subject without changing the present tense version of the sentence.  However, "bai" can also replace the "i" if the present tense would have had it.  This normally doesn't happen if the subject is "yu", "mi", or "yumi".

  • Bai mi go long town = I will go to town
  • Bai em i go long town = He/she/it will go to town
  • Em bai go long town = He/she/it will go to town
  • Taim em i kam bek, mitupela bai go = When he comes back, we will go
  •  

*** Laythean Unusual Verbs ***

Spoiler

 

Fortunately, Laythean neatly avoids the traditional irregularities with verbs that plague all language students, because Laythean lacks cases, tenses, plurals, and all that other stuff most languages plaster haphazardly onto their verbs.  However, because it's a creole, some verbs are..... unusual.  Many are compounds of English verbs and prepositions that usually accompany them in speech.  Others come from the nautical vocation of the first English-speakers the natives met.  Here are some examples (there are many others, seemingly):

  • Sanap = to stand.  Sanapim = to stand (something) up.  (from "stand up").  "Em i sanap antap long maunten" = He/she stands on the mountain.  "Sanapim dispela pos" = Stand up this post.
  • Sindaun = to sit down (from "sit down")
  • Kamap = to happen/occur/appear (from "come up")
  • Pulimapim = to fill, to put inside, to pump.  From "pull him up" and originally applied to filling a bucket of water using a hand pump.  Thus, "Pulimapim wara i go long kap" = "Fill the cup with water."
  • Kapsaitim = to dump, to empty.  (from "capsize")  "Kapsaitim wara i go bek" = Dump the water back out.
  • Wokabaut = "walk" (verb) and also "journey" (noun).  Probably from Australian "walkabout".  "Yu wokabaut long taun" = You walk to town.  "Mi gat hangre bihain wokabaut bilong mi" = I'm hungry after my journey.
  •  

*** Other Laythean Quirks  and Useful Words ***

Spoiler

"Save" (from English "savvy", which originally came from Portuguese)

  • In the form "save long (noun or phrase)", "save" means "to know of"/"to know how to"/"to know about", etc.  
    • Mi save long Tok Let = I know the Laythean language.
    • Yu save long planti samting = You know (about) many things.
  • In the form "save (verb)", "save" means "usually"
    • Mi save dringim kopi long moning = I usually drink coffee in the morning.

 

"Laik" vs. "Laikim" (from English "like")

  • Laik means "want", "need".  Mi laik kopi! = I need coffee!
  • Laikim means "to like".  Mi laikim kopi = I like coffee.

 

"Kisim" (origin unknown) means "to get", "to take", "to obtain", etc.  However, "kisim i kam" means "to bring", although "karim" (from English "carry") also means "to bring".

  • Yu kisim banana = You take the banana.
  • Yu kisim banana i kam long mi = You bring me the banana (literally, "get the banana and come to me")
  • Yu karim banana long mi = You bring me the banana
  • Mi laik kisim save long Tok Let = I want to learn the Laythean language (literally, "to get knowledge in")

 

"Kaikai" vs. "Kaikaim".  "Kaikai" means both "food" (noun) and "to eat" (verb).  "Kaikaim" means "to bite).

  • Mi bin kisim kaikai = I got the food
  • Mi bin kaikai banana = I ate the banana
  • Binatang bin kaikaim kerb = The termite bit the Kerbal

 

"Wok" vs. "Wokim" vs. "Mekim".  "Wok" (from English "work") is a noun, meaning job, vocation, task, etc..  "Wokim" is a verb and means "to make/build/perform", etc.  "Mekim" (from English "make") is a verb and means "to do".  This is somewhat confusing but just go with it.  Different types of vocations/jobs/chores are indicated by the phrase "wok bilong (whatever)"

  • Mi wok long haus = My job is at the house.
  • Mi wokim haus = I am building a house.
  • Mi mekim wok bilong haus = I am doing housework.
  • Wanem kain wok bilong em? = What kind of work does he/she do? / What's his/her job?

 

"Olsem" (from English "all same") has many uses.  By itself, it can mean "thus", "such as", "in the manner of", "similar to", etc.  It can also be used as "olsem na" ("all same and") to mean "as a result", "so....", etc.

  • Em i tok olsem: 'whatever' = He/she spoke thus: 'whatever'
  • Seksek buti bilong yu olsem em i nating = Shake your booty like it ain't no thing (like it's nothing)
  • Olsem na, dispela i kamap.... = So, that happened......

 

"Inap" (origin unknown).  This is a confusing word that can be used in different ways.  By itself, it means "able to", "possible", etc.  "Inap long", however, means "until" or "unless".

  • Inap yu kam wantaim mi? = Are you able to come with me?
  • Mi inap go wantaim yu = I am able to go with you.
  • Bai mi stap long hia inap long wan klok = I will stay here until 1 o'clock.
  • Inap long mi kisim mani, mi no ken go = Unless I get money, I can't go.

 

 "Ating" (from English "a thing") means "perhaps", "maybe". 

  • Ating bai mi go long taun = Maybe I will go to town (later).

 

"Tasol" (from English "that's all") means "but/however" and "only"

  • Mi bin baim liklik tasol = I only bought a small amount.
  • Tasol, mi bin laik liklik = However, I only needed a little.

 

"Orait" (from English "alright") is often used as its English prototype, essentially as "OK".  However, it can also be used as "then" when referring to doing something after something else.

  • Orait, yu stap hia = OK, you stay here.
  • Yu orait? = Are you OK?
  • Pastaim mi katim bret, orait mi kaikai em = First I cut the bread, then I eat it.

 

Vulgarities in Everyday Usage:

The real Tok Pisin evolved as natives learned words from old-time trading sailors and developed under colonial rule.  As such, many of the curse words carried over.  More interestingly, however, some of these curse words became part of everyday speech, losing their vulgar connotations (at least in Tok Pisin) in the process.  For example, the non-forum-friendly word for excrement became incorporated into the Tok Pisin word for "ashes".  The forum-friendly version would be "muls bilong pia" (fire's excrement aka "mulch").

Another example is the incorporation of English "ass" (as in "fanny") to give a sense of being behind or in the rear of something.  Thus, :"asde" means "yesterday" and "asples" means "village/country of origin".

Finally, there's "bagarap" and "bagarapim", both from English ("bugger up").  "Bagarap" is an adjective, meaning "the state of being broken/destroyed/ruined".  "Bagarapim" is the verb "to break/destroy/ruin".

 

Exclamations:

  • Em nau!  (that now!) = Great!, Fantastic!, Cool!
  • Oloman! = Wow!
  • Swit tumas! = SCHWEET!
  • Muls! = Mulch!

 

Time References:

  • De = day
  • Nait = night
  • Moning = morning
  • Apinun = afternoon
  • Tude = today
  • Nau = now / today
  • Tumora = tomorrow
  • Haptumora = the day after tomorrow
  • Haptumora bihain = 2 days from now
  • Asde = yesterday (literally "cheeks day")
  • Hapasde = the day before yesterday
  • Hapasde bipo = 2 days ago

 

Numbers:

Numbers in the abstract, such as when counting, or when referring to the price of something, etc., are usually expressed as just themselves.  The numbers are (at least nowadays in Tok Pisin) pretty much straight-up English with the local spelling.  Such as wan, tu, tri, foa, faiv, siks, seven, et, nain, ten, etc.

When referring to a number of specific things, then the number words are adjectives and take the usual adjectival "-pela" suffix.

  • Wanpela banana = one banana
  • Tupela banana = two bananas (note the absence of the "ol" plural marker, which would be redundant here).
  •  

 

This guide will be expanded if needed.

Edited by Geschosskopf
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12 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

Wat.

I believe you mean "wanem" :) 

 

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

OK... wow.... that last screenshot... I see shadows, so they weren't green-screened in... what mod did those beautifully goofy Laythean come from???

Those are from Kerbal Space Ponies.  This little mod has been lurking (as in it has no forum thread) on Spacedock for several years.  It's always one of the very 1st mods on Spacedock to be updated.

Basically, it adds a subset of the "My Little Pony" cast to KSP.  Over time, the number of characters has increased.  I think there are about a dozen of them now.  Each shows up on the recruit roster as a unique individual.  Although they use the same Kerbal face icons as regular Kerbals, you can tell them by their names.  IIRC, these 2 are named "Twilight Sparkle" and "Rarity".

The mod just gives them these heads and hair, and also makes some shorter or taller.  Otherwise, they function the same as regular Kerbals.  They all have class skills, they gain experience, they take up crew space, can climb ladders and do KAS stuff.  Texture Replacer works on their clothes.  The only thing I've found that doesn't work on them is the KIS Pro Props that go on specific face locations (glasses, hats, etc.).  However, they can wear the poncho and hold things in their hands, as you can see in the pic.

Personally, I think they look more like mice or bats than horses, what with the pointy noses and big ears.  But the production values are quite high and I've come to like them.  Besides, there aren't many options when it comes to putting aliens directly into KSP :)   When this mod 1st came out a few years ago, I laughed and thought it was a joke that wouldn't last long.  But here it still is, fully supported and a quality product.

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1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

Those are from Kerbal Space Ponies.  This little mod has been lurking (as in it has no forum thread) on Spacedock for several years.  It's always one of the very 1st mods on Spacedock to be updated.

Basically, it adds a subset of the "My Little Pony" cast to KSP.  Over time, the number of characters has increased.  I think there are about a dozen of them now.  Each shows up on the recruit roster as a unique individual.  Although they use the same Kerbal face icons as regular Kerbals, you can tell them by their names.  IIRC, these 2 are named "Twilight Sparkle" and "Rarity".

The mod just gives them these heads and hair, and also makes some shorter or taller.  Otherwise, they function the same as regular Kerbals.  They all have class skills, they gain experience, they take up crew space, can climb ladders and do KAS stuff.  Texture Replacer works on their clothes.  The only thing I've found that doesn't work on them is the KIS Pro Props that go on specific face locations (glasses, hats, etc.).  However, they can wear the poncho and hold things in their hands, as you can see in the pic.

Personally, I think they look more like mice or bats than horses, what with the pointy noses and big ears.  But the production values are quite high and I've come to like them.  Besides, there aren't many options when it comes to putting aliens directly into KSP :)   When this mod 1st came out a few years ago, I laughed and thought it was a joke that wouldn't last long.  But here it still is, fully supported and a quality product.

OK... I suppose I can see the pony in them... but whatever the case, they're nearly as adorable as Kerbals themselves! I would love to bring them into my story as well... make them canon... but I don't know how to work it in. 

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17 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

It was a kreole, mostly Early Modern Kerbish but with numerous additions from other languages as old or older, with a syntax uniquely its own, following its own logic. 

That's some nice thick, juicy Kreole you have going there. I'm still trying to decipher bits of it. Bet there aren't many other languages with pronouns like "yumitupela".... :)

But at least we know they have language, basic tools such as knives, and that they can count to one hundred. This should be a breeze for a diplomatic genius such as Geoflan.

Or will they turn out to be like the Ewoks: cute and cuddly on the outside, but murderous psychopaths within?

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7 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

The oddest looking kerbals that I’ve ever seen... Nicely done!

They're not Kerbals, they're Laytheans :)   I'm glad to see that they're not being laughed out of town.  It really is a well-made mod.

 

6 hours ago, Just Jim said:

OK... I suppose I can see the pony in them... but whatever the case, they're nearly as adorable as Kerbals themselves! I would love to bring them into my story as well... make them canon... but I don't know how to work it in. 

Well, you manage to get everything else in your story so I figure you'll find a way.  Such as, Gem read the "My Little Pony" stories as a kid.  Then she goes mad and start hallucinating the ponies there in the room with her :sticktongue:

 

4 hours ago, obney kerman said:

Ahh, a new chapter. I wonder what the laytheans look like...(Sees last picture)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!1!!!!ONE!!!

Yes, those big sparkly anime eyes will haunt your nightmares for eternity :D 

 

3 hours ago, UnusualAttitude said:

That's some nice thick, juicy Kreole you have going there. I'm still trying to decipher bits of it. Bet there aren't many other languages with pronouns like "yumitupela".... :)

The nice thing about using Tok Pisin as the basis of Laythean is that once folks know how to pronounce it, then writing dialog in the actual language mostly just gives the character an accent because the underlying words are mostly English.  I have vague plans for some Laythean words to become part of Kerbal spacer jargon.

Laythean pronouns are quite descriptive and logical once you know the code.  "Yu" = you, "mi" = me, and "tu" = 2.  IOW, it means "the two of us" and nobody else.  No ambiguity.  Brilliant system compared to the horror that is pronouns in most other languages I've encountered :) 

 

3 hours ago, UnusualAttitude said:

But at least we know they have language, basic tools such as knives, and that they can count to one hundred. This should be a breeze for a diplomatic genius such as Geoflan.

Or will they turn out to be like the Ewoks: cute and cuddly on the outside, but murderous psychopaths within?

The skills so far exhibited by Laytheans were enough to get humanity through the Last Glacial Maximum.  And perhaps they have more skills as well.  All the great Mesoamerican civilizations, some of which were true empires, were built with Stone Age tech, and not even the full Neolithic suite thereof.  You can do quite a lot for good or ill with knives and the ability to count to 100 :) 

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19 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

Well, you manage to get everything else in your story so I figure you'll find a way.  Such as, Gem read the "My Little Pony" stories as a kid.  Then she goes mad and start hallucinating the ponies there in the room with her :sticktongue:

I was thinking of maybe making them a sort of myth... The legendary Pony-People of Laythe... :)

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On 12/16/2017 at 10:19 PM, Geschosskopf said:

-snippety snip-

THOSE EYES! IT'S LIKE THEY'RE STARING INTO MY SOUL, AND JUDGING ME UNWORTHY!

Those murderous eyes... the anime-like appearance... My Little Pony characters... Is this some sick joke the Kraken thought up?

Diplomacy is over. NUKE IT FROM ORBIT!

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On 12/17/2017 at 10:09 AM, Geschosskopf said:

Those are from Kerbal Space Ponies.  This little mod has been lurking (as in it has no forum thread) on Spacedock for several years.  It's always one of the very 1st mods on Spacedock to be updated.

It appears to be a relatively simple mod code-wise; modeling work aside. About the only thing that would break it is if the rigging for the femKerb changed or Unity altered how it handled textures. And those should be easy to correct when they happen.

Interesting find. The source gave me some ideas, too.

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3 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

THOSE EYES! IT'S LIKE THEY'RE STARING INTO MY SOUL, AND JUDGING ME UNWORTHY!

Those murderous eyes... the anime-like appearance... My Little Pony characters... Is this some sick joke the Kraken thought up?

Diplomacy is over. NUKE IT FROM ORBIT!

Your gut reaction here is probably the best course of action.  However, this is the Circus, and the Circus is now having to defer at least somewhat to BUNGLE, so there probably won't be any mushroom clouds until unless something goes horribly wrong.  There's too much narrative at stake simply to walk away from a smoking hole right now :) 

 

1 hour ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Interesting find. The source gave me some ideas, too.

While I know those ideas are for your own purposes, the rest of us would really appreciate it if you shared the finished product.  KSP needs more aliens :) 

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21 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

While I know those ideas are for your own purposes, the rest of us would really appreciate it if you shared the finished product.  KSP needs more aliens :) 

I’m less thinking of “aliens” and more thinking of removing mittens and slave collars.... I’ll have to play around with it next week when I have some free time to see if what I think might work will actually work.

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4 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

I’m less thinking of “aliens” and more thinking of removing mittens and slave collars.... I’ll have to play around with it next week when I have some free time to see if what I think might work will actually work.

I warn you, do not remove the mittens from the Kerbals.  Then all will know that Kerbals actually use octal instead of metric.. That will mean that 2 out of 2 users of non-metric systems of measure have successfully landed on and returned living, sentient beings from Moon or Mun.  Meanwhile, users of the metric system haven't even tried, let alone succeeded.  Revelation of this will certainly cause the complete implosion of Europe,  Think of the suffering of the innocents who had no choice but simply had the misfortune to be born in nations that couldn't do binary fractions in their heads :D 

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