I've just stumbled across the article presenting Attidian, the conlang by Jörg Rheimeier, for the first time since maybe 2011, and the memories of sitting in the school computer lab reading it came flooding back. I'd forgotten about the language, but I think this was one of those pivotal encounters with an artwork that subconsciously yet fundamentally change one's perspective on the medium
it's a quick read of less than 1,000 words, nevertheless the presentation and framing of this language are so appealing to me, and I realise that actually, I've been trying to do the same thing in my own conlanging all this time : a fictional language, spoken by a fictional people with their own culture and mythology, but set in the real world and respecting the history of the real world.
like, not everyone is Tolkien (I certainly am not) and so,, all the romance of a fantasy realm can sometimes just end up being a distraction. on the other hand, not doing any culture-building at all is sterile and boring. but just evoking Silbia the mother of the stars is enough to spark the imagination and I love it