#would love to read an english translation of these guidelines

[quiche-quibbles]

“The guidelines directly recommend puberty blockers and individualized, prioritized care for transgender youth undergoing physical changes. In the section on puberty blockers, the guidelines state with a strong recommendation: “If, in individual cases, the progressive pubertal maturation development creates a time pressure in which health damage would be expected due to longer waiting times to avert irreversible bodily changes (e.g. male voice change), access to child and adolescent psychiatric or psychotherapeutic clarification and medical treatment options should be granted as quickly as possible.”

[brofightiscancelled]

yapping about how i approached translating karamatsu's brand new world. just discussing the localization liberties i took and other things i think are interesting. i just love yapping sorry

part 1/4 because i forgot about tumblr post image limits lol

establishing my ethos: im still learning japanese but have been translating (chinese -> english) for over 7 years, so my translation skill is higher than my japanese skill. if there's anything i get wrong here pls point it out!!! i usually translate mostly songs, anime (donghua), and manga

The Title

japanese has multiple alphabets: 2 phonetic ones and 1 derived from chinese characters (kanji) that dont tell you anything about how they're pronounced

kanji characters have multiple pronunciations. for example, 心 can be pronounced "kokoro" or "shin" depending on the context it's used in.

"how do you know which kanji pronunciation to use" you guess. alternatively, media geared towards children (who have lower language skills) will sometimes spell out the right pronunciation above the kanji in little letters

sometimes people will just make up their own pronunciations for kanji for Style Points, in which case they will also spell out the intended pronunciation above the kanji

so this title actually reads "matsuno karamatsu's brand new morning". however the Style Points pronunciation guidelines indicated that this is pronounced "Brand New World". i deliberated over this for a while and ended up going with "brand new world" because the phonetic pronunciation is in english so i assume this would be the preferred title for an english localization. unfortunately this did lose the interesting double reading of "morning" and "world" but sometimes it just be like that.

Chapter 1

every time choro says something about the chopsticks in this first part, he's repeating the same thing each time: "Stop [pointing with your] chopsticks". but this 1. doesn't sound very natural in english, and 2. is too long to fit into these speech bubbles.

translations often have to take liberties due to the medium. in anime subtitles, they need to consider how fast a watcher can read the subtitles. in manga, it's often about how many words they can fit in a vertical text bubble.

the underlying impression is that choro is annoyed he even has to tell oso to stop pointing with his chopsticks (this is common sense, you're a grown ass man, why don't you know table manners, etc), so i tried to write it in a way like he's saying it short and snippy like an annoyed mom who has already reminded you 5000 times about this exact thing: Chopsticks.

oso calls totty "あざとい" here after hearing that he's trying out pancakes at a new cafe. as far as i can tell, this roughly translates to "cunning" or "sly" and is used to describe women kinda derogatorily, like a girl at the office who speaks harshly to the women but sweettalks to men (like tsunoda from aggretsuko).

i couldnt really think of a natural-sounding equivalent to this implication in english, so i settled on the kind of close "coquettish" to get across that oso is calling totty girly in a strange and insulting way. oso's dialogue here literally goes something like "sly.... you really are sly...", but since "coquettish" is kind of a weird word to use in english, i ended up localizing this around to suit my weird word choice to make it sound like oso was thinking for a second about the right word to call totty, which i also think comes off as a little more natural-sounding

japanese (and chinese) have a plural second-person pronoun, but english doesn't (besides y'all, which i did use in oso's dialogue earlier lol) which is a real headache and almost always needs some creative thinking to get sounding Normal. this was a relatively straightforward case: "how would a father address his sons as a collective?" -> "Boys"

CHAPTER 2

the dreaded jp onomatopoeia without an english equivalent. im lucky that these boys' whole gimmick is being from an old cartoon so i could get away with the very cartoony "honk" sound effect for "blowing one's nose".

the source material always translates イタい as "painful" so i do it too but i wish osmt had come out like just a few years later when "cringe" was in the common vernacular because it's a way better localization. in my opinion.

also a minor note: in the first bubble totty is actually repeating kara's words back at him "someone's? watching? me?", which is made clera by him using kara's self-pronoun (オレ) and not his own self-pronoun (ボク) (if you don't know about self-pronouns i will talk about them more in a future note). however this nuance is lost in english and could be misconstrued so i just went and made it so he's repeating back what kara said but not using the exact words

"頭おかし" does literally translate to "strange in the head" but colloquially just means "insane" or "crazy". but ichi is being really harsh to kara here, and kara does start questioning his mental sanity later in the chapter, so i went with a more harsh translation here that specifically references the head. also "YOU'RE INSANE" does unintentionally have a different meaning to most of us here on tumblr dot com, doesnt it lol

i dont know what the consensus is on giving iyami a french accent when localizing him. it's probably overkill to do both this AND keep the zansus. however i cant convey a mid-atlantic accent in writing so this is my next best way to convey that iyami talks very strangely. also it's funny

this panel was really hard to redraw. please clap

anyways same use of "strange" here as before with the head thing ("crazy") but it can also have the vibe of "abnormal". i thought "is something wrong with me?" helped convey both these meanings. come to think of it later in chapter 6 i translate okashi very literally as "strange". maybe i shouldve said "is something wrong with me" there, too....

CHAPTER 3

jyushi literally says "why do we do the olympics?" here. i localized it this way because it means essentially the same thing and is funnier. dats the art of translation babyyyyy

japanese personal pronouns quick rundown: in english we tell others to refer to us as different pronouns- him, her, they, etc., but we only have one pronoun to refer to ourselves with (I). japanese has many self-pronouns, and which one you use to describe yourself with is usually based around context and personality (some pronouns are more polite to use than others, some give off the connotation of being stuck-up or of being a country bumpkin, etc). this is helpful for characterization and also being able to tell who is talking through written dialogue

we aren't meant to know who this figure is at first, but we're also meant to have the clues to figure it out (if you were to investigate, you would find that f6 oso is the only one with full black gloves and knee high boots).

oso usually uses the masculine self-pronoun 俺, which is a rude and casual pronoun very fitting of the slacker eldest. however, f6 oso, a reliable and polite dreamboat, uses 僕, a polite and proper masculine pronoun (normal choro uses this pronoun). so this pronoun use masks the identity of this mysterious figure- but if you looked into it, you'd be able to see that this does link up to f6 oso. it's also possible the artist didnt know this and just went with 僕 to fit the fairytale prince vibe here though lol

i have no way to convey this in english so all of this is just lost nuance in translation. womp womp.

for the record these are the boys' personal pronouns:

oso: 俺 (ore can convey that he's rude, kanji alphabet can convey .... he's old-fashioned, possibly? shrugs?)

kara: オレ(ore can convey that he's full of himself, katakana alphabet can convey that he's [trying to be] stylish or loud)

choro:　僕 (boku can convey that he's polite, kanji can convey that he's proper)

ichi:　おれ (ore can convey a kinda casual-lazy vibe, hiragana alphabet can convey that he's soft-spoken kinda?)

jyushi:　ぼく (boku can convey that he's Just A Little Guy, hiragana alphabet can convey that he's childish)

totty:　ボク (boku can convey that he's Just A Little Guy, katakana alphabet can convey that he's [trying to be] stylish and modern)

CHAPTER 4

demonstration of localization for the medium: totty's dialogue here translates most literally to "What are you talking about?", but "talking" and "about" are pretty long words that are hard to fit into that skinny dialogue bubble. "the hell are you on about?" conveys the same thing, has shorter words that are nicer to fit into a bubble, and also shows a bit more personality (and i think is a little funnier).

this part ends here becaues i forogt about the tumblr post limit. i will continue in future posts

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Introduction Post

Howdy, & welcome to this blog! Here you can find different fanfic recommendations that I have read, people have asked for, or that others have recommended!

Discord

Guidelines:

- Please keep submissions & recs to things relating to Undertale, Deltarune, or AUs based off of them. This includes fangames, such as Undertale Yellow.

- Some of the fics will be explicit, & will be marked accordingly. If you are below 18, I recommend not clicking on links marked with the mature or explicit label.

- Feel free to submit your own stories! Whether sending a link through the ask box, tagging this blog on a post you made, or writing something in the submissions box, I'll accept all of it!

- English only! Unfortunately, I only speak English, meaning I can't properly recommend fics in other languages. If a fic has a translation into English, feel free to submit!

- You can also ask for help finding a certain fic! Maybe you read a great one a few months ago & can no longer find it. I'm here to help! Just send an ask containing what you remember, & I'll do my best to find it.

- Mind the tags! If you click on a link, be sure to check the tags of the story! I only include the rating, summary, & if it's complete or not.

- What counts as a fic? Any written piece of content that tells a story! Only 100 words? It's getting recommended! Written using a weird format? It's getting recommended!

- If you do not want any mature or explicit fics recommended, tell me! If you do not clarify, I will assume you are fine with those fics being suggested!

- If I can't find a fic after looking for it after a week, I will make a post containing what the person is looking for! If you recognize it, let me know! You can also just reply to the post directly!

- I do not read most recommendations personally! Most of the fics that I recommend are found using tags & summaries, & I'll do a quick skim of the first chapter! If a fic doesn't meet what you're looking for, you can send another ask or message me to let know I need to fix it!

- If you are looking for a fic you've lost, the more details the better! Include everything you remember! It makes it easier for me to find it!

- This is meant to be a library! This means that there will be fics that you personally don't enjoy, but others do! If you come across something that makes you queazy, I do my best to tag everything appropriately, so you can block whatever thing is making you feel that way!

Posts including mature or explicit fics will be tagged with #not suitable for minors! This also includes fics that are not rated!

Asks will be tagged with #ask!

Submissions will be tagged with #submission!

If I include your story & you would prefer that I remove it, let me know! Just message me & let me know that you aren't comfortable having your story on here.

I will do my best to tag everything appropriately, but I may miss things. If I do, let me know in a message or ask, & I'll do my best to fix it!

If you like a story, leave a comment! Bookmark it so you don't lose it! Show your love through kudos! Make sure you let the author know you enjoyed their story!

Fun Fact: The Annoying Dog in the profile picture is not centered! Now you can't unsee it!

Asks may take a bit to answer while I find the motivation to answer them! If you would like to know the status of your ask, if it has not been answered a week after you sent it, feel free to send me a message!

Personal Recs! (General Audiences, Teen And Up)

Personal Recs! (Mature, Explicit, Not Rated)

Featured Fic Fridays

Featured Fic Friday Template

Asks

Submissions

Lost Fics

QnA

UTMV Handbook

Ao3 Seach Guide (Part 1)

Ao3 Search Guide (Part 2)

UTMV Archive

Killer Sans

Ink Sans

Abysstale

Othertale

Events:

Birthday Event

Mods:

Mod Sleepy - Any pronouns. I'm the only mod so far, & I'm not currently looking for more. Here's my introduction post!

Personal Writings:

Corruption Numb Breakfast Melatonin Dust to Dust Self-Reflection Commit His Body to the Ground Starting Traditions Delightful Distraction "I don't think I would be who I am without you." Complications of Suddenly Being a Child Vengeful Spirit Chocolate Hearts are Better Enjoyed by You, so Take Mine! Déjà Vu

[1-mini-1]

For Soraru's birthday, I want to deliver him birthday messages from fans all over the world! Letters will be physically delivered to his birthday live this year on November 2nd and 3rd, as I will be attending both days. 

For personal sanity reasons, I will be accepting 20 letters.

Letters can be submitted to this Google form: https://forms.gle/Eao6b1VzvFTTFCw96

I will close the Google form when that number is reached. If, on the off chance, this form blows up when I'm asleep, I will only accept the first 20 submissions.

Guidelines:

Letters can be submitted in Japanese, English, or Spanish. English letters will be translated to Japanese by me (@minini_1). Spanish letters will be translated to English by Ayril (@catsgetjealous), and then to Japanese by me.

Letters that need to be translated must abide by a 400 word limit in English or Spanish, as myself and a team of friends will be handwriting them in Japanese (this is why my sanity-cap is at 20 letters total). 

If you know Japanese, you may choose to handwrite your letter and submit it as a PDF or image. Please make sure the submitted files are of high enough quality to ensure they can be read easily. There is no word or size limit with this option, but please keep your letter to a reasonable length.

If you want to submit in Japanese but would prefer for my team to handwrite it, please abide by a 800 character limit. 

I feel like I shouldn't have to mention this, but just in case, please don't include anything that may make Soraru uncomfortable. I will not deliver letters that I deem inappropriate.

The Google form asks for your email, but it will only be used if I need to contact you (something is unclear in your submission, files are corrupted, the 20 letter limit has already been reached, etc.)

Deadline: October 19th

If you have any questions, feel free to message me here on Tumblr, Twitter (@minini_1), or email wonderfulwandererscans@gmail.com.

Let's send Soraru lots of love and wish him a fantastic year!! 🥰

[all-hallows-street]

Lingzi's Odaibako/Twitter Answers Collection Volume 2

Continuing the compilation of Lingzi's Odaibako answers. Click here for Part 1.

You can still send questions/comments/requests through Odaibako but please be respectful and mindful! As the author stated they will not respond to any questions or suggestions about future content! Also do not spam, Lingzi answers in rare bursts so they might not get to answer your comment any time soon.

A few clarifications. I will skip some doodle requests/drawn answers and will compile them later in a post with all of Lingzi's twitter drawings. Everything with [] marks an edit so the English sounds more natural.

16. Hello. I have a question. There is a scene where Nini imagines (delusions) having a child with Lily. Can demons and angels actually have children? Is there a mix of devils and angels? I was curious because angels themselves don't seem to reproduce.

Yes, that's just Neil's fantasy. Angels don't have the ability to reproduce~

Source

17. Hello Teacher Lingzi I'm Japanese and I'm learning Chinese. I would like to translate your manga All Saints Street into Japanese. But I understand copyright. Can I translate your comics and quote your images? (Also cite sources, of course.) Or is it difficult for an individual to do this?

Ah, sorry, I haven’t looked at the question box for a long time 😂 I don’t know if it’s too late to answer now 🙏🙏😭 If it is only for the purpose of learning and communication, it is no problem to translate comics that have been released for free! 👌👌

Very important answer for me lol.

Source

18. Do you have the names of the demon representative and the vampire representative? (Other representatives too) I like it very much😭

That's a new character created by the animation team, and I don't know him either... (laughs)

Source

19. Hello! I am Japanese. I learned about Halloween Street through anime and fell in love with it! I particularly like Ira. I want to know what kind of woman Ira likes🙇‍♂️💕︎💕︎ I like your comics❣️

Does it mean love in love...? I think he might not be interested in women... nor other genders... He is mainly not interested in relationships, but if I have to choose one trait, I think he might like [loves and is good at playing games] 】Female w

Source

20. Seven-year-old Anna looks similar to a seven-year-old human, so Damao must be in his twenties? How long is a werewolf's lifespan?

The lifespan of a werewolf is almost the same as that of a human, and Damao should be around 25↑🤔

Source

21. Hello Teacher! In the anime, Neil's age is stated to be 16 years old, but I read that in the original story, the devil is 80 years old and becomes an adult. Are the age settings different between the anime and the original?

Regarding this... I checked with the screenwriter of the animation before. They forgot the setting of the comic, so they wrote it according to the age of human beings 😂😂 So just think that the settings of animation and manga are different!

Source

22. Hello, teacher! I don’t know if there is a detailed setting for this, but I am a little curious about whether the ice cream that the devil eats (the name is really apt) is a real soul (?) Can the devil in the All Saints Street world eat human souls?

It’s a real soul 😂 But what’s frozen into ice cream should just be the soul of the fruit (everything is alive👌) Yes, they should like evil spirits and the like.

Source

23. I really like Neil's design. I love Neil very much and I have all his belongings around me. Neil has one side of his hair braided. Why does he braid it? I like it because it's very pretty. Do you think this is fashionable? (I'm Japanese so the translation may be different)

The setting is because Neil's mother's family has the habit of wearing braids for generations, so he and Nick both have braids. (But the real reason is that I like to draw braids and think they are cute)

Source

24. Hello, Teacher Lingzi. Does FENZ have any guidelines for doujin activities? (I would like to know if there are any rules like HMCH, such as distributing doujinshi but not producing goods.)

As far as I know, it has never been posted🤔...So I can't give a formal answer to this question. It's just for reference...As long as you don't take the official pictures privately ( Official comics + animation) should be fine if you print pirated copies and sell them, and do fan activities...

Source

Two similar questions are answered at once.

25. Hello! I recently learned about this through an anime translated into Japanese. All the characters are really cute and I really love them! Will a Japanese translation of the original manga be released…? I really want to read the original… When will the Japanese version of the Manseonggae original comic be released?

Because there are really many people asking about the Japanese single volume, I will give a unified reply here: Thank you for your interest in comics, but… I really don’t know! 😂😂😂 I basically won’t be involved in anything other than [conceiving + drawing] comics, so I really don’t know…but I haven’t heard any relevant news yet, so it should be…not available yet Plan it!

(It's been a year since and there are still no news about an official Jpn manga publication)

Source

26. Hello, excuse me for asking! Previously, you answered in the question box that angels do not have the ability to reproduce, but how are the genders of angels determined? Sorry for the Japanese. I would appreciate it if you could answer. My favorite work🥰

Being infertile does not mean that you have no reproductive organs🫢(probably) I think you can imagine the body of an angel as that of an infertile human 🤔

Source

27. Hello Teacher! Does Abu have a sense of pain? If there is something that everyone has that Abu doesn't, or something that Abu has that everyone doesn't? Please let me know!

I still feel pain, but it’s a special place... Maybe it’s because I’m less sensitive to cold and warm. Even if I only wear T-shirts all year round, it’s OK, but I still wear them with the four seasons in order to better integrate with everyone. To change clothes.

This is being answered through Abu's perspective or the translator is confused af. Source

28. Hello teacher~ I just discovered that there is a teacher’s account on Twitter a while ago, so I looked at all the pictures on Twitter. The series on Ira is really warm and cute, but at the end I saw Ira lying on Teacher Lin’s shoulder. It made me think, is it possible for him to lie on top of others like this (stealing) and moving (lazy)? After all, hiring someone to hold a parasol in summer is equivalent to getting a free taxi without having to prepare sunscreen. Although I don’t know how to deal with the clothing issue.

Haha, it’s because of the clothes that he usually doesn’t do that. Although it’s really convenient... If you can change clothes at home, the probability of turning into a bat is higher. Forget it outside, the clothes will fall off. On the ground~

Source

29. Can devils go into church? 🤔 for example if someone they know gets married at a church do they just have to stand outside? wwww

Oh I never thought about that before, but I think you are right[.] They may not be able to get into the church

Source

30. Hello teacher, I’m interrupting you again (although I am anonymous). I want to ask this time, will an angel still be an angel without a halo? To be more specific, it probably disappears. Also, can angels share halos?

Logically speaking, the angel's halo will not disappear, but it may be damaged and destroyed. If it is broken, just go back to heaven and apply for a new one😌👌It's not a big problem. Yes, Lily also secretly used Teacher Lin’s aperture.

Source

Continue in Part 3

[elbdot]

Hello!

I am a big fan of your work! I discovered you through your alolan comics and stayed for the funny jokes, beautiful and unique art style and amazing passion for nature and animals. Thank you for making my day better every time you post.

I want to make some fanart of you, and I wanted to know a few things:

Is fanart allowed, and if so, are there any guidelines and rules? (I’m pretty sure it is but I wanted to make sure before I tried anything)

What is/are your favorite Pokémon?

What is/are your favorite fakemon design that you made?

Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to see what you do next! I am eagerly awaiting the English translation of your books!

AWWWW Thank you SO MUCH!!! ;W; It always means a lot to me when people stay not only for the comics but for everything original I do as well :'D Again, thank you so much!!!

OK so to your questions:

YES absolutely!! I'm always ECSTATIC to receive any sort of fanart! :D I guess the only rule / plead I'd have for it is to please keep it safe for work! OH and if I didn't react to fanart you posted, then 100% of the time it's because I simply didn't see it :'D Feel free to DM me if you posted something, I always like, comment on and reblog fanart people make for me!

Aegislash, Lumineon and Pom Pom Oricorio! Leafeon and Latias too, but I put Lumineon and Oricorio higher on the list as I have a soft spot for underappreciated Pokemon.

OH I like this question :DD Undoubtedly my current fav is CLUMCHAFER:

I just love Maybugs SO much and would immediately want a giant one like Clumchafer on my team. They give the BEST Bug hugs

And there's another line of bug Fakemon I really like that I haven't posted yet, it's currently only available on my Patreon. But I'll be sharing it soon, I just need to finish formating the social meadia posts for tumblr and Instagram!

And lastly AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THANK YOU, I REALLY hope I get to share my books with you in english one day! ;w; I'm currently searching for an agent who'd make my life A LOT easier to apply for a new publsher, so I hope that'll be working out soon! Fingers crossed!!

[hetmochi]

𓇼 Silvia/Via, 29, she/her

𓇼 Gemini rising, Gemini sun, Gemini moon

𓇼 ISFP-A, enneagram 9w1

𓇼 main blog: @freakin-fries101

requests are currently open

𓇼 about me | masterlist | requests guidelines | blog rules 𓇼

🔞⚠️ NSFW, +18 content, Minors Do Not Interact | For delusional purpose only

This blog is mostly be about sub!ateez (even though I might write about different dynamics too at some point) smut and fluff.

This is my first time writing fanfics so bear with me.

I would really love for you to interact with me, but if you want to send me a request consider reading the requests guidelines and the blog rules first.

I apologize in advance for any language mistakes. English is not my first language, I'm quite fluent but mistakes will probably happen, so you've been warned.

All rights reserved to hetmochi 2025 | do not repost, copy, translate or alter my work

[sinfulspencer]

SPENCER REID SFW MASTERLIST

If you’re interested in being a part of my taglist, click here and fill the form.

If you want to send a request, make sure to read my guidelines first.

If you're interested in my SPENCER REID NSFW MASTERLIST, you can find it here.

If you're looking for MGG'S OTHER ROLES MASTERLIST, you can find it here.

If you're looking for SPENCER REID GENERAL MASTERLIST, you can find it here.

* refers to Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader; ** refers to Spencer Reid x GN!Reader.

ANGST

💙: happy ending; 💜: sad ending

The side of Paradise**: Moving on after a break-up is difficult, especially when you feel like you don't have any more love to give. But sometimes love comes randomly and when you least expect it, like... at your best friend's birthday party. (GN!Reader) 💙

Revelations*: Y/N has been kidnapped and held hostage by an unsub. She's forced to share her secrets in order to stay alive. One secret involves her colleague, Doctor Reid. 💙

Addicted to a losing game*: Rossi is getting married. The whole team is present. Y/N doesn’t have a date but Spencer does, and it’s not her.💜

Home (part II of “Addicted to a losing game”)*: Y/N comes home from her journey. Some things have changed.💙

Human*: Based on the prompt “I cheated”. Spencer and Y/N have been together for over two years. Sometimes love is not enough. 💜 Enough for you*: Spencer and Y/N meet after their break-up and he finds out she has given birth to their daughter. Choas endures. (coming soon, requested) 💙

Traitor**: Two weeks after your breakup, you come back to work and find out why Spencer broke up with you (coming soon). 💜

Say something (part one)*: Y/N and Spencer are supposed to go on a date, but what happens when he doesn’t show up? 💜

Bitter and sick (part two of “Say something”)*: Y/N finds out why Spencer stood her up. He has to win her back somehow. 💜

Another love*: Spencer can’t let go of the past. Y/N can’t pretend this isn’t hurting her anymore. Based on the song “Another love” by Tom Odell for #willsannievent. 💜

Red*: Spencer is being held as an hostage. You have to save his life as the unsub spills a secret that will change your life forever. (GN!Reader) 💙

The one that got away*: Spencer didn’t think he would see you again after ten years. Now he has to come to terms with his mistake in this past.💙

Reflections*: After you left the BAU to pursue your career in Sex Crimes, Spencer hasn’t been the same. One day Luke decides to confront him to find out the truth. 💙

Last breath**: Spencer’s last moments with his partner. 💜

All I want*: After being held hostage for two days, Spencer finally manages to find you but not in the way you think (coming soon). 💙

Endings, beginnings*: Spencer cheats. You find out and confront him. (coming soon) 💜

Youth*: Spencer is well aware of your feelings for him, but his happiness comes first. Even when you get hurt on the field. Based on the song 'Youth' by Daughter. (coming soon) 💜

FLUFF

Life*: Spencer Reid has always wanted to be a father. Based on the beautiful song, “Life” by Sleeping at last.

Cotton candy flavoured kiss*: The third date is considered the most important date between lovers. Candy floss is now turning into Spencer’s favourite flavour in the world.

A thousand rainy days*: Spencer declares his love for an oblivious Y/N on a rainy day (coming soon).

All of me*: Spencer and Y/N go to Rossi's wedding together when he comes to realize Y/N is his soulmate.

Lost in translation*: Y/N is drunk. Spencer is trying to take her home safely when a love confession happens. But not in english.

Remembrance**: After a particular tough case, you can't seem to get a grip on what happened but Spencer is there to help you.

Through the fire**: Spencer comes home shaken up after a case; you're there to comfort him. Inspired by 14x01 (coming soon).

Coincidences*: Spencer has been spending quite some time at the local supermarket because someone has captured his attention. Or where Spencer meets you many times in aisle of the supermarker and decides to make a move on you when you need help.

Expect the unexpected*: After being ghosted by you, Spencer pays you a visit and discovers why you stopped calling him. (coming soon)

Keep holding on*: In which Spencer and Y/N don't like each other but they call it a truce for one night because she's upset (coming soon).

The plus one*: You beg Spencer to pretend to be your boyfriend at your Christmas' family dinner. (coming soon)

Double espresso*: Derek notices Spencer has a crush on the bartender at the local coffee shop, so he does his best to play match-maker. (coming soon)

20 questions*: Spencer and Reader are out on their first date, when they decide to play 20 questions. (coming soon, requested)

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[harukadrawsthings]

Hi Haruka. I don't know if you've read this or not, but there is an official Pokemon novel that came out a long time ago that explains a few things about the universe. Namely, that Ash is a legal adult at age 10. I re-found an English translation recently and wanted to share it. But it says that kids become legal adults at age 10 in the Pokemon universe. So they could get married as early as 10 if they wanted (Tumblr doesn't let me have links in Asks).

Hello there!

I'm sure that you must be talking about Takeshi Shudo's novel for the original Pokémon series, is that it?

Because I've read before a few translated excerpts from other source. So yes, I was already aware of these pieces of information! And it's an obligatory read for every fan of the Ash Ketchum saga of the Pokémon animé because there's a lot of information about Delia and the Ketchum family background that's untold on the screens. My Soul(mate)s of Light takes consideration to a lot of material present in here.

My only question is how many information is still canon to the show because everyone that followed the series from the beginning to the end, or has at least watched the original series and any of the newer arcs of Ash's story, will notice how some visuals and guidelines have changed to adapt to the new standards of the franchise and how each animé arc is also a product of its timeline. Perhaps the "legal adults at 10" is still canon but I wished the show would make it more clear if it's still the case. Because what the characters do at their 10 on-screen seem to be our in-real-life equivalent to 13/14 year old teenagers. At least on my place it's the age where you start to be given some freedom to go out on your own (preferentially with groups of friends) to visit places. Of course, this varies depending on everyone's culture and family atmosphere. As for the "Can get married at 10 if they wanted" factor, again I'm not sure if this still remains canon as it was never addressed on screen and in my AU, the 10-year old Ash and Goh have a more naive approach to life and love, concepts that they'll figure out that they're much more complex than what they originally thought as they grow up towards adulthood and once they turn into fully formed adults their thoughts in these subjects are ultimately much more matured. Besides chasing a dream, their childhoods are a journey of self-discovery! That's why they only get married at 19 and 18, respectively. They're ready for that step after everything they've experienced in between those eight years since their first meeting.

[solacefruit]

I hope this is alright to ask but one thing I've been really curious about after reading your fics is how do you come up with natural sounding conlang and terms? Would you have any tips for that?

Hello! Yes, absolutely you’re welcome to ask that. It’s very nice--and kind of flattering--to get asked questions about writing and things that interest me, and although I haven’t had much time to answer or really interact on this blog lately, it’s something I find fun. If there’s ever anything I don’t want to talk about, I’ll say so, so please don’t worry. 

I love conlangs (and also just... langs...) and I’ve put a decent bit of thought into them over the years so while I’m very much not an expert in the field or a linguist, I don’t mind sharing some of my principles for writing conlangs and using them in your stories and hopefully some of my thoughts will be useful to you!

I have a couple of mental guidelines that I use when starting on conlangs. 

1. Why is it here? I think some people make conlangs because they’re fun (which they are) but never actually think about why/how to weave them into your story. They just kind of come up with some words, liberally sprinkle them through, and be like, [diogenes voice] “Behold, a plausible world.” 

There’s an enormous conversation to be had about the question “does everything in a story need a purpose?” and we don’t have time for that today, so I’m going to sidestep all that and say instead, “If we take for granted that a good story is made through intentional creative decisions, what is the intent of including conlang in this story?” You might not end up with an especially complex answer, but any answer is better than none, in my opinion. 

Personally, my reason for involving conlangs is about 60% because I want to introduce cultural details etc. that are not easily translatable into English and 40% because it’s fun and for me gives a richness and depth to the world and people in a way I find pleasant to read. 

*

2. Who is speaking? Everyone’s got different lengths they can stretch disbelief to, so for some people, any creature can say anything. But I do feel it’s still worth thinking about the physical capabilities of the speakers. Are their jaws able to make these sounds? What sounds do we feel would be plausible for them to make (note: feels plausible and is possible are two different things, and it’s totally okay to go with impossible ideas as long as you can make them feel like they could happen). 

One way to make a conlang feel plausible (especially for xenofiction) is to invoke sounds that we already associate with that kind of being, if there’s a passable real-world equivalent. So to use Watership Down as an easy example, the lapine language was designed to sound “wuffy, fluffy” because they’re rabbits and Adams wanted to use sounds that felt airy, light, and at home in meadows and fields. He also used some onomatopoeia, which can be another great way to make a word or aspect of language feel like it would exist for a culture. 

*

3. Building blocks first. Some people will jump into a conlang with words fully formed and, as a general rule, I advise against that. I think if words come to you first that’s okay and you can and should write those down for reference, but if you want to make a conlang that feels cohesive, my recommendation is to start with sounds and syllables. 

If that feels overwhelming, don’t worry. You can break it down into little bits. I think vowels are a strong place to start, since that shapes a lot of how a language sounds, so decide what vowel sounds would exist in this culture--and also what counts as a vowel and what sounds belong to what symbol. For example, “a” can have a range of pronounciations, and it will make things easier on you in the long run if you pick which sounds and how you want to present them. 

Then you can do the same with consonants. In the end, you’ll end up with a kind of library of letters, which then you can start combining into syllables. These are the building blocks for your language. Play around with them to get familiar with the sounds and rhythm you want for this conlang. Are there letters or sounds that can’t go together? Are there letters or sounds that always go together? What combinations change the sounds of letters--e.g., how t + h = th? 

Don’t be afraid to say, “this just doesn’t exist” and cut things out of the language, by the way. Gaps are as important as what’s there. Cultural rules around pronunciation are where accents come from, and what a language does--or doesn’t do--defines its identity (at least from a sonic perspective).

Personally I find this part super fun, but if you’re struggling with it, there’s a few algorithmic apps online that will do this kind of thing for you and give you a headstart. Usually googling variations of “conlang generator” will toss some up.

*

4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. From years of just drifting around internet creative spaces, I’ve noticed there’s often a trend in younger or less experienced writers to feel compelled to think about every single minute detail of the world they’re creating, and then getting profoundly overwhelmed because they don’t have the skill-set or knowledge to be a linguist, and a civil engineer, and a historian, and a biologist, and a politician, and--you get the idea. You don’t need to be all or any of these things to write compelling stories about complex worlds. 

Your conlang doesn’t have to be functional outside of the story it belongs to. The conlang exists to serve the story you’re telling, not the other way around. Stories aren’t just a way to showcase a conlang. What matters is that the conlang fits into the story in a way that enriches the story, and often what that means is that the conlang should be used sparingly and purposefully. 

Coming back to the point about intention, you can ask that question for each use of the conlang. Any time you’re writing a conlang word or phrase in, ask yourself--”what is this for?” It might be because what is being said has to be said in the conlang, because there’s no English (or other language) way to say it. That could be a concept, or animal, or other aspect of the world that is unique to this place and people.

Alternatively, you might be using the word because it’s someone’s name, or a pet-name, or something with cultural significance that simply will not be reflected by the language of narration. You might be using it to intentionally withhold information from your reader, because the characters know what that word means but the reader does not. 

If you’re using it “just because” it sounds good or feels cool, that’s probably not the right time to use it. As a creative philosophy, I feel like you should always hold back a little. In a perfectly honed, balanced story, there should still be space left for wondering and dreaming for the reader. 

*

5. Devise some root words for the nerds. Once the syllabic pieces are sounding good to you and capture the general tone and flavour and feel of the culture you’re making a conlang for, that’s the time to experiment with words. Some people will throw syllables together until words start forming--which isn’t a bad strategy--but then will go with those words with no further consideration as to the language as a living, evolving structure. 

If you want your conlang to feel real, it’s worth putting a little thought into the relationship words have with each other--i.e., root words. These are what make certain words and ideas into cousins, etymologically speaking, and it means that you give yourself a lot of options with how to want to use the conlang you’ve made. You can also give the reader more to work with. 

For example, you might come up with a word--pelthan. It doesn’t mean anything to the reader until you explain its meaning. Later, perhaps you use another word--vethelthan. This time, even before you explain the meaning, your reader might recognise the similar suffix and structure, and have an inkling--based on this, and the context of this new phrase--what this new word means. 

Finally, you might use another word--palthor. And when you explain the meaning of this word, the reader can see how pelthan and palthor came from the same root word, the ancient prefix pelth-, and if you’ve made good choices as a writer, that might have some significance to the reader--or maybe just delight them, because they’ve unearthed a connection that you didn’t even tell them about in the narration, they figured it out all by themselves [wink wink nudge nudge].

*

Like I said, I love talking about this kind of thing, writing is my burden passion etc. etc., so this is some of my thoughts but not all of them! I hope it’s somewhat useful to you, though, and good luck with your writing. 

[lov3nerdstuff]

Hi Kay!

I just wanted to take a moment and say how deeply moving (and overall comforting) I find your writing to be! I've gone through almost the entirety of your masterlist twice in the past month alone and have found myself returning more often to the pieces of literature/poems your reference sometimes. (Especially that one poem by Benedict Smith! I've read a few more by him because of you and they're just wonderfully lovely 💛 so I'm eternally thankful to you for including it.)

I may be wrong in assuming, but I believe you may have studied/are currently studying a degree involving literature. I hope this isn't too foreward of me but I was wandering if you have any other works of literature that you'd recommend? (I'd love to read anything you recommend from poems to plays 💛) I'm slightly embaressed to say but the works I've read are quite limited to a highschool level and since I'm currently studying Pharmacy, there are very few people who can recommend me such moving works. :)

I also feel like I should apologise for writing such a large ask, so please accept this apology as well hehe 💕🥺

Sincerely,

Bek 🌻

Hey there Bek 💚💕✨

First of all... I'm incredibly sorry for how long it took me to reply to this ask, I know you sent it weeks ago and I'm honestly just ashamed of myself for only replying now! I've been taking a bit of a Tumblr break again, or rather a break from literally everything, and I guess not having written anything in a while made me feel guilty whenever I opened Tumblr, so... All I can say for myself really is that I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Again, I never ever ignore anyone, I promise! It just sometimes takes a while for me to reply 😅🙈

Now, I'm so happy to hear that you've been enjoying my writing! 🥺🥰 Hearing that it's comforting and inspiring to you is honestly such a relief and indeed does make me happy more than I can say 💚 It's so cool that you're checking up on all the references I make aaahhh 🥺🥺🥺 I love it 😁 You're always more than welcome, love! I don't think I could stop including references to literature, culture, history and the science around it even if I tried 😅☺️

And yeah, I did study classics and newer literature as a minor for my undergrad degree 😄 But tbh I still work with literally a lot even now (I'm in grad school for media and cultural studies) even though it's technically not something I've been properly taught ☺️ I'm just a nerd who likes to learn on her own, and with media and culture you can pretty much delve into almost anything you want 😂😅🤷🏻‍♀️

Now, it's not forward at all to ask me for literature recommendations! 😁😃 I truly love recommending stuff!!! I have a few up my sleeve, even though you've probably heard of a few already, for obvious reasons: A lot of what I truly enjoyed reading was something Tom Hiddleston has worked on in one way or another! It's truly a magnificent guideline for picking new literature... Just look up the literary origins of his films/shows/plays and you will be in for quality literature most of the time! I don't think I've ever mentioned it on here, but me reading High-Rise (JG Ballard) because I heard Tom would be partaking in the film adaptation was actually what sparked my love and passion for literature!!! Yep, it's that good. Now on to the recommendations though 😁(This... got rather long):

Plays

Anything by Harold Pinter really, but for obvious reasons you'll find a lot of additionally fun stuff for Betrayal, which is lovely and truly funny if you're in on the kind of humour btw

Medea by Euripides (a classic, but I love it nonetheless... You can find translations in almost every language) ((and pls stay away from Seneca's Medea, because ugh... Euripides is far better AND the og story, as much as anyone can say that for Greek mythology)

La Bohème by Puccini (I know, this is technically an opera, but if you read the libretto it's honestly just like a play... And if you're up for it, the og story is in prose and written by Henri Murger... It's better than the opera, but oftentimes more difficult to find) ((this one is hilarious and basically explains an entire cultural subgroup in the 19th century)

Faust by Goethe (many people hate it, but I LOVE this one!!! It's also been translated into any and every language, and it's so interesting philosophically!!! It's also referenced SO freaking often literally everywhere, and the operas and ballets based on it are always my fave) ((there's technically Faust I and Faust II, but you're good to go just reading the first one)

Anything by Shakespeare, obviously... Though I do love me my Hamlet like every other literature enthusiast (Yes, I can do that one famous soliloquy in act 3 scene 1 by heart as well...)

Poetry

Again, anything Shakespeare for the win, but I LOVE the sonnets and keep a copy of them with me most of the time (Yes, I own multiple copies of the sonnets...) ((My faves are 116 and 91, but there's always so much truth to be found in there!!!))

A lot of the stuff William Blake wrote is amazing, though you have to pick carefully with him if certain religious motives aren't your thing... I love The Tyger, which is an individual poem, and the collection of works called Tyger, Tyger which does have many good ones and a few ones that are a little more on the mediocre side

Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas (I know this one by heart as well... It's beautiful, and there's a version of Hiddleston reading it on YouTube, which gives you even more goosebumps than the poem does anyway)

Invictus by William Ernest Henley (same for this one, also read by the one and only) ((I love to read this when I'm feeling down or powerless))

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot (This is another wow piece with many quotable lines and truths... I love it a lot and keep coming back to it! It's also a great example of how literary modernism tried to condense the complexity and passing of time and history into a single frame that had to be intrinsically poetical in nature... As in, this poem could've been a short story in any other period, but modernists loved to make everything a poem so here you go)

Der Zauberlehrling by Goethe (This one sucks in all English translations I’ve found, poetically speaking, but in German it’s such a fun piece! If you’ve ever seen the Disney ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ with Mickey Mouse or listened to the orchestral piece by Paul Dukas, then this poem proves very useful in truly understanding either! But again, the English translation should only be taken for informational value... The German one is also worded hilariously)

Prose

Short edited by Alan Ziegler (This is a collection of short prose forms that honestly is a must for me... I love this book to pieces and have had it for years now! It’s an international anthology, so you’ll find more and less famous authors from all around the world represented with short stories, prose poems, short essays and just curious and interesting snippets of writing! I draw a lot of inspiration from this book)

High-Rise by JG Ballard (As mentioned above, I owe this book part of my personality... I don’t think I would be the same person without having read it. It’s not necessarily full of wisdom, but if you’re interested in a different kind of portrayal of the human condition, then this is the read you need to take a look at)

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers (This is another piece that changed my perception of literature, even though this is a more ordinary and ‘fun’-value read... It’s one of my favourite books and it’s endlessly entertaining! So if the classics are a bit heavy for you, this one is perfect for casual readers as well! Its value really does lie more in the realisation of how fun literature can be, and the freedom you have as an author... So really, I could recommend everything by Moers, his style is amazing both in the German original and in the English translation. Yes, I’ve read both.)

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (This is comedic gold, stylistic gold and generally a bloody perfect book. Also a ‘fun’-value read, but it also does a magnificent job at showing you what you can do with literature, and how well-developed characters are supposed to be written)

The Penguin Book of the Undead (Penguin Classics) edited by Scott G. Bruce (This book is basically an education on fifteen hundred years of supernatural encounters and how culture wrote, used and perceived them. You get introductory texts for different periods and social groups, explaining how and why ghost stories were written and used, followed by passages of the prime source texts (eg. ancient necromancy shown on The Odyssey). Really, this book is just for cultural history nerds)

The Earthquake in Chile by Kleist (This isn’t necessarily one of my faves, but it has helped me understand what studying literature and culture can do for you. In case anyone remembers my insistence in Wicked Game that you gotta know what a pomegranate symbolises... this novella is such an instance where this knowledge would prove useful. Generally, it gives many opportunities to think about privilege and circumstance)

The Symposium by Plato (You’ll probably not want to read the entire collection of speeches tbh... But the concepts introduced mainly here and in some of Plato’s other work are well worth looking into! For example, the ‘double being’ introduces a concept that in modern fiction is called soulmates... Just sayin’)

[whaleofatjme1920]

Second Letter To Tim. [Kayte was sent out on a solo mission. Someone managed to time travel and she has to put them out. Coincidently, it's one of those Zalgo's allies. Therefore, a danger to their existence. The letter was not written in her handwriting]

Dear love, I pray you are doing well. Have you eaten yet? Make sure to drink enough water and don't forget to take your pills! Haha, I worry about you too much don't I. Despite knowing you could take care of yourself. You know me, always overthinking...

Sorry, I didn't answer your letter as soon as you thought. The chocolate hearts were delicious <3, I saved some to eat them with you. Wildflowers? I guess I do get a little wild haha. You remember I have a flu problem. Remember that one time we got sick together after playing in the rain for too long? Haha, we were quarantined in the same room which gave us the advantage to spend time together longer.

To be honest, these few days have been...hectic. If you weren't informed by the Boss, I am currently on a solo mission. A stupid genius managed to...time travel. I am not sure how but I'm guessing Zalgo gave them the ability to do so.

I can't give you too much info, I'm sorry. ...... <3

Tim, take care of yourself hm? I haven't seen you in months. The damn Boss has been keeping you away from me. Maybe he's jealous that he's single hahaha. Or he doesn't want me to see you at all due to this mission I think. Also, I lost an arm. The dang guy just chopped it off with a knife. Now I am left with one arm, like a pirate! hahah.

How are things? Do you miss me? I hope you dream of me...? Remember, I love you very much. Even my heart can't take it haha. I look forward to seeing you, darling! When you come back, we could go out maybe. Stay at home, bake, have cooking fights or just cuddle! Cheesy romantic couple stuff y'know. Also to eat the chocolate hearts with you!

I hate this. I hate not seeing you at all for days. I hate that I sleep and wake up alone. I hate this fate I am tied to. But it fades... After months of missing you, it feels normal to me.

I sometimes wonder how you could love me... But here we are, a happy long-distance couple. Even if we are apart, I doubt we would be forever.

Thank you, Love. Thank you very much.

[The letter was sent with the black dahlia ring that Kayte always wore and a polaroid picture of the both of them, "I love you ∞" written at the back. A note was also sent with it *he reads the note after composing a reply to her letter*]

Note: Tim, she didn't come back after three days as she promised. We're not sure what has happened to her. She probably...died. I can't be sure, none of us can. It worried us more when the letter was slightly bloodstained. I took a test and, unfortunately, it was hers. I'm sorry. [Her letter was in Japanese, we had Kage translate it. I wrote it back in English] She sent the letter using a pigeon. The pigeon died after 5 hours. I'm guessing it was from another time. The letter was received on the third day. It's been a week since the letter was received. There were no more letters until now. -EJ-

[Disclaimer: Letters To Those You Hold Dear (Valentine's Edition) is a special event I'm holding from February 13th - February 23rd 11:59 PM. Find the guidelines HERE so you can send a letter or two to those you hold dear <3.]

[AN: I genuinely... Did not know how to respond to this one? So this is a very special exception. No other letters will be answered in this manner.]

Tim has never known normal.

He wasn't born normal, far from it in fact. When Tim was brought into the world, kicking, screaming, praying to be anything but a life that was taking breath and a beating heart, he gained the attention of something old and ancient. An archaic being that hungered for power and control far beyond the comprehension of human minds, a being that wanted him for reasons that seemed frivolous to human standards.

He was a troubled child. His parents, ill equipped to deal with what they thought were mental health issues (which were only exacerbated by the pale man in a suit) locked him into an institution. He would scream at all hours of the night, and pray for the morning light to grace him.

A long, long time ago, when Tim was "brighter eyed" and in love with the world, and that notion in itself is a bit of a lie because the gods both above and below know much the world loved him in response, Tim was content with the normalcy afforded to him. He'd been getting better, healthier, he was in every sense, normal. He had a deep desire to fade into the background, stay being friends with Brian, and have a normal life.

When the tall suited man let Tim's presence slip slightly from his long, spindly fingers, Tim was almost happy. Almost pleased with his lot in life. And then everything went to hell. Jay just had to curious. Jay had to keep pushing the boundaries, and Alex was damn near unstoppable. Brian died for the first time. Amy was killed too, but Jessica? He hoped she was safe somewhere, far, far away from the mess that was their years after college and the twilight of what he considered normalcy.

Tim hasn't felt heart broken since he lost Jay.

The man in the suit picked him up shortly after that. He promised Tim the opportunity to bring back his very best friend as long as he was in service for him. Not wanting to be alone any longer, he accepted, practically sold his soul but he had Brian.

Brian was furious. He almost killed Tim for what he'd done, reanimating a body that was screaming it shouldn't be alive and that it was going against the laws of nature itself. But eventually, he calmed down. Hoodie took his place as Tim's right hand, and then came in Toby, and then Kate.

That was his new normal, and his new sense of how the world turns.

And then things changed again, as they always do. He met someone, another proxy, and her name was Kayte. And he loved Kayte as much as any proxy should love someone, is even capable of loving someone. His love for them was something soft, sweet, subtle but powerful. It was like how the sun would shine on the earth, bathing him in her light until he could spring back upwards, plants reaching sky high as a testament to how he longed so deeply to be close to her.

Proxies aren't afforded good things. That is a rule that has not changed in centuries. Proxies don't deserve good things. And for a long time, Tim would have subscribed to this idea. He messed up and decided to forego his strict following of this rule to give all of his love to Kayte, and with it came the pain of receiving letters. His eyes scanned over the material, reading it in a handwriting foreign to the one he was used to, his own heart racing like he'd been running miles without rest. That cold feeling of something twisting in his gut told him all he needed before he reached Jack's addendum.

He's thrown back into that same type of despair he felt losing Jay and what he felt when he lost Brian for that brief stint. It's a cold, clutching type of painful that refuses to leave him. It was buried for a while, and losing her was what caused it to resurface.

Proxies aren't afforded good things. Everyone knows this.

Tim doesn't, but Masky certainly does.

[askaceattorney]

Dear 91teivos,

Mod Vera: Thanks! Everyone in the world is going through some kind of existential crisis, so it made sense for the AA characters to join the party! (And since it was another follower who gave us the idea, we might just keep that idea in the think that after all...)

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Vera: No need to apologize! We like to space out letters from specific people a little, but we’ll answer as many as we can!

(Referenced Letter)

Dear Bluedragoncody,

Co-Mod: Don’t worry.  I doubt they’ll have much luck against the Ace Attorney crew, even without the Proto Badger.  They have the ultimate weapon against despair in their arsenal, after all.

...They’re doomed, aren’t they?

I can’t make any promises, but if I ever gain enough skill in the art of animation (which has been a dream of mine for a long time, it turns out), I’ll keep that idea in mind.

Dear skibot99,

Mod Vera: Probably Tumblr bein’ weird. (What else is new?)

Dear sheeeesh,

Mod Vera: Mods get brought on as needed, as you can see with the arrival of Mod Edgeworth! Also, DGS2 is one of the few AA titles I’ve never played, but rest assured. Where there’s a letter, there’s a Mod who can answer it!

Mod Edgeworth: To add to Mod Vera, even if you weren’t accepted during any mod applications, that doesn’t mean you have lost all chances. I applied early January and lost to Mod Vera. Regardless, Co-Mod informed me that, even though I was rejected, he saw my potential and kept me in mind for if I was ever needed. Now, here I am.

Just because you get rejected, that doesn’t mean it’s game over. Show that you have potential and make yourself known by sending letters to us. That is what I did, after being rejected. I made myself known to the mods by sending letters. We do read them and they tell us how much you know the characters and games of AA more than any application. Of course, you must also follow the guidelines. That just goes without saying.

Co-Mod: I think my actual words were something like “Don’t tell anyone, but you were my second choice.”  But yeah, what they said is true -- becoming a Mod here, like many things, may or may not happen to you, but you can definitely increase your chances by waiting patiently and demonstrating your potential.

As for DGS2 letters, I’m afraid those are still off-limits unless you know of a way to play or watch the game in its entirety, translated into English.  I guess I could check to see if the Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 channel finished translating...

(Translation: Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!  ...D-Don’t tell me?!)

...Okay, looks like I have some watching to do.  Don’t know how I missed that.

So, uh...  That part in bold was what I was going to say.  Now that both games are finally getting an official English version, all I can say is, hang tight!

(Previous Post)

Dear Inferno again,

Co-Mod: Yeah, I agree.  I was just joking around.  For anyone who didn’t catch it, that was a reference to Sbemail #108.

The event’s technically over, but we’ll answer the rest of the April Fools’ Day letters when they reach the bottom of the queue.  I’m as eager to see Trucy’s reaction to the news (after the stunned silence) as anyone else, after all.

(Video in Letter -- Strong Language Warning)

Dear Ella,

Mod Edgeworth: 

I can’t see the first link and....

How did you find this masterpiece and where can I play this game?

Co-Mod: We don’t check for direct messages on Tumblr, if that’s what you’re referring to, so it wouldn’t have made any difference anyway.  You can always send links in your letters, of course.

(Previous Post)

Dear Inferno,

Mod Edgeworth: That mad lad would be me and thank you. 

I like to put my heart and effort when answering these letters. With this one, I figured you wanted to see Trucy in costume, so I just searched up an image on Google for the Ancient One’s costume, a sprite of Trucy and a bald head to put on her. The rest I photoshopped on GIMP. 

We’re still going through letters from January. Hopefully we will get the rest of yours soon enough.

Mod Edgeworth: Thank you very much. Your support and the others’ support that have liked, commented and reblogged it mean a lot. As you have stated, a majority of the fandom seem to consider him the worst. I’d like to think it’s because how AA had created this villain of a character to be universally hated was pure genius. Not even the Phantom gets this much hate… and that’s saying something.

Unfortunately, I’d like to keep my real identity outside this blog a secret. I write a lot of letters here and I don’t want to break the spell for anyone. Think of it like a Disney theme park. The cast that play the characters will never admit their true identities, outside of family and close friends, to prevent the experience from being ruined. I want to do the same as a Mod. I don’t want to break the spell of writing to your favorite AA characters. This blog had helped me through my tough times and I want to help everyone else as a mod.

However, I will answer your letters and, if you post anything on your account, a mysterious friend I know may linger and give you a like ;)

(Previous Letter)

Dear Ali S. Fakenamington,

Co-Mod: Beautifully so.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Sinyove,

Mod Edgeworth: That letter was made in 2012 before AA5 and AA6, which was WAY before I became a part of the AA fandom. I’m certain a lot of us were not here when this letter was made, except maybe Co-Mod, but you’ll have to speak with him about this. I will say that the mod that answered this is no longer working here... I think. At the very least, I haven’t heard from him.

That being said, AA4 or Apollo Justice was the first AA game I’ve ever played. Despite all of the hate I saw towards that game, I still loved it regardless. Though, having not played the trilogy, playing the tutorial of AJ was a pain in the ass. I remember going to YouTube to find out how to beat it, because it was so hard. I also played it on PC.

I do see where The Mod was coming from. Had the two sequel games never existed, Apollo Justice would have more holes than my brothers’ socks. My only critique is that Phoenix wasn’t any better either with having Mia babysitting him during almost every trial AND investigations. Hell, Phoenix needed Mia to know how to talk to a kid, talk to a perverted old man, almost gave up in most of his trials in the first game and never conducted a trial without Mia until Turnabout Goodbyes when Maya literally couldn’t summon her. For the most part, Apollo was doing fine on his own without Phoenix, with only Trucy assisting him for the two middle trials, only almost giving up once and Phoenix having assisted him during times when Apollo was not in a normal situation (like when the criminal turned out to be his own co-council/mentor or when he had to lead a trial that included the Jury System). That’s more than Phoenix ever did on his own in the first two games and I think Apollo deserves more credit than he got in that letter in my opinion.

For me, Apollo Justice is one of those games you either like or you hate. I love it for what it is. My least favorite AA game would have to be Ace Attorney Investigations, the first game. The second one is my absolute favorite.

Co-Mod: Sadly, I haven’t seen or heard from the Mod in a while, so it may be time for us to declare him MIA again.

Erm...  Sorry, poor choice of words.

I’m fairly certain I wasn’t around 5 years long ago, but I have to say, Capcom did a great job of making Apollo and his story more interesting over time.  He may not be Phoenix, but he certainly carried his legacy forward pretty well, both as an attorney and as an Ace Attorney protagonist.

Now, WHAT ABOUT ATHENA ALREADY!?

Dear BDC,

Co-Mod: It fits like a glove, if you ask me...although it also kind of reminds me of 101 Dalmatians.  And thanks for that bit of info!  I never get tired of watching people enjoying the fun dialogue and plot twists of Ace Attorney, so I might have to look him up.

I’m not sure I feel the same about watching Dahlia’s voice actress, though.  I’m sure she’s a nice person and all, but the thought of hearing that voice for so long...  *shudder*

(Previous Letter)

Dear dawsongfg again,

Co-Mod: I wasn’t trying to say that natural deaths can’t happen in the Ace Attorney universe, just that most deaths aren’t what they seem.  I knew right away that Archie Buff’s death was no accident, for one thing.  Waaaaay too much of a coincidence, know what I mean?

-The Mods

[luxshine]

Voice Actors gone Wild!

I’ve talked about how dubbing works, how translating works and I keep telling you guys that there’s very rare occasions where the dub actors and translators are allowed to have a bit more creativity and may end up inventing their own lines. So we’re going to discuss that today.

Localization is a tricky business, because not all countries have the same cultural beats. A joke that is hilarious in the UK may fall flat in the US even if everyone involved speaks the same language, and may as well be Greek for Mexican audiences (In fact, the title of My Big Fat Greek Wedding in Spanish is Marrying is in Greek, even when the expression of an unintelligible language, the equivalent of “It’s all Greek to me” in English, it’s “It’s in Chinese to me” in Mexico. See how this can be tricky as hell?). So for comedies, there’s a lot more leeway for translators and voice actors than in dramas, and it goes twice for children animation.

An example that I adore, because I think that the translator went above and beyond with their excellent translation:

In the Peanuts movie, Charlie Brown goes to Marcie to ask him for advice for which book to do his book report. He can’t find Marcie, so he asks Peppermint Patty who, in her very special way, tells him that Marcie always said that the greatest book ever is “Leo’s Toy Store” by “Warren Peace”.

I will give you a second to laugh.

Now, THAT joke? Is at first glance impossible to translate. Because see, Leo’s Toy Store translates to La Jugueteria de Leo, which sounds nothing like Leo Tolstoy and War and Peace translates to La Guerra y La Paz, that can’t be misheard as Warren Peace. So, the only choice is to either lose the joke completely, or put up your big translator pants and try to adapt it logically even if it is not to the letter. And the Peanut Movie Latam translator did an amazing job as it became the book “Leo y no estoy” (I read, and I’m not here) by La Guera Ipaz (The Blonde AndPeace).

And now I will give the Spanish speaking people a second to laugh.

That joke was obviously from the translator and not the VA because it took a lot more time and effort that what actors have in the booth. And it’s cultural and perfect, and of course it was approved by Sony because how could you not?

Another, more famous example for Mexican audiences because when the series changed owners, from a local TV channel to Cartoon Network the actors were explicitly told to stop doing Adlibs, was Pokemon.

Everyone who knows Pokemon knows that the Rocket Team has an entrance speech. And it is pretty much always the same speech with little variation, at least in the original series:

 Jessie: Prepare for trouble!

James: Make it double!

Jessie: To protect the world from devastation

James: To unite all peoples within our nation!

Jessie: To denounce the evils of truth and love!

James: To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie: Jessie!

James: James!

Jessie: Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!

James: Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

Meowth: Meowth! That’s right!

 Which in Spanish translates to

 Jessie: Preparense para los problemas!

James: Haganlos doble

Jessie: Para proteger al mundo de la devastacion

James: Para unir a la gente dentro de nuestra nacion

Jessie: Para denunciar los males de la verdad y el amor

James: Y extender nuestro reino hasta las estrellas

Jessie: Jessie!

James: James!

Jessie: El equipo rocket viaja a la velocidad de la luz

James: Rindanse ahora o preparense para luchar

Meowth: Meowth! Asi es!

 And right there we have a problem in the second line, because doble doesn’t rhyme with problemas, so it was changed from the beginning to “Y mas vale que teman” (And you better fear)

 However, by season 2, the actors were given more leeway for improvisation, and Jame’s voice actor, Jose Antonio Macias, had gotten a bit bored of it, and the Dub director, Gerardo Vasquez, who also voiced Meowth, let him change the “To extend our reach to the stars above” line to… different places in Mexico and Latinamerica. And then finish the speech however he liked, with whatever accent he liked. Diana Perez, who voiced Jessie, was a bit more restrained but also joined in the fun.

 This gave us gems like the video at the end because I can’t put it here for some reason.

The dialogue of the video translates as:

Jessie: I want to tell you to prepare for trouble! 

James: And inform you you better fear us!

Jessie: To protect the world from devastation

James: And unite all peoples within our nation!

Jessie: To denounce the evils of a small bikini! (Said with “yucatan accent”)

James: And extend our realm to Caleta Caletilla! (Also said with “yucatan accent”)

Jessie: Jessie, so! (pue! Is the way they say “pues” which means “so”)

James: And your bro Jame-me-mes!

Jessie: The Team Rocket is surfing at the speed of light!

James: Surrender now, or prepare to eat a pejelizard! (“pejelagarto” or “pejelizard” is the derogative nickname to our current president)

Meowth: And a sea side that’s right!

 As a parenthesis, James is voiced by the man who also voices Legolas in LoTR and Meowth was originally famous as the Latam voice of Duncan McLeod. That’s some voice range right there.

Obviously, those weren’t translations. But at the same time, we can’t call them translations mistakes, nor bad dubs. On one hand, it keeps to the spirit of the original speech more or less, and to the Rocket Team’s role as the comic relief (They don’t do this when Butch and Cassidy appear). On the other, well, comedy. And it became so popular that when Cartoon Network asked them to stop the localization, people complained the translation was now “correct” again.

And, because Mexican VA s are pros, they changed it back. The old days of the Rocket Team Mexican speeches are gone now.

Now, this kind of localization for comedies was more common back in the old days pre-internet, and series like Get Smart, The Adamms Family and Gilligan Island would have the occasional joke that would only make sense to Mexican audiences. However, they never changed the plot or the personalities of the characters. Only the brand of humor.

Sure, I can think of TWO examples where the Mexican version of the series is completely off the script (One of the actors, the great late Luis Alfonso Mendoza, referred to the script of his show as “a bunch of suggestions that I never followed”, long before Jack Sparrow’s iconic line about the code being just “guidelines”) but those two series were a) cartoons for children and b)changed with the permission of their original owners. Oh, they also c) became beloved Mexican classics when forgotten by their own countries. Those series where Top Cat (Don Gato y su Pandilla in Spanish. So beloved we made TWO official movies recently), and Count Duckula (Conde Patula. Oh, how we miss our Patolin).

However, to explain how the translation and changes were made on those two series require more time than I have today, so I will leave them for a different day.

[deans-asscot]

LatAm Dub Voice Actor Panel: Translation/Transcript

Hello all, I have taken it upon myself to translate the panel with Guillermo (Memo) Rojas: Dean's LatAm Voice Actor. There is a lot of confusion and I think it's best if you read for yourself to come to your own conclusions. The translator in the panel failed to translate important things and also added in her own opinions/interpretations. I also think there were times when they were talking about different things. I don't blame her, because I'm sure she was nervous/excited and live translating is hard! I would like to thank her for doing  the panel and trying to get us answers! I have added my own opinions/notes in red. I have included some time stamps so you can follow along in the video. I tried to focus on all the important parts regarding the dubbing and also useful background info. Please note that everything is translated by me except for the Translator's own translations, I left those in English as she said it. I apologize if there are any mistakes, I did my best.

[9:54]

Memo: I got covid in the last two... I don’t remember if I got it during.. uh, during.. the last episode of the season or during the special or during both. I have doubts, cuz I still haven’t recorded them. I have to record them from what I understand.

[Translator translates]

[10:37]

Translator: [Spanish] We’re going to start with the easy questions. Because there’s one... I’m not sure if you know but you guys in the Mexican dub broke the internet. 

Memo: Yes

Translator: [Spanish] Oh, you already know?

Memo: Yeah, sorry to interrupt you. A lot of people reached out to me and I feel bad not being able to, broadly speaking, answer all of their questions. But I was in the middle of my covid situation and a tracheal situation where I couldn’t talk without choking. Now I’m working in therapy with this situation. And if that wasn’t complicated enough it seems like I have 2 sequels: one is confirmed the 2nd not yet. So I couldn’t respond to EVERYone that was reaching out to me on the internet. From various means, from Insta, Facebook, Youtube. Actually a very old channel that I’ve never used. With respect to the situation with Dean and the other guy.

[11:49]

Translator: [Spanish] How different is the process between directing for live action and directing for animation? And which do you prefer?

Memo: Okay, so what’s the difference between one and the other: basically, you can say that it’s a little similar. Because we’re talking about a certain quality that we have to respect or give, in this case. There are guidelines [interrupted by Translator] that we have to follow.

[12:10]

Translator: [translates] It’s very similar because we have to give the same quality in both senses. There is a process that we have to follow.

Memo: Yes, correct. Now the guidelines are usually given to us by the production company, in this case, what we call the client.

Translator: [translates] The lines are given by the producer house or what we call the client.

[12:31]

Memo: In this case, so we have to stick to the guidelines that they ask for. The ones which go hand in hand in regards to the production that is being worked.

Translator: [translates] We have to follow the rules. Which go hand in hand with the kind of production we are doing, either animation or live action.

Memo: Yes, actually, saying that both are the same would be lying to you. Because we could have 2 live actions and they’re not the same. Guidelines: there are basic technical points to follow but when it comes to acting and theatrical production, they change.

[13:03]

Translator: [translates] I would be lying to say they are the same because if you  have two different live actions they are going to have different procedures. So when you are acting them that is when the change come in.

Memo: The greatest difference I could tell you would be the technical points to follow in each of them. And for the acting part, in this case, it would be to give 100% from each and every one of us.

Translator: [translates] and uh, in the technical those are the differences but in the acting sense I can tell you that  the important thing is to give 100% every single time.

[...talk about other acting jobs...]

[17:42]

Memo: [Talking about the show 911] I don’t think there’s a piece that I enjoyed more watching being dubbed by a translator and directed by Fogatry. Who has an amazing gift to not only direct but also adapt dialogues. And there has been great synergy working on this series and others that he has done me the favor of supporting me as an actor to give me roles. And that I enjoy doing a lot. Not only his directing but also... I don’t know we have a certain synergy so he can direct me and I can act how he indicates and he makes me feel it, you know? It’s... it’s something interesting.

Translator: [translates] It is one of the series I most enjoy as... I also  enjoy to be directed by Fogarty because of special synergy. He makes me feel the characters better so we work very well when he directs me.

Memo: Yes, I sincerely love working with him.

[...talks about voice acting...]

[19:51]

Translator: [Spanish] Well now that you already mentioned the guidelines, and I mentioned in the beginning: comes the big questions. What were the guidelines in that final line in Supernatural that broke the internet?

Memo: Its a curious thing because... because I don’t even think the director nor the translators had any idea of the tendency (inclination) that existed. Because there wasn’t information that said previously that something like that could happen.

Translator: [translates] It is very funny because neither the director nor I had any idea of what was coming. We didn’t know that something like that could happen.

[...talks about his birthday and eating cake...]

[20:52]

Memo: Yes, so uh, being honest, when we recorded it, it was very like, “blink blink (squints)” [takes off glasses and looks confused] “What’s going on? What’s happening?” But, we did it, you know? But none of us in the production team saw anything in him during filming that would say something like that.

Translator: [translates] When we saw it, it was like a blinking moment and we did it. But at the time we never thought that it would happen./ [Spanish] And here I have to ask for clarification. Because obviously we are referring to the fact that Castiel confessed to Dean after ...12 years... of intense stares. [Memo laughs] But the main question is Dean’s response. Because everyone heard, in your voice, very clearly “y yo a ti” (and I, you).

Memo: [same time] “Y yo a ti” (and I, you).

Translator: [Spanish] where did that “Y yo a ti” (and I, you) come from? Was it in the script? Was it you? What happened there?

[21:50]

Memo: The adaptation was completely from my director. And the guidelines for acting came from him and I did what he asked me to do.

Translator: [translates] Everything was...okay everybody I asked about “and I you” I know that Tumblr was waiting for this moment. And he says, everything came from the director. He adapted it, he gave me the guidelines. It was his fault.

(Note: Memo only knows what his director told him. Adaptation = edited translated script for lip synch etc.)

[others laugh]

[22:16]

Memo: But we all love him. We all loved it. We never saw it coming so directly.

Translator: [translates] But everybody loved it everybody wanted it at the end. We didn’t see it coming so directly but it was great.

[22:28]

Memo: If we remember correctly, from the length of all of Supernatural we rarely see a situation where Dean is seen being involved with a woman. It didn’t happen. Unlike his brother.

Translator: [translates] If we remember all the seasons of Supernatural, we never saw Dean romantically involved with a woman unlike his brother./ [Spanish] Here I will just correct you as a fan, it did happen a few times but it was before your times. (He started voicing Dean after season 12.)

[22:52]

Memo: Yes, it was before my time but it was never more than a general empathy.

Translator: [translates] Yeah it was before me but it was never farther than a general empathy.

Memo: He was never involved. Neither directly nor [cut off]

Translator: [translates] He was never involved, not completely.

Memo: It wasn’t his thing, right?

Translator: [translates] It wasn’t his.

[23:10]

Memo: Especially, because we can compare him with his brother.

Translator: [translates] Especially because we can compare him with his brother.

Memo: We remember the last relationship he had in the last 2 season.

Translator: [translates] We remember his relationship that he had in the last 2 seasons./ Uh, Eileen, the deaf woman.

Memo: Exactly, with Eileen, that was really intense. And [gets cut off] at the end.

Translator: [translates] Was very tense and painful at the end.

[23:33]

Memo: Dean basically didn’t suffer that. Like for me, to a certain point they tied him more emotionally with the fact that he lost his mother...more than once.

Translator: [translates] With Dean, he didn’t suffer what Sam did, because he was emotionally more tied with the fact that he lost his mom more than once.

Memo: Yeah, so uh [gets cut off]

Translator: [Spanish] We have a question. So  it’s not a “rogue translator”, it’s a “rogue director”? Says [asker’s name].

Memo: uh... yeah yeah, I’m seeing it [the comment] yeah [laughs] Look, Fogarty has a tendency... Fogarty has really intense abilities. [gets cut off]

Translator: [translates] Fogarty has an intense ability.

Memo: Yeah and one of them is adapting the dialogues.

Translator: [translates] And one of them is to adapt dialogue.

[24:16]

Memo: When you see a piece that Fogarty translates and he manages to adapt when he has time to do it, even if he won’t direct it, and he’ll leave it for you in Spanish.

Translator: [translates] You see a work by Fogarty when he is going to translate even if he is not going to direct and he leaves it in Spanish.

Memo: So, the dialogue goes like this, if I remember correctly, it said “tambien yo (me too)” or it said something like that.

Translator: [translates] The dialogue said, if I remember correctly, “tambien yo” “and so do I”. If I remember correctly.

Memo: Exactly. And then we changed it to “Y yo a ti” (And I, you).

Translator: [translates] And then we changed it into “Y yo a ti” “and I, you”.

Memo: For the effect of lip syncing, rhythm, and more things.

Translator: [translates] Because of the formation of lip vowels and other things./ Before you came in I explained it as a translator. My absolute hate for the lip... [Spanish] my hate for the lip syncing.

[25:12]

Memo: [laughs] Yeah, it’s an impressive topic to discuss. Now a days with the speed of production that we have it’s difficult to give attention to that part. Which we should, that much is very clear to me of course. But not all of us have the ability that Fogarty has in that sense specifically. We don’t have the speed that Fogarty has to adapt like that [snaps fingers](to adapt fast).

Translator: [translates] Uh, we don’t have the time now a days to do it, we should but we can’t. But we don’t have all the...brain cells and the speed that Fogarty has to make those changes.

Memo: We all have different abilities. And when we work together, but well not everyone pitches in all of the different abilities that they have, and Fogarty does his part.

Translator: [translates] we all have different skills and when we work together we all put all job there, and Fogarty does his part.

Memo: We all need a Fogarty in every company.

Translator: [translates] [laughs] We need a Fogarty in every, in every enterprise... in every company./ [Spanish] I have to make a pause cuz you saw my cat pass by...

[...talks about her cat hating Sam...]

[...redirected to comments...]

[27:35]

Translator: [reads comment in English] They are asking a lot about if you know what Dean said in the original English Script before Fogarty got his hands on it. [translates to Spanish] If you know what was on the original script before Fogarty changed it?

Memo: Again. What? [Did not hear/or did not understand the question]

Translator: [Spanish] If you know what the original script said. What it said originally.

[28:00]

Memo: Yes, If I remember correctly... yeah, yeah, it was... it was something allusive, WOW, it was totally correct of course. [get’s cut off]

Translator: [translates] it was uh...

Memo: “y tambien yo” (and me too) or “tambien yo a ti” (And I, you as well) it said something like that. [gets cut off] (so its difficult to understand what he says next but sounds like “unmistakable, unmistakable”)

Translator: [Spanish] Ladies, the original script said “yo tambien” (me too) okay so [name] asks if you listened to the original while dubbing?

Memo: Yes, of course.

(NOTE: I think for Memo, the “original script” was the first Spanish draft before they adjusted/adapted for lip synch and what not.)

Translator: [Spanish] No. Say that (unclear) [laughs] yeah

[28:30]

Memo: No, immediately I would’ve been like [takes off glasses and leans in] “What?”

Translator: [Spanish] Yeah, yeah. What happens is that. Supernatural has a very intense, very loyal fandom. As you can see now [points to the comments] so it’s been uh...which the change brings the big question [gets cut off]

Memo: [reading comment in English] Someone translate it! [laughs]

Translator: [Spanish] What was your favorite episode to dub for Supernatural?

Memo: With my short term memory, this last  episode.

Translator: [translates] So I asked him which one was his favorite Supernatural uh Episode to dub and he said that with his short term memory, the last one

Memo: It’s cuz, it says a lot, it says a lot.

Translator: [translates] It says a lot.

[29:19]

Memo: It says a lot. In one scene it says everything.

Translator: [translates] In a scene it says it all.

Memo: So it’s very impressive, it’s really nice. I never... I never saw it coming. Never saw it coming.

Translator: [translates] I never saw it coming. But it was beautiful.

Memo: Yeah, yeah

[...talks about breaking Tumblr, Dean finally getting a dog, Memo watching Supernatural...]

[31:40]

Translator: [Spanish] Once more, you broke the internet. And they’re asking: if the original script said something in regards to Dean’s feelings for Cas, [Memo says “no”] or was it all added in by the director Fogarty?

[31:54]

Memo: no, no, no. Actually the original booklet that we had never had any indication that told you that he was in love or that he reciprocates the love and that they knew. No. Nothing. Really, that phrase was what topped off the entire series.

(NOTE: I think Memo is talking about the first Spanish script he saw and all the previous scripts, saying he saw no indication UNTIL that one line.)

Translator: [translates] Okay guys. I’m going to go slow with this so it’s put to rest. No. The original did not say it. It was not... stated clear. With the last phrase was what concealed the whole series. The whole thing.

Memo: None of us saw it coming.

Translator: [translates] No one saw it coming.

Memo: No.

Translator: [translates] No one saw it coming but... it was the director adding it because that was what made sense. (NOTE: Memo never said this part about the director!!!)

[32:46]

Memo: Actually, when they started to bombard me with a bunch of questions on the internet, I started to investigate what happened, right? And yeah, I saw clearly, how the director and the writer decided to take a very hidden tendency with respect to them both. In various scenes, in very, very simple dialogues. In which they made that like allusion that they both had feelings for one another. But it was so, so faint that almost no one noticed it.

(NOTE: I think Memo is referring to the English writers/directors and the questions people asked him were in regards to being surprised that Dean reciprocates.)

Translator: [translates] He is saying that uh what the director... the dubbing director saw that... the director in English were creating this love story but it was so subtle and so “tenue (faint/dim)”... so discrete that no one saw it coming./ Which brings us to the fact that yes, this man is a heller.

[33:41]

Memo: I think that it’s clear to all of us that the fact that it broke the internet with this information, it was a surprise for absolutely everyone. Because well, we would all say, right, that if you want to be a real man, you gotta be like Dean.

(NOTE: I think Memo thinks that people were shocked Dean reciprocated because everyone views him as a manly man. I don’t think Memo is referring to the English/Spanish dubbing differences.)

Translator: [translates] I think that with the great effect.../ hold on [Spanish] You are going to break the internet again with this.[laughs] [translates] Okay I think that we... have to see this is... that how we can because after all everybody says that if you want to be a real man you have to be like Dean Winchester./ And Dean Winchester is in love with Castiel. [laughs]

[34:35]

Memo: And to me... it’s... actually it’s something really beautiful for me. Because it doesn’t have to do with gender it has to do with the feelings. And it... it was a marvelous play made by the writers. Marvelous. Marvelous. You didn’t see it coming. And look at that, you liked it.

Translators: [translates] I believe... that it’s very beautiful it was a play by the original writers, by the American workers, that you didn’t see coming but when you see it, you like it. And you end up loving it.

Memo: Yeah

Translator: [reads comments in Spanish] Um, we have 2 questions. One is from [name] that asks if something got left out of the translation?...

Memo: No.

Translator: [Spanish] No, nothing. [translates] Nothing was out of the translation. [Spanish] And the other is that they ask if they ever called you back to rerecord that “Y yo a ti” (and I, you)?

Memo: No.

Translator: [translates] No./ The “Y yo a ti” isn’t going to be redubbed people, calm down.

Memo: [laughs] No

Translator: [English] He was not called to remake the dubbing.

Memo: No... no, no, no. It’s clear to me that my director understood perfectly the context of that text.

Translator: [translates] It is very clear that the director understood perfectly the texture of this text./ [Spanish] I have a question. From experience, because at one point I got to dub, I got to translate, dub some lines, not that controversial... but very complicated that the client returned it. The client, when he heard it he said, “No, we can’t do this” Okay the line was, you’re gunna see why they returned it: “I’ve listened to jazz since I was a sperm in my father’s testicle.”

Memo: Okay [laughs]

Translator: [Spanish] So... so the client told us, “No, change it.”

Memo: What did the original say?

Translator: [Spanish]  That’s what the original said!

Memo: [English] So, what?

Translator: [Spanish] It was in Japanese, but that’s what the original said. Uh but since it was for “kids” because it was anime, they returned it.

Memo: Ohh, okay, okay, okay. Maybe they asked you to smooth it over like “I’ve listened to jazz since before I was born” and that’s it.

Translator: [Spanish] Exactly. So my question is do you know if Supernatural has a quality control from Warner?

[36:52]

Memo: I would be lying if I said yes. But I have worked with Warner for a long time as an actor and director. And some very specific works like superhero type and things like that might have a filter like that. But series like Supernatural... I honestly doubt it. I think that the delegations and decisions on these situations would be totally up to the director.

Translator: [translates] Okay, so I asked him if there was quality control for Supernatural in specific and Memo tells me that he doesn’t believe so./ [Spanish] Okay, now comes the big questions cuz you broke the internet. [looks at comments] um, these are going really fast, ladies. Two people ask if you acted Dean as someone who was always in love with Castiel this whole time or did it surprise you  too?

[37:46]

Memo: No. Never. Same (also surprised).

Translator: [translates] No, it was a surprise.

Memo: Actually, I’m going to be very sincere with you guys. For me, Saying to a friend I care a lot about... to someone I care a lot about... to someone of the same gender, I tell them “Te amo (I love you).” I don’t have a problem with that.

Translator: [translates] I’m going to be very truthful with you. If I have a friend, a very close friend of my same gender I will tell him “Te amo” (I love you) and I don’t have any problems.

Memo: So, I felt it in that way. Honestly.

Translator: [translates] I felt it for that side./ [Spanish] And then you found out that no. (In regards to it not happening in English).

Memo: uh huh, exactly [laughs] “Hey, what happened?” [jokes]

[...talks about Jensen on The Boys, using Facebook...]

[40:42]

Translator: [reads comment in Spanish] Guillermo, what’s your opinion, now with all that you know, about the relationship that Dean has with Cas?

Memo: Okay, it was a revelation for everyone. Including me.

Translator: [translates] It was a revelation, first.

Memo: I love how they did it. Because nobody saw it coming. Not even us, who record it.

Translator: [translates] I love him.. I love how it.. how it come cuz no one saw it coming, not even we that we are recording it.

Memo: And I think that with all the personality and the psychology that we have of the character, we can reason that if someone knows how to hold back their feelings, it’s Dean Winchester.

Translator: [translates] And we can tell by the psychology of the character that if there was someone that knew how to keep his feelings at bay, was Dean Winchester.

[... talk about co-star, deep voice, and Memo not seeing the finale yet until he records it...]

[...he’s asked to say “Hello, Cas” in Dean’s voice if Cas were to return from the Empty...]

[44:40]

Memo: Oh, It’s assumed that I told him I loved him too, as long as he didn’t come back! [jokes]

[...talk about his ideal finale of a peaceful happy ending for TFW...]

(In conclusion I don’t think Memo saw the original English script. And to him the “original script” is the first Spanish draft before they adjust for lip synchs. He thinks his director is great and did his job correctly. Memo’s shock was in Dean being in love with Cas (not necessarily the dubbing discrepancies) but he understood why it happened once he researched and saw all the hidden allusions left by the writers. I don’t think adding “rogue director” to the discourse is helpful because I don’t think Memo knows either. Here is a link to the director’s dubbing fandom page (it’s in Spanish): Adrian Fogarty.)

[zerochanges]

2020 Favorite Video Games

I don’t know if I am an outlier or if this is the same for everyone else but I really did not play a lot of games this year. 2020 was a very harsh year for all of us, especially for me for some personal reasons. So to get to the chase, I am just gonna say it left me not doing much in what little free time I did have, and I didn’t play much either. Usually I try to keep my lists for ‘favorite of the year’ to only titles released that year but since I played so little this year, screw it. I am gonna include any game I played this year regardless of release date.

Collection of SaGa

By far a flawed rerelease. It’s bare bones: there are no advance features you would usually expect out of these kinds of emulated rereleases like save states, fast forward, or rewind, and there was no real effort made to touch up almost 30 year old localizations that had to meet Nintendo of America’s then harsh standards. This really is just 3 roms slapped into a nice looking interface with an option to increase the game speed (which by the way you better use, the characters walk very slow in these old games). 

I am bit harsh here, but only because I thought the Romancing SaGa remasters and the upcoming SaGa Frontier remaster all looked like they got a great budget and a lot of love while this is just another Collection of Mana situation (moreso specifically talking about Seiken Densetsu 1/Final Fantasy Adventure/Adventures of Mana part of that collection). I would have loved to see Square Enix do a bit more for these older games. Or at least include the remakes. Seiken Densetsu 1 had two great remakes, both unused in Collection of Mana, and all three of these original SaGa titles have remakes that have never seen the light of day outside of Japan. How great would it have been to get the Wonderswan remake of SaGa 1, as well as the Nintendo DS remakes of Saga 2 and SaGa 3? 

But my gripes aside, these games are still fun as they ever were. Replaying SaGa 1 specifically during the holiday season really helped calm me down and made me feel at ease. It’s easy to forget but even in their Gameboy roots there are a lot of funky and weird experimental choices being made in these games. They aren’t your run-of-the-mil dragon quest (or considering the gameboy, maybe pokemon would be more apt) clones. 

Raging Loop

Perhaps my favorite game of the year, Raging Loop is one of the best visual novels I have ever played hands down. The level of creativity and splitting story paths that went into it is simply mind blowing. The basic premise is both a wonderful throwback to the old days of Chunsoft sound novels while still modern and somewhat reminiscent of both Higurashi and Danganronpa. Essentially you play as Haruaki, a poor slub that got lost in the mountains with no clue where to go until you stumble upon an old rural village with a strange history and even stranger superstitions. Before you know it there has been a murder and the Feast is now afoot.

The less said about Raging Loop the better, although I do want to say a lot about it one day if I ever can write a proper review of it. This is a gripping game that will take hold of you once you get into it though and never let go. I actually 100%-ed this and I very rarely do that. I got every ending, every bonus hidden ending, played the entire game twice to hear all the hidden details it purposely hides on your first play through, played all the bonus epilogue chapters, unlocked all the hidden voice actor interviews, collected all the art work, etc, etc. I was just obsessed with this game, it’s that damn good! And the main character is maybe the best troll in all of video games, god bless Haruaki. 

Root Double

From Takumi Nakazawa, long time contributor to Kotaro Uchikoshi’s work comes a game any fan of Zero Escape or Uchikoshi in general will probably enjoy. Root Double, like its name suggests is a visual novel with two different routes, hence Root Double. The first route stars Watase Kasasagi, the leader of an elite rescue team in the midst of their greatest crisis yet that could lead to nuclear devastation as they try to evacuate a nuclear research facility that has gone awry. 

The other route stars Natsuhiko Tenkawa, an everyday high schooler whose peaceful life is thrown into turmoil when he stumbles upon a terrorist plot to destroy the nuclear facility in the city and his attempts to stop them. Together the two separate plots weave into one and creates a really crazy ride. Part Chernobyl, part science fiction, any fan of the genre will easily enjoy it. And hey it’s kind of relevant to include on this list too since it just got a Switch port this year (I played it on steam though).  

Snack World

I was shocked upon starting Snack World as it is instantly incredibly charming, witty, and downright hilarious at times yet I heard almost zero people talk about it. EVER. This game is Dragon Quest levels of quirky though, and the localization is incredible. The game has such an oddball sense of humor that works really well with its presentation right down to the anime opening video that sings about the most bizarre things. Instead of the usual pump up song about the cool adventure ahead we get stuff like wanting to go out to a restaurant and eat pork chops. 

The self aware/fourth wall breaking humor is just enough to be really funny, but doesn't overstay its welcome and always makes it work right in the context of the dialogue. And finally, just everything; with the menus, the name of side quests and missions, and the character dialogue -- are all just so witty and full of quirky humor. This is one hell of a charming and funny game and addictive to boot.

Trials of Mana

Trials of Mana has gone from one of those legendary unlocalized games, to one of the first major breakthroughs in fan translation, to finally getting an official English release complete with a fully 3D remake. In a lot of ways from a western perspective this game has had an incredible journey. As for this remake itself, I really found myself having tons of fun with it. I loved the graphics, and the voice acting while a bit on the cheaper side almost kind of adds to the charm since both the graphics and acting really give it an old PS2 vibe. I know that is probably just more me being weird but yeah, I had to say it. 

I really hope Square Enix sticks to this style of remake more often, instead of just doing Final Fantasy VII Remakes that break the bank and involve extensive tweaking to both plot and game play. I’ll take smaller budget projects that play more like the original game any day personally. I wouldn’t mind if they also deliver a brand new Mana game all together in this engine either. 

Utawarerumono Trilogy

This year saw the release of the first entry in the series, Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen--and thus finally after three years since the sequels Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth came out in 2017 the trilogy is now complete in English. I ended up binging through Prelude to the Fallen very fast shortly after it came out and immediately jumped on to the sequels. Perhaps the best part of 2020 was that I finally played all three of these fantastic games, and did so back-to-back-to-back. Playing the first Utawarerumono was an experience I will never forget, it was like visiting old friends again that I haven’t seen in ages, by and large thanks to the fact that I saw the anime adaption of the game when I was much younger, nearly a decade ago. Back then I would have never of dreamed that I would get to play the actual game and get the real experience. 

And it only got better from here, as all three games are such wonderful experiences from start to finish. The stories are all so deep, and by the time you get to the third entry, Mask of Truth, it’s crazy to see how they all connected over so many years and weaved together into a plot much bigger than they ever were. What carries it beyond all that though has to be the fun and addicting strategy role playing game aspect, which while a bit on the easy side, is still so much fun and helps make the game feel better paced since you get to play the conquests your characters go on and not just read about all the battles they fight. Beyond that the games are packed full of awesome characters, and I know I’ll never forget the amazing leads in all of them. Hakuowlo, Haku, and Oshtor will all go down as some of the greats to me. 

Ys: Memories of Celceta

Ys: Memories of Celceta is a full 3D remake of Ys IV, a rather infamous game in Falcom’s Ys series. Not to get bogged down too much into the history of Falcom but by this point they were facing a lot of hardship and had to outsource this entry to other developers, and thus passed it on to two particular developers they had a business relationship with, creating two unique versions of Ys IV. Tonkin House who had worked on Super Famicom port of Ys III with Falcom ended up creating their own YS IV entry, Mask of the Sun for the very same system, where Hudson soft who had produced the much beloved Ys Books I & II remakes for the Turbografix (PC Engine) CD add-on created their own Ys IV entry Dawn of Ys for that console. Both games followed guidelines and ideas outlined from Falcom themselves but both radically diverged from each other and turned into completely different games. 

Falcom finally putting an end to this debate on which version of Ys IV you should play have gone and created their own definitive Ys IV in 2012 for the Playstation Vita. I played the 2020 remastered version of this remake on my PS4. I even bought this on the Vita when it first came out but I am horrible and only horde games, never play them. So it was a lot of fun to finally play this. 

Memories of Celceta is probably one of the best starting points for anyone looking to get into Ys, especially if you only want to stay with the 3D titles as out of all the 3D entries this explains the most about the world and series protagonist Adol Christian. Beyond that it’s just another fantastic entry in a wonderful series that has a few good twists hidden behind it, especially for long time fans of the series. 

Random Video Game Console Stuff

Xbox Has Blue Dragon: I actually got an Xbox One this year for free from my brother. Because of that I started to play Blue Dragon again and there’s a lot I would love to say about this game. I don’t know if I am fully committed to replaying it all the way through however but I find myself putting in a couple hours every few days and enjoying myself again. Does anyone else remember Blue Dragon? I feel like it really missed its audience and had it come out nowadays and probably for the Switch it would have really resonated with the Dragon Quest fandom a lot more instead of being thrown out to die on Xbox and constantly compared to Final Fantasy VII and the like which it had nothing at all similar with. 

The Turbografx 16 Mini: This was probably one of the best mini consoles that have come out and I feel like thanks to the whole 2020 pandemic thing it was largely forgotten about. That’s a shame, it has a wonderful variety of great games, especially if you count the Japanese ones (god I wish I could play the Japanese version of Snatcher included), and a wonderful interface with fantastic music. One of these days I would really like to be able to play around with the console more seriously than I have already. 

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon Never Existed: So Nintendo localized the first ever Fire Emblem game on Nintendo Switch which is awesome to see them touching Famicom games again--I haven’t seen Nintendo of America rerelease old Famicom titles since Mysterious Murasame Castle on the 3DS, but their trailer hilariously made it seem like this is the first time ever they released Fire Emblem when in fact they had already localized the remake Shadow Dragon on the Nintendo DS nearly 10 or 11 years ago. I and many other fans I talked to all found this really hilarious, probably solely because of how much they kept repeating the fact that this is the first time you will ever be able to experience Marth’s story.

All that aside though I have to say the collector edition for this newly localized Famicom game is probably the most gorgeous retro reproduction I have seen in a long time, and I really spent many many hours just staring at the all clear glass mock cartridge. I have found myself really obsessing over retro reproductions during 2020, and obtained quite a few this year. I really hope this trend continues to go on in 2021 as recreating classic console packaging and cartridges is a lot of fun.