#yue caixia

[deci-doodles]

Based off of this tweet, but with a more CN style wedding dress

Xiao was invited but he declined directly attending, that being said he still gave the happy couple a hongbao lol

[fuel-to-your-pyre]

Peaking 👀. Exam doodle cause exams give me cancer.

[juliekjohnsonwrites]

Writing Advice Wednesdays: Writing Foreign Languages

Hey there, everyone! So I’ve decided to start this weekly segment on writing advice, each week focusing on issues I’ve personally run into in my journey and questions I’ve been asked. For this week, I’m going to cover a few ways to insert foreign languages into your MS. 

Method 1: Inserting simple phrases in said language.

Example from The Moon-Eyed Ones (Cherokee):

“I don’t want you going to the white settlement anymore. Do you understand?”

I must have looked like I didn’t catch what she had said, and I was distracted with my thoughts on top of that.

“Holigatsv, Nvdodikani?” She repeated, slower, this time.

“Vv. Goliga.” I said.

This method is good for simple sentences or phrases like the ones I presented above, providing you actually know these phrases in the respective languages you are using and are 100% certain of their meaning. And with the context of the dialogue before that, the reader knows that the characters are confirming that they have an understanding between them. I usually like to pair this method with the following, being...

Method 2: Write dialogue in your native language, implying that they are speaking in another.

Examples from The Four Gods (Yue and Korean):

In the seating area were Caixia, Fengge, and another woman Gen did not recognize. They were all talking in a language he couldn’t understand, but it sounded like a tribal language of the southern coasts to him. He neared them anyway to see if he could decipher any of their conversation.

Chonglin nodded, his hair pulling at his nape from the tightness of his topknot. “Your kingdom is a fine one, Your Majesty.” The language still felt new on his tongue, and he admitted he wasn’t as fluent as he would have liked to be, “I am just glad that I had a chance to speak with you in person. I was worried that my intent would not be properly expressed.”

In these examples, I am implying that Fengge and Caixia are speaking a dialect of Chinese that Get has heard, but doesn’t understand. In the second example, I mention that Chonglin is speaking to a royal figure in a language he can speak (Korean, or what would be Korean at the time), but he is still adjusting to it. I recommend doing this method if the language is one you do not personally speak or is one you are not confident in using in order to prevent translation mistakes. 

I did this one in The Moon-Eyed Ones as well, considering I am nowhere near fluent in Cherokee, but a good chunk of the characters are speaking Cherokee the majority of the time. It’s the same in The Four Gods, that since the book takes place in China, the characters are speaking a dialect of Chinese. This brings me to the third method, being...

Method 3: Writing complete phrases, conversations, and sentences in the language.

Example from Eidolon’s Eden [WIP] (Myaamia):

When the train hissed to a stop, Martin led the group onto the platform, but they were suddenly greeted by an older man waiting by a dusty Model A. The man rushed over to Martin, who had barely disembarked from the train car and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Aya aya, Mihcalaankwa! Neehahki-nko kiiwayi?” The man exclaimed, patting Martin on the back.

The priest pushed up his glasses, which had been knocked off the brim of his nose. “Neehaki niiyawi, Akima.”

The man’s grin spread across his entire face, but he soon noticed the other people behind Martin in blacks and looked them up and down inquisitively.

“Ah…awehniiki oneki?” He asked.

In this example, there is no English dialogue between the characters and no offerings of any kind of translation to the reader. Granted, these are still simple phrases anyone could learn, but unless the reader speaks Myaamia, they wouldn’t understand the conversation. However, in this particular instance, this conversation between characters continues on to reference that the other characters present also do not speak Myaamia and are just as confused as the reader. I do not recommend using this method unless your goal is to leave your readers lost and confused with what is happening, and 90% of the time, that is not what you want to accomplish...unless you want your readers to search for a dictionary or translator app every time your characters speak with one another. (Pro tip: That’s a bad thing. Don’t do that.)

Out of all these methods, #2 is my preferred method of choice, as it is probably the most foolproof and mistake-proof out of the three, since #1 and #3 can sometimes end up with translation mistakes. And depending on who your editor or beta readers are, they may not speak those languages either, so you better be sure you know what your characters are saying to one another (unless you yourself are fluent in that language or you have access to ask native speakers). But my personal experience is that peppering in small phrases can make your book and characters a little more well-rounded and can make dialogue that much more realistic.

For writing bilingual or polyglot characters mixing up their languages, reference this post. The above advice is intended for characters carrying a conversation in one language that may not be your own native language.

And that’s all for the first WAW! If you have any topics that you want me to cover, you can comment here or shoot me a message. I hope some of you found this useful and I’ll be back on Friday to start special Q&A sessions for The Four Gods. :)

Until then, everyone!

[deci-doodles]

Attempted design for Nabu Malikata/Goddess of Flowers

Not super satisfied with the skirt but welp I tried lol

+ Bonus Caixia doodle coz I missed her

[deci-doodles]

Meeting one of your adeptal future in-laws for the first time be like

Or alternatively:

Having your older coworker/friend bump into you and your crush for the first time

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I designed Mingli/Heart Perceiver’s civilian form over a year before Xianyun’s design was ever revealed, I just think it’s funny that the two of them ended up having some similar design features

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Bonus:

[deci-doodles]

Some first concepts (2021-early 2022) vs current designs. Tesey’s probably the oldest since his first concept’s from May 2021, but back then he was known as Mikula and probs way better at hiding how he felt (trust me that dude still had issues LMAO)

Last set are Thoma’s parents (Klaudia Abendroth and Rostislav Snezhevich/“Yukimoto Ryosei/雪元令成”, yes that fake name has the subtlety of a truck and yes, he’s like Lyudochka [Inazuman, raised in the HotH and roped into Efim’s rogue faction]), granted the concept designs are basically their designs from their youth as opposed to how they look now

[deci-doodles]

Yanfei’s parents again because I really wanna post them here more (it’s usually been discord and Insta stories)

I’ve been working on them for a while now and I’m landing on compiling their lore here eventually (there is, quite a bit to say the least HAHA), you can find some basic stuff here though

[deci-doodles]

Yanfei’s parents again coz I missed them :”)

[deci-doodles]

Haven’t posted here in ages so first off, rebranding myself coz old user reminds me of some… unpleasant things to say the least

Anyways yes, I present my ver of Yanfei’s parents (CN might be a bit dodge but I’m illiterate and tried my best aksjanjba). They’ve been around in my doodles for a while now but I haven’t really cemented their designs and whatnot until more recently