#i'm kind of generally combining the characterizations from different adaptations

[antiquarianandunusual]

Duck the Halls Week One: And a “Bah, Humbug” to You Too!

Duck the Halls Masterpost

Read it on AO3!

Synopsis:  The annual Duckburg Christmas Decorating Competition is on the horizon, and Flintheart Glomgold has weaponized it to make a mockery of Scrooge. The millionaire miser, never one for the Christmas spirit, recruits very merry nephew Donald to help him figure out the ins and outs of the holiday.

The only problem is, Glomgold has the same idea, and his bribe, however small, is looking mighty tempting for the upcoming season. Looks like Donald has his work cut out for him!

Fandom: Disney Duck Comics/DuckTales (I took inspiration for the characterizations from both medias! Glomgold, however, is entirely DT87.)

A/N: I came very close to not getting this posted on time because this ended up being so much longer than I originally intended it to be. :_D

Scrooge McDuck had never been much of a Christmas man, or if he had been he certainly had an odd way of expressing it. Chasing carolers away with a tight fist (both literal and metaphorical), frustratedly changing the radio station in flight from perky holiday tunes, and displaying outward disdain for any season’s greetings before December 1st were just a few of the ways he proudly demonstrated his complicated views of the holiday. He didn’t hate it entirely, of course, but Scrooge was notorious for his jaded resentment of certain festivities ad although his family fought tooth and nail to lighten him up, he was also known for being stubbornly set in his ways. Most McDuck Industries celebrations came to pass via merry nephews and mirthful employees, and only then because he weathered the jollity for his loved ones.

So, imagine Donald Duck’s surprised when he pulled into the driveway of McDuck Manor, already humming Jingle Bells in his favorite snowman sweater, to find the mansion dripping with winter cheer on the first of November. The gutters were lined with icicle lights, twinkling even in the midday sun, and the roof had traditional holiday lights trickling down it; the strands were alternating between neon greens and brilliant reds. A winding row of abnormally large, plastic candy canes stuck out from the grass along the driveway’s path. Maybe not extravagant to the average eye, but for McDuck? It was simply a winter wonderland.

Donald hadn’t even begun to think about picking his jaw up off the ground before Scrooge appeared in the manor’s doorway like a disgruntled Santa Claus with his red coat and unkempt whiskers. He was scowling, and the dark circles under his eyes quickly betrayed his lack of sleep. “Nephew!” he barked, taping his cane on the steps.

Normally, Donald would never have let dear Uncle Scrooge regard him in such a way, but he was reeling to the point that rather than reciprocating, he obediently exited the car and stumbled towards the door. “Uncle Scrooge, wh-”

“Ssshh!” Scrooge tugged him by the sleeve and fully into the house. The only light in the main hallway after Scrooge slammed the door behind them spilled through window curtains, creating an eerie, conspiratorial air. Even more suspiciously, he rushed to press one eye to the peephole. “He might hear you!”

“Who, Uncle Scrooge?”

Only tentatively certain the coast was clear, Scrooge tilted back slightly and side-eyed Donald. “Glomgold! That no-good, low-down-”

“Slow down!” Donald hollered. “What’d he do this time?”

“Nothing incriminating- yet.” Scrooge shoulder-checked his nephew and stormed towards the dining room, the taps of his cane echoing ominously throughout the hallway. Donald nervously gulped, yet still followed, and when Scrooge haphazardly gestured towards a chair, he took it, no questions asked. The autumn sunlight blasted through the window on the far side of the cavernous room, which cast Scrooge in a pale, almost ghastly light as he took the seat across from Donald; the light’s reflection on his spectacles rendered his expression nearly unreadable, save for his tight, almost morbid frown. Shadows falling over him accented every ruffled feather and line on his weathered face. “As you know,” he started, “Flintheart Glomgold and I have been rivals for many a year.”

No kidding, Donald thought. He opted to keep it to himself.

“Of course, no matter how small the battle, I pride myself on besting him each time because it shows the world that liars, cheaters, and stealers will always be at the bottom of the barrel. Now, I refuse to stoop to his level, that’s not what I’m getting at. But I know when there’s a fight I cannae weather on my own.” He rose from his seat to cross the threshold and gaze out the window. “You noticed the decorations outside, correct?”

“Well, they’re kind of hard to miss on your front lawn, Uncle Scrooge.”

Scrooge elected to ignore this. “The annual Duckburg Christmas Decorating Competition is on the horizon and Glomgold has plans to enter it.”

“... So?”

“So, he’s taking it as an opportunity to humiliate me!” He sighed and sank into a different chair at the head of the table, massaging his temples. “He announced it on the news last night and called me out by name for ‘not having a merry bone in my body’, as if I don’t know for a fact that the cheat hired a decorator to do the work for him.”

“... But he’s right.”

“That’s beside the point, lad! I’ve never let anyone drag my name through the mud and I certainly don’t plan on starting with Flintheart Glomgold. Regardless, I can’t in good conscious let him take the win away from someone who deserves it.”

With a smirk, Donald reclined in his seat and kicked his feet up onto the table. “You want the $50 prize, don’t you?”

Scrooge swiped his legs back down. Underneath his feathers, he was beaming red. “It’s a perk, yes, but ultimately beside the point.”

Donald readjusted his sailor hat, which had fallen over his beak. “Alright. I’ll bite. What’s this got to do with me?” he grumbled.

“You said it yourself, Glomgold was right. What you see outside is about as far as I got before I hit a roadblock. If I’m going to win, I’ll need the help of someone who knows his way around Christmas.”

“Really? I thought you wanted to come by it honestly.”

“Well, clearly, I’m going to do the work, too! All I need is someone to put me in the right direction.”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“You get the knowledge that you helped your dear, old uncle. Consider it your good deed of the season.” Donald also received a hearty pat on the shoulder, and he sank under Scrooge’s hand with a squawking exhale.

“I don’t get a choice, do I?”

“Not if you want an inheritance.”

“You know, I hate that you can use that against me! Your own nephew!” He whirled around on Scrooge, who was grinning wryly.

“10 A.M. sharp. And don’t be late!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Of course, bright and early the next morning, an exhausted Donald was pushing along a cart- obviously, the only one in the store with a broken wheel- down the narrow aisles of the bargain store. He knew he could do a lot with a little and had for as long as he’d had his own house, but he had a bone to pick with Scrooge’s impressive home and characteristically minute budget. At least, he reminded himself, it wasn’t coming out of his own pocket. That was a Christmas miracle he wouldn’t turn his beak up at.

Already stocked in the cart were boxes of more lights with colors of all sorts; tinsel snowmen and Santas with stakes to go into the lawn; rich, green, plastic garland for the front of the roof and door; and all manner of quirky signs that said things like, “Santa stop here”. Donald could already vividly imagine Scrooge’s disdain, a thought that gave him the utmost satisfaction; the miser had demanded a Donald Duck Christmas, so he was going to get one. All that remained on his list was a wreath for the front door. Put it all together and you wouldn’t necessarily have a lavish set of decor, but a charming one, nonetheless.

He continued scouring the aisles, which were looking barer and barer as he shifted towards the back of the store. It appeared that they had moved most of the stock up front in wait for new inventory, which was no significant deal, but the idea that his original plan wouldn’t come to fruition already had him agitated. And he certainly wasn’t about to scramble around Duckburg for it.

It was the next to last aisle, with a flickering- yet still heavenly- fluorescent light above it was his saving grace. The wreath was absolutely hideous; it was made of peppermint-colored tinsel, glittery green ribbon wrapped around it in a way that culminated in the most endearing little bow. A total eyesore, Donald knew it was the most perfect of outcomes. He reached for it on instinct and would have had it had someone not careened head-first into his cart with theirs. The buggy he was steering violently jolted back and the handlebar went into his stomach with such force that he immediately doubled over. Little else mattered as he worked to suppress the sudden, overwhelming nauseous feeling, but he caught a glimpse of the light reflecting off of his coveted wreath as it was held high in triumph.

“Nice try, Duck!” a glib, Scottish voice proclaimed. “That’ll teach you to play errand boy for old Scroogey.”

Donald would have recognized that voice anywhere. “Glomgold?!” he sputtered. He pried his eyes upward and sure enough, there stood the richest duck in the world, who looked immensely out of place in suburban Duckburg. He looked as mean as ever with his brow furrowed over beady eyes and his beak contorted into a wry grimace.

“The old skinflint couldnae be bothered to do his own dirty work, eh?” Glomgold cackled. He tossed the wreath into his almost empty cart. “How honest of him.”

Donald was quickly possessed with the need to defend his uncle; Scrooge got on his nerves, but when it counted, he was still family. Now mostly recovered, Donald rose to his full height. “Tough talk for a guy who has to pay for someone to do his for him. At least ScACK-”

Glomgold’s breath was hot on his face, the collar of his shirt balled in the smaller man’s fist. His feet had left the ground and his torso was hovering just slightly over his buggy. “How did you know about that?!” Glomgold hissed.

“Word travels fast in Duckburg?” Donald choked.

“Bah!” Glomgold shoved Donald backwards. “Doesnae matter. I’ve got more important things to worry about.”

Rubbing his neck, Donald gave Glomgold a nasty look. “Where is your decorator, anyway? Shouldn’t they be doing this kind of work?”

“That’s my personal business and no one else’s!” For a moment, Glomgold’s eyes went wide with embarrassment, but after a moment, he recovered with a scowl. He spat a covering scoff and swiftly moved to back out of the opposite end of the aisle. His face might have been red, although Donald wouldn’t have known; the world’s second-most miser diligently kept his head down.

That is, until an idea struck him. He jolted back up and suddenly gave a mildly alarmed Donald a once-over, landing first on the buggy of seasonal goods and then on his snowflake-patterned sweatshirt. He took a deep breath, swallowed his pride, and approached again, this time careful not to slam into the other’s cart. “How would you like to help an old man out this Christmastime?”

“No, thanks.” There was an apparent edge to Donald’s voice. “Helping Uncle Scrooge is going to give me enough trouble.”

“What if I paid you?”

That caught Donald’s attention. His eyes narrowed, yet the extra layer of suspicion did little to mask the evident excitement. “How much?”

“One hundred. Not a penny over.”

The duck would have been lying if he said his heart hadn’t skipped a beat. $100 would never solve all of his problems, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt anything; there were dozens of ways he could use the extra cash. Presents, groceries, bills... Scrooge would never let him live it down, but he was always complaining about Donald not working hard enough to earn his keep...

Who said Scrooge had to find out, anyway?

“Pay me up front and we have a deal.”

Glomgold frowned. “And why exactly should I trust McDuck’s nephew to keep his word?”

“Why should I trust my uncle’s nemesis to actually pay me what I’m owed?”

“Hmm... Touché. Fine. Be at my mansion by 2 o’clock this evening- no later! You’ll get your money when you show up. My old decorator, erm... left behind most of his decorations, so all you need to do is handle putting them up.” Glomgold backed away, this time for real, and as he rounded the corner, hollered, “Remember- 2 o’clock!”

Once he vanished, Donald sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Task one was getting McDuck Manor in tip-top shape in just under four hours, and Scrooge was already making things difficult.

If you had ever even heard of Scrooge McDuck, you were well aware that his stubbornness was unparalleled. To phrase it nicely, he was a particular man who knew precisely what he wanted, and when that vision was compromised, he quickly became testy. This was discernible from the moment Donald had begun unloading the car when he approached, at least appearing slightly more rested this time. However, a good night’s rest did little to prevent him from being ornery; all it took was a sideways glance for Donald to gauge what kind of day it was going to be.

Knowing this, Donald made the executive decision to tackle the worst of it first: the garland. Should tensions have escalated, he wanted to have solid ground beneath his feet by the time it happened; although Scrooge wasn’t particularly malicious these days, his loving nephew still didn’t entirely trust him not to “accidentally” send him over the roof’s edge. So, the dynamic duo took Donald’s old toolbox, Scrooge’s rickety ladder, and some semblance of team spirit up and to the top of the manor.

Everything started off with enough niceties. They began by temporarily removing the icicle lights that were already up, which they would reinstall over the garland. Scrooge’s habit of micromanaging manifested only in claiming the brunt of the work while Donald collected nails and wrapped the lights up neatly. They small-talked about how school was going for the nephews (surprisingly well; Donald didn’t have to tell them to do their homework as much, anymore), how Daisy was faring (as high-strung as ever), and how McDuck Industries stocks were looking (still worth trillions despite certain efforts). It was rather pleasant for a time until they actually moved on to the main part of the job.

Scrooge started on the left side of the roof and Donald on the right. The garland was just long enough to cover the length of the front of the roof, which they both concurred was all they really needed. But it was pulled taut with little give; it was only a matter of time before someone got caught on it or adjusted it just slightly too far. This person, of course, just so happened to be Donald, not even realizing he was tugging on it.

“Watch it, lad!”

“What do you mean, ‘watch it’?!”

“I mean what I said!” Scrooge gestured frantically. “You’re yanking on the blasted thing! It’ll go all uneven!”

Donald grumbled something slightly foul under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Uncle Scrooge!”

For a long moment, Scrooge glowered at Donald. Upon realizing his nephew wasn’t going to remove his gaze from his hammering, he pulled on his end of the garland. This ripped it out of Donald’s hand and sent half of it fluttering to the ground below.

Donald rolled his eyes and with a sigh, marched over to Scrooge’s side to reel the rest of the garland back up. “Really, Scrooge?”

“No clue what you’re talking about, Donald.”

And so, the games began.

The garland installation continued exactly as it began, in a passive-aggressive back-and-forth, a quiet battle of seeing who would lose their temper first. When this was done and the two of them were red-faced from pulling against one another, the replacement of the lighting kept the legacy going. These strands were just a little bit longer than the garland, so engaging in physical combat wasn’t much of an option, but they substituted tiny, antagonistic remarks and conveniently timed sighs with the sole intention of driving the other mad. No one lost it entirely, although headway was certainly made.

Afterward, they shifted to the lights Donald had just purchased, which he proposed they wrap around the driveway candy canes to create a humble chain of light along the path. This seemed to please Scrooge well enough, so Donald moved to open the boxes and dumped the strings out into his hand.

Every box was tangled into a catastrophic ball. Scrooge’s sneer quickly returned, yet he extended a helpful hand. “Let me take care of that,” he offered. “You just worry about the signposts.”

Conceding, Donald forked over the strand he was working on and snatched the bags with the signs and tinsel figures in them. He could already hear Scrooge quietly cursing as he fumbled with the lights. As he selected a tattered mallet from the toolbox, Donald opted to ignore it.

In the bags, there were currently six signs with various sayings and four of the adorable figures. An even total of ten meant five on either side of the lawn; they could be staggered, too, creating a sense of chaotic order. The image of it alone made Donald wish they had more of a front yard at the Duck household; most of their decor was confined to the porch and inside the house, which was fine, but he occupied his mind as he hammered away with thoughts of what he could do if he had as much space as Scrooge did. Inflatables were his favorite of the ideas.

“Oy!” hollered Scrooge, breaking him out of his trance. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m putting the signs up like you asked!”

“Not like that, you’re not! They’re too neat. Try mixing them up a wee bit.”

Mixing them up? Donald mouthed incredulously, though he still began pulling the stakes from the grass. He assumed Scrooge meant less orderly and more random, although he didn’t think they were particularly “neat” to begin with. Either way, he resigned himself to Scrooge’s bossiness just for the sake of getting it done; the best he could do was try for a general idea of what his uncle wanted. He had barely begun moving a red, green, and gold sign that read “Jingle all the way” before he was snapped at once more.

“A little to the right, lad! Now, just a tad back. No, the other way! The way you’re facing! Right, right, there you are!”

Donald hammered the signpost into the ground and as soon as he was finished, marched over to Scrooge. He took the half-detangled lights from his hand and replaced them with the mallet.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” quipped Scrooge.

Since Scrooge had already powered through most of them with surprising alacrity, the lights were quick work and fairly straightforward. And with McDuck occupied at either side of the property, there was no reason for the two of them to be bickering with one another. Once left to their own devices, they even glanced at one another occasionally to make sure everything was alright, offering reassuring nods and maybe even affirming smiles. When Scrooge was done with the signs, he wordlessly took a light strand and got started on the candy canes opposite Donald. Their tasks were completed much faster as they operated in silence.

Finally, both of them stepped back to admire their handiwork. By no means was it fancy or even really above average, but no one would believe they were passing Scrooge McDuck’s house. With its homespun Duck touch, the mansion looked cozier than ever. Donald couldn’t help but take pride in what they accomplished, and neither could Scrooge, who gave him a well-meaning smack on the shoulder.

“Would you look at that! Not half bad, lad.”

Donald beamed. “Thanks, Uncle Scrooge.”

“But I cannae help but wonder if there’s something missing.” He pointed thoughtfully at the door. “What about hanging something there? A wreath, maybe?”

Donald inhaled sharply- he had just about forgotten. “I tried to find one while I was out,” he threw out as he pulled out his watch. “They were all out, so I’ll have to look again when they restock.”

It was only 12:35. A sigh of relief escaped his beak; he was way ahead of schedule.

“You’ve got somewhere to be?” He looked back up at Scrooge and noticed the billionaire’s eyebrow was raised. A bead of sweat fell down the side of Donald’s face.

“Oh, uh... I’m... just working an odd job downtown. To make some extra money for the holidays.” It wasn’t entirely a lie- simply a paraphrased version of what was really happening. Right?

The response began as a small hum of what seemed to be understanding and a slight nod. Scrooge audibly exhaled and for a moment, Donald wondered if he might have been disappointed. “Alright then, lad. You best be going, then. Don’t want to be late, do we?”

“Of course not, Uncle Scrooge.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Donald had meagerly hoped that Glomgold would be thrilled that he was there not only on time but over an hour early. He was, in fact, the opposite. He was already shouting about Donald’s audacity for showing up at his door without warning and how when he gave a time, he meant it. At least he kept his word about the payment.

Glomgold hadn’t even bothered to get the decorations ready or have one of his many staff members take care of it; everything was piled up in the main hall and looked to have been there for several days. There were boxes that had toppled over and not been picked up, ornaments that had rolled out of the fray and across the floor, and some containers that had dents in them from where they had seemingly been kicked. It was already apparent that this was going to be a much bigger job than he had just done for Scrooge and longer, too, because there was no way he was going to coax an already bilious Flintheart into helping him.

He didn’t even have any place to start. There were no decorations already up, and when he asked what was wanted, Glomgold offered little more than a “figure it out” before retreating into his study. Donald didn’t entirely mind being given creative liberty, yet he had a feeling deep in his heart that he didn’t have nearly as much freedom as he was being led to believe. Either way, his only choice was to swallow his pride and get to work.

The rest of the afternoon and into the evening was one of the worst work experiences he had ever had the displeasure of having- and he had had many a rotten one. He arrived at around 12:45 and ended up at the manor until approximately 8 p.m. In that time, he redid the decorations he had worked so hard on a grand total of three times.

It wasn’t the workload or the time it took that bothered him, but rather the lack of respect on the part of his temporary employer. Whenever Glomgold broke away from his study to check in, it was always to nitpick, to berate, to demand he do it again, do better, with no other instruction. He would slam the door when going back indoors, which almost always knocked decorations of some kind down; there was one time when the ladder Donald was using shook and almost fell to the ground, the only saving grace being that the duck was quick to catch onto the gutters for stability. That was the third time he had done it, and the time that helped Donald realize it was intentional.

Scrooge was obnoxiously discrete, but by the second time Glomgold had demanded he take everything down and start completely from scratch, he desperately missed his uncle’s criticisms.

By the time 8 o’clock had finally come around, Glomgold seemed absolutely indifferent about the grueling work Donald had diligently put into this round of decorating. As he worked, the worn decorator came up with the most intense, inspiring speech he could in the event that he was told to do it again. He was actually rather disappointed that he wasn’t and what somehow made it even worse was that Glomgold didn’t even say he liked it. He just told Donald his job was done, and he could go home.

Donald’s exhaustion became fully palpable when he sank into the driver’s seat of his car. Each and every muscle he had used begged for rest and he could barely keep his eyes open and focused on the road. He didn’t even remember most of the ride home.

He more fell into the doorway than stepped. The triplet nephews were already in bed by now, but he could see the living room light on where Daisy, who was keeping an eye on them, was still awake. “Daisy, I’m home,” he half-whispered as he shuffled towards the quiet sounds of the television.

He heard the voice before he saw the face. “How was your workday, lad?”

A jolt of energy sparked through Donald’s body. He looked up and there was Scrooge on the couch, arms crossed like a parent waiting for a teenager that was out past curfew. “Uncle Scrooge? Where’s Daisy?”

“Oh, I sent her home. You said it yourself, she’s just been working so hard lately, I figured she’d want a break. Besides, I want to have a little chat.” Scrooge patted the seat on the couch next to him. Very carefully, Donald approached and sat down. “How was old Flinty?”

“How did you-?!”

Scrooge scrunched his face up in morbid glee. “‘Word travels fast in Duckburg.’” He half-sighed, half-chuckled. “After you left, a certain someone left a voicemail on my answering machine. Oh, that mountebank was just dying to tell me that he got my nephew to work for him. Real proud of himself. I didn’t even make it through the whole message, I was so angry with you. I almost marched down there myself and dragged you back home!”

“... But...?”

“Well, Duckworth heard through the grapevine that his decorator had quit after a series of disagreements. A whole lot of foul behavior out of that man.”

“It’s because he’s awful!” Donald finally snapped.

“Which is exactly why I restrained myself.” He leaned in and firmly gripped Donald’s shoulder. “Learned your lesson, did you?”

Donald festered in it for a moment.

“‘Yes, Uncle Scrooge. I’m right sorry I worked with your arch-nemesis, Uncle Scrooge!’”

“Oh, fine! I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry! Now, can I go to bed? I’m beat.”

“Just one more thing.” Grinning, Scrooge held out his hand. “Give me half of what he paid you.”

“What? No way!”

“Och, well now I’m never going to forget the sting of your betrayal-”

“Shush up, you old geezer, here!” Donald slapped fifty out of the hundred into Scrooge’s hand. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“Aye, we’ve all got something to be ashamed of. Now, you best be getting upstairs. I overheard the bairns planning to pull out your decorations tomorrow morning.”

Donald buried his face into one of the couch’s pillows, Scrooge’s cackles echoing in his ears.

[shihalyfie]

hi! this is out of curiosity, since when do you start to watch adv series in its original jap. ver.? do you find any difficulty in trying to adapt, get used to it? like the voices, names of the characters, music, the way the story is presented. i first watch the series in my own language and the english ver (not the us ver., more like asian english ver.) before i encounter the original jap. ver. during my teenage years and get used to it over time until now. i'm okay with dub ver, but i always prefer, love to watch the jap. ver. more than other dubs.

(Note: This was cleared up later with the asker and various parties, so mostly leaving this for posterity: while it's not universally well-known, "J*p" is a slur originating from WWII, so I ask that people please be careful about not using that even as an abbreviation.)

Regardless of language, I've always been interested in original versions of any dubbed media for as long as I've been consuming media (I won't say I'm necessarily a purist, I just happen to have a natural curiosity for what must have been the original source), so I'd been interested in the Japanese version of Digimon ever since I first got into it, and had been following it ever since it started getting translated. If you know anything about Digimon and subbing, it actually took some years for most early Digimon series to get decent quality subs in full, so I thank everyone involved for their hard work, especially since the prevailing attitude at the time was that "the (American) English dub didn't change anything substantial anyway" (ignoring the fact that there would still be good reason to have the Japanese version on hand even if that were the case...) and the demand for it was even more niche than it is now.

I didn't really have problems getting used to names. I did have to get used to the voices, because since I got in with the American English dub initially, I had a strong attachment to the voices I'd associated with them there (and I still do, even if I haven't fully watched the dub in years!), so there would be things like Yamato (Kazama Yuuto)'s voice being much deeper than I'd expected, or Agumon's voice being completely different in general, but I got used to it quickly because I felt like everyone fit their character perfectly in their own way. The music was a bit surprising, but I was never too incredibly attached to the original music anyway so it was mostly just discovering something new and fun. Other than that, I guess I was incredibly surprised by how different of an impression 02 gave me, especially Daisuke; having been eyeing 02 in Japanese since translation efforts first started, I knew there had been some changes (Hurricane Touchdown...) but the actual degree really surprised me, especially since, as I said, the prevailing attitude was that "it didn't change much". Part of the reason I write so extensively about how much the 02 dub changed is that I personally witnessed firsthand how much my perception of the series abruptly shifted after my first time watching it in Japanese, and how nearly impossible it became to hold analytical conversations about certain smaller details with people who mistakenly over-applied dub things to the Japanese version because "we're actually talking about two different things, aren't we..." never comes up thanks to how prevalent this myth is. Driving this home further, I don't have this issue at all with fans who had their own local dubs more closely adapted from the Japanese version, so the problem really isn't whether it was in Japanese or not, or whether it was a dub or not, as much as the fact "the script really did change that much".

Currently, I guess I would say I have a pretty complicated relationship with Digimon's American English dubs. Like I said, I don't necessarily think I'm a purist or anything, and even though I have an increased stake in watching things in Japanese since I can actually understand much more about the language than I used to, I myself still enjoy a good dub and also completely understand and appreciate the nature of what dubbing entailed in those days, the dub's role in getting Digimon to a wider audience, the reason people prefer dubs and how important this one is to people, and, heck, I still love the voice actors. At the same time, this "it didn't change anything significant" myth has been really damaging and frustrating to deal with, because you get pointless, unnecessary arguments about people trying to talk about two very different versions of the series and arguing because they don't realize the characters they're discussing weren't even written similarly (hi, Mimi and Daisuke). Even if people do acknowledge the changes, there's also a tendency to worship that dub, so even though I feel my complaints about it are pretty legitimate ones (my gripes mainly being that I'm uncomfortable with the characterization changes, I feel many of the changes caused a significant adverse impact on the story and characterization integrity especially in the case of 02, and I get a bit of a bad feeling about some of the cultural localization attempts in dialogue borderline crossing into racism), it's frustrating to constantly get shut down because everything should be excused as long as it was in someone's childhood, and it's also frustrating to see these dismissals applied to people who had their own aforementioned local dubs and are upset at how this impacted their own childhood, but are thrown under the bus because their own dub is treated disrespectfully as if it were "secondary" to the American English dub somehow being the enforced, mandated standard for any kind of localized Digimon outside Japan.

I completely understand that a lot of this is lashback developed from Japanese-version-only purist camps being obnoxious about dunking on dubs, but it's uncomfortable observing the results of the fallout when you're kind of here in the middle not wanting to dunk on it for the sake of dunking on it, but also having concerns that you feel everyone is dismissing you for. (Not helping is also the fact that obnoxious purists love to dunk on people for having a personal preference for dubs; there are a lot of reasons to prefer them even if you're aware of the changes, personal emotional attachment and accessibility reasons being among them, and my grievances have more to do with the "it didn't change anything" myth still being prevalent, the experiences of having any criticism I have of it being so easily dismissed, and the fact that a combination of both means that having strong loyalty to the Japanese version gets you pinned as being an unusual purist or being overly picky.)

Also, I think one thing that isn't often talked about is that there's a huge difference between the dubs of everything up to 02 and the dubs of everything between Tamers and Savers (Xros Wars we'll...leave aside for now, haha). In the case of the latter, the aggressive joke-adding is much less intrusive, the changes (including to characterization) are less significant, and you can even see this in that Diablomon Strikes Back's dub has much closer dialogue and characterization to the original than anything else from the 02 dub. So a lot of what I said above actually just applies to Adventure and 02 more than anything. For series after, I don't make it a habit to watch their dubs as often these days, but I'm still familiar with them and have my own pretty strong sense of nostalgia for the Tamers and Frontier ones in particular, and for anything after 02, I haven't had any particular experience with other fans regarding trying to discuss the series but finding we're talking about two different things, other than maybe one or two minor things that had to be cleared up every so often. So in that case I myself also agree more with the idea of mostly treating the dubbed and Japanese versions as the same thing, whereas with Adventure and 02 I honestly feel they need to be treated as separate and distinct things.

In the end I guess the take-home I have here is that I feel like my experience going from the dub to the Japanese version has been a lot less shocking or eventful than dealing with the perceptions and stigmas around them from other people...^^;;

[realtalk-princeton]

I have a paper due on dean's date and I'm really scared because I've never written a paper like this before (I have writing sem next semester and I never really did anything like this in high school)?? Is there any advice you can give on how to start the actual writing process (I think I've found some good sources but idk man this is all so scary!!!)?

Response from Sulpicia:

I’ve written somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 papers and formal written assignments of various lengths, and I will say that things get much easier as you get practice. Don’t expect things to be perfect the first time! This is my personal writing process, so feel free to adapt as necessary.

Step 1: Understand the question. How long should it be? Are you supposed to be close reading a passage, bringing together research from different readings/areas in class, or conducting original research? Often, it’s a combination of a few things. For this example, I’m going to assume you’re doing a research paper with a fairly open-ended prompt. Page count matters a lot too; a 5-7 page paper will be much smaller in scope than a 10-12 page paper, which will in turn be smaller than a 15-20 page paper. I’m going to assume you’re doing a 10-12 page paper but most of the same tips apply.

Step 2: Develop a topic. It seems like you’re already mostly there! I find this to be the hardest part of the writing process. I usually like to start by going through class readings that I can draw upon for the paper (for some classes that’s all of it, for others that’s a subset) and rereading them, looking to see if there are any questions that were left unanswered in class. If you have a more structured prompt, then it might be useful to reread the material and see how much you can develop an answer through that. At this stage, I like to make a lot of notes on paper, and if I’m using a lot of sources I might make a web or chart to figure out how the concepts relate. Personally, I find it helpful to center my research papers around one “lead” concept and one “supporting” concept. By that I mean that you can focus on reading one piece of text through multiple theoretical lenses/the broader themes of the class, or you can apply one theoretical lens to multiple pieces of text/the broader themes of the class. The key is to focus on one specific thing. 

For example, in my Fall JP my “lead” concept was a group of poems, where I narrowly focused on the treatment of slavery. In addition to my own close reading, I researched some theoretical sources and then used those sources to help understand this particular area of the text. Even though I was critiquing and quoting these scholarly sources, they were the “supporting” concept because they were helping me (and the reader) understand the main thing I was writing about.

I actually like to brainstorm term paper topics all semester and write them down when inspiration strikes. Good term papers are typically about something that, when you’re reading it, makes you think “That’s weird” or “You’re wrong, [insert scholar/author name]”, or “This contradicts with [other reading]”. Academic paper writing, just like good storytelling, requires conflict; it’s not useful to anyone to write papers that just go along and agree with everything in a source. Going back to primary sources or comparing secondary sources is how you find these conflicts and bring them to light.

The last thing you should do in this step is write a clear, specific question you want to answer. For example, I once wrote a paper where the question was “Based on manifestos from Italian Futurist writers, how was clothing incorporated into the Futurist movement, and how was this similar to and different than other Futurist art forms?”

Step 3: Brainstorm Solutions. Once you have a topic, you probably have some sources already. At this time, it’s helpful to go to the library and look for some research on your topic. Sometimes I go to the library to get ideas for topics, while other times I have specific questions I want answered and look for those answers in an existing text. In addition to our amazing library, you can look on Jstor, which is freely accessible to Princeton students, as well as Google Scholar, which has a lot of links to useful books and articles. This stage of research will help you start developing answers to your questions.

Once again, I like to make paper notes because I think it’s easier to think non-linearly on paper. Write anything down; all ideas are good ideas at this stage! I also like to make scans and print out passages from books so I can annotate them. After you’ve done this for a while, look at what you’ve written and see if there are any common themes. If you had to answer your question in one sentence, what would you say? Try to avoid the “three-pronged” thesis; this kind of roadmapping can be helpful for you and a grader if you’re writing a timed essay for a test, but isn’t really helpful for college-level writing, where you want to give more room for your ideas to breathe. The prompt that I learned in Writing Sem for writing a thesis statement goes like this: “By looking at [lead concept,] we can see that [answer to your question], which is important because [connection to broader concept/theme of class]”. If you can it’s good to not use these exact words, but it’s also okay to have some sort of structure, especially at this stage. Here’s the thesis statement from my Futurism paper, which was not my best thesis statement ever, tbh:

“I argue that Futurist fashion, as exemplified by Volt and Balla’s manifestoes, creates a realizable posthuman experience characterized by the destruction of traditional boundaries of the human condition.“

That was for a paper that was about 10 pages long. If your paper is shorter then you’ll probably need a more specific thesis statement, and if it’s longer you’ll need one that is broader or has more details.

Step 4: Develop a structure. Writer/editor Yung In Chae ‘15 wrote a really great piece about writing (which I’ll link below) in which she said that “ If the sections of your article are completely interchangeable, then you have not figured out the structure.” This is the same with your essay. Think about the first thing you need to prove for someone to buy your thesis statement, then the next thing that builds on that, then the next thing that builds on that. If I’m writing about a text, I often find it helpful to begin at the beginning and progress roughly chronologically, although you should feel free to jump around as sometimes you need to present a later piece of evidence for someone to understand the earlier one. I’ll make a rough outline either on a piece of paper or on a Word document, making bullet points with pieces of evidence and things I want to cover. Some people like to outline so heavily the process of writing is just stringing the outline together with transition words. I don’t do this, but think it’s helpful to include usable sentences in your outline so that way you make easy spots for yourself when writing. Then I print out my outline and keep it next to me.

Step 5: Write a rough draft. I lied. This is the hardest part of a paper. The blank page is like a speed bump; if you’ve done a lot of prewriting/acceleration it’s easier to sail over, but if you’ve done nothing, it feels daunting and impossible. I like to start at the beginning with my writing, but some people prefer to jump into the middle and write the introduction later. I find the introduction helps orient me, but you can see what works best for you. I’m a huge fan of what writer Ann Lamott calls “shitty rough drafts” in her book on writing, “Bird By Bird.” While the aim isn’t for the draft to be garbage, telling yourself that you will revise (and giving yourself time to revise) helps liberate you from the feeling that you have to make perfect prose every time. Just start writing and see what your paper looks like; I have never written a paper where I didn’t find more evidence while writing, or where my structure hasn’t changed in ways I could have predicted by doing anything but writing the paper.

Don’t get too stuck on a perfect first sentence. I find it helpful to open with something we discussed in lecture, or the weird, incongruous thing that led me to write the paper in the first place. Here are some first sentences I’ve written in the past:

1. “At its core, elementary education is a concise synthesis of a society’s core values, biases, and contradictions; the “basic” concepts which make up the first years of learning become the foundation upon which all later thought must necessarily rest, both in and outside of the classroom. “ (JP)

2. “A man wanders through city streets alone, buys his groceries, and returns home unharassed, noting that in his solitude he is more fortunate than even a famous senator” (JP)

3. “In his 1920 “Futurist Manifesto of Women’s Fashion,” Vincenzo Fani (using the pseudonym “Volt”) writes that Futurist thinkers will “transform the elegant lady into a real, three-dimensional complex,”[1] encouraging the use of “one hundred new revolutionary materials”[2] in the making of women’s clothing, including “paper, cardboard, glass, tinfoil. . .gas, growing plants, and living animals.”[3] Readers a century later will find striking comparisons to the daring and subversive ensembles worn by celebrities on contemporary red carpets, such as the singer Lady Gaga’s infamous “meat dress.”” (Term paper I’ve been using as an example)

As you can see, in (1) I started off with a broad generality meant to orient my reader which I, in my intro, narrowed into my specific topic. In (2), I used a narrative opening which I then expanded to get inside my topic. In (3), I introduced my source right away and then compared it to a contemporary source. I’m not saying any of these are the best writing ever, but there’s no “one way” to do an opening, even within one writer’s style.

Your intro can be as many paragraphs as you want and should end with your thesis statement. I like to think of this as the first part of a rollercoaster; you’re bringing your audience up a hill, slowly dragging them along as you introduce all of the major ideas of your paper (as well as any assumptions you may be making) before seamlessly placing your thesis statement at the top of the big hill and letting the argument run its course. The rest of the paper should be like a roller coaster as well; just like a rollercoaster pretty much zips along on its own force, you should aim for paragraphs and evidence to smoothly follow each other, with each sentence contributing to the last. Follow a pattern of evidence and analysis, and try to incorporate little chunks of evidence into your sentences rather than dumping them into sentences. Try to end your paragraphs on analytical points rather than evidence dumps.

Finally, you have to write a conclusion. My sixth-grade English teacher explained that the conclusion is where you “go beyond,” and this is what I think is key to a really successful essay. Yes, it’s awesome that you’ve proven your thesis, but why does it matter? How does it connect to broader course themes, the scholarly conversation, or even just life in general? Don’t be too trite, but try to think about how you, in 4-5 sentences, can summarize your argument and also make the meta-argument about why the world is smarter with your paper in it.

Step 6: Cite, Cite, Cite! Do this while you are writing your rough draft. Make a works cited page and add to it as you go, and also add in your in-text citations as you go to save yourself a world of stress. If your professor doesn’t specify you can use any style. I personally prefer Chicago style but I know APA is standard for sciences/social sciences. There are loads of resources online like EasyBib and Purdue Owl which are helpful for figuring out how to write citations, but the writing center is also helpful and you can always ask a research librarian as well (check your email for the “personal librarian” contact info). I brought both my JPs to my department’s subject librarian to double-check my citations.

Step 7: Revise! This is where your paper really takes shape. I revise like this. First, I print out my paper. Then, I sit down with it with a pen and write notes all over it, marking places where I need more information/evidence, where my argumentation is weak, where I’ve made typos, etc. Then, I open a new document and retype the whole thing from my revised copy. This helps me because I get overwhelmed by lots of text, and it also forces me to make all the revisions. Once I’ve got a clean non-rough draft, I also like to read my papers out loud, since that’s a good way to make sure you don’t have endless run on sentences or awkward prose. When I came to Princeton, I was usually doing 4-5 revisions of my papers, and I did about 5 complete drafts of my JP (with the biggest changes happening between my rough and first drafts). Now I typically only do 1-2 revisions, but that’s because I put the time in early as a self-editor and developed the skills to write better first drafts. I also find it helpful to have a patient friend read a draft, although it’s important to be conscious of their time.

I really can’t emphasize enough how much doing proper revising helps you stand out; most people here do not revise their work substantially, but that’s the space where you’re thinking critically about your work and enriching it. Unfortunately, our best ideas don’t come all at once but in stages, so editing is just as much about allowing your thinking to progress as anything else.

Step 7: Polish. Once your paper is edited, take this time to check for typos, add page numbers (with your name in the header), double-check citations, add a title (it doesn’t need to be art, but should be a real title and not “ENG 101 Term Paper”), and either cut down the paper to length or elaborate on a point to get it to the minimum length.

And you’re done! At this point, it takes me about 1hr/page to write a paper once I’ve done all my research, but I would allocate about 2hrs/page if you’re starting out. My #1 advice would be to not be afraid; the wonderful thing about writing is that your early drafts can be as bad as you want and nobody will ever know because you can revise, so liberate yourself. Also, you’re probably a really good writer already, so don’t be nervous :)

Here’s the link to the article which has much better writing advice than me, and write if you have more specific questions: https://eidolon.pub/ten-things-i-learned-about-writing-by-editing-68f3f93e45ef