#probably not written very grammatically correct

[an-ruraiocht]

90% of the time when i see reviews and posts saying "this book needed editing" i don't think the reader have any idea what editing actually entails. usually this is actually code for one of several "problems" with the book:

it's too long, or it's slower paced than this reader's preference. they believe "editing" would mean making it shorter

it has a heavily descriptive style, which the reader doesn't like. they believe "editing" means paring every sentence down to hemingway-style prose with no adverbs

it doesn't follow the very rigid "save the cat" style 3-act story structure, disrupting the reader's sense of narrative tension. an editor, they believe, would've made sure it did

there were a few typos or formatting errors, and they believe it's the editor's job to catch these (it's not, it's typically the proofreader and the typesetter who have responsibility for that kind of thing)

and finally, most often:

the author had different narrative priorities than the reader, who thinks an editor would have made the author change their priorities.

the thing is, there are actually issues with editors in trad publishing being overworked to the point where things aren't getting the thorough, thoughtful editing that they need to be the best version of themselves. there are plenty of badly-structured, poorly-researched, and clumsily written books out there. moreover copyediting is typically freelance and perhaps because of that, this is the area where i see the largest number of issues: continuity issues, grammar issues, factual errors etc that someone should've spotted and didn't.

but this is not typically what people's "this needed an editor" reviews are focusing on. most often it just means they didn't like the book and they've decided editing is an all-powerful force that would have transformed it into a book they liked. but that's not how it works. and disproportionately what this comment means is that the book doesn't match what current fashions have decided is The Correct Style to write in

"this book needed an editor" if it's traditionally published, it had one. like. by definition. it was an editor who bought the book. that doesn't mean the editor did a great job but they definitely existed. there were probably at least two (acquiring editor who does the dev edits; copyeditor who does copyedits), and the proofreader, and a bunch of other people besides.

also i think people think editors are the ones who like. implement the changes. but they don't. they give comments and recommendations and ask questions and the author is the one to act on them. the editor will not rewrite the book. they will not fix the problems themselves, they will highlight the problem and the author will figure out a fix for it, or they will decide they don't agree that it's a problem and leave it as it. and a lot of the sentence-level style stuff is entirely on the author so if they don't have an ear for the rhythm then nobody's going to fix that for them. editors do a lot less than people seem to imagine they do, tbh

anyway

for reference—

structural/developmental edits: is this chapter in the right place and does the plot make sense and is the characterisation consistent and effective

line edits: is this sentence in the right place and is it as stylish as it could be

copy edits: is this sentence grammatically correct and consistent/factually correct within the story/its world and do the spellings follow the publisher's stylesheet

proofreading: are there any typos in this sentence and was the formatting preserved correctly when it was typeset

[almostawinchester]

ooh I am really intrigued about that young royals trailer! are there a lot of differences from the subtitles to what they are actually saying? I have seen a few people say something similar but haven't seen anything written out.

File this under "Things I didn't know I needed: Explaining all the subtle differences between what's being said in Swedish in the Young Royals Season 3 trailer, and what the subtitles say."

It's similar, but there are just some small changes that give a different *vibe*, you know?

For example in the opening scene, what Simon literally says is "Hur har du drömt att det ska vara?", a.k.a. "How have you dreamed it should be?" It's not a super common way of phrasing it in Swedish either, so I'd probably go with, "In your dream, what did you think/hope it would/should be like?"

When Wille says "Jag vill bara att vi ska kunna ha ett privatliv" (lit. "I just want for us to be able to have a private life"), to me, there's a slight difference between "privatliv" (privacy in one's personal life) and "ett privat liv" (a private life). I'd go with, "I just want us to be able to have some privacy in our personal lives."

And then there are the small filler words, which I know are left out of subs, always. But they add nuance!

When the blonde girl says "Vem skriver du med, då?" (lit. "Who are you writing with, then?"), it's more like, "So, who are you texting?"

And then Felice answers "Wille kommer tillbaks idag, ba(ra)" (lit. "Wille comes back today, just/only"), which is more like, "It's just that Wille is coming back today". Both "ba" and "tillbaks" are informal versions of "bara" and "tillbaka", which adds to the *shrug, no big deal* vibe.

And then the blonde answers, "Vadå, det är ju en så stor grej ju!" (lit. "What, that is such a big thing!"). But! There's no way of translating "ju" – it's a filler word that means "as you/we already know/are aware of". It's not even grammatically correct to add it twice, but it happens in speech when you REALLY want to emphasize the "girl, what are you talking about, we KNOW this" part. I'd translate it as "What? But that's huge!" The "ju" comes back when the blonde woman says, "Jag vet ju att det är lite spänt mellan dig och August" (lit. "I know (as we both do) that it's a bit tense between you and August").

Then we jump to a very long sentence that I understand they had to shorten – Wille saying, "Om du tror att jag kommer låta dig ta över så kan du glömma det!" (Lit. "If you think that I will let you take over, so can you forget it" – this isn't a question, Swedish word order in subordinate clauses is just very different from English). If we had enough space, I'd go with "If you think I'm going to let you take over, you can forget about it!"

Then it's just super small differences. Simon says, "Vad är det som du tycker är så bra med monarkin?" ("What is it that you think is so good with the monarchy?"); the principal (I think) says, "Hela skolans framtid hänger på den här utredningen" ("The whole school's future hangs on this investigation"); the blonde woman says "Hillerska kan tvingas stänga, med omedelbar verkan" ("Hillerska might be forced to close down, effective immediately"); and Wille says, "Vad händer om jag inte vill det?" (lit. "What happens if I don't want that?")

Then I've only just realized Swedes tend to start sentences with "but", which sometimes is more like a filler word, to "soften" the sentence. For example, the queen says "Men vi kan inte ha såna här skandaler mer!" ("But we can't have these types of scandals anymore"). (That is followed by her saying, "Så ska du kunna ta över efter mig", ("So you should be able to take over after me") which is a subordinate clause, which means there was something that came before/after that wasn't included in the trailer.) And Simon says "Men jag försöker att alltid finnas där för honom, men vad jag än gör så, ah, så blir det fel" ("But I always try to be there for him, but whatever I do, then, yeah, then it turns out wrong").

And then there's the "Hur kommer man över sin bästa vän?" ("How do you get over your best friend?") In Swedish, we use "man" (lit. "man") instead of "you", so it's more like a less formal way of saying "How does one get over one's best friend?" – I'd still translate it as "you", though.

August swears! "Jag har saknat dig så jävla mycket att det gör ont." ("I've missed you so fucking much that it hurts!") Swearing in general is a lot more okay in Swedish society, than in for example England or the US, based on my own experiences – it's done at all levels of society, by everyone (especially kids/teenagers, even in school), except for maybe at work or in very formal situations.

Simon says "Kan vi inte ba skita i allt som har hänt?" ("Can't we just ignore everything that's happened?") "Skita i" literally means "to shit in", is pretty informal and could be translated with "to not give a shit about", "to ignore" or "to skip", depending on the circumstances. Wiktionary claims it's vulgar, but I'd use it with family and friends, no problem.

So yeah! There's just more life in the actual dialogue, I think :) And I know that that's always the case, and that the translator doing the subs has limited space and time, and they need to make it work in English without adding explanations, etc., etc. So overall, I think they've done a good job – but I'm still glad I speak Swedish :)

[jokeroutsubs]

Joker Out interviews with Slovenian subtitles

Want to learn Slovenian with Joker Out? Look no further as a lot of Joker Out Subs videos have Slovenian subtitles (as well as English and several other languages).

However, one thing you need to keep in mind is that Slovenian is a language where the formal form of it that we learn in school and that is used in official capacity, and the informal form of it that we use in everyday life, are two separate things that can actually have a lot of differences (and that's without even getting into the about 50 different dialects that exist in Slovenian). Formal Slovenian, called 'knjižna slovenščina' ('literary Slovenian'), is only used in formal writing and when speaking in official capacity, such as, for example, a politician giving a speech at an event. No one uses it in casual speech, it would sound very stiff and awkward. In casual conversations, we use what we call 'pogovorna slovenščina' ('colloquial Slovenian'), which can then be further divided into colloquial literary Slovenian, slang, dialect, etc., but that would require an entire post for itself.

It can be a little complicated, but no worries – we got you! You can find detailed explanations about the common informal words and informal grammar you'll hear and see in our videos in this post.

If you’ve already tried to learn some Slovenian, and then watched a Joker Out interview, you probably already noticed that they are not speaking the formal version of the language that you’ve been learning. They are shortening a lot of words, they use the informal version of some of the words, they do not always follow grammar rules and so on.

However, the subtitles are written in formal Slovenian as much as possible to make it easier for learners of Slovenian to follow the interviews and learn the correct form of the words. In spite of that the subtitles reflect colloquial speech, so do not use them to learn proper Slovenian grammar!

Below is a list of some main differences between formal Slovenian and colloquial speech that you will notice in JOS videos.

Informal forms written as they are spoken

Some informal forms and pronunciations can be found in the Slovenian dictionary https://fran.si/, so we decided to keep the spoken/informal versions in the subtitles. These forms would not normally be used in formal written texts.

Informal forms written as in formal Slovenian

Most non-standard forms and pronunciations in Slovenian are only found in casual speech and informal written texts. They often depend on the dialect of the speakers. Most of the forms in Joker Out interviews are typical of the dialects spoken in Ljubljana and the surrounding areas.

The speakers often shorten the words by leaving out the final vowels and/or other sounds, and they sometimes use the colloquial version of the words. Especially the endings on some forms of the verbs (infinitives, participles) are routinely shortened.

In all of these cases the form used in the subtitles is the formal version, e.g. “pol” is written as “potem”.

Non-standard grammar

In informal speech speakers often use non-standard Slovenian grammar. Sometimes the non-standard use is typical of a certain variety, while sometimes it is because it is easy for speakers to make grammatical errors during informal conversations.

Some areas where non-standard grammar occurs in JOS videos are noun endings, verb forms and word order. In the subtitles, the word order is written as used by the speakers, but nouns and verbs are always written in the correct grammatical form.

Noun cases

Slovenian uses case endings on nouns, to express which role a noun is playing in a sentence. If a noun is modified by an adjective and/or a demonstrative or possessive pronoun, these also have to be in the same case.

An example of non-standard use of cases that occurs in JOS videos is the use of the ending “‑emu” instead of “‑em” on singular masculine pronouns and adjectives when used in connection with certain prepositions. This phenomenon is called “mukanje” (which literally means “mooing”) referring to the fact that these forms end in “mu”.

Verb forms

Slovenian uses verb endings to express person, number, tense, aspect, gender... Sometimes speakers use non-standard forms typical of a certain variety.

In JOS videos there are a couple of examples where a different ending is used on a verb (“‑em” instead of “‑im”) or a different verb is used altogether (the verb “moči” meaning “can” instead of “morati” meaning “must”).

Word order

Slovenian has a fairly free word order, but there are some rules, especially about which words occur in the second position in a sentence and about the order of clitics (pronouns, auxiliaries, negative adverbs). Below is also an example from a JOS video, where the participle “bilo” should not be at the end of the sentence but after the auxiliary “je”.

For more amazing resources with various dictionaries (collocations, example sentences, synonyms...) visit this website: https://www.cjvt.si/en/tools-and-resources/dictionaries-and-lexicons/

Slovenian proofreading and examples by TWT coffeebiscuit

[dropthedemiurge]

Some language comments for Gray Shelter [Episode 5], just like I promised!

"Do whatever/however you want to. (literally: 'Do it the way your heart desires') You do things how you want to anyway."

"I'm sorry" - the translation is correct, it's just it's funny how Yoondae's level of apology to his friend he just lashed out at last time + he wants to ask him for HELP, and all he says is: 미안 (mian). The most informal and short way of apologizing possible. He's so teenager-minded still.

Even when he asks "Can I leave my stuff in your dad's warehouse?" it comes out grammatically more of a demand, like 'Let me do that'. Yoondae is talking like someone who has a lot of walls and doesn't reach out to people, he doesn't talk kindly but he's honest and straightforward and he cries easily but he's very angry about it.

I especially love his facial expression, even when he's at his most miserable, he'll make it everyone else's problem, as if being pitiful is the worst thing that could happen to him. "I have no one else I could ask for help but you >:(("

Fun fact about Korean's sentence structure, when you quote someone or express your thoughts, you put your sentence this way: "quoted phrase" and then + "that's what they said/what i thought/etc". So oftentimes, I see Kdramas use that trick when characters say a phrase... and then take it back with "that's someone else's thoughts" or "that's what you thought I'd say, right? LMAO". It's funny how the translators' way of transferring this was using the word "Sike!" xD

"It wasn't a mistake to me." "If it wasn't a mistake, then [what]? Since you started talking [about it], let me ask you. So what if it wasn't a mistake? What do you want to achieve with me?" "Can I do anything about it? In the past or now, you're the one who runs away and avoids me. I asked you, can I make a decision (do I have any choices)?" "You made the move but you want me to decide? Fine, then. Let sleep together once and end it once and for all. Go wash up first. I don't have time, I only left office for a short time."

The way they both care about each other but their dialogues and words are very sharp and bitter almost all the time, especially here, aaaah. That's the contrast that hooked me for all these 5 episodes. Soohyuk doesn't swear but he's talking to Yoondae very harshly and emotionless here, and for Yoondae harsh talk is the default, it's like Soohyuk is lowering his manners to talk on his level, to provoke him (or maybe that's also how he distances himself from the discovery that Yoondae has feelings for him).

And Yoondae is holding back his frustration and tears, but he understands the way such words were aimed to hurt him, so instead of lashing out back at Soohyuk, as he probably wants him to, he swallows and unusually calmly, almost softly says: "Let's talk when you can be honest. Because I will shut up and wait for you."

And it makes Soohyuk stand there in shock and contemplate.

I'll add next scenes in READ MORE since this post is getting long!

Here's the moment when the boss asks their youngest employee to write something more 'trendy' for their marketing text xD It's very true that trends in Korea come and go very quickly, they also love to invent new terms and phrases all the time. Like "MZ slang", there are many phrases, and the one trendy phrase the boss uses as the example is 킹받네 (king-pad-nae) which literally written as 'receive the king' but means "I got angry" - but with a teasing/playful subtext, like friends could say each other 'ah you're so cute, it makes me angry'.

If I'm not wrong, this phrase was widely used like 1-2 years ago and not really in its trendy peak as well right now but kudos to boss to even learning it xD And it's funny how translator chose to (I assume) use "[living in my head] rent-free" phrase as a substitute. Another fun fact, they ended up using some trendy lingo in their ad that translator gave us as "no cap!" but that part of phone msg was so blurry, I couldn't see which exact Korean phrase they ended up using x)

"Hyung, if you have any ask for help, say so. For you, 2 million... No, I'll try to give you until 3 million won in any way."

Can I just say that we had this character for one moment and I'm so not ready to let him go, I want Jeongwan to have his own storyline and everything and he's too sweet and also caring for strangers/his colleagues, and so he stole the spotlight for me xD

Yoondae said there's no food at home. But also, as you can see, there is: beer, water, rice that you can cook in the microwave, kimchi for a side dish and some other microwaved food. According to my Korean friends, typical Korean person (poor like student) can survive if they have rice, kimchi and also ramyeon. That's their the most basic food. Just a fun fact. xD

Also he was on his third can of beer, and he already made a drunken longing call on the verge of tears to Soohyuk, lying about being hurt and bringing trouble just so he'd return home. "Is that okay with you?" - just shoot me, please. :')

"I called [the cleaning service/you] to tell you to stop it [sleeping outside of home]" "Let's have that dinner [that I promised you] today. Wait for me."

After days, Yoondae was ready to give up, he "tricked" Soohyuk to return home just so he could tell him he'll move out and stop pushing any talk. And then, Soohyuk brought up the dinner (the feelings) that he kept avoiding. No wonder Yoondae looked so struck and confused. It just gave him his hopes back (and viewers too, but we probably should've known better with this kind of series haha)

Interesting cultural context: they are getting samgyeopsal - grilled meat, chosen by Soohyuk because Yoongdae said there wasn't anything he wanted to eat. And usually, the youngest one has to set the cutlery and grill meat, out of respect for the seniors. And here we see that Soohyuk is the one choosing the place, menu and even grilling the meat and pouring soju for Yoondae.

Once again, it shows that despite Yoondae's emotions and pleads, he is not mature enough, he is not ready to focus on other people. We know he can't plan his own future, he doesn't know what to do, and we see where their relationship stands now - Yoondae is still more of a burden than an equal partner to Soohyuk, and Soohyuk is more of a parent.

Even when they drink soju (in Korean drinking etiquette usually you don't drink alone, you toast together and drink together), notice how they don't even clink their glasses together, then Soohyuk is the only one drinking and Yoondae wants to follow him but puts the glass back. He's taking a shot later, when Soohyuk grills the meat again. They are totally unsynchronized at this point of their lives, and it's painful to watch.

"I said he [my father] was dead because that's the truth/reality for me. There was no other [hidden] meaning. I didn't plan to lie to you."

"I moved out completely. If I don't organize my life starting from doing this, then I don't think I'll be able to live like all the other [normal] people."

The fact that Yoondae started thinking about improving his life (the word 'organizing'), immediately made Soohyuk stop in surprise. So he started asking what does the normal life like others mean to him, hopeful to find that equal adult footing from Yoondae... but Yoondae's thoughts stopped there. And Soohyuk offered his own goal and life meaning: "to have a place to go back to, that's enough for me".

Here's when Yoondae thoughtfully agreed with him: "It's important to have a home", and took the meat tongs from Soohyuk, saying how high-maintenance he is. Yoondae embraced that realization, he took the responsibility (even a small cultural gesture) and even though Yoondae nagged him, Soohyuk smirked. Because it wasn't a completely hopeless situation. And Yoondae proved it, by saying how eating like this and going home together is his normal life as well. (and yet they were still unsynchronized until the very end! we can't have happy ending yet)

AND HERE IS WHERE I HAVE TO MAKE A SECOND POST! Because tumblr only allows 30 images in one, and I can't stop screenshotting the last conversation so I'm going to make another post that you can find in 'gray shelter comments' or 'dropthemeta' tags (upd. or here's the link to the post!)^^

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Dear Crowley, I heard this dashing and very intelligent fox beastman is looking for a job. He used to work as a manager at a popular theme park, so he probably has a ton of experience! Maybe he'd make a great addition to the staff?

The way I choked laughing when I read this interaction 🤡

I decided to structure this interaction like a job interview between Crowley and Fellow (facilitated, of course, by the Reader/Prefect's written recommendation). I thought it would be funnier this way! (Note: Fellow is definitely sugarcoating, glossing over, outright lying, and laying it on thick in some of his responses, but since this is framed mainly from Crowley's perspective, these inconsistencies are not pointed out.)

Enter; An Unkindness of Ravens.

This is the one recommended for the open teaching position?

Crowley eyed the man standing before him. He was beastman, as per the Prefect's description, with a pair of red fox ears and a fluffy tail.

A crimson-lined violet jacket, half a cape tossed over one shoulder, was secured over an olive vest and a snug waist. Golden embellishments and starry badges dangled from his lapels, and the same sparkles studded his top hat. Fun patterns cut into diamond windows raced up his dark green trousers. His long legs were crowned by knee-length spats, and he held an elegant cane topped with a fox in his gloved hands.

His look was professional yet playful.

The candidate was handsome—no doubt about that—and the keen gleam to his eyes implied a sharpness, a pointed wit, about him.

A horrible thought occurred to Crowley: He's not more dashing and intelligent than me, is he? No, no, it simply cannot be done! There’s no one fairer than I!

The headmaster brushed off his concerns, vanity placated, and cleared his throat.

"Let's see here... You are Fellow Honest, correct?" Crowley referred his provided resume. It was handwritten and contained a number of spelling and grammatical errors.

"That's my name! Don't wear it out," the beastman chirped with a wink and the twirl of his cane. "Fellow Honest, at your service."

“Please tell me about yourself, Mr. Honest.”

“Well! Not much to say, I’m afraid. I’m just a wanderer down on his luck, lookin’ to find his way in the world. I saw your job posting and thought I should shoot my shot.”

“I see on your resume that your last position was as a theme park manager…? Why the sudden shift in career, if I may ask?”

"You see, I've always been a lad of big hopes and dreams. I went into the entertainment industry wanting to spread that positivity to others.

"My park used to attract quite a few families and their children, so I came to know the kids quiiite well! They'd tell me stories of their school days, talk about the things they'd want to become in the future. So full of imagination and wonder. I realized I wanted to be a part of that process. Teaching them, guiding them... so they can be the best adults they can be!"

Fellow chuckled—it slid off his tongue easily, as though his laugh was slick with honey. "I thought I'd be the one inspiring them. Turns out, the kids were the ones to light a fire under my tail."

"My, what a stirring story!" Crowley cried out. "I can tell that your passion for working with children is true~

“Now then, why Night Raven College? There are any number of schools you could apply to if you wish to lend your assistance to the youth."

"It's true. I thought to start my own school before this," he confessed, "but Night Raven College called to me. Its graduates are influential, the school's reach immense, and the headmaster most magnanimous... I figured if I wanted to make an impact, this was the place to do that."

Fellow hesitated.

"... And, as one bright young boy once told me, Night Raven College is a place where everyone and anyone is welcome. Even someone from as humble a background as myself can fit in here."

Crowley found himself nodding along with his narrative. The shower of praise was making him feel flattered and floaty—and the more Fellow talked, the more the headmaster felt himself leaning into his words.

But the interview questions. They were not through yet.

The thought slowly sobered Crowley up. His resolution returned, duty and honor-bound to pick the most qualified candidate for the job.

No time for fun and games, not now.

"How would you describe your own magical capabilities? As you know, NRC is an establishment meant for training tomorrow's mages. To that end, many of our tenured professors boast a strong history of magic themselves."

"Ah, that." Fellow’s smile was wry, playing off the anxious little tug at his cravat. “That is…”

“Answer the question, Mr. Honest.”

“Dire, Dire, Dire—may I call you that?” He paused, but failed to grant enough time for a response. Fellow moved fast, talked fast—his cane spinning fast, fast, fast. “I’ll be the first to admit my magical might isn’t on the same level as that of your colleagues.”

Crowley frowned. “Then I’m afraid we cannot proceed with the interview. It would be rather challenging for the students to learn from a teacher who has yet to master magic themselves...”

Fellow’s face fell. “You’ve already made up your mind?”

“I apologize, but this discussion is over.”

“H-HOLD IT!!” he protested, his polite facade dropping. Anger and upset flared on Fellow’s vulpine features. “Where do you get off, cutting me out the very moment I mention…”

Crowley’s expression hardened, the grip on his staff tightening. “Oh dear, it looks as though this interview is headed south.”

Dark power roiled up from within him. The binds on his strength, snapping. Fellow whimpered like a fox backed into a corner by a larger predator.

“A-Ahahahah… Please forgive my outburst, sir~” he simpered, sinking back into his seat. “I-I’d still like the chance to explain myself, oh-so-generous headmaster!!”

“You may,” Crowley replied. His face was almost entirely shrouded by the shadow of his mask. His expression, unreadable.

“You’re right. I… I don’t have a lot of magic to spare. But…!! Even if that’s true about me, I don’t want the students to think like that, judging their own worth based on what an institution says is desired or not.” Fellow’s fingers curled into shaking fists in his lap. “In an ideal world… everyone can pursue their dreams without discrimination, without being told they’re not enough.”

“The final question for you,” Crowley announced grimly. “How do you plan to instruct if you cannot lead by example? How will you instill the lessons and values of Night Raven College?”

“Magic isn’t everything,” Fellow fired back passionately. “It doesn’t matter how much magic history they can recite or how many fancy spells they know.

“What’s most important to me… is that the students find enjoyment in what they learn and can make use of it. That’s how I’d teach them. Practically, and in a way that allows them to laugh and enjoy life for the fun that it’s supposed to be.”

“Hmmm.”

Crowley stared him carefully, like a crow nestled amid the tree branches. Watching, listening.

For the first time, he felt as though he was witnessing the true Fellow Honest.

His interviewee heaved a deep, dramatic sigh, a hand running through his hair. He barked out a bitter laugh.

“I get it, you bigwigs never want to hear what us little guys have to say. I’ll see myself out. It was a waste of my time to try this again. I knew I should have struck out on my own."

Fellow headed for the exit, stomping unhappily, his violet cape trailing behind him. From the other side of the door, a small cat boy in oversized clothes peered in.

“C’mon, Giddie,” Fellow snapped, “we’re done here.”

The child obediently followed. He stumbled in boots that were untied and far too large for him. Still, the concern in his young face did not waver.

Crowley’s eyes followed them until their figures vanished out of sight—but the applicant lingered in his mind. He returned to Fellow’s handwritten resume, mind wandering to the answers the beastman had offered. Different answers, but nonetheless ardent ones.

“… Interesting,” Crowley mused, his lips pulling back into a smile. “Most interesting.”

He's an applicant to consider.

[justleaveacommentfest]

I was always afraid to leave comments. Not only on fanfiction but everywhere. Maybe it's because English is my second language and I am afraid of making a mistake. Maybe it's because of my personality. But you know what? Because of this fest, I started to leave comments. Some are just a sentence. Some are really lengthy. Probably a lot of them is grammatically incorrect. But at the end of the day, who cares? No one expects the reader to be a great writer. I am coherent enough that you can understand I liked it.

The Very Important Thing I realised during this: The comment you write don't have to be perfect. Write however you can. Just write.

The poorly drawn "happy mother's day" card is still pinned to the fridge.

The poorly written "great fic I loved it" comment is still appreciated.

YESSSS ANON THIS IS IT YOU ARE A THOUSAND PERCENT CORRECT

[interact-proof]

Info Masterpost

Hi everyone, you may know me from around the IF community, probably primarily from here, but you may also be familiar with some projects I've worked on as an editor (the two most prominent being @bodycountgame and @nyehilismwriting's Project Hadea) or other things I've done around the place. Regardless, it's my intention to set up a place here to provide proof-reading and other editing services in order to help people in the IF community who may struggle with doing it themselves for whatever reason (be that due to time, or difficulty, or anything else).

What's on Offer?

We all know that being an interactive fiction author is a HUGE undertaking - we're our own planners, publicists, programmers and also editors a large amount of the time - and sometimes it can be a lot to grapple with. I also know from personally interacting with a lot of authors that editing in particular can feel intimidating for people who don't do it often, and lots of people feel like they don't get it right or don't trust their own judgement with it. That's a normal feeling for anyone inexperienced in a certain skill to go through, but also it turns out that luckily, the internet exists!

For a fee, I can hopefully take some of the stress out of the process by doing copy, line or developmental editing for you, or a combination of the three in some way, shape or form. This doesn't give me any control over your work, obviously, and any suggestions that I make will be just that, suggestions - though like any editor worth their salt, I'll always do my best to explain what I'm suggesting and why, so that you can hopefully make an informed decision about what you want to do about it.

See below the cut for more information, along with pricing and some basic FAQs. Thanks for reading!

So, how does it work?

Well, it's pretty simple, really - you reach out and talk to me about what you want edited, I'll let you know how many (if any) jobs are in my queue currently, we'll confirm what the price will be, and then you decide if you want to go ahead with contracting my services. If we agree to work together, you'll sit back and relax after finishing the exhausting writing process, or, if you're really a glutton for punishment, start writing something new, and I'll do the editing. Then I'll return it to you, and send you an invoice. Easy!

I'm not going to hover over your shoulder demanding certain changes be made or be offended if you disagree with me - that's not a good editor's function, in my personal opinion. What you choose to do with my editing suggestions afterwards is entirely up to you!

FAQs

What's the difference between copy editing, line editing and developmental editing?

Most people editing for themselves do all three different types of these at once, but they are actually three separate skillsets. Copy editing is another term for what's sometimes called proof-reading; basically, it's checking for spelling and grammar mistakes (including homophones and so forth) but not for other purely textual elements like ineffective word usage or weak sentence structures. Anything beyond basic grammatical correctness is covered by what's called line editing, which looks at some common things people worry about like overused words, weak metaphors or other imagery, and sentences or segments of the text that can possibly be written in a way to more effectively convey the message they're trying to get across.

Developmental editing is a whole other ballgame - this is the part that most often makes authors nervous, the act of considering the text in terms of the effectiveness of each paragraph and story beat, analysing which parts of the narrative and various character arcs are working and which aren't, and so forth. This is a type of editing that is heavy on critique, and very subjective: it's akin to the kind of feedback you might get from beta readers in many senses.

You don't have to want all three types of editing in order to contract my services for, say, just one, but developmental editing on its own will be by negotiation, and likely be an hourly fee rather than a per word cost. You also can't have line editing without copy editing, as it would be impossible to make sure it's effectively-written without making sure it's correct. (You can have copy editing without line editing, however.)

Do you accept works from people whose first language is something other than English?

Yes, this is not a mitigating factor for me. I've worked on some pieces by French- and Brazilian Portuguese-speaking authors before. My editing suggestions come with explanations of why I'm making them, so it should be clear even for ESL authors what I'm suggesting and for what reason. I'm not a translator (unless you're talking about from Akkadian or Sindarin), but as long as you're capable of having a conversation in English, we should be fine.

How should I format my files for you to work on? And how will I get them to you/receive them back?

The two most preferable options are either in a Word Document, or a GoogleDoc document, as these formats both allow me to highlight parts of the work and comment on it directly so that you can see my suggestions. Any other format will make the whole process difficult for both of us as it will require cross-referencing between your work and my responses.

It doesn't have to be formatted in any fancy way, though - as long as it's in the document and readable, even just via basic copy/paste from wherever else you write, that's fine.

We can exchange the files via email or discord, whichever makes you feel more comfortable.

Do you accept jobs unrelated to interactive fiction?

Yes! I've edited novels and short stories before as well, and done work specifically providing developmental editing on outlines so that authors can feel they have a well fleshed-out plan before they begin writing. It's just that there's not many editors out there who are familiar with the IF scene, so that's my marketing focus, so to speak.

You write using British spellings... do you know how to edit for American spellings, too?

Yes, I know how to edit for AusE and AmE as well as BrE. Many authors also use a combination of multiple spelling systems, which I can work with as long as you let me know your style and parameters.

My game is written in the style of Shakespeare... can you handle that?

Individual style, both affected and inherent, is not really a roadblock for most editors. The job of a good editor is to consider each author's personal style and make sure to respect it, rather than try to overwrite it with their own voice, so if you're writing a Tolkienian or Arthurian or epic poetry piece, I'm capable of working with that as long as you let me know what you're aiming for beforehand.

If you have a style guide with particular specifications, feel free to submit it along with your documents, and I'll abide by its specifications. I've worked on projects ranging from high fantasy to scifi to modern fiction in the past.

Can I break my writing up into multiple parts to give to you over time?

Sure! All of the interactive fiction work I've done thus far has been chapter-by-chapter, and you can break it down smaller if you like. However, I can't necessarily bring forward developmental editing concerns from one job into another at peak reliability, particularly if a long period of time has passed between the different jobs.

That's probably all for the FAQs for now - if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out and ask!

Pricing

How much the editing will cost is based on the length of what you would like me to edit, split up into three length categories: under 10k words, 10k-100k words, and over 100k words. Prices are in AUD, Australian dollars. Per-word rates round up (ie., at a rate of 1c per 5 words, 6 words would incur the cost for 10 words).

Under 10,000 words

Copy editing: 1c per word.

Line editing: a flat $15 fee on top of the price of copy editing.

Developmental editing: a flat $20 fee on top of any other costs, or an hourly fee by negotiation if without the other two services.

10,000 to 100,000 words

Copy editing: 1c per word for the first 10,000 words, followed by 1c per each 3 words for the remainder.

Line editing: a flat $30 fee on top of the price of copy editing.

Developmental editing: a flat $80 fee on top of any other costs, or an hourly fee by negotiation if without the other two services.

Over 100,000 words

Copy editing: 1c per word for the first 10,000 words, followed by 1c per each 3 words for the remainder, plus a flat $20 fee for each 100k words after the first (ie., 150,000 words will incur a $20 fee on top of the per-word price, while 250,000 words will incur $40).

Line editing: a flat $40 fee on top of the price of copy editing, rising incrementally per 100k words after the first (ie., 150,000 words will incur a $40 fee, while 250,000 words will incur $80).

Developmental editing: a flat $80 fee on top of any other costs, rising incrementally per 100k words after the first (ie., 150,000 words will incur an $80 fee, while 250,000 words will incur $160), or an hourly fee by negotiation if without the other two services.

Code-checking

If you're able to include your code with your writing (such as by viewing a proofing copy of a game via twine), and provide me with an outline of your variables and what you're using them for, I can by request check for possible errors (such as adding to a stat when it seems like it should be subtracting instead, or using a wrong or misspelled variable) for a flat fee of $80 per 100,000 words (in this case, the code is included in the wordcount, since I'll be checking it).

Outline Help

If you want me to look over an outline or plan and provide developmental feedback before you begin writing, this can be done for an hourly fee by negotiation.

Thank you again for reading! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

[merakiui]

HOW DO U THINK THE TWST BOYS TYPE 😭😭 I know riddle uses punctuation to the max but honestly I'm tryna figure out if azul would as well. and I feel like ace, floyd, and kalim would use a bunch of emojis (ace and floyd use them ironically, kalim uses them unironically LMAOO) but im not sure about the others... maybe leona would be the type to just give curt replies and power off his phone. idia would leave u on read intentionally, and malleus would do it unintentionally. IMAGINE MALLEUS SENDING RANDOM PICTURES BY ACCUDENT WHILE TRYING TO TYPE A REAPONSE EHSJCJJS honestly I feel like epel might be a bit of a spam texter ngl... BUT WHAT DO U THINK. I AM HANDS-AND-KNEES-ON-THE-FLOOR DESPERATE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY IMPORTANT MATTER

OOOOOO do I have many thoughts to share!!!! >:D

Riddle types stiffly and grammatically correct because he believes one's texting style reflects their maturity level. So you can expect full sentences with punctuation. He most likely didn't have emojis downloaded onto his messenger (it's Cater who shows them to him), and after he gets them he might use an emoji or two to get a point across. He often ends written threats (most often beheadings) with the smiling emojis, but he doesn't overuse emojis.

Trey is friendly and polite when he texts. I get the impression he doesn't text very often and instead prefers phone calls, but when he does text his tone is always warm even through the screen. Very sweet. He also uses emojis, but he doesn't use them nearly as often. He might overuse the dessert emojis because he likes those the most.

Cater is always typing (and even talking) in texting slang and abbreviations. He uses emojis and hashtags. I wouldn't be surprised if he uses pretty fonts for his Magicam captions. He strikes me as the type to send multiple messages if it's to someone he's close with. His tone is always friendly and casual.

Deuce texts stiffly with upperclassman or anyone he has a lot of respect for, but with friends (especially Ace) he's very, very casual. Probably bickers over text with Ace. Might curse once or twice in text and instigate fights if he's particularly riled up.

Ace is another casual texter. The type to send multiple messages just to annoy you if he knows you're busy. He's always texting you for homework answers. The group chat ghosts him when he begs for homework and essay answers lol. I like to think he might gossip through text every now and then, if only to keep things interesting in the group chat.

Leona either leaves you on read or has very terse responses. His texting style is so boring and dry. T_T most of the time he's sleeping. He probably has 500+ unread messages because he can't be bothered to check. If it's something important, just say it to his face or call him.

Ruggie texts fairly casually. He isn't as stiff as Riddle and he won't leave you on read (most of the time). He's busy a lot, so he doesn't text often and it takes a while for him to read his messages. He usually texts you if he wants something. <3 he uses emojis, but it's usually if he's being sarcastic or he needs to respond quickly and can only offer a thumbs-up emoji.

Jack is also another texter with curt, stiff replies. He texts like how he speaks, so there isn't much difference. He rarely uses emojis and he doesn't use any abbreviations or slang.

Azul texts politely and grammatically correct with everyone because he believes one's texting style represents the type of person they are. He wants to show everyone he is a refined gentleman. With Jade and Floyd, his texting style is far more casual because they're close friends. He might use an emoji or two if it's fitting, but outside of that he's polite and respectful.

Jade texts much like how he speaks as well. He's considerably casual with Floyd and Azul for the same reason mentioned above, but even then he's still polite. He might use emojis when texting with Floyd and Azul. Jade has a tendency to write some of the most disturbing things and finish it with a :) no cute smile emoji. It's literally the haunting :) and some might say he overuses it... ;;;

Floyd texts casually and immaturely with everyone. He uses emojis, abbreviations, all-caps. He sends multiple messages at a time and spams your phone whenever he's in the mood. He likes to send a lot of gifs and images, too. He's shameless with it. Sometimes he'll even send links or images of erotic toys in the group chat he has with Jade and Azul and ask what they think. Sends a photo of the most monstrous dildo he's found online and asks: "Ya think this would fit in Shrimpy?" and without fail Jade always replies, "No harm in trying. :)" Azul will beat the life out of them; they're always discussing the ways in which they can break his angelfish! >:(

Kalim texts very casually. Also a spam texter. He uses all-caps when he's excited. He overuses emojis. Also the type to send lots of images in group chats or even one-on-one chats.

Jamil texts politely with everyone because it's important to look and sound respectful, even through a screen. Even if some of his peers get on his nerves and he'd rather verbally destroy them through text. He tends to send curt messages that usually get his points across. He sees no need to continue conversations he'd rather not have, so he often texts only what's necessary.

Vil texts much like how he speaks. There is always an elegance to his words, but that's because every inch of him is beautiful and elegant. Naturally this would extend to his texting style. He never uses too much or too little of something, so he will use emojis when it's fitting. He doesn't use abbreviations often, but every now and then you might get a rare lol from him.

Rook texts very passionately. He may send multiple messages at a time because too much is never enough for him. Definitely uses all sorts of French words when texting, so it's quite reminiscent of how he speaks in his daily life. I don't think he would use abbreviations or slangs, but he does use the flower and sparkle emojis to further express himself.

Epel texts casually with his friends. He'll use slang with them. With upperclassmen, he knows to text a little more politely, especially if said upperclassmen are Rook and Vil.

Idia texts in all lowercase, uses gamer slang and abbreviations, and shortens words like "your" to "ur." His replies can range from either super curt to leaving you on read to sending blocks of text because he's rambling about something he's passionate about.

Ortho texts like how he speaks: very kind and friendly and energetic! Although it is funny to imagine he texts only in binary code lol.

Malleus uses speech-to-text after Lilia introduced it to him, claiming it was much quicker than typing out the letters, so now he uses that to conveniently message. But he has yet to grasp that text-to-speech makes note of everything he's saying, so sometimes you'll get messages like: Capital C child of capital M man comma would you accompany me on a walk tonight? question mark smiling face emoticon. He means well in his texts, though. He's trying his best. (it's cute to imagine the little ding of a notification startles him at first.)

Lilia texts in a weird mixture of casual and polite. Sometimes he's using punctuation and other times he's not. Sometimes he's using slang and emojis and other times he's not. Sometimes he'll send silly gifs. One time Silver texted him that the dorm was out of toilet paper and Lilia responded with: L :p

Sebek texts in all-caps. I wholeheartedly believe he forgets to turn off all-caps, so even if he texts something as simple as a greeting it seems like he's screaming through text. He doesn't use emojis or abbreviations and slang, but it is funny to picture him sending GREETINGS HUMAN‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ with so many red exclamation point emojis.

Silver can't text very long messages otherwise he might fall asleep halfway through typing or while waiting for a response, so he usually texts what needs to be said. He's still very polite and sweet through text, always so princely.

[headmate-packages]

A package has arrived for you! Open it?

Shipping #00010110

📮💌📦

Package Number: 00010110 (22)

Name(s): Obscrhiza Aterepes (Dark Root, Creeping Black)

Nickname(s): Oriz, Oriza, Scrhi

Orientation: Quoi-AroAce

Pronouns: They/Them/Their/Theirs/Theirself, Zhe/Zhir/Zher/Zhirs/Zherself, Prox/Proxi/Proxs/Proxis/Proxiself

Species: Shade

Age/range: 22 (static)

Gender: Aternary

Role: Gatekeeper, Memory Sorter, Writesmith

Interests: Greek philosophical studies, racial histories

Front calls: Libraries, Lit Candles, Journals & Internal Secrets

Likes: Classical music, school and education

Dislikes: Religious (especially catholic, but all religions) things

Appearance:

(I was not able to find a picture that was exactly what you were going for, apologies) Shadowy figure with long jagged jet black hair, a thousand yard stare from their white eyes contrasted only by pupils. They dress in more formal clothing, though comfortably wears a floor-length black cloak.

Extra: Selectively Mute but can communicate, writing over speaking. Name picked from systematic taxonomy prefixes & suffixes.

Sign off: 🔏🕯️🫥📚

Fears: The destruction of knowledge or secrets

Kins: Shadows, Wan Shi Tong (ATLA), Quincy Martin (Adamandi)

Happy place: Endless halls of shelved books and knick-knacks. [Like the Spirit Library in ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Hobbies: Reading, studying

Passion: Factuality, imagination, philosophy, ethics, and morals

Favorite memory: Being praised for a paper written about The Odyssey by Homer

Headspace Room: Their walls are exclusively bookshelves, the floor is clear tiles filled with torn pages, and the ceiling is dome-shaped and revolves with a galactic view. Their bed's in the direct middle of room on top of a book cover carpet.

Best friends: None, considers greek philosophers ‘friends’

Family: One parent was a religious figure of some sorts. No siblings

Backstory: There was always pressure to be “just as good or better” academically. Zhe was pushed to be a perfect student, and always found solace in the library.

Handwriting:

Image ID: a dark skinned person writing very elaborately in blue pen on lined paper, using two lines for any tall letters. It reads "A smile with love behind it has so many positive" they are not done writing

Letter: Hello, Project System.

It's nice to be able to reach out. The purpose of this section is for you to see how I write. I enjoy writing papers and essays, this is probably my most treasured hobby.

As such, I write in full sentences, as grammatically correct as they can be. I am a firm believer in history, poetry, and the oxford comma. I also believe the best way to be heard is to write, not to yell.

Hopefully I've given you some insight on my writing

-Obscrhiza Aterepes

[camprell-art]

Does shadoo remember dimentio?

I thought about this for some time now.

So welcome to the "Camprell being mentally ill about his own fanlore" show!

I'm gonna put a read more here because it got soooooooo long.

1st option!

I can do it the extra painful way, that would be if they don't remember but still meet each other, and there is a probability that the whole ordeal with the Pixl Queen happens again, Shadoo is a living killing machine, she's locked behind all those walls and doors for a reason. But I don't like this one very much because it's too bland, and not just bland but a bit out of the plot, like, why would they even meet if nobody remembers anything?

2nd option!

This one can go in two ways, it could be like this story here, I would change some parts of it today, but essentially it's this, Dimentio goes there, says her name, she gets curious and then maybe they would talk... Buuut, this one would not make so much sense in the new characterization, my Dimentio was much more sensitive, more sad than insane? More depressed than psychotic or neurotic? I'll do better research about this, so you can correct me if I'm wrong.

3rd option!

This one is more tricky, because I would have to figure out what to do with the Dark Prognosticus, where the hell did the book go? Did it disappear? Was the Chaos Heart the ultimate point of it? Because I do believe that the DP, contrary to its Light counterpart, wasn't written by anyone, maybe created by something, however, considering that the thing can't keep its records forever (or else the book would be enormous), the only scenario that makes sense is that it is erased and written by itself, making the book more of an entity than an object.

If the DP is gone, then Dimentio can have other thoughts in his head that aren't obscured by the thing talking in it, so maybe some of his memories could slowly start to make sense, his dreams would come back to the "traumatic state", rather than blurry visions of a future that is near.

When I say traumatic state, I mean those memories that are very deep in his mind, the ones that actually explain all the actions and decisions he made in the past. Even the curse would have a meaning, he always thought it was some magic corruption because he kept coming back, but then, after a lot of dreams, he would discover that it wasn't entirely that.

Shadoo is literally what would happen to him if the curse was complete, in her case it was way faster, since the only reason she is alive was because she became a Pixl with the help of the Prognosticus. When Pixl Queen Shadoo dies again, all that is left is a shadow of herself, the thing in the end of the Pits is just her soul. If someone killed her for real, she would just turn into a glittery dust and fade from reality, no Underwhere, no Overthere. But I believe that for this immortal "creature" this is the best ending she could have.

So Dimentio would probably kill her just to end her suffering, and I think that Shadoo wouldn't even be scared if this does happen, all that she wanted was revenge, but there's no reason to do that when your brother came back and you finally can rest after so many years of isolation and loneliness.

Sorry for possible redundancies and grammatical errors + typos + wrong words, I'm so sleepy and I'm lazy to correct and read my own text. X)

[yuurei20]

Azul Info Compilation part 7: Effort, Ruggie, Exercise and Strength

Azul always put overwhelming amounts of effort into everything he does. Jade says that “He’s as hardworking as it gets. It’s an easily misunderstood temperament”, and Azul himself says that “there’s no harm in putting forth effort. It leaves an admirable impression.”

This is likely why Rook’s nickname for Azul on JP is 努力の君 for “king of effort”, but this has been written as both “Roi de l’Effort” and “Roi de Fort” on NA.

(I have been assured by a French speaker that “Roi de l’Effort” is probably the correct version, given that this is Azul and also because “Roi de Fort” is grammatically incorrect (it would be “Roi du Fort”))

Rook also says that Azul "has the makings of a fine hunter."

In Vargas Camp 2 Azul struggles with erecting his tent but insists upon doing it alone, despite Idia’s teasing. He earns a special prize from Vargas just for putting in so much effort, revealing to Idia that that had been his plan all along.

The ghost that possesses Azul in Spectral Soiree seems to be the exact opposite of Azul’s personality, lying down because “trying to stay on my feet is a hassle” while Ruggie observes, “That’s the last thing I’d expect Azul to say…he’d take any opportunity to get ahead!”

Ruggie and Azul are not often seen together but they share an appreciation for money and hard work, with Jamil observing that they both “always become so worked up when it comes to matters of business” and they make for something of a “frightening combination”.

Azul says that he is “not very fond” of exercising on land, he finds the phenomenon of sweating to be revolting and that he is “not embarrassed to admit that I don’t excel at exercising”.

It does seem to be something of a sensitive subject for him, however, and he snaps at Deuce with “What would someone naturally athletic like you know of my suffering? NOTHING” when Deuce insinuates that he just need to try harder in his PE classes.

During Beanfest we get new insight into Azul’s physical prowess from Floyd, who says, “Who said anything about Azul bein’ weak without his magic? He’s real strong…Octopi are, like, all muscle. Seems to me like that wouldn’t go poof just ‘cause he took a potion to turn himself human.”

We also learn that Azul in his mer-form is bigger than Floyd.

[spanishskulduggery]

I hate studying spanish these days. Can one reach a high level just by reading and watching tv while looking up words or grammar you don’t know? I still like to do duolingo and drops so that’s some studying…

I'm not sure if I'm really equipped to answer this since I learned Spanish mostly from school and then watching TV and reading came later

I think it's certainly possible to learn Spanish without formal classes, though you might learn some grammar out of order (like seeing past tense before you master present tense), but it can be done

If anything, you'll likely start to lag in aspects of conjugation and more minute grammatical details like when to use y vs e or you'll come across imperfect subjunctive but not necessarily understand how it's being used

That's true of any language though; I know people who learned English by just being involved in fandoms or just being on the internet, and they learn a lot of slang and more complicated parts of grammar that sound more natural, but then sometimes they struggle with which form of a verb to use. Sometimes it happens that they are better at reading their target language than they are with reproducing it, or might miss some context clues regarding certain idioms or verbs

That's not to say it can't be done, just that you'll have different gaps in your knowledge and you'll really need to get good at looking up things, and I suspect that you'll learn many things but sometimes lack context for them and that can sometimes be harder to look up; you'll gain a good idea of what looks right and sounds right, though it might be more difficult to understand exactly why

Spelling and writing will also be something you'll want to focus on if you go that route, because subtitles are generally very correct but you may find yourself more confused by stem-changing verbs or conjugation patterns and maybe end up misspelling certain things especially if you're going by just what someone says and not written subtitles

And if you go that route I would also recommend to look up certain parts of speech - subject, object, reflexive, gerund, participle, infinitive etc. It will help you understand what exactly you're looking at and whether you'll want to use a pronoun yo or its object me or when you have to use mí ...without knowing the specifics you'll probably be able to deduce that it has to do with first person, but you won't necessarily have full context

[britneyshakespeare]

So yesterday I read "Slimed with Gravy, Ringed by Drink" by Camille Ralphs, an article from the Poetry Foundation on the publication of the First Folio in 1623, a major work without which most of Shakespeare's plays might very well have been lost today, possibly the most influential secular work of literature in the world, you know.

It's a good article overall on the history and mysteries of the Folio. Lots of interesting stuff in there including how Shakespeare has been adapted, the state of many surviving Folios, theories of its accuracy to the text, a really interesting identification of John Milton's own copy currently in the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the fascinating annotations that may have influenced Milton's own poetry!!! Do read it. It's not an atrociously long article but there's a lot of thought-provoking information in there.

There's one paragraph in particular I keep coming back to though, so I'm just gonna quote it down here:

...[T]he Play on Shakespeare series, published by ACMRS Press, the publications division of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University... grew out of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s plan to “translate” Shakespeare for the current century, bills itself “a new First Folio for a new era.” The 39 newly-commissioned versions of Shakespeare’s plays were written primarily by contemporary dramatists, who were asked to follow the reasonable principle laid out by series editor Lue Douthit: tamper in the name of clarification but submit to “do no harm.” The project was inspired by something the linguist John McWhorter wrote in 1998: “[the] irony today is that the Russians, the French, and other people in foreign countries possess Shakespeare to a much greater extent than we do … [because] they get to enjoy Shakespeare in the language they speak.”

Mainly it's the John McWhorter thing I keep coming back to. Side note: any of my non-native-English-speaking mutuals who have read Shakespeare, I would love to know your experiences. If you have read him in translation, or in the original English, or a mix of both. It's something I do wonder about! Even as an Anglophone reader, I find my experience varies so much just based on which edition of the text I'm reading and how it's presented. There's just so much variety in how to read literature and I would love to know what forces have shaped your own relationships to the stories. But anyway...

The article then goes on to talk about how the anachronistic language in Shakespeare will only fall more and more out of intelligibility for everyone because of how language evolves and yadda yadda yadda. I'm not going to say that that's wrong but I think it massively overlooks the history of the English language and how modern standard English became modern standard English.

First of all, is Shakespeare's language completely unintelligible to native English speakers today? No. Certain words and grammatical tenses have fallen out of use. Many words have shifted in meaning. But with context aiding a contemporary reader, there are very few lines in Shakespeare where the meaning can be said to be "unknown," and abundant lines that are perfectly comprehensible today. On the other hand, it's worth mentioning how many double entendres are well preserved in modern understanding. And additionally, things like archaic grammar and vocabulary are simply hurdles to get over. Once you get familiarized with your thees and thous, they're no longer likely to trip you up so much.

But it's also doubtful that 400 years from now, as the article suggests, our everyday language will be as hard to understand for twenty-fifth century English speakers to comprehend. The English language has significantly stabilized due to colonialism and the international adoption of English as a lingua franca. There are countless dialects within English, but what we consider to be standard international "correct" English will probably not change so radically, since it is so well and far established. The development and proliferation of modern English took a lot of blood and money from the rest of the world, the legacy of which can never be fully restored.

And this was just barely in sight by the time that Shakespeare died. This is why the language of the Elizabethans and Jacobeans is early-modern English. It forms the foundations of modern English, hence why it's mostly intelligible to speakers today, but there are still many antiquated figures within it. Early-modern English was more fluid and liberal. Spelling had not been standardized. Many regions of England still had slight variations in preferences for things like pronouns and verb conjugation. We see this even in works Shakespeare cowrote with the likes of Fletcher and Middleton, as the article points out. Shakespeare's vocabulary may not just reflect style and sentiment, but his Stratford background. His preferences could be deemed more "rustic" than many of his peers reared in London.

Features that make English more consistent now were not formalized yet. That's why Shakespeare sounds so "old." It's not just him being fancy. And there's also the fact that blank verse plays are an entirely neglected art nowadays. Regardless of the comprehensibility of the English, it's still strange for modern audiences uninitiated to Elizabethan literature to sit there and watch a King drop mad poetry about his feelings on stage by himself. The form and style of the entire genre is off.

But that, to me, is why we should read Shakespeare. We SHOULD be challenged. It very much IS within the grasp of a literate adult fluent in English to read one of his plays, in a modern edition with proper assistance and context. It is GOOD to be acquainted with something unfamiliar to us, but within our reach. I'm serious. I do not think I'm so much smarter than everyone else because I read Shakespeare. I don't just read the plain text as it was printed in the First Folio! The scholarship exists which has made Shakespeare accessible to me, and I take advantage of that access for my own pleasure.

This is to say that I disagree with the notion that Shakespeare is better suited to be enjoyed in foreign tongues. I think that's quite a complacent, modern American take. Not to say that the sentiment of McWhorter is wrong; I get what he's saying. And it's quite a beautiful thing that Shakespeare's plays are still so commonly staged, although arguably that comes from a false notion in our culture that Shakespeare is high literature worth preserving, at the expense of the rest of time and history. It is true that his body of work has such a high level of privilege in the so-called Western literary canon that either numerous other writers equally deserve, or no writer ever could possibly deserve.

The effort that goes into making Shakespeare's twenty-first century legacy, though, is a half-assed one. So much illustrious praise and deification of the individual and his works, and yet not as much to understanding the context of his time and place, of his influences, forms, and impacts on the eras which proceeded him. Shakespeare seems to exist in a vacuum with his archaic language, and we read it once or twice in high school when we're forced to, with prosaic translations on the adjoining page. This does not inspire a true appreciation in a culture for Shakespeare but it does reinforce a stereotype that he must be somehow important. It's this shallow stereotype that makes it seem in many minds today that it would be worth it to rip the precise language out of the text of a poet, and spit back out an equivalent "modern translation."

[incognit0slut]

Hi i was thinking about getting into writing fanfiction but im not really a writer (besides a few shitty poems) so do you maybe have some advice you wanna share? :)

Wow, okay, thank you for trusting me to share some advice. Here are a few things I’d like to highlight:

1. Write anything, even if you’re not confident with your skills, write what’s on your mind. When you first start something new, it can be quite uncomfortable, so you need to adjust yourself. If you think it’s bad, that’s fine, it will get better.

2. Describe it. Reading is an experience, and human beings are naturally filled with emotions. It’s best to trigger those deep emotions by explaining more into your writing. For example, you can write He kissed her. But I think He pressed his lips on hers, the sweet taste of her lingering on his mouth sounds better.

3. Use your poetic skills. As a poet myself—a very long, long time ago—I still like to put a few poetic gestures in my writing. If you can write poetry, I say use it to enhance your work.

4. Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Every writer is different. They have their own style, and you probably do too. Everyone is a unique individual, and maybe not everyone will like your writing, but I assure you someone else will.

5. Always proofread your writing. As much as important a plot is, word structure is also important. Reread what you’ve written and make sure that it’s grammatically correct. And also clean. Don’t put a lot of description in one paragraph, especially when it’s a conversation between characters. Do not be afraid of using the enter key.

6. Have fun! At the end of the day, write what makes you happy. Writing should be a joy, so don’t stress about it and trust the process.

I think that’s most of what I want to share. Good luck on your writing journey, I’ll be rooting for you!

[yuraslefttoe]

Follow up: Sorry, that came out weird. I'm not a native speaker, so I got confused by how certain lines were written, like:

"another plead for more" - "plead" is used as a noun

"now, i know, to do what i'm told" - that second comma threw me off and I thought the parts didn't connect well

"just can't help myself, go on and open up the skies some more" - same reason as above

"to watch you sit, stand idle next to me" - same reason as the last two

More than likely that I'm just stupid and read the lines wrong. Again, sorry for the weird ask.

okay let me see

still using plead in the infinitive verb form (its just a modification on the saying "plead for more") but also im no master of linguistics, this line just fit because the general theme of red hour is repetition

these commas probably aren't grammatically correct and the lyrics originally did have alot of errors because i pull them straight from the notebook in fl studio where i write them so its mostly just how i felt like writing in the moment. Usually i use commas to denote to myself that there will be a very brief pause in the melody (kinda like what it does in speech but the double comma is kinda weird i agree)

here the right grammar would probably be "but i just can't help myself, go on, and open up the sky some more" but that is just what makes sense in my mind (the punctuation is kinda just whatever my brain decides to do in the moment i guess)

i do this alot when i write lyrics with this specific stanza (you can see it in footnote with the line "so i'll sit, stay in my place") its just a stylistic choice with the double starting consonant thing

overall its basically just a stylistic choice from my brain when i plan out the flow of the lyrics

[hazy-hazel-fics]

My fanfic writing process!!! yippee!!!

Step 1: getting my idea. First off, I need the very basic idea of what I want to write. Sometimes it's just a vibe. What fandom am I writing for? What characters are involved? Is it a crackfic or angsty as hell? Is romance involved? Are they in a different setting than canon?

Step 2: planning. I don't like this one a whole lot, mostly because I never know if I'm doing it right. However, the way I do it is I basically come up with a few basic plot points and decide the order that they should happen in. I also try to keep it appropriate to the setting and especially the characters. Sometimes I kinda skip this part, which in hindsight, never turns out good. The part I like most about this is that it's usually where I design my characters! I like drawing, so getting to sketch out how my characters look so that I can describe them or draw them better is nice.

(there's 4 more steps and explanations below the cut! it's just there so that it's shorter if anyone's scrolling)

Step 3: writing. I try to split my base writing into chunks. First, I start everything on paper! I write down a chapter 1, and try to extend it to part of the second chapter as my first section. I then make my next section finishing the second chapter and starting the third, and so on. As my first draft, it usually has a lot of placeholders where I just say [thing that he grabs the hairbrush out of] or something along those lines, and I don't care too much about my writing seeming bland.

Step 4: editing. As I just mentioned, I tend to section things out, albeit loosely. This part is where I grab a red pen and start to fill in the placeholders and fix any grammatical errors. I also tend to replace words and sentences and make them better, at least in my eyes. I do this by section about twice, meaning that I finish writing my first section, and then later on I do the first corrections, and then the next day or after a nap I do the second corrections. Once I'm done, I start writing the next section, and then I edit that, and the cycle repeats!

Step 5: importing. The next step is to import it somewhere that I can check my word count, edit it, and format it right. I usually use Google Docs because it's easiest. First, to avoid that weird double spacing with AO3 when copy pasting, I make it so that it's single and has a space after each paragraph, which shows me how it'd look in AO3 (image below).

I import it from paper by just manually typing everything out besides the fact that things were corrected. The next day or just a few hours later, I go into suggesting mode (another image below) which basically means that any edits I make will not be permanent, and I can come back later and decide whether or not I want to use the edits. I do this and re-read until I think that my story is silly enough.

Final/6th step: PUBLISHING!!!! Yep, this is the last step, and probably the most nerve-wracking for me. I open up AO3, make a new work, and then I have to decide the tags (probably the hardest part for me; feels like there's too many to chose from or there isn't something as oddly specific as I need it to be), decide the ratings, write notes for the first chapter... and write a summary. I don't like writing summaries, but I try to keep it short and sweet, and I try not to spoil too much. Maybe 1-3 sentences, and then an author's note that's usually the same length or shorter. I re-read everything I've written, make minor changes, add or remove tags that don't seem necessary, usually mention that tags will be removed and added as necessary... Then, my cursor hovers over the button to publish it... and I haven't gotten past that yet! At some point, though, I'll actually publish a fic rather than letting it sit in google docs and in the drafts until deletion.

So sorry for the very long tutorial! I hope you have a nice day :)