#writing in my second language

[wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart]

Writing in my second language

I don't know if this is the right way to participate in Making of Monday, @palfriendpatine66's brilliant idea, but well...

I always start by writing in my native language (I simply can't write fast enough in English for the first draft, even in Danish it's sometimes gibberish) and then later translate into English.

This is a snippet of Rain before I translated from Danish:

”Har du nogen ide om hvor meget jeg har begæret dig, længedes efter dig?” Hans ord var næsten truende da han fortsatte, ”hvad jeg længes efter at gøre med dig.”

”Hvorfor viser du mig det ikke.”

En næsten dyrisk lyd undslap Anakin, en mellemting mellem en knurren og en spinnen. Obi-Wan havde længe vidst at der i Anakin’s sjæl fandes et slumbering bæst, et vildt utæmmeligt væsen, skabt af stjerne ild og rå kraft. Han havde set det, følt det og vidste på en eller anden måde at han ville være den eneste som nogensinde ville have en chance for at tæmme det.

”Du er min!” Anakin’s stemmen var forandret, og dog stadig den sammen.

Obi-Wan mødte hans øjen så hvordan en gylden ring lyste omkring det blå. Følte kraften ryste.

”Jeg har altid været.”

and the final translation.

"Do you have any idea how much I desire you, want you?" His words were almost threatening as he continued, "what I long to do with you." "Why don't you show me." An almost animalistic sound escaped Anakin, a cross between a growl and a purr.

Obi-Wan had long known that in Anakin's soul there was a slumbering beast, a wild, untamable creature made from star-fire and raw power. He had seen it, felt it, and somehow knew that he would be the only one who would ever have a chance to tame it. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. "You are mine!"

Anakin's voice was different, yet still the same, and when Obi-Wan met his eyes, he saw how a golden ring glowed around the dilated pupil merging with the blue and felt how the Force shook as the beast came to life. "I have always been." He said quietly, unafraid, knowing this was right.

Working in my second language provides a unique challenge but also an opportunity to work more with the text for me.

[cap-sweet-and-salty-sadness]

Shout out to the fic writers who write in English even though it's not their native language. Whether you just started and are using Google Translate more often than not, or you've been doing it for years and still translating sayings from your native tongue word for word that don't make much sense in English.

Your addition to the fandom is important and unique purple prose would be missed without your input. Don't give up even if you're unhappy with your progression. Remember that your writing is better today than it was yesterday, and that it'll be better tomorrow than it was today.

[discofama]

I love how comfortable Adam and Lute are around each other.

I mean, look at this

So they're casually together during the extermination, much like how friends gravitate towards each other when in an event even if they're not talking or doing anything, just because it feels easier than being alone. Or perhaps Lute flew closer because she saw the huge war machine approaching Adam and got a little worried.

Charlie and Vaggie are going to attack them, and look at what they do:

Despite being Adam the one closer to Vaggie, he doesn't move an inch. They don't say anything (besides the shit talk) and Adam doesn't even look at her, he expects Lute will take care of Vaggie with no order from him, even if he's closer.

Obviously Adam is confident and doesn't think Vaggie can hurt him at all, but he clearly trusts Lute to get her out of the way. He probably knows how bloodthirsty Lute is for Vaggie and lets her have her without a word, and Lute complies, again, without a word, leaving him to handle the strongest of the enemies at that moment (Charlie).

So in this second, Adam and Lute communicated in silence. Adam didn't move and trusted her to cut in even if it was him the one under attack, and finally Lute trusted him to handle Charlie so she could fight Vaggie, as she didn't seem worried at all of the possibility of Charlie coming to protect her girlfriend.

They're in harmony. They're just natural together.

He lets her grab him like this and is willing to listen to her. It's clear he respects her and deep down appreciates that she'll keep him from doing something stupid, even if he whines.

She also climbs him? Lol. (Look at how she holds onto his arm 🥹 she's super comfortable with touching him!)

They're always hyping each other up, like in their songs:

(Look at Lute's smug face here 👇, she's sooo satisfied with what Adam's saying)

I honestly believe that they kinda make each other worse, that neither of them would be SO mean all the time if they didn't have the other: a companion who is always backing them up, who agrees on any crap that comes out of their mouth (Lute lets him talk shit about random women and nods, Adam goes along with Lute's homophobia despite seeming to not care that much about homosexuals).

Many portray Lute being a lot smarter than Adam, but I think they're both dumbasses. I mean, we laugh at Adam for saying he never made a mistake in his fucking life, but it was Lute who first stated angels don't make mistakes, somehow keeping a serious face. I think Lute seems smart because she's more quiet and cares about the rules, but she doesn't do logic very well either and can be impulsive too, as shown in the end of ep. 1.

They're probably each other's best/only friend, because they're just so unlikeable. And it makes sense they'd deeply care for one another. They care about that person that stands them and agrees with them and actually enjoys being with them. They're always seen together, hanging out even off duty. They clearly have a lot of fun.

I'll be honest. I ship GuitarSpear, I love it, but I don't know if I want it to be canon for 2 reasons:

1. Lute might be a lesbian.

She is so repulsed by homosexuals that it feels personal. Talking about how disgusting and blasphemous Charlie and Vaggie's love is, or how many cocks were in Angel's mouth and calling him a whore. She cares too much about it for it to not be personal, and I think it makes sense that she'd be a closet lesbian with a shit ton of internalized homophobia. She probably knew about Vaggie's sexuality and held a lot of resentment towards her before tearing off her wings. Maybe she was even attracted to her and was so repulsed about it that she redirected her self-hatred to Vaggie.

2. I think it could be better for Adam's character.

Let's just think about it. This character has a very distorted view of women, he has a fixation on them and hypersexualizes them. So the idea of this horny man, who always sees women with sex colored glasses, being good friends with a hot female below him in the hierarchy with no sexual or romantic interest whatsoever is nice to me. It'd work as sort of a redeeming quality in regards of his relationship with women, and I personally think this man is very redeemable. Let's hope he gets a second chance!

Still! All of this trust and comfort and team feelings can be read as romantic and I certainly wouldn't mind if it becomes canon! They could be the best villain couple!

Summarizing, these two are soulmates, end of the story. They're worse together, but also probably provide the other of a very needed company.

I have no clue if Adam will actually come back, but if he doesn't, I'll feel very bad for Lute. Yeah, yeah, she's an evil bitch, I don't care.

[coquelicoq]

what i like especially about the pronouns in the goblin emperor is that this language doesn't just have the T-V distinction (aka informal vs. formal second-person pronouns, in this case 'thou' vs. 'you'), it also has informal and formal first-person pronouns. having BOTH of these distinctions in the same language lets you fine-tune your tone by mixing and matching. with only one axis of formality, when you use informal pronouns, are you being familiar in an intimate way, or in an insolent or dismissive way? when you use formal pronouns, are you being polite or standoffish? you can't tell just from the pronouns; there's ambiguity. but a language where you can use a formal first-person pronoun in the same sentence as an informal second-person pronoun allows you to distance yourself (via the formal first) while also being familiar (via the informal second), thereby achieving the conversational tenor known to linguists as Fuck Thee Specifically.

[dawnbreakersgaze]

Guys I was playing the event stories again one last time before they went away forever and I just noticed the sweetest fucking thing ever

When you first walk up to Zayne and catch him on his phone, look at his face. He goes from his normal neutral expression to the softest little smile when he realizes it's you/mc walking up to him 🥺🥺🥺

He even straightens himself up a little taller when he sees you i'm dying send help 😩

I'm gonna squish him 🥲

[williamverse]

There was a storm during my first journey to Dunwall. Thick dark clouds covering the skies, waves crushing into ship's sides. Standing on the ship's deck, I've witnessed something I'll never forget: a Leviathan, rising from the water's surface. It felt like for that spare moment the time had stopped. A giant whale-like creature cut through the water with his fins, glistening against the cloudy sky with his dark skin. Seagulls looked like nothing but countless specks floating around him. His powerful body was covered in countless scars with the sight of which I wondered: how many of them were left by other animals and how many - by humans? Beneath his skin - fat, powering his huge body. Hundreds of other whales were killed for that precious fat, later to be turned into whale oil, that would soon power one of the ships like the one I was boarding. But he was still alive, with his power still flowing through his body, only for him to use. How many nets has he torn? How many hooks had grappled his flesh and than torn out of it with a mighty tail's swing? How will he die: in whalers' hands, getting his flesh turned into food and his fat turned into fuel, or will he die of age, turning his body into a home for a new ecosystem? I saw his eyes, full of pain and hatred, but also of intelligence.

He had enough power to turn over the ship and drown everyone boarding it. But he didn't do that, diving back into the water and swimming away instead. Maybe, if he was trying to avenge himself and other whales, driven by hatred, he wouldn't be any better than humans? I didn't think about that back then, not how I think about it now, after all those years of trial my fate has set for me. In this realm I inherited Leviathan's philosophy.

[Excerpt from Lord-Protector's memoirs - by Corvo Attano]

[dayurno]

i rbed something as a joke yesterday about jean being dyslexic but i've been thinking about it all day and now i think it's cute and real. (heavy french accent) kévi what does zis say

[hajihiko]

Actually interesting tidbit re: your languages comic! In game it’s implied that Kazuichi can speak/read English bc he reads a sign in English to Hajime! Although I always kind of just imagined he picked it up from watching TV/Movies and isn’t super fluent

Yeah lots of ppl pointed that out and admittedly I plain forgot. But i do think it makes sense that he taught himself through manuals and the internet, so he's better at reading it than most, but when it comes to listening to (the hurried, limp, molasses-like American) English that's where he fumbles. Seeing the words makes sense, hearing eybuddyowyadowein is another. Also being HoH post-game doesnt help.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

The non-natives know

[justallihere]

Writing Xaden Riorson being a simp except he’s not even currently in the scene

[desperatelyinlovewith-you]

i really need more willow modern aus, because most of the fics on ao3 are canon compliant (which are GREAT do not get me wrong) but the potential that tanthamore has for modern aus... hear me out:

actor au: where both of them are very famous actresses who HATE each other. Jade hates how Kit is a nepobaby and she has gotten to act in some of the greatest films in the last year, she believes it's just because she's the daughter of Sorsha (old Hollywood star). Jade hasn't actually stopped and watched any of Kit's films so she doesn't know that Kit is actually a great actress. Jade on the contrary had to do everything on her own, she has built her career slowly but gaining a great reputation. Kit on the other hand, wouldn't use the word HATE to describe what she feels for Jade, she feels a bit of anger because every time she has tried to interact with her, Jade was a bit rude (not in a mean way, more like in an indifferent kind) and she was a bit disappointed because everyone always says how Jade Claymore is the nicest actress in Hollywood. So she has built this resentment towards Jade. And this is where the fun part starts, both of them get casted in this fantasy show (winky face) where they play girlfriends, and rumors start to appear about how "JADE CLAYMORE AND KIT TANTHAMORE RIVALS ON SET LOVERS ON FILM????" "TENSION ON THE WILLOW SET", which according to their publicists is. not. good. So, behind Jade and Kit they decide that the girls have to start a fake relationship, obviously at the beginning both of them refuse but they know rumors in Hollywood fly fast, and that's not good for their careers. And they have no other choice but to accept. And so many things happen but I do not have that much imagination rn to finish it but you get the memo.

lovers to strangers: kit tanthamore and jade claymore were the ones who were supposed to make it after high school and became the so called high school sweethearts, or that’s what the people on their yearbook said. They didn't though. They broke up at the end of the summer after high school, no one knows why but them. One day they were together and the next Jade was leaving Tir Asleen and Kit was starting business school to help her mom with the family business. They stopped talking, Jade barely answered texts from their group and Kit stayed. At the end, trying to talk to Jade got harder and harder so they (Airk, Elora and Graydon) stopped trying. Five years later and Elora and Graydon are getting married, they started dating a year after they started college and year and few months after Elora and Airk's break up where they realized they loved each other just not romantically. They didn't want to do that to Airk but the chemistry was there and it happened so naturally (they hid it for a few months [kit knew from the beginning] and one day Airk caught them and said "omg finally I thought you two were never going to realize" to which Graydon and Elora are actually SHOCKED because "what do you mean????" and Airk was like "??? you two have been in love for almost a year didn’t you know?" to "WE THOUGHT YOU WOULDNT WANT US TO??" to "why wouldn’t I??? ... ohhhh, yeah idc babes") and even though they haven't talked to Jade in almost 5 years, they send her an invitation just in case, kit is not going to find out she’s obviously not gonna com- oh shit she said she’s coming. And she does, she comes back the week before the wedding with a very pretty girl (she brought a plus one?) and kit is one day just walking around town and she sees her and she is texting the group chat "I need to go to the doctor I think I just saw jade around town lol" and the other three are like "... you might want to sit down for this one" so chaos begins. Kit has never gotten over Jade, and neither has Jade, but none of them know that because there's a girl with her, but the girl is obviously Scorpia???? she brought her to have someone to help her through the week of coming back to her hometown, seeing her ex (the one she dated in high school and has never gotten over her because she thought she was the love of her life), and her old friends without crumbling down. This fic would be the type of fanfic that has lots of flashbacks to high school and throughout those five years. Also Scorpia would be seen flirting with Boorman (that one guy Kit met while working with her mother who is a bit weird but everyone loves him) and they’re like "How dare she flirt with Jade in front of her" and Jades is totally unfazed because obviously doesn’t care ???

These two are the ones i think about the most so yeah :D might try one day to write them but probably not because writting is not my strongest suit.

[wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart]

Makin of Monday

If you want to know what it's all about, see the post here.

For this week's Making of Monday, I'd like to share a few of the tools that I rely heavily on when writing.

Since I write in my second language, a good translation site is essential.

I was recommended DeepL tanslator a couple of years ago, and it's a tremendous help. The site is my most important tool and I use it every day. It's a great help that I can translate entire documents at a time, but also work with individual sentences. The site can provide different suggestions for individual words.

Another important tool is an AI reader app, @voice, which I can transfer documents to and have them read aloud. This is the best way for me to find typos and hear if the flow is correct.

[autumngracy]

Not me creeping up to the wordcount of the fourth longest book ever written

[runawaymarbles]

"ao3 should ban AI works!!!!" please do go on, myself and also every teacher in the world is anxious to hear your plan as to how this could be enforced

[im-getting-help]

Eddie.

Eddie. His friend Eddie. A perpetually young looking guy. Small frame, button nose, light freckles and kind eyes. His smile was like a ray of sunshine peering over stormy clouds.

Eddie. His friend, he remembered. They were almost the same height. Eddie was a little bit smaller, by a few centimeters. Eddie with his blonde hair and dark eyebrows and eyelashes. His green eyes framed. He remember how he used to look him in the eyes when nervous, and it soothe him.

Eddie, he didn't smile much, but he had a gentle aura. He listened attentively, he sited and left space for a comfortable silence. Eddie... he was sincere to a fault. He remembered clearly. Silent Eddie, nodding, asking questions but never really talking. "I can't help it, Felix" he used to say, lips contorted in a sad attempt of a smile. Melodic voice, steady and calm, remind him of the sound of a cello. "I try, I really do. Is just... I don't understand why people lie".

Eddie, pale skin and pink burned cheeks, under the sun. The mansion at his back. Eddie crawling to the parasol, hiding himself from the unforgiving sun. Felix chuckled at the sight of his friend slumped under the shade. Face pressed to the grass, arms and legs stretched, like a starfish hugging the floor.

"Felix". Eddie, his friend. His closest friend. His only friend. His. "I really like her, I do. I think she's beautiful, and so funny, I really really like her Felix". Venetia used to disappear in Saltburn. She had the ability to turn a corner and vanish, not to be found until she decided she wanted to be found. Felix looked at her window, thick dark curtains opened, one could take a peek to the inside of her privacy. Venetia was gone. "Felix-". "I...". Felix looked at him, his blonde hair and nose with darker freckles thanks to the sun. "Why?" His pale skin and his green eyes, but... "Why, Eddie? I was the one who invited you... you're here with me. You're supposed to be here with me". Felix was drowning in his eyes. What once was a peaceful lake quickly became a towering wave ready to engulf him, he was drowning. "Felix, I am here with you. I just want you to know, that I like her, that's all. I'm not going anywhere".

But he did. And then it was over. "Where's Eddie? I'm sure the maids didn't forget to wake him up this morning" Mother commented. Duncan stood unflinching at the side of the door. Father and Farleigh distracted with in his own morning activities. Venetia was nowhere to be found. "He went back home early this morning". "Oh... why so suddenly? Is he all right? Did something happened? Oh, darling, is his family isn't it?" "Everything is perfectly well, ma. He was just... homesick I guess" "You don't need to hide it from me darling. If something happened, you know, you can tell me anything". "He just went back home, nothing else". And he never saw him again.

But he remembered. He always remembered.

His soothing eyes, framed by dark eyelashes. Like a pond, clearing his thoughts, settling his worries.

His pale skin turning pink under the sun.

His smile, beaming, illuminating the room with his laughter.

His small figure, perpetually young looking.

His voice... the way he pouted his lips when talking.

The comfortable silences and the long conversations.

His scent, he get lost in it when he could get close enough.

Putting an arm around his shoulders and a hand on his tight. And he looked up at him with his beautiful eyes. And he smiled, and his heart pounded in his chest, frantic.

His beautiful blue eyes, always looking up.

"Why would you lie?".

[shakooo]

Hey Shakoo!! I have a silly question, if you don't mind answering :):

So you mentioned you use Toonsquid, correct? Well I noticed how you kinda make more animatic style videos, like not frame-by-frame. I was wondering how you make more "animatic style videos" instead of smooth animation on an app mostly used for smooth animation. Sorry if that makes zero sense 💀 I wanna make a YouTube channel and try again on TikTok with just art, and I just needed a little help. You're a huge inspiration to me <3

Thank you!!

hiiiii Mel sorry for taking so long to respond :(

but weeeell answering your question YEP i use toonsquid and about the rest mhhhm first of all i want to clarify that i am veryVERY new to this "animate" thing since i was barely able to get Toonsquid TwT

and there really are MANY techniques to make an animatic, but well, and all i know is cuz over the years i have seen thousands of artists make animatics, and now that i can try to animate i am trying to apply what i was able to se so i also recommend watching tutorials if you don't understand my explanation (i not understood well what you meant by "like not frame by frame" srry 😭 if i explained something totally different from what you were referring to,but don't worry) i'll still try to explain to you how i do it ^v^

(ig you can't see something in the images, just tell me, and i can send them to you by DM)

| i tried to make a mini video to explain it, maybe it's not the best example but yeah |

here something that i can recommend is not to work with less fps, for example a canvas of 2-4 fps, that indicates are the drawings that you need to form a second, like if you use a canvas with 2 fps , you will only use 2 drawings to form a second, although i say this from personal experience cuz before when i """animated""" in Procreate i tried to make an animatic and it was very uncomfortable, because i thought that to make an animatic i needed less fps jaksjka

but i say this from my own experience, maybe you can do that and i'm telling you the opposite😭JAKSJKAJA

AAAAND i hink that's all i can say, and what i know, i'm sorry if you don't understand much of what i said, but explaining things is difficult for me without avoiding going too far TT-TT

i also hope this helps you!!! i am realy glad you consider me an inspiration IT MEANS A LOT TO ME!🥺💖🫶 and k also wish you the best with your new start on YouTube and tiktok :'>>> if you dedicate yourself to this and put effort into it you will go faaaar