I dreamed that Sherlock Holmes (Russ version, though probably in his late forties) was in my house and we were solving some kind of case together. The bad guy turned out to be a talking doll (where could that idea possibly have come from???), whom we defeated and tied up. At one point when I went back into the room where dollface was, I noticed that a couple of my underwears were next to him. And I realized in a flash that Holmes had been looking through my underwear drawer because he had a crush on me. Because, you know, it’s totally in character for Sherlock Holmes to express a crush that way.
Apparently I not only returned these feelings of his, but thought his behavior was totally cute and not-creepy XD So I said to him flirtatiously, “Holmes, were you rooting through my underwears?” And he was like, “Yes, I thought they might be effective in tying up our villain.” Now, I wear string-bikini thongs, and they would, admittedly, have made very effective ropes for a Barbie-sized doll villain, so this was a plausible excuse on Holmes’ part. So I turned coyly away to leave the room as if there was nothing more to say. But Holmes wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I turned and we started madly making out. I laughed so hard when I woke up.
Another dream was the standard going-back-to-high-school dream where I realized that the next day was my first day of school and I’d neglected to inform work that I needed to change my schedule — so they would be expecting me at eleven in the morning, when I would be at school. There was some of the usual, “oh, it’s going to look strange that I, a thirty-one-year-old woman, have not finished high school and am somehow allowed back in.” Then I realized that I didn’t have to go back to high school at all, and could go to work as usual, and that was a relief XD
Then there was another McDonald’s dream. Man, a going-back-to-high-school dream and a working-at-McDonald’s-again dream within the same couple of days! What kind of luck is that! I don’t remember most of this one (not that the details of McDonald’s-again dreams are ever terribly important, except for that one with the Baby Bowsers), but I do remember that I toasted a Filet-O-Fish bun and also put onions and other random shit on the sandwich.
A fourth dream was horrible and sad and horrible, so don’t even read about it. Zombie Girl and I were driving along talking about something or listening to music or reading fanfiction or something, and she missed the turn to wherever we were going. I instructed her to make a U-turn at the next feasible spot, but as she did so we were, instead of riding in a car, paddling a canoe. But it was one of those dream-style changes where it may actually have been that way all along and it was totally normal and OK. As we turned, the canoe filled up entirely with water, but this also was apparently OK and something to be expected from a U-turn.
To get back to where we were going, we had to go up this trough that twisted all around like a waterslide of sorts, and this involved pulling on the sides of the trough with our hands to get the canoe to go up. This, too, was evidently OK, and we just kept talking about whatever.
In one twist of the trough that was above us at this point, there were some kids in a canoe doing the same thing we were. I believe there was a boy and a girl and their baby brother, whom they were watching for the day. They were tired of hauling themselves up the trough, and decided to just lift the canoe out of it entirely and dive down freefall-style to the open water below. I’m not sure why they thought this was a good idea. In doing so, their canoe went right over Zombie Girl’s head in an uncomfortable and inconvenient way.
I was ready to yell at the kids for doing this to Zombie Girl, but just then the baby fell out of the canoe. He fell all the way down to where there were some train tracks below above the open water, and landed on his head. He died instantly, and then his body fell into the water. Zombie Girl had not noticed this because she’d been busy having a canoe on her head, but I couldn’t stop staring and staring in utter horror.
That is the end of the horrible dream. It was hateful. I don’t know why I write such things down.
Does anyone else want to find a bucket full of shit and dump it over the heads of all scanslators that put idiotic little “translator’s notes” bashing off-pairing love interests, extolling the virtues of abusive psychopaths, and dictating to the characters what they should and shouldn’t be doing and feeling right into the middle of manga chapters? Seriously, that makes me rage like nothing else. It’s bad enough to see that kind of bullshit just around fandom in general; I do not want to have to put up with it in the middle of the actual manga.
In other news, I am still in love with Zombie Girl. This probably isn’t news to anyone, though it might be to her.
Rose Pale chapter 14 has reached linear completion, and 15 is about 1/3 of the way there. ZG suggested a possible epilogue a while back, and I adooored the idea, so after chapter 15 there will also be that epilogue. Ah, how close to the end I am!! Then I just have a few more pictures to draw (actually, like, half of thems), and then it will be entirely finished!! That is so very exciting. I also got an idea for a little side-story/prequel the other day, and it’s so cute that I may actually write it this time. (Whom do I think I’m kidding saying that?)
OK, the end.
That sad dream was very strange. I prefer to think about your first one. That was so funny. :-)
I don’t read scanslations, other than Cesare, so I don’t really see many translator’s notes. I’m more likely to see translator’s notes (usually stupid comments they think are clever) in fansubs. When I’ve seen them, I’ve found it VERY annoying!
Yay for Rose Pale! I’m glad that’s working out so well for you. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Yeah, I’ve seen them in fansubs too, but since I read a lot more manga than I watch anime, it’s been mostly in written format. Aaah, so irritating. I can understand the desire to want to insert something of your own into a project you’re putting so much time and effort into, but, if you’re a scanslator or a fansubber, DON’T.
I’m so close to being able to start posting Rose Pale, and I am soOoOo excited about it! (Not least because my entire archive had 0 hits the other day, and has been hovering around 2-3 just in general lately XD)
Ew, which manga is that? I only read yaoi manga scanlations because that’s usually the only choice I have, so I never see personal opinions being inserted into translator’s notes like that. And I find it annoying enough when they decide to leave “oneesan”/”Oniisan” etc. in there with a big TRANSLATOR’S NOTE taking up space somewhere else saying “this means sister/brother.” I’m dying to find out who is so violently OTP that they bash other pairings in the damn translation. Fandom makes me mad bro…
wait, I am translating frozen teardrop and run into “what to call this dude” things all the time (especially military ranks) but why does “niisan” / “neesan” irritate you? Is it because these are concepts most readers are already familiar with and require no notes?
Yeah it sucks because there is no great equivalent in English, since we don’t go around calling our siblings “Brother” and “Sister” instead of their names, so it is something that either needs to be tweaked or mentioned for those people who have no exposure to scanlated works.
The problem I have with it is scanlators don’t put their notes in inconspicuous places. Personally, I would prefer if those notes were kept to the beginning of a chapter or at the bottom of the page, out of the way of the content. I find these translator’s notes stuck RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE to be so obnoxious.
Military ranks always have an English equivalent, though… and I do get annoyed when things that could be easily translated into English (‘oshougatsu’, for example) get left in Japanese kind of inexplicably.
Lately, I don’t even see things like “senpai” or “kouhai” with translator’s notes anymore, so I think ubiquitous terms like that and niisan and neesan have become common knowledge among manga readers.
I can see the problem with manga scanlating…quantity of speech doesn’t always match up perfectly. But, man, isn’t it obvious notes shouldn’t obscure the picture? idk.
Military ranks probably do always have an equivalent, but my beef with my current project is that I don’t know WHICH country’s system to defer OR if a gundam-level weaponry/pilots ought to be referred to as land, air, or naval terms. BUT I suppose that’s what translators notes are for, and in the actual translation, pick one and stick with it.
XD
Yeah, if they really think we’ve forgotten what “oneesan” etc. means, a small note at the bottom or on the side of the page is OK since that is an actual translator’s note (even if it’s probably unnecessary) — but it doesn’t have to go in the middle of the freaking page!!! Commentary, however… AAUGH.
The title I’m reading right now is a manhwa called (according to the scanslators) Love in the Mask. I’m really enjoying it, but if the scanslator could stop interjecting personal opinions that would be awesome. I’ve seen it in gay stuff too, but usually only in longer series where there are female characters around to “threaten” the main pairing. Yes, fandom is indeed maddening >_<
Is there a feedback page for the group? Because personally that would be so annoying to me that I would probably stop reading it altogether. Maybe they need better (less fangirly) editors…
aaaaah, I had a high school dream last week. My high school was filled with water and my seventh grade teacher was teaching. I was worried about it being such a long time since i’d actually *gone* to high school when it suddenly occurred to me to tell someone: I’ve already gradumatated.
translator’s notes
I’m guilty as sin on that one, but (here comes my great defense) I think most of my stuff is cultural based and/or stuff *I* didn’t know, so I figure maybe the readers don’t know…but *shrug*
Also: I am dying to read what the Pale Rose is all about!! i was doing some reviewing of a little story I want to crank out, too…nearing completion always feels good *oh, sweet subtext!*
Finally: artssss!
Oh, high school dreams. I’ve gotten to that point too, where I usually realize during the course of the dream that I don’t actually have to go back to high school. They’re still stupid, though XD
See, actual translator’s notes — i.e. about the translation — are fine. I mean, I only took three semesters of Japanese, so it’s not like I’m all that good at the language (and the particular scanslation I was ranting about is a Korean manhwa, and I don’t know Korean at all even a little), so it’s great to have things explained that I might not otherwise know. It’s when translators decide to throw in their personal opinion about the story and characters that I want to put unpleasant things on their heads. Also, notes right in the middle of the page, sometimes obscuring the art?? NOT COOL.
I am so excited to start posting Rose Pale!!! It hasn’t eaten my brain as direly as Plastic did, but I still love it… and I’m sure you know how exciting it is to get down to the climactic ending scenes of a story! There are a few things I want to go back and check before I start posting, but it could conceivably happen pretty soon since I don’t necessarily need to have the entire story finished before I start. I have the art for the first seven chapters done (though some of it’s hella ugly XD), so, yeah, maybe pretty soon here… Oohhh, that’s exciting.
You did a nice Wufei art recently and I don’t think I ever commented! I’ve been out of the house away from the computer soOoOo much lately.