Abstract Eden

Translations, art, and a little of everything.

[spiderpig-spiderpig]

Question For Arthurian Legend Fans

If King Arthur died of natural causes before Mordred could kill him but he left a will. In your opinion who did he name his heir and who did he give his most valuable possessions to?

[lucrezianoin]

Gawain would be his heir, and Guinevere would get his most valuable possessions, and Mordred the most meaningful ones because he never shared anything with his father, or really knew him.

[arthuriantravels]

I second that, but he’d make sure to get Lancelot and Kay a special keepsake to remember him by. Doesn’t have to be of material value, something personal and special.

[lynxian]

I was going to reply to this, but my answer ended up being way too long (holy crap, even longer than I expected!). So, reblog + commentary instead. Also, I’m writing all this off the top of my head, so I might get some of the details wrong. Bear with me.

Okay, so. I think it would depend on when exactly he died and whether or not the Lancelot/Guinevere affair (which was a late addition to the Arthurian mythos) was in play. Also, for each of these, assume he’s written the will a few days before his death and all events prior to that factor in.

If he died right after heading off to war with Rome/Lancelot, he'd likely have left Mordred as his heir. Despite a lot of modern interpretations and later stories, several knights had originally suggested that Arthur appoint Mordred as regent. Plus, even if it’s far enough back that Mordred isn’t Arthur’s son, a nephew would have a legitimate claim to the throne (as it were) in that era and culture and there are texts where Arthur actually says he’ll crown Mordred king after coming back from the war. The prized possessions would probably go to Guinevere (if no affair), Gawain and Kay.

If the Lancelot/Guinevere affair is in play, but he died before it was widely known, he’d likely have left Gawain as his heir (re: legitimate claim as a nephew). Prized possessions might have actually gone to Lancelot and/or Guinevere. There are actually indications that Arthur was aware of the affair but chose not to confront it until forced to, so it could be a way of saying that he forgave them for it and still cared for them despite it. If he died after Lancelot rescued Guinevere from the stake but before going to war, he definitely wouldn’t leave it to Gawain (too angry and revenge-fueled over Lancelot killing his brothers). Maybe Kay? Hell, maybe Mordred here, too. Prized possessions would probably stay the same - Gawain, Kay, Lancelot, Guinevere.

If Arthur died relatively early in the mythos (before the conflict with Rome/Lancelot), Gawain would undoubtedly be his heir. Prized possessions would go to all the same people, plus probably a few more. Maybe one for each of the Round Table knights, as a keepsake?

If he died after finding out Mordred has taken over his throne, but before confronting him (ie final battle at Camlann), things get tricky. If the affair is in play, Arthur... doesn’t have many options to choose from. Gawain would be dead (killed by Lancelot), as would a lot of other knights, and Mordred’s out. Bedivere or Kay, I guess. And nobody gets any possessions! Because they’re all horrible! ...Just kidding. Despite everything, they’d probably go to Lancelot and Kay. Now if the affair isn’t in play, then Guinevere becomes Mordred’s co-conspirator and it would probably go to either Gawain or Lancelot (fun fact: there’s a text where Mordred doesn’t die at Camlann, continues to rule, and Lancelot ultimately ends up killing him and Guinevere years later by burying them alive).

[lynxian]

heya! just wanted to ask, are you posting yr HQ translations anywhere still? (I totally understand if not, ha....)

I’m putting them up on mangahelpers, though I’ve started doing them by volume instead of chapter by chapter (volume 22 starts with 190, hence why 189 is the last one posted. I’m actually waiting for the tankobon to arrive).

[lynxian]

Not dead yet! (though I can’t speak for Casanova, tbh). Gonna get my HQ translations caught up this week, plus work on a couple others I’ve had sitting around half-finished.

(I guess you could say I’ve been on a break, of sorts).

[lynxian]

I’m sorry, but fuck mangastream. I’m honestly pissed they picked up Haikyuu at this point. I love the series and don’t intend to stop translating it, even if it’s only for myself, since no one reads text translations. Casanova’s been struggling with raw provider issues for months, but there’s really nothing they can do.

Just- yeah, you can call me salty or whatever, but this is so damn frustrating and irritating and probably even moreso because most readers won’t even care? Because now they can get their fix superfast and just... augh. I needed to let off some steam.

[lynxian]

Kamen Rider Hibiki 01

My first project is a complete retranslation of Hibiki (wish me luck, I guess?). There's no set release schedule at the moment, but I'll do episodes as quickly as I can. As per /krg/'s suggestion, ...

So I’m doing a thing.

[lynxian]

HQ!! translation notes: 178

Yet again, we’re starting off with the title. こだわり (kodawari) has several meanings, and usually I’m able to figure out the intended meaning based on the contents of the chapter (or at least the character it’s centered around). Using obsession/fixation would fit for Tendou, while perseverance/determination would fit for Suga... but unfortunately, the chapter focuses on both of them equally. That means こだわり is likely meant to elicit both meanings. So, I had to dig around in the thesaurus a lot to find something that could work. “Steadfast” ultimately seemed the best option.

Alright, next is less a translation note and more a volleyball-related one. So, when Tsukishima’s taken out of the game, Takeda-sensei says this:

Scorekeeper here doesn’t mean those two guys sitting next to the scoreboard who occasionally provide commentary while flipping numbers. It’s an actual job, and it appeared back when Daichi was substituted out, too.

Here’s a link to an explanation of the scorekeeper’s duties. The relevant part has to do with player substitutions. Basically, the scorekeeper has to keep track of them.

[lynxian]

Learning stuff from translating manga: 流星 vs 流れ星

Wow, been a while since I’ve done one of these. Anyway, this one comes as a result of the HQ!! omake in the recent issue of Jump NEXT.

What is the difference between 流星 (ryuusei) and 流れ星 (nagareboshi)?

Answer:

Actually, these two words mean the same thing. In English, 流れ星 is “shooting star”, and 流星 is “meteor.” I think more people are used to the phrase “shooting star.” Similarly, 流星 is more of a technical term, whereas 流れ星 feels more familiar.

[lynxian]

HQ!! translation notes: 173 & 174

Whoops, I completely forgot I had this sitting in my drafts folder. Well, better late than never, eh?

We’ll start off with the chapter title for 173. In the original Japanese, it’s 断崖絶壁 (dangaizeppeki), which means “a sheer precipice/a precipitous cliff”. It’s also used to indicate when a situation is in dire straits, so  I opted for the translation “on the edge”, as it points to both meanings.

Next up is this from 174:

Hinata calls him バテ山君 (bateyama-kun). The “bate” part of that means “exhausted/worn out”, and has both a similar sound and the same number of syllables as “kage”. “Frazzle” seemed to be the best choice in translating it to match that. バテ also shows up again in this line here, hence the use of “frazzled” again:

As a side note, the “teetering on the edge” line is がけっぷち (gakeppuchi) in the original Japanese, which means either “at the edge (of a cliff)” or “a critical moment”. It ended up as a nice little connection to the previous chapter’s title that I had no way of knowing about when I translated 173! (Well, I found it neat, at least).

[lynxian]

Going into the Haikyuu!! tag like

Every time.

Every. Time.

[lynxian]

PSA

Quick reminder that Shounen Jump is on break this week. Issue 39 (which will contain Haikyuu!! 170) goes on sale 8/24.

[lynxian]

HQ!! translation notes: 167 (and 166)

Alright, first up, we’ll start with the chapter title. In the original Japanese, it’s 個vs数 (ko vs kazu), which literally means “individuals vs. numbers”. In terms of the chapter, 個 refers to Shiratorizawa’s style of building up each player individually, and 数 refers to Karasuno’s style of using the team’s numerical majority. Thinking back on it, “One vs. Many” might not get that across too well, but it was the least awkward-sounding option.

Next up, this line:

Namely, the second half of the sentence, which I translated as “placement.” The original Japanese had me stumped for a while, as the word used is 嗅覚 (kyuukaku), which means “sense of smell.” In this context, that... made no sense. So I did some digging around and found that it has a different meaning in the context of sports (soccer, mainly): being in a position (on the field) which enables you to score. The more you know, right?

Next, there’s this line:

In the original Japanese, the spectator describes it as a 針の穴を通る (hari no ana o tooru, lit. “threading a needle”) straight. The phrase is used to indicate something that’s insanely hard to do, so I opted for a more direct translation to get that across.

Oh, and a quick translation note for 166 that I forgot to write up last week.

The word Ushiwaka and Yachi use is 稚拙 (chisetsu), which means unskilled/naive/childish/clumsy/crude. When I was first translating Ushiwaka’s line just before this, I’d intended to use “low-level” for it, but I discovered I’d need a word that would match the definition Yachi gives here, which is precisely what it says in the original Japanese. "Infantile” seemed to work the best, though I admit it might be a bit of a stretch to say it can mean “unskilled.”

[lynxian]

Thoughts on Kamen Rider Drive 33

Spoiler-friendly, so everything’s under a read more.

I think Gou having immunity to 001′s power was far too convenient. It would have been better if he originally intended to betray the antagonists, but ended up getting brainwashed (at that point, they weren’t aware that 001 could mess with memories, after all) - and then something broke him out of it, like when the construction worker’s son recalled strong memories of his father. Probably the battle with Chase, where Chase said he wouldn’t kill Gou because it would make Kiriko sad. I think it would’ve made more sense and seemed like less of an ass-pull, and it wouldn’t have interfered with the “Mister X” e-mail, either. See, he “switched sides” at the start of episode 29 and had the aforementioned battle with Chase in 30, so he’d still have had enough time to send the e-mail in 31.

Though... if he really hadn’t been affected by 001′s power, why couldn’t he have snatched Brain’s tablet sometime between 29 and 33? What, does Brain keep it shoved down his shirt at all times, or something? (I’d say “steal it when he’s sleeping”, but I don’t remember if Roidmudes actually sleep)

Anyway, I’m glad that Gou and Chase seem to be getting along now. I can’t recall, but has Gou ever called Chase by name before? If not, then that’s progress! We might see a complete Tridoron + boosters triple rider battle after all! (Except apparently Gou’s gone missing again next episode, geez...)

Krim’s fighting posture/movements reminded me of Den-O’s Wing Form and W’s Nazca Dopant. Well, apparently Drive’s suit actor also did all of Den-O’s forms, so there’s that.

I can’t look at Type Tridoron without seeing those two little circle things on its face as eyes and the rectangles above them as eyebrows. That triple tire combination was so cool, though! (Don’t worry, Burning Solar, you’ll get your time to shine soon, as part of another Tridoron combo!) I’m amused that leaked scans have an “American Dream” tire combination in store, which features Amazing Circus, Dimension Cab and Dream Vegas (so that’s New York, Nevada, and... California? Florida? What state would be associated with a circus??)

[lynxian]

HQ!! translation notes: 158

First, regarding this part:

As mentioned in the margin note, “campfire” and “husband-and-wife” are both terms for the same thing (when the ball drops between two players because they couldn’t decide who’d handle it in time). I’ve purposefully been avoiding using the latter, because fangirls find enough ammo on their own. Here, however, it was actually really useful. In Japanese, the word is お見合い (omiai), which would refer to a formal marriage interview in pretty much every non-sports-related context. Given that, you can probably figure out that Washijou is making use of that more common meaning.

Next up is this panel from the same page:

Ukai calls Washijou an oni coach (鬼監督, oni kantoku), and in most circumstances, I’d have translated that as “demon coach.” However, he then describes coaches like his grandfather and Nekomata as 妖怪みたいなじいさん (youkai-mitai na jii-san), or “youkai-esque old geezers”, so I opted to keep “oni” and use “demonic” to describe them, instead. 

Also, for those who didn’t know, a nekomata is, in fact, a type of (cat) youkai. Same kanji and everything.

[lynxian]

At this rate, I should just start a “lynx bawls over tokusatsu shows” tag

Just finished watching Kamen Rider W, and the last two episodes left me in tears. I think the series even managed to replace Den-O as my favorite. Ahhh, man, now I’m feeling really motivated to try my hand at translating the novel and S.I.C. Hero Saga sidestory.

[lynxian]

HQ!! translation notes: 156

First up, I’ll elaborate on something that got a translation note in the margin already. Namely, this:

This is a clever use of Japanese homonyms that sadly doesn’t work in English. As mentioned in the margin translation note, ゲス (gesu) can mean both “guess” and “scumbag.” Furudate-sensei mostly uses the former meaning throughout the chapter, and the word almost always appears in katakana. The exceptions are: Izumi’s confusion, where he thinks the word used is 下衆 (also gesu, but the version which means “scumbag”), the chapter title, and when Ukai is explaining guess blocking (the last two use the actual English word).

Next, this is less of a translation note and more something I kinda liked that didn’t translate over into English. In this scene, where Ukai’s explaining read blocking,

he says that the English word “read” in read blocking doesn’t mean 読み (yomi, “reading"), but is more like 理解する (rikai suru, “to understand/comprehend”). Idk, I just like when characters try to explain things using linguistic equivalents.

Oh, and from that same section, there’s the “we and Nekoma are both practicing it, with varying results” line. I added in the “varying results” part to try and convey the nuance from the original Japanese. The phrase Ukai uses is evidently a play off a common Japanese marketing phrase, "絶賛...中", which basically means something is currently being insert-verb-here-ed with high praise (that wording should sound familiar, since Jump uses that marketing phrase a lot). So here, it’s tongue-and-cheek mixed with a bit of self-deprecation.

[lynxian]

(1/4) Hi Lynxian! I just wanted to thank you for the translation work you did on Ansatsu Kyoushitsu. Over the course of myriad mangas/animes/games/VNs/etc, I had recently basically resigned to the fact that there would never be a translation I was completely satisfied with. Having a long history of learning the japanese language (but still sucking at it pretty hard), i wouldn't really feel 100% comfortable unless I was going through the original japanese work myself and

referencing (sometimes multiple) translations on the side. Anime makes this easy because I can listen while reading subs, games and VN’s are either easy to find in japanese or have japanese LP’s on sites like niconico, but manga was always more difficult because I’m a very slow reader and japanese scans can be very hard to find. So manga kind of bums me out because I feel like there’s so much i’m missing just due to the amount that’s lost in translation and that I’m not good enough to just read the original. I stopped criticizing translations and started taking issue with the necessity of translating in general, i thought I could never be happy unless I was referencing the original. But reading your work with AC has really changed everything for me. This is the first time I’ve had 0 desire to do more research on my own, the first time I feel as though I’ve really trusted a translation, and I am honestly floored. Though I’m sad you only translated up until 55, I can’t express how grateful I am towards you for letting me have this experience. Your detailed notes and careful consideration made me so elated I didn’t know what to do with myself. You seriously went above and beyond, looking into things because they interested you as well as going through the trouble of sharing them with us. I seriously might read other stuff you’ve done just to read more of your work. Bless you. Seriously, just bless. You are an angel :’) Thank you so so much for everything!!

Sorry for that long ask just now. I went on anon because though i don’t need a response, if you do choose to give one I really want it to be posted publicly, so everyone can see what I said and appreciate how great you are >u<. If you do respond you should reply to one ask and paste the other 3 parts in the answer so anyone can read the whole thing. Of course this is entirely up to you, I just really want everyone to adore you as much as I do!! You really really deserve it!!!

I- oh geez, I don’t even know what to say. I’m just… so happy, and touched, and I can’t even begin to describe it, but thank you! Thank you so much! (I usually don’t post things like this, so I can scroll through my message inbox to read them all whenever I’m feeling down, but this was just... I think I made an actual “kyun” sound reading it).

[lynxian]

Just a quick reminder

Shounen Jump is on break this week for Golden Week. Issue 24 (which will contain Haikyuu!! 156) goes on sale May 11th, so the earliest 156 might appear online is the end of next week.