nexus_crossings | Language LOL: Translator Malfunction

You know what's cool? Chatting with your pals. Reading the Internet. Navigating the roads because you can understand the Gods-damned street signs. You know what's not cool? Not being able to do any of that. By that metric, one might describe today in the Nexus decidedly uncool.

It's utterly without warning that the multiversal hub goes from automatic to manual translation. Shop signs, radio and television broadcasts, conversations on the streets between vendors and friends and businesspeople are suddenly a jarring cacophony of dissonant languages. Then there's the silence. Then there's the shouting. Turns out people get pissed off when nobody understands them!

Momentary chaos dies down as the average people of the Nexus come to grips with their new situation. Shopkeepers wait outside their stores and stands with expectant expressions, impatiently waiting for the translator to pull itself together and start working again.

Except...

It sort of doesn't.

No, it super doesn't.

Citizens of the Nexus, it would appear you're going to have to adjust...

((The temporary LANGUAGE LOL is now underway! It's freeform fun until you're done and participation is completely optional. Don't feel like this event should stop you from making threads which are unaffected by the LOL in the mean time. If you want your Language LOL'd character to interact with a non-LOL thread, please ask the OP if they want to play that dynamic first. For the OOC and organization post, GO HERE. ))

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Steve turns at the sound of his name and beams when he spies Viatorus. He's not the only one. Once Steve gets through the crowd and gets closer the little dino critter barks out a surprised 'don!' and clops over to Steve excitedly. She even headbutts his leg when he gets close, walking round him in a circle while he laughs in relief.

"Ethel! There you are. Shhh, I know. I know it's scary here. It's okay." Steve gives the pokemon a berry and much like Viatorus had rubs her crested head lovingly. Making sure she's less afraid before he grins to Viatorus.

"Thank you for finding her, V. I've been looking all over for her and the other two. Oh--but.." Steve trails off, biting his lip. "Can you understand me?"

It's much easier to smile at the reunion considering he can understand every word of it. In the chaos it's doubly reassuring. Still, he smiles brightly when Steve talks to him. So it's a language issue, not a communication one. That is a relief.

"I can," he says as he walks over to meet his friend. "I wasn't sure if it was an LOL to stop communication or something else. Do you know what's going on? Is it something to do with the translator?"

"Oh thank God."

Steve gives an earnest laugh, and the sound makes Ethel echo it with a happy 'don! don!' of her own, the metallic ring carrying on her voice. She's glad Steve is happy andthat she's not all by her lonesome anymore.

"No idea, but from what I've seen it's breaking any kind of translator tech or magic people are trying to use. It's just a huge mess. Not even my Pokemon can understand me right now, they must have been raised on a different language in their home world."

Viatorus hums thoughtfully and turns to look around. It's chaotic, yes, but it doesn't feel particularly dangerous. More importantly, it's a curious thing, a puzzle, and it's difficult for Viatorus to be nervous when he's busy being intrigued.

"I wish we knew how the Nexus worked, or someone who knows how to fix these things…" Pressing his lips together, he sighs. "I know a few languages, but I don't know how many will be useful." He turns to Steve with a small laugh, "Somehow I doubt Latin is a common language here."

"Harrowheart speaks some kind of space-Danish and German. I don't know how of all Earth languages that's the one he picked up but..."

Steve winces visibly.

"My German is so bad. I could barely communicate with him. He took it well though. Got a good laugh out of it."

"I taught him that," Viatorus says quickly. The burst of excitement quickly fades into a sheepish smile. "A-And Isidor too. She helps. He's teaching me Common, you see. We were trading languages."

"I didn't know you spoke German," he continues, bouncing on the spot. "Who taught you?"

"No wonder he speaks it so well."

Steve gives Viatorus a smile, humbled by how talented his friends are with languages. He should really look into learning some basic things, really. Can't help but to grin at the idea of Harrow heart getting to teach someone else something. Harrow doesn't get enough chances to be the expert in the room on anything. Steve's glad to see him getting a time to shine.

"World War II taught me all the German I know, which isn't much and most of it not for polite conversation. It's been a long time since I've tried to speak it, and apparently I only got worse over time."

The revelation of the reason for Steve's German gets a quiet, reverent, "Oh..."

"My mother is German," he explains, fidgeting once and then putting his hands behind his back. "It was the one part of our education she insisted on. My father is French, so... I had to learn that too."

"I'd happily practice German with you, if you wanted to." He suddenly looks sheepish. "Though I suppose you would only need it if you were going to Germany. Which I guess you wouldn't. You probably only have bad memories there."

"Not all of them are bad." A fair number of them, certainly, but it's hardly the fault of the country itself. Though Steve flushes quite red with embarrassment then before he clears his throat.

"Ich bra..brauche vielleicht, uh, mehr als ein biss chen Übung."

Like with Harrowheart, Steve's pronunciation is slow and strange sounding. He hesitates on words that should be spoken swiftly and pauses where he shouldn't but eventually gets the whole thing out.

"...You can go ahead and laugh." He knows it's awful.

Viatorus folds his hands and listens patiently to Steve's cautious attempt. He smiles gently until Steve tells him he can laugh. The scholar blinks at him.

"Why would I laugh? Your words are almost perfect." His encouraging smile returns. "You just need a bit more confidence, and to get used to the sound of the language, that's all."

Switching to German he says, "You should have seen me learning Latin. Everything I said sounded terrible."

He speaks slowly and gestures where he thinks it might be helpful, punctuating his sentences with a smile.

There's a moment of startled laughter with Viatorus complimenting him on his German considering how much HarrowHeart was chuckling at him earlier. But Steve grins all the same.

"You... speak Latin? Badly?"

He can only sort of understand.

Viatorus smiles and nods again. Switching to English he adds, "I can speak a fair few incantations and use magical terminology alright, but I'm nowhere near as good at Latin as I am German or French."

A thought strikes him and he tilts his head at Steve. "If you could choose a language to learn now, which would you choose?"

"Russian, probably. Bucky speaks it and sometimes when he's not aware of where or when he is he falls into it and I don't know what he's saying. That or Wakandan. I've been staying there for a while now, the place I drew for you in the letter? I feel like I should try to learn their culture and language if they're going to give me and Bucky sanctuary there."

But considering neither of those is one of the languages Vatorus mentioned speaking Steve is quick to backpedal just a bit, worried about hurting his friend's feelings.

"But you and Harrow both speak German too now. I should probably want to learn that too or I'll be left behind."

Russian and Wakandan. They both sound very exotic. He wonders briefly what Wakandan looks like, and if it has an alphabet that looks the same as English. Then Steve starts talking about learning German and pulls him from his thoughts.

Viatorus smiles and shakes his head. "You should learn whatever you want to learn. You could teach us Russian or Wakandan afterwards too."

"You know I'd be happy to once I had a grasp of it. They say teaching is one of the best ways to learn something long term."

Steve chuckles then.

"I'd love to do something with you and Harrow again. Together."

"I think it must be. Even explaining things to other people can make you understand something you thought you knew in a completely different light," Viatorus agrees enthusiastically.

"I would too." He smiles softly. "I guess we've all been so busy... But you're right. We must get together more often."

Language LOL: Translator Malfunction

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