Language LOL: Translator Malfunction

[rumham]

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. ))

Comments

[smartass_captain]

Jim frowns over the picture they've handed him, eyebrows furrowed heavily. What kind of a lame ass prison is that if it only covers someone's head and shoulders? What good does it--he's seen this person before. Weak from hunger and thirst, months ago. That's who was responsible for the Nightmare realm?

"If he's the one who made that crazy place, why did you lot urge us out into that hell back then?"

At least he seems to be more or less following along. Trying to, at least.

[grantuseyes]

Oh no, he's mad at them again. And blaming them again! And how to explain, how to explain.

One particularly ambitious messenger decides to give it a shot and pulls out a scroll of parchment, turns it horizontal so it has more room to work and starts trying to piece together a way to tell Jim the situation back in that scary place! Sequential art is kind of new, but it's gonna try its best.

Eventually, Jim is given the paper and the one who'd drawn it waits anxiously, tapping its two pointer fingers together.

[smartass_captain]

Jim's watching the other little guys wring their hands and look generally despondent and affronted until their buddy gives him the sheet of parchment when he's done with his storytime picture. He looks at them and then back to the parchment a couple of times.

Well, shit.

These ugly little space turds were trying to help them? Jim squats down to be more on their level and carefully gestures for a crayon, turning the parchment over to the other side. Jim's not much of an artist, but even he can manage a crude drawing of a taller stick figure waving at smaller half formed ones. He writes 'thank you' next to the taller stick figure before handing the sheet back to the little dude.

"We'd have probably died there without you guys, then. So thank you."

[grantuseyes]

When the paper with the new drawing and written thank you note are handed back to the first messenger, it looks it over...then hugs it. The paper crumples into a bunch but who cares! THIS IS NICE!

The rest clap and make gestures as if flattered; hands on their cheeks, arms folded behind their backs as if going "aw shucks". One blows a kiss to Jim. They're so glad he understands! All they do is help! Or try to anyway.