Dumb Idea Incoming!!!
Sometimes the best ideas are dumb. Sometimes.
Ayo?
a new post is here...
this is strange
Hi, I have a strange idea, but I promise it has a potential to be cool.
Telephone
You might or might not know this, but I want to create content at some point. I want to put some of my work out there into the world.
Now, if you've ever played DnD before, you might've heard of a group called Critical Role. If not, that's fine, but they're one of the biggest Actual Play series out there (note: Actual Play is a subgenre of video where people sit around playing DnD in real time). The people in CR are all voice actors, which allows for a bunch of roleplaying shenanigans. In addition, DnD encourages a bit of improv on everyone's part, since you can never fully know what's happening unless your DM is a railroader.
I've recently watched an episode or two of a small series of videos from the same people. The story behind said videos: during COVID lockdown, they were going insane, so they created a little game of Telephone... but instead of a small phrase that you whisper into someone's ear in order to pass what you heard along, you instead get sent a video of someone telling a story, then make a video telling that same story to the best of your ability, before sending it to the next person.
One of my favorite things from the first episode, is that the story that Matt (their DM) tells his story first, then everyone just somehow makes it more dramatic yet not at the same time. Another thing I loved is that, with the way he phrases some of the words, a few things got changed in the story:
- The wolf gets a beak (from "The wolf speaks" to "The wolf's beak")
- Combat doesn't end up happening (the original story had the dude wrestle the wolf, while everyone else has them making up or leaving each other alone)
- At some point, the mushrooms imply that the dude transforms into a werewolf (while the guy technically transforms, it happens earlier, and all it was is just him getting swole, so it had no hand in making this implication)
Then there's also things that get kept for a long time:
- The ending words, particularly this "Lupine flavor," that originally described the soup the guy makes at the end (everyone else attributed the taste to the mushrooms)
- Speaking of, the mushrooms themselves, or rather the fact that the guy is outside picking them
- Bad (but not too bad) weather (AKA inconvenient weather)
Does this process sound familiar? It should. Much like the original Telephone, this shows the process in which legends and myths are formed. People, especially back then, didn't have the knowledge that we do, and have tended to resort to either hyperbole or straight up lying to compensate for what they think happened. Here's a modern example: Cryptids! Bigfoot, Mothman, Goatman, Loch Ness Monster, Jackalopes, Flatwoods Monster, you name it. These all got started because of a few similar stories, similar coincidences, spark curiosity (and sometimes fear) into people. Then, seemingly small events get pinned as being caused by these things. People spread these stories, and some people have the same kind of memory that I have.
Does this process sound familiar? It should. I had just typed it out earlier.
Jokes aside, because people have different priorities for which details to keep, which ones to ignore, and sometimes which details to add that help explain it, these stories change and grow. Gossip for this kind of thing is very powerful in keeping the entity alive.
So, what does this have to do with my idea, you may ask?
Google Translate
Have you ever heard of a thing called Book of Mario? It's a "ROM Hack" of sorts, but instead of changing any stats and gameplay shit, it instead "translates" the game. How? Well, they take all the text, translate it with Google Translate into a different language, translate that into a different language, translate it into a completely different language, translate it into a new language entirely, then at long last they translate it back into English.
The results speak for themselves. If it's not obvious, the original game is Paper Mario, but after applying this technique to the game's title they get Book of Mario. It's even more funny when you consider that the original game got its variant second. The first one I believe is actually the second game in the Paper Mario series. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door going through this Google Translate process gets turned into Book of Mario: Thousands of Doors. Essentially it gives you random-ass dialogue in certain areas, and you can have fun either figuring out what the original dialogue was, or seeing what story the game provides now that the text is strange.
While I may not be the best writer, I can bet that I could tell some good tales.
So, what would happen if I wrote down a fictional story, and translated it a few times through Google Translate? Let's find out!
Test Run
Story
'Twas a cloudy day in the village of Rendorff; the pleasant wind carried with it promises of the upcoming autumn, and everyone was busy out in the farmlands. It is here when a man, Trin, noticed a shimmer of light between the woodland trees, far on the outskirts of the village. Curiosity struck him as he sauntered over to the forest, bringing his farming plow with.
Having reached the edge, he could see that it was some sort of glowing orb, with glittery dust falling precariously from itself. As Trin got close, he felt a small bit of warmth emanating from the orb, but it did not last for long as the glow fluttered away, weaving itself between the low-hanging branches, making them seem a bit more lively than usual. He kept up with this orb until they both come across a peculiar ring formed out of mushrooms. Without warning, the ball of light zipped past his face, tousling his hair with the speed, into the middle of the ring.
Trin watched as this orb grew in size until it was close to his own size, and then the glow faded away. What was left is a beautiful fairy, with an elegant leafy dress and a smooth branch in her left hand.
"Greetings, human," the fairy spoke, "You may call me Angela. I am quite pleasantly surprised at your presence! Only those with a pure heart can see me, and it's been many years since anyone was able to. I want to provide you a reward for being such a kind and noble individual!"
Trin held out his hand, and Angela carefully placed a ruby into his palm, and closed his hand.
"This is a sacred charm. If you are ever in a time of need, it should light up, and become either a sword or a shield. I trust that it stays in good hands."
Before he can offer his thanks, she quickly vanishes, and he soon notices that the mushrooms that surrounded her are now nowhere to be seen. When he emerged from the forest, a small crowd was waiting for him, attempting to give him yet another lecture to not go into the woods without consulting the elders, but he didn't mind. In due time, he has needed that ruby on more than one occasion. Since then, it was passed down from generation to generation. Legend says that the current whereabouts of the gem are unknown.
Translations
German
Es war ein bewölkter Tag im Dorf Rendorff; Der angenehme Wind, der ihn mit sich brachte, kündigte den bevorstehenden Herbst an, und alle waren draußen auf den Feldern geschäftig. Hier bemerkte ein Mann namens Trin weit am Rande des Dorfes einen Lichtschimmer zwischen den Waldbäumen. Die Neugier überkam ihn, als er mit seinem Ackerpflug in den Wald schlenderte.
Als er den Rand erreicht hatte, konnte er erkennen, dass es sich um eine Art leuchtende Kugel handelte, von der glitzernder Staub gefährlich herunterfiel. Als Trin näher kam, spürte er ein wenig Wärme, die von der Kugel ausging, aber das hielt nicht lange an, da das Leuchten davonflatterte und sich zwischen den tief hängenden Zweigen hindurchwebte und sie etwas lebendiger als gewöhnlich erscheinen ließ. Er hielt mit dieser Kugel Schritt, bis beide auf einen seltsamen Ring aus Pilzen stießen. Ohne Vorwarnung sauste der Lichtball an seinem Gesicht vorbei und zerzauste mit der Geschwindigkeit sein Haar in die Mitte des Rings.
Trin sah zu, wie diese Kugel größer wurde, bis sie fast seine eigene Größe erreichte, und dann verschwand das Leuchten. Übrig blieb eine wunderschöne Fee mit einem eleganten Blattkleid und einem glatten Zweig in der linken Hand.
„Sei gegrüßt, Mensch“, sprach die Fee, „Du darfst mich Angela nennen. Ich bin ganz angenehm überrascht von deiner Anwesenheit! Nur wer ein reines Herz hat, kann mich sehen, und es ist schon viele Jahre her, dass das jemand konnte. Ich möchte es.“ belohne dich dafür, dass du so ein freundlicher und edler Mensch bist!“
Trin streckte seine Hand aus und Angela legte vorsichtig einen Rubin in seine Handfläche und schloss seine Hand.
„Dies ist ein heiliger Zauber. Wenn du dich jemals in einer Notsituation befindest, sollte er aufleuchten und entweder zu einem Schwert oder einem Schild werden. Ich vertraue darauf, dass er in guten Händen bleibt.“
Bevor er sich bedanken kann, verschwindet sie schnell und er bemerkt bald, dass die Pilze, die sie umgaben, nicht mehr zu sehen sind. Als er aus dem Wald kam, wartete eine kleine Menschenmenge auf ihn und versuchte ihm noch einmal zu sagen, er solle nicht in den Wald gehen, ohne die Ältesten zu konsultieren, aber es machte ihm nichts aus. Im Laufe der Zeit brauchte er diesen Rubin mehr als einmal. Seitdem wurde es von Generation zu Generation weitergegeben. Der Legende nach ist der aktuelle Verbleib des Edelsteins unbekannt.
Romanian
Era o zi înnorată în satul Rendorff; Vântul plăcut care l-a adus anunță apropierea toamnei și toată lumea era ocupată pe câmp. Aici, departe la marginea satului, un bărbat pe nume Trin a observat o licărire de lumină între copacii pădurii. Curiozitatea l-a copleșit în timp ce se plimba în pădure cu plugul.
Când a ajuns la margine, a putut vedea că era un fel de minge strălucitoare cu praf strălucitor căzând periculos. Pe măsură ce Trin s-a apropiat, a simțit un pic de căldură radiind din glob, dar nu a durat mult, când strălucirea s-a îndepărtat și s-a împletit printre ramurile joase, făcându-l să pară puțin mai viu decât de obicei. A ținut pasul cu această minge până când amândoi au dat peste un inel ciudat de ciuperci. Fără avertisment, globul de lumină a șuierat pe lângă fața lui, ciufulindu-i părul cu viteza lui în mijlocul inelului.
Trin a urmărit cum această sferă creștea până când a ajuns aproape de dimensiunea lui, iar apoi strălucirea a dispărut. Ceea ce a rămas a fost o zână frumoasă, cu o rochie elegantă din frunze și o ramură netedă în mâna stângă.
„Salutări, om,” a spus zâna, „poți să-mi spui Angela. Sunt destul de placut surprins de prezenta ta! Doar cei cu inima curată mă pot vedea și au trecut mulți ani de când cineva a putut. Vreau să te recompensez pentru că ești o persoană atât de bună și nobilă!”
Trin și-a întins mâna și Angela i-a pus cu grijă un rubin în palmă și și-a închis mâna.
„Aceasta este o vrajă sfântă. Dacă vă aflați vreodată într-o situație de urgență, ar trebui să se aprindă și să devină fie o sabie, fie un scut. Am încredere că va rămâne pe mâini bune.”
Înainte ca el să poată spune mulțumesc, ea dispare repede și el observă curând că ciupercile care o înconjura nu se mai văd. Când a ieșit din pădure, o mulțime mică îl aștepta și a încercat să-i spună din nou să nu intre în pădure fără să-i consulte pe bătrâni, dar nu s-a deranjat. De-a lungul timpului, a avut nevoie de acest rubin de mai multe ori. De atunci s-a transmis din generație în generație. Potrivit legendei, locația actuală a pietrei prețioase nu este cunoscută.
Scottish Gaelic
Bha'n latha sgòthach ann am baile beag Rendorff; Dh’ ainmich a’ ghaoth thaitneach a thug leis gu robh an fhoghar faisg air làimh, agus bha a h-uile duine trang anns na h-achaidhean. An seo, fada air iomall a’ bhaile, mhothaich fear dham b’ ainm Trin boillsgeadh solais am measg chraobhan na coille. Chuir feòrachas thairis e agus e a’ coiseachd anns a’ choille leis a’ chrann.
Nuair a ràinig e an oir, chitheadh e gur e ball de sheòrsa air choreigin a bh’ ann le duslach deàrrsach a’ tuiteam gu cunnartach. Mar a bha Trin a’ tighinn nas fhaisge, bha e a’ faireachdainn beagan blàths a’ gluasad bhon orb, ach cha do mhair e fada fhad ‘s a ghluais an glaodh air falbh agus a’ fighe tro na meuran ìosal, ga fhàgail a ’coimhead beagan nas beò na an àbhaist. Chùm e suas leis a’ bhàla seo gus an tàinig an dithis aca tarsainn air fàinne balgan-buachair neònach. Gun rabhadh, chaidh orb an t-solais seachad air aodann, a’ ruagadh fhalt le a luaths ann am meadhan an fhàinne.
Bha Trin a’ coimhead mar a dh’ fhàs an raon seo gus an robh e faisg air a mheud, agus an uairsin dh’ fhalbh an glaodh. B' e sìthiche breagha a bh' air fhàgail le èideadh eireachdail de dhuilleagan agus meur rèidh na làimh chlì.
“ Beannachd leat, a dhuine,” ars an sìthiche, “ canaidh tu Angela rium. Tha e na iongnadh mòr dhomh leis an làthaireachd agad! Is e dìreach an cridhe glan a chì mi agus tha grunn bhliadhnaichean ann bho dh’ fhaodadh duine. Tha mi airson duais a thoirt dhut airson a bhith nad dhuine cho còir agus uasal!”
Chùm Trin a làmh a-mach agus chuir Angela gu faiceallach ruby na pailme agus dhùin i a làmh.
“Is e geas naomh a tha seo. Ma tha thu a-riamh ann an suidheachadh èiginneach, bu chòir dha lasadh suas agus a bhith na chlaidheamh no na sgiath. Tha mi an dòchas gum fuirich e ann an deagh làmhan."
Mus urrainn dha taing a thoirt dhut, falbhaidh i gu sgiobalta agus bheir e an aire gu luath nach eil na balgan-buachair timcheall oirre ri fhaicinn tuilleadh. Nuair a thàinig e a-mach às a 'choille, bha sluagh beag a' feitheamh ris agus dh'fheuch e ri innse dha a-rithist gun a dhol a-steach don choille gun a bhith a 'bruidhinn ris na seanairean, ach cha do chuir e dragh air. Thar ùine, bha feum aige air an ruby seo grunn thursan. Bhon uairsin tha e air a dhol sìos bho ghinealach gu ginealach. A rèir beul-aithris, chan eil fios càite a bheil an t-seud an-dràsta.
Japanese
Sonohi, rendorufu no chīsana machi wa kumorideshita. Kokochiyoi kaze ga aki no otozure o tsuge, min'na hata de isogashiku shite imashita. Koko, machi no kōgai no tōku ni aru torin to iu otoko wa, mori no kigi no ma ni kasukana hikari ga aru koto ni kidzukimashita. Tsue o tsuite mori no naka o aruite iru to, kōkishin ga kare o attō shita.
Hashi ni tōtatsu suru to, soreha hikaru funjin o matotta arushuno bōru ga kiken ni ochite iru no ga miemashita. Torin ga chikadzuku to, ōbu kara wazukana netsu ga tsutawatte kuru no o kanjimashitaga, sore wa nagaku wa tsudzukazu, kagayaki ga tōzakari,-ka no eda o nutte iki, kare wa itsumo yori sukoshi dake ikiiki to shite iru yō ni miemashita. Kare wa futari tomo kimyōna kinoko no wa ni deau made, kono bōru ni oitsukimashita. Nani no maebure mo naku,-kō no kyū ga kare no kao o tōrisugi, ringu no man'naka de sono supīdo de kami o kakimidashita.
Torin wa, kono kyūtai ga jibun no ōki-sa ni chikadzuku made seichō shi, sonogo kagayaki ga kieru no o kansatsu shimashita. Nokotta no wa, utsukushī happa no doresu o kite, hidarite ni tairana yubi o motta utsukushī yōseideshita.
`Sayōnara, anata wa watashi o anjera to yonde kudasai.' To yōsei wa iimashita. Anata no sonzai ni totemo odoroite imasu! Watashiniha junsuina kokoro no mono shika miemasenga, sore ga dekiru yō ni natte kara nan-nen mo tachimashita. Totemo reigi tadashikute kōkina hitodattanode, watashi wa anata ni hōbi o ataetaidesu!'
Torin ga te o sashidasu to, anjera wa shinchō ni rubī o tenohira ni oki,-te o tojimashita.
`Kore wa seinaru jumonda. Izatoiutoki ni wa hikari tte ken ni mo tate ni mo naru hazu. Kono mama yoi te ni watatte kureru koto o negatte imasu.'
Kare ga kansha suru mamonaku, kanojo wa sugu ni kiete shimai, kare wa sugu ni kanojo no mawari no kinoko ga mienaku natte iru koto ni kidzukimashita. Kare ga mori kara detekuru to, chīsana gunshū ga kare o matte itanode, chōrō-tachi to hanasazu ni mori ni hairanai yō ni mōichido iimashitaga,-sōde wa arimasendeshita. Jikangatatsu ni tsurete, kare wa kono rubī o nando mo hitsuyō to suru yō ni narimashita. Irai, daidai uketsuga rete kimashita. Densetsu ni yoreba, kono hōseki no genzai no shozai wa fumeidesu.
Now that we have put it through some translations, lets see the end result...
Translated English
It was a cloudy day in the small town of Lendorf. A pleasant breeze heralded the arrival of autumn, and everyone was busy in the fields. Here, far out on the outskirts of town, a man named Torin noticed a faint light among the trees of the forest. Curiosity got the better of him as he walked through the forest with his cane.
When I reached the edge, I saw that it was some kind of ball of glowing dust falling dangerously down. As Thorin approached, he felt a slight heat coming from the orb, but it didn't last long, the glow receding and weaving through the lower branches, making him feel a little more alive than usual. I saw. He followed this ball until they both came across a ring of strange mushrooms. Without warning, a ball of light flew past his face, ruffling his hair with its speed in the middle of the ring.
Thorin watched the sphere grow until it approached his size, then the glow faded. What remained was a beautiful fairy in a beautiful leaf dress and with flat fingers on her left hand.
``Good-bye, you can call me Angela,'' said the fairy. I'm so surprised by your presence! I only see things of pure heart, and it's been years since I've been able to do that. You were a very polite and noble person, so I want to reward you! ”
Torin held out her hand and Angela carefully placed the ruby in her palm and closed her hand.
"This is a holy spell. In an emergency, it should shine and serve as both a sword and a shield. I hope it continues to fall into good hands."
Before he could thank her, she quickly disappeared and he soon noticed that the mushrooms around her were no longer visible. When he came out of the forest, a small crowd was waiting for him and he told them again not to go into the forest without talking to the elders, but it was not to be. Over time, he came to need this ruby many times. Since then, it has been passed down from generation to generation. According to legend, the current whereabouts of this gem is unknown.
Comparison
Well, what an interesting story.
First things first: The village & the protagonist's names get changed a bit. The village of Rendorff becomes Lendorf, and Trin becomes Torin, then Thorin, and then back into Torin. "Torin" now has a cane (that I guess he was using to plow the fields), the story very briefly switches to 1st person, and the orb makes him feel more lively than usual instead of making the tree branches look more lively.
Angela, instead of having a branch for a wand, instead has flat fingers... plus she greets people with "Goodbye," a sign that maybe she isn't too good at this Common language as she thinks she is. The story gets Torin/Thorin and Angela confused a few times, and most notably makes Thorin female for another brief moment. The gem is now no longer a sacred charm, instead being a holy spell (???), and instead of having to choose between a sword and shield, it can now become both at once. Also of note is that it's apparently been a long time since Angela could only see things of pure heart. Big change from the original, as Trin could only see her since he was pure of heart.
My favorite part, though, is the fact that Torin has the balls to come out of the woods, into the crowd that was waiting for him, and tell them to not go into the woods anymore. They weren't expecting to become victim of what we now call the "UNO Reverse Card!"
Other than that, I'm amazed that the story was semi-understandable. There were a few quirks, but it did follow the original's structure.
Conclusion
While the idea is cool and all, having to both come up with a tall tale & put it through so many translations isn't as fun as I thought it would be. If, however, you find this idea interesting, go right ahead. If used creatively, you could probably make all sorts of old tales and use both the original idea & the translated one to have your characters try to figure out how to interpret the legend and find out what really happened.
That's all, cya.