So, a friend and I were enjoying one of our favorite pastimes tonight: making fun of the users of fanfiction.net. FF.net is, really, a very nifty website, I have an account there, and I love the place; but it also serves as living proof that some people just should not be allowed to play with the English language. Or any other language, for that matter.
Anyway, she showed me this Utena fanfic that she'd found... amusing in its ineptness. After reading the fanfic, I agreed. And working together, we developed the following theory:
Some fanfic writers who write in English are native-born English speakers.
Some fanfic writers who write in English are not native-born English speakers.
And some fanfic writers who write in English obviously have, as their native tongue, the Grunt and Whistle language.
No, seriously. If I were to sum up this Utena fanfic in the writer's native tongue, it would read like this:
Grunt, whistle, bang stones together, clap hands, Utena!
or, to be more faithful to the tone of the original fic:
gruntwhistlebangstonestogetherclaphandsUtena!
Not having seen Utena, I will admit that I don't know how faithful said adaptation is to the original series. Perhaps she should have slapped her forehead instead of clapping her hands, to adequately portray inner torment.
But what do I know? I only took one year of Grunt and Whistle in college.
Replies: add your comment: currently 9 comments
Re: Faithfulness of fic to series
None. Which is why I pegged that particular fic as potential MST fodder to begin with, as a note on the pairing involved appeared in the summary. :)
Posted by chaobell @ 11/20/2001 12:48 AM EST
LOL I don't know what Utena is, but I like how you describe what it reads like. BELIEVE ME, I have read similar works, myself. I also have seen and known people wo more or less DO speak in such a manner, where they bang stones together, grunt, whistle and slap their heads with their hands. Yeah, their heads need to be hit all right....with a tackhammer....
It must be hard for people who use this as their native tongue to write in English, of all languages. Nah, they probably cheated.
Posted by Wolf @ 11/20/2001 08:44 AM EST
Nezumi's read the fanfic, now he can't /wait/ to read the MiST.
Seeing as this was written by someone who claims to be the daughter of Hikaru (Digimon) and Miki (Utena), it's a little easier to understand where the writing quality comes from...
Posted by Nezumi @ 11/20/2001 08:15 PM EST
I. Must. See. this travesty of a fanfic... XD The show is weird (it's a bit like Sailor Moon on acid, but it takes that Girl Power!! junk more seriously, and the boys are all beauuuuuuutiful) ...so it sounds interesting in a horrific kinda way... anyhow, can someone send me a link? please please? ^_^ *points at email*
Posted by StB @ 11/21/2001 08:10 AM EST
...which didn't take. Oops. Sorry. ^_^;; *runs*
Posted by ...whoops... @ 11/21/2001 08:10 AM EST
I believe it's this one. I thought it was a parody at first, but sadly, it seems it's not... ^^;
Posted by kitsu @ 11/21/2001 04:06 PM EST
Aha! Thanks muchly. :D
Posted by StB @ 11/21/2001 09:03 PM EST
THE PAIN! THE PAIIIN!!! Dear *GODS*, I need to *wash my brain* after exposure to that horrific drivel. That fic... was... *twitches*
Posted by Nathan @ 11/22/2001 12:19 AM EST
You will admit though, it did make more sense than the entire "Adolescence of Utena" movie. ^_^
Posted by Nezumi @ 11/23/2001 08:20 PM EST
