We Have No Choice At This Point
Just a little note, and sorry this is coming so late in the week, but still. You all know by now, I’m sure, that this comic can take unexpected turns, but just a brief word that the next update may be one you might not want to check on your computer at work. Nothing awful or horribly inappropriate, I don’t think, just, you know, heads up.
Okay, so, here we go, then. Yes, more Russian, and again, many super-amazing SPECIAL thanks to Hilvon for his interpretation of this sequence, which has been exquisite!
Let me also take this opportunity to thank and welcome all the newcomers from last week! I love having new people reading the comic and commenting on the site! And although, as before, I have taken down the preview page from last week, again I assure you that I haven’t destroyed or deleted your comments – I keep them all! I also want to apologize if I was snippy about the various problems I’ve had with legitimate comments getting fed into my spam filtering system, but I’m afraid that, unless you want a bajillion junk posts offering Listas de Email or low-cost male enhancement drugs, it’s the way it’s going to have to be. I do, of course, understand people not wanting to put private info into the sign-in applet, but the easiest thing to do is make a free email account and use that to log in. Then it won’t catch in my spam filter (unless it’s a red-flagged account, in which case you have bigger fish to fry) and you can just not bother with it again, and just use it for all your blog comments everywhere. Nice, huh?
And now, the real deal: a special event, in honor of your bearing with me all this time while I’ve ebbed and flowed on my workload the past few weeks. By not quite popular but still rather vociferous demand, I’ve put the subtitled version of the last two pages up on topwebcomics.com as a voting incentive. It will remain there for ONE WEEK ONLY, and I beg you not to undermine Hilvon’s hard work unless you POSITIVELY CANNOT STAND to not know exACTLY what the Federate soldiers are saying to each other here. But since so many people have been so desperate to know, I decided to give in, just this once. Please don’t ruin it for yourself unless you absolutely have to. God, I’m regretting it already.
Choose. But choose wisely.
So there! Another week goes by. I’ll be back next week, so until then, be well and have a non-threatening, internationalist, multicultural week!
OH! And if you DO read the subtitles, please DON’T tell anyone else. It’ll ruin it for those who want to keep it in the original.
A-ha! A smoker! There he is!
You’re welcome. 😉
You got me thinking about it and then I couldn’t stop!
–M
Lot’s of hurt people and one person who is smart enough to not take off her power armor. That’s the attitude that’ll keep ya alive!
On the other hand, one doesn’t want to go into the delicate subject of how you go to the bathroom in one of those suits.
–M
If that suit is designed well, it would collect all body wastes, that dehydrate them (by some chemical separation probably, so it’s not too large, or energy demanding) then press them into bricks and store them for further use as firefuel on campsites.
The exess of water may go as cooling agent for engines/weapons… or be fittered to be drinkable… if soldiers are not too picky.
Unfortunately, the suits in use by both sides are rather less advanced. Waste is collected the way they did on the Apollo missions: catheter. Fortunately, the suits can be emptied periodically, but it’s not a very pretty business either way.
–M
I like the fact that you are using a language other than English, but a translation would go a long way for people who don’t speak Russian or read Cyrillic.
Click the link above. It will take you to the translation.
–M
As a guy who can read Cyrillic script and sort-off understands Russian, I must say the translations didn’t come as a big surprise, merely as a confirmation that I did understand the gist of what they were saying in the first place.
I like it how even though we’re not really supposed to understand you still went and made the operating words bold. It’s that kind of attention to detail that I love in a webcomic.
Thanks, man! I personally don’t mind “not knowing,” when a comic does this, but I do see it both ways. Some people find it frustrating. When and if I print this, I plan to put the subtitles at the end, as an appendix, so people can read them or not, as they like. I personally like the effect in A Bridge Too Far and other such war films where the German, French, Polish and so on is not translated. You have to get the gist of it from the context. It’s more challenging.
–M
I really didn’t understand what was going on in these last two pages and am glad you put up “subtitled” pages. I had little idea what anyone was talking about except possibly the plight of the hurt people, and knowing the specifics adds a LOT more to my enjoyment of these pages.
Remember, many people don’t speak Russian and we can’t really rely on web-based tools to give accurate translations. Please consider adding subtitles to the next pages if they continue this sub-plot.
Well, see, there you go then. There seems to be a deep division on this so far, and so now I’m glad that it worked out for some people without wrecking it for others.
–M
I agree with wings the russian/Cyrillic is a nice touch.
I have to say for those getting frustrated by the foreign language remember, the facial expressions and body postures of the characters tell the entire story, what they are saying only backs that up.
Still it takes a incredible writer and artist to take a story beyond words like this one.
Again, as I said above, there’s a very deep division on this. Personally, I have tried to make the visual context enough to get the majority of the point across (without exaggerating too much), but some people really need both elements of the story, the visual and the literary, to get the whole thing, so I’m now glad I have given the option.
–M
“..the facial expressions and body postures of the characters tell the entire story, what they are saying only backs that up.”
Having “cheated” I have to agree completely. The postures and expressions tell pretty much what needs to be told. Well done.
The Russian text combined with the scenes you’re creating do add a level of tension to the ongoing plot.
I am able to read some Russian, and tend to rely on Google Translate on some spots, but overall, I do not have an issue with your technique on the dialog. To me this enhances the differing points of view between the UNA and FSR characters.
And as a side note, the conversation now hints a little about the context of the last panel in chapter 3 😉
Thanks! To you, and to everyone, actually. I was beginning to try that what I have been trying to do here was too abstract or something, but everyone seems to get it (with a few vocal exceptions who have made their opinions known via email, sometimes in a less than polite manner). It’s a fine line to tread between setting the scene and giving too much away.
–M
Urrrrgh! So tempted to read those translations…
Must resist…
Aw, the heck with it, go ahead.
If it spares me an irate email, I say God Bless It! 😀
–M
Eh, I think I’ll read on in the spirit which it was intended.
And I doubt you’d get any irate emails from me 😛
Additionally, what’s the poster on the right hand wall for? Kinda looks skullish, but a little odd. Like Cthulhu’s face melted off or something. Maybe a gas mask?
It looks like a Gas Mask manual to me.
Just so everyone have ability to refresh their knowlage…
You know, in Russia privet personnel training level is not too high, so it’s usefull to remind them how to do thing sometimes…
Thank god I wasn’t the only one who’s first thought was “What the heck is a “worship Comrade Cthulhu” poster doing in there?”.
Hilvon gets the prize. It is a Gas Mask poster, not He Who Slumbers In The Sunken City.
–M
Is that a picture of an Octopus on the wall?
No, gas warning. Should have made the poster bigger, I suppose.
–M
Zoidberg?
Young lady, I’m an expert on humans. Now pick a mouth, open it, and say “Brr-brrr-brrr brr-BRRRRRRRRT!”
–M
I don’t speak a lick of Russki, but since you’re good at drawing facial expressions, it don’t take google translate or secret vote incentives to know that he must be vocally describing just how f&$*ed they are.
You could also vote for the comic and get the traslation dude.
Thing that I very much appreciate Mr.Average, Sir 😀
Mu russian is a bit rusty but here goies:
Panel 1: I don’t have a date for the prom and I’m REALLY uposet!
Panel 2: There are plenty of great guys out there but your problem is that you set impossible standards.
Panel 3: Don’t discount a guy just because he is missing an eye or an arm!
DAMMIT! Who TOLD you?!
😀
–M
i really like the fact that it is in two different languages and sense i can only read english i tended to lean to the ones speaking english then russian and because of all the commanding officers acting a fool and their blind distrust of the west made them seem unlikable but it was the medics that changed it for me so i can clearly see because of what the “good guys” are planing to do to mike that both sides are making colossoul errors more so then my spelling