Ferdinand starts a revolution that will abolish the distorted royal family and put a true Zent on the throne. Meanwhile, Rozemyne continues to wrestle with divine interference.

I wonder how many will get the reference

(In true Myne fashion I needed to DIY the scale)

Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HonzukiNoGekokujou/comments/1d0uapq/part_4_nyanda_car/

Souce

Rozemyne, Ferdinand, and their Dunkelfelger allies set out to subjugate the Adalgisa villa. But when Gervasio’s absence and a betrayal within the Sovereign Knight’s Order come to light, the party must switch its focus to the Royal Academy’s library.

In my continuing adventures of finding quotes in every Bookworm volume for a new web forum, I'm finally over the hump and have started Volume 2... AKA the volume where it gets good.

On a side note, I read this on the new Clara BW, while it's a marginal improvement over the Clara 2e, there's a weird bug which prevented me from highlighting lines near the sides and top. This also impact the Clara Color, which is fun. Oh well.

---- Review ----

While Volume 2 is leagues better than Volume 1, it still took me a couple of days to get through it. Better than the multiple weeks that Vol 1 takes me, but not as gripping as future Volumes. I am looking forward to re-reading the swap day.

What's good about this volume is that Myne becomes likeable, as her attention moves away from Books to making paper... to make books. Look she's getting there, and she's evolving into a budding Chaos Gremlin. This is also the start of the Merchant chapters, and the beginning of the battles of whit. Which is just sooooo good.

The bad, is that the pacing is still about as slow and expositiony as the first volume. It's necessary for first time readers, and I remember lapping it up after watching the anime. But during re-reads it's easy to skim read, and potentially missing something I missed the first time.

But man that cliffhanger is a doozy, I do wonder what will happen next. /s

---- Quotes ----

Prologue

• ...and explained that in the first place she wasn't expecting much from Myne's efforts. Her expression said that she was dead confident that Myne would fail. [Ouch, Myne does deserve this from Effa, but you should have some faith]

• "...It feels like Myne isn't Myne lately. She still gets sick and passes out all the time, but she doesn't cry about this being unfair anymore." [Oh crap, they're onto you Myne! Quick run... I mean walk... umm, never mind, you OK kiddo?]

• "She'll become more capable over time, more understanding of her limits, and eventually she'll stop pushing herself too far." [... ummm no she won't and I have Lutz here with evidence to the contrary]

Chapter 1

• "How could I not be excited? I mean, we're making paper here! Paper! I can make books with paper. Ahahah yes!" [As you can see from the evidence she will never calm down, all you can do is prepare to weather this storm]

• "...Myne, alright, we're making paper. But how are we gonna do it? I've got no clue myself. Don't we need toold or something? Is this gonna work?" Lutz calm questions threw a bucket of cold water over my excitement. [Good on you kiddo, this is why you are the Myne manager]

• "Welcome back. Don't feel bad Myne. You'll Be useful to someone Someday." [Ouch that one hurt me, who let Tuuli play with fire]

• "Bwuh? Tuuli, what's going on?" [Number 1, our first Bwuh of the Volume]

• The problem with making tools? We didn't have the tools to make tools. [Wise words from someone who rarely thinks far enough ahead]

• If anyone wanted the shampoo, it would be a girl... A girl?! His wife?! If his beloved wife wants the shampoo, it all makes sense. [Otto your simping so hard even a 6 year old realized it.]

• "A merchant has a lot of things he heeds to keep secret so..." "...Can't I start practicing with something easier?" [Myne dear, Lutz is right, having Lutz hide things from Karla is like sending a lv.1 hero to fight the end boss]

Chapter 2

• And you can't decline this invitation anyways. If you do, your mom and older sister will probably get fired from their jobs." [Ouch, poor Effa, I am sure Corinna is doing this to good reasons]

• "Fear not, Captiain. I take full responsibility for your daughter and will ensure she remains safe." [Unless my wife's involved and I get scammed by a 6 year old. Then it's anyone's guess what happens]

• "Oh my, was it not boorish to observe a woman while she's prettying up?" "... I just said that because I didn't want him flirting with you while I was working." "Oh my! Aha, I do wonder how Otto behaves outside of the house, if a little girl such as yourself would fear that from him." [Corinna, you can I both know you don't need to "wonder" to get your answer]

• Despite claiming to be so busy, he handled all of the budget season work himself, negotiated with the merchants that came to sell equipment and commodities, exploited his position as city guard to obtain as much information as possible, and so on. [Is Otto what Ferdi would be if he was a Commoner?]

• "It's fine. Otto's giving me nails in return for all this." "...Nails? Truly? Is he not selling you short?" [Yes he is sweetie, and no she won't ever realize it]

• "Listen, Myne. Would you do me a favor and remember some important errands you have to do?" [Gunther getting an unexpected urge that he should beat up Otto when he gets back]

• "If you give me all of them I might be able to think of an excuse that will convince Dad." [And Otto this is why you lost her to Benno]

• "Oh? Lutz? What're you doing here?" "Myne?! That's my line! What are you here? Wha? Are you alone?!" [Imagine finding your Grandpa who's stuck in a wheel chair and needs nurses on them 24/7 just sitting in the middle of a kids park and you'll understand Lutz freakout]

Chapter 3

• His mom, Karla, was constantly on his back saying that he had given up on becoming a travelling merchant, so why couldn't he give up one more and become a carpenter? [... mother of the year. And the answer is because that sets a bed president and he'll give up on that too, probably out of spite]

• Otto lived on the third floor of Corinna's family home, and that has been arranged because her older brother was worried for his cute little sister. In other words. Corinna was Benno's little sister, which makes Otto his... "...You're his brother-in-law?" [Funnily enough 5 parts in and she is still this gullible]

• Benno was sitting at an administrator's desk behind which was a shelf crammed with wood boards and pieces of parchment. ...Wait, is that a bookshelf?! [Oh lord, the gremlin is loose! Who forgot the leash?!]

• "...Thinking's your job, ain't it? Whatever you want to do is fine with me, Myne." [Lutz you fool, what have you done]

• "...Um, did he just way contract magic? That's what it sounded like. Wha? Wait, has this been a fantasy world all along?" [Geeze this was what gave it away for you? Not the rainbow of hair colors, or the fantasy plants that bleed. Lord she's dense]

Chapter 4

• "Myne, do you know what tools and materials you need? " "Yes, don't worry." [This is when you want to worry]

• “Myne, you have pot written here, but how large of a pot do you want?” “Ummm... I was thinking a pot about as big as the second-biggest pot at my home.” Mark’s brows furrowed deeper [Why did you think this answer his question, you fool]

• I somehow managed to write supply orders for everything except the screen, which Mark gave up on. [Dear gods, she reach this man’s limit. I can’t imagine the headache he has to have right now]

• My excitement for a fantasy world full of magic shattered in an instant. Seriously...? A power only nobles have? [Careful what you wish for sweetie]

• “Bwuh?! It’s fine! The contract has our exact agreement written on it, there’s no problems at all.” [It took a while for Bwuh Number 2.]

• “Your turn” ...No thanks! This magic’s just scary! [Side eyeing P5V9]

• “Bwuuuh... Hyah!” Holding back tears, I put blood on my thumb and stamped my name. [Number 3]

• “You... You are Myne, right?” [My boy, there are questions you are better off not asking.]

Chapter 5

• “...Can you manage that?” “I’ll be fine.” I clenched my fist to show strength. [I can’t believe like myne I miss understood what Lutz asked here]

• “I’m afraid not. Those who deserve trouble shall receive it.” “Noooo...” [Corinna would make a good mom]

• “Bwuh?! I Couldn’t ask him to do that I’ll apologize to him and then go home on my own!” [Number 4, and sweet lord she needs Ferdi to call her a fool. Good new is Benno will call in the thunder]

• “WHAT IS! WRONG! WITH! YOU!” “Bwuh?!” “I said go home!” “Kyaaah!” [Benno used Thunder... it was super effective against Myne. Number 5]

• “You are no longer allowed in my store without the boy! If you’ve got a brain in that head, don’t forget” [Myne, meet leash, leash meet Myne, and never let go]

• “But y’know, now I get it. You collapse in no time. You’re smart but careless, you’re weak, you’re tiny, and thinking about it, there’s a ton of things you can’t do. Now you can’t even go into the store without me” “So mean, Lutz! I’m useful to people too, sometimes!” [Myne just take the L this time]

• “Bwuh?! I can carry stuff too! I’m a lot stronger than I used to be.” [Number 6, while yes you can carry things. He’ll need to carry you home if you did]

• “Myne, I know that look. You’re just pretending to agree, aren’t you? You’re not listening to us at all.” He... He saw through me?! [And has for a while now you fool]

Chapter 6

• That made me so happy I immediately pumped my fit and said “Let’s go!”, only to get hit on the head from behind by Lutz. [Oh my sweet boy is growing up so fast]

• “It seems that Myne wishes for me to carry her today as well.” “Bwuh?!” [Number 7, and Mark you are truly a gentlemen]

Chapter 7

• It’s a weird fantasy fruit! Apparently, the red fruit was brother to those weird ingredients I sometimes had to fight with to make supper. [In a far off land, there lies a former God, who felt a great disturbance in the force]

• “I was gonna ask why you didn’t go to the other side of the river, but... I’m guessing it was too much for you.” “...It was too much.” I was breathing a lot harder than Lutz [Honestly this is an amazing feat, she didn’t just pass out Lutz, you should praise her]

• Over time I had gotten better at managing fires so they didn’t get too bug, but I often would take my eyes off it just long enough for it to get out of control. [Oh gods, who’s bright idea was it to let the gremlin manage a fire, this is almost as dangerous as those red fruits]

• “This one’s no good. It’ll make your limbs tingly and you won’t be able to move for three days. This is no good either. It’ll make your stomach hurt for two days. This is worse, you’ll froth at the mouse and die if you eat it.” [Ferdi in the background taking notes]

• Incidentally, twenty percent of those mushrooms were poisonous. ...I just don’t get it. How does this keep happening... ? [I’ll take this as the will of the gods of chaos reminding you, that you have more important things to do, Benno still has his hair]

Chapter 8

• “Bwuh?! Ah, uummm, yeah. Pretty good right?” [Number 8, and girl, you need to keep your act together, he’s already suspicious and you’re just digging yourself into a deeper hole]

• “Yeah! You can trust me! I’ve done this before.” “...When, and Where said Lutz Sharply [In your eagerness to appear useful, you’ve made things worse, you only have yourself to blame here]

• “Ngh? U-ummm, th-that’s a girl’s secret! Don’t even think about prying!” [And Myne has thrown water onto that oil fire]

• ...Oof , that look hurts. He’s definitely figured me out. [You think! He figured you out a very long time ago]

• “Alright. Hey... Eh, scratch that. I’ll say it after the paper’s done,” [Hey babe, we need to talk levels are coming from Lutz]

Chapter 9

• “Are we going to talk out here? Do you want to go into the storage building” [Oh shit Myne’s gloves are off]

• Urano just followed her whims and read the books around her, which was nothing like who I had become. [I feel that has more to do with the lack of books than anything else]

• “Th-That was just... I wasn’t trying to make you own me or anything, I just... gaah, crap!” “Why did you say it, then?” “Don’t ask me that! Let it go! Forget about it!” [Awww, I wonder how red he is here, and only if our future romance novelist was here]

• “Myne won’t come back even if you leave, right? And if you’ve been her for a whole year, then the Myne I know is mostly just you,” [This is sooo sappy I love it. Now I wonder how a certain noble would write this out as]

Chapter 10

• “It’s really too bad we can’t just grow trombes ourselves.” “Don’t even think about it!” [Lutz what’s the worse that can happen?]

• “Bwuh?! They’re that dangerous? It didn’t look like that happened with the one we saw” [Number 9, & Myne just remember the geneva convention doesn’t exist here, so you’re good to go ahead]

• “If you really want to throw in something extra, how about... information on some kind of new product to sell, or something like that?” [If a future reflection Otto remember the exact moment he lost Myne to Benno forever]

• “...H-Holy crap. How’d you turn paper into this? I have no idea what you just did.” [I’m looking at the step by step guide here Lutz and I too don’t get it]

• Wait... How much is this origami crane worth, from a materials perspective? [I mean from your end not much, from a “how much I could’ve sold it for” more than what your dad makes in a month I recon]

• “If you want to sell hair stick, what about that other kind? The thing you made Tuuli for her baptism.” [this was the exact moment Myne went from working at the Castle Gate to working at Benno’s store]

• “Do we pass? Will you take on Lutz as your apprentice?” [Very nice wording Myne. I am surprised that Benno didn’t ask about your apprenticeship after this]

Chapter 11

• “You’re slow! This is a waste of time,” and picked me right up [I’m shocked that there was no Bwuh]

• “That’s right. It’s powerful and greedy. You gotta pay to register an apprentice, you gotta pay more if you want to start a new business, and basically anything you do there will have some kind of fee attached” [I can see Benno demanding less taxes]

• “Keep quiet and don’t say anything unnecessary” [Benno you are asking the impossible from Myne here]

• “The first floor here is used for parking carriages and carts” [You know, I don’t think we’ve ever seen this. Since it’s in the Ivory building I wonder what it looks like?]

• Immediately, the gate shone with a white light and then melted into thin air until it was gone. “Bwuh?! What was that?!” “It’s a magic tool. Lutz, don’t let go of my hand. It’ll knock you back” [Number 10, and oh oh, I know how this tool work... neat]

• “Wait, is that a bookshelf?!” [Oh lord she’s loose Benno call in Lutz to try and stop her!]

• “If you get too excited, you’ll pass out before getting to read anything.” No... Anything but that [Fhew, Crisis adverted]

• “This one, Ehrenfest. The family name of the area’s lord is used as the name of the city” [I wonder if Lord is no longer the correct term here, or that commoners just associate all nobles under the same banner]

Chapter 12

• The only time Tuuli had worn this hairpin was during her baptism. What had happened then? [Everyone saw the angle which Tuuli is, and wanted to imitate her image. Fredia just so happens to have the money to pay for it]

• ...Lutz, no fair! Why do you get to hide behind Benno?! [What not like you’d throw him to the wolves if you had the chance.

• The second I did, Benno clicked his tongue. ...Bwuh?! What’d I do wrong [Open your mouth... which appears to be a frequent occurrence, also Number 11]

• “Bwuh?! Blood?!” Was blood essential to make magic work? [Number 12, should we tell her?]

• ...Magic tools were convent, but scary. [The further in we go, the more this statement rings true]

• “Sh-She resembles her grandfather?” I tried imagining a little girl with the guidmaster’s face, but it just didn’t work.” [Lutz please smack this fool for me]

Chapter 13

• “Are you Myne, pray tell?” “Bwuh?! Ah, yes! That’s right. Are you Frieda?” [I believe it is customary amost chaos gremlins to give a customary greeting of Bwuh as we see here with this startled one. Number 13]

• “I see. I thought that maybe Grandfather has been surprisingly considerate, but in reality, you have him from himself.” [F, I don’t think he’ll survive burns that severe]

• “Oh, that’s no issue. I can just repay him for you.” “Bwuh? Ummm...” [I wonder if they are deliberately miss interpreting “repay”, or that’s not a phrase here. Number 14]

• The rumours were all true. Benno’s fears hadn’t been unfounded. .. She is just like the guildmaster! She’s saying the same things, just in a different tone. [Watch as she never says this to anyone else]

• ...Banno, I’ll stop whining about you ripping people off, so please save meeee! [After this, Myne still whines about Benno ripping people off.]

Chapter 14

“Also, uh... I thought she was a lot like Myne.” “Bwuuuh?! How?!” That’s just... unbelievable! I demanded an explanation for his shockingly bad opinion. [Number 15, and Lutz, you are a brave man for challenging Darth Myne.]

• “...I’m sorry. I feel a little regret now.” “You should be feeling a lot of it.” [Yeah she won’t change anything folks]

• “Welcome back, Myne. How was the girl you weere meeting today? Are you friends now?” [Awww Tuuli you are such an angel. Thinking that a fly caught in a spiders web can be friends with said spider]

• “You’re an angel, Tuuli. The healer of my hear. You’re the greatest older sister in the world” [Keep the praises to Tuuli coming]

• “...but I’m a weird little sister who acts way different from how she looks. Sorry, Tuuli.” “Haaah... You just now realized?” Tuuli sighed [Damn, Frida’s not the only one playing with fire today]

• After the much more lively than expected meal was over, I caught Mom and asked her to return the needles I used for thread.” “What for?” [The sewing gremlin is up against the chaos gremlin, the will be no winners only losers]

• “Please show me that thread, dear.” My mom, a dyer by trade and a skilled seamstress, didn’t even try to hide how interested in the thread she was. [Myne the difference between you and her is the fact she can control herself.]

• Dad who was drinking while keeping an eye on us, called out to Mom, who was eagerly watching my hands. “Hey, Effa. If you’re that interested in all this, want me to make another needle?” “Dada, I want one too! Can you me two?” Mom’s enthused hug and Tuuli’s cure request put Dad straight into a good mood. [When Gunther asking, you know you have a problem]

Chapter 15

• “Aaah, hold it. You two will be eaten alive if you go there alone. I’ll go with you.” Surely he was exaggerating? We were just going to make an appointment. [You fool did you forget what happened just the other day]

• “One moment please. The guildmaster said that if children by the name of Myne and Lutz were to come, let them in immediately” “Buwh?!” [Told, you see I told you. Number 16]

• Wow... Freida made her first friend, huh? I don’t know who it is but congratulations [Man she’s dense]

• “... You ended up friends with that geezer’s granddaughter?” “Bwuh?! Me?! Umm... I wonder about that” [Number 17, and lol]

• Ngh... Curse you, rich people. [You know, I’ve been hearing this a lot lately]

• “I’ve accepted the products and paid their price. Now we can become friends without any hesitations.” [And the triangle peg goes in the... you right the square hole.]

• Maybe this kind of thing was never discovered because nobles, those who bought most luxury goods, just compensated with magic. [This is certainly a chicken and egg scenario]

Chapter 16

• Um, Mom? Do you not trust your daughter at all? [Ummm, why do you think they pay Lutz to keep an eye on you]

• “At times like these, you never know when you’re fine” And at times like these, you’re so stubborn that you never give in. [Yeah, sweetie when he does you feint, or get to the verge of death so suck it up]

• Usually it’s less. You’re making a little more since we’re not dealing with the boss of any shops, but still. “Bwuuuh?! Not even a single middle copper?” [Number 18, and poor Myne all that hard work for nothin]

• Benno grimaced, rubbing his temples “...You again?” “Bwuh?” What does he mean, me again? [Benno don’t expect the natural disaster which will remake the market anew to know what they did. Number 19]

• “Lutz, don’t take your eyes off this idiot. I get the feeling she’ll try to read the card on her way home and end up in an accident.” [Wise words indeed, Truck-kun was almost the reason she was brought here in the first place]

• “Lutz, why all the thread?” Mom... why are you asking that to Lutz and not me, your daughter. [Is she a goldfish, how does she keep forgetting things, like how you are so untrustworthy that they need to play Lutz to keep an eye on you]

• Tuuli started to laugh, but then she froze in place and pointed behind me, blinking rapidly. I turned around to see Mom, who was standing still with her hand on her cheek. She was thinking really hard about something “Myne. Should I join you two after finishing your special dress?” ...Um, Lutz? Mum mom looks really pumped about starting this. We might need more pins. [Myne you have unleashed the sewing gremlin. While I would ask you to reflect, and how your own actions can impact other like this. But we know you’ll forget this by the morning.]

Chapter 17

• It was pig day. Unlike last year, my family trusted me just enough to leave me at home alone, so they left early in the morning without me. [And Gunther also increased his home insurance for some unknown reason]

• I pushed it down into me, visualizing a cover being put onto a pot, and let out another sign. [It’s a surprise tool that will help us later]

• “..how much would link cost?” “About 4 small silvers.” “Bwuh?!” [Number 20, and poor myne, you have your paper, but nothing to write on it with, taking bets on Myne destroying the ink market]

Chapter 18

• ...because he was both unable to think of a better name himself and used my original name for it, he settled on shortening it to “rinsham.” Um... Is that really good enough? [Hey it’s better than what they came up with in the Anime]

• “Myne, it sounds like you know a lot more than you’ve been letting on, huh?” I did, but I wasn’t about to dig my hole any deeper. [...0_0 did she learn from last time... no that can’t be right. The chaos gremlin can’t be taught... right?]

• The moment the foreman answered, Benno hefted me up and abducted me into the conference room. “Bwuhbwuhbwuh?!” [Number 21, and wow 3 whole bwuh’s in one word... sadly it only counts as 1]

Chapter 19

• He told me with slumped shoulders that it was easier to do all the work himself than run the risk of pointing out the mistakes of his superiors. [Yeah Otto is totally commoner Ferdi]

• “I am positively delighted to receive such lavish praise from one of your esteem.” [Suckup]

• “Huh?! What?! Butter?! Why butter?! What for?!” Waaait, did I not tell him about it? Whoops, whoops. [Proceeds to not explain herself. Classic Myne]

Chapter 20

• Mom pointed at the eighty-percent-finished hairpin and gave a troubled smile. That wouldn’t take long at all given how fast she worked. Tuuli and I tip-toed into the bedroom, making sure not to wake Dad. ...So why where there two finished hairpins on the table when I woke up? Did you stay up late Mom? Tuuli’s mad since she wanted to keep working too. [Yeah know, I get this a feeling Myne gets at least some of her impulses from Effa]

• Thiiis isn’t good. The power of money is simply too strong. I didn’t expect them to speed up this much. [Ahhh the power of Capitalism, with the addition of not one but two gremlin’s and it’s unstoppable]

• “Okay. Want me to cast a magic spell on your family too?” [And by magic she mean narcotics]

• Benno let out a sigh as he walked up to me, then immediately hefted me up and literally tossed me to mark’s direction “Bgyaaaah?!” [We need a “Handle with care” sticker for Myne]

Chapter 21

• “Actually I remember you calling the pins stuppghpph!” Zasha clamped his hands over Lut’s mouth and glared at him. “You didn’t tell us nothing about the pay.” [Ah boys will be boys, and by that I mean not listen until you see it in front of your face]

• “Get fired up! Do you wanna die!” [consider what this chapter is called, it’s a real possibility]

• “Sproutday, Fireday, Leafday, Winday, Fruitday, and Earthday alternate on a cycle, yeah?” [I keep forgetting this order.]

Echapter 1

• but her fever just kept going up, to the point where it felt like her body was about to melt. In fact something resembling yellowish vapor was rising off her body like steam. [Oh that’s how you know it’s about done. Just wait 10-15 more minutes of until she’s golden brown]

• “Listen, Lutz. This girl’s not as young as she looks. At the very least, she’s mature enough to smile and take care of others when she’s suffering herself. Don’t let her fool you. Don’t take advantage of her help.” [Damn Benno, not even her family recognized that]

Echapter 2

• The guildmaster was a petty man who proposed to my mother in the immediate wake of my father’s death, and upon being refused, began harassing us in small but infuriating ways. [So let propose to do this again, who know maybe 4th time lucky.]

• “If my brother cannot find a wife due to this, perhaps I shall have Myne take responsibility?” I suggested with a laughter of my own. [Oh lord no, don’t I can feel the Thunder coming down.]

Echatper 3

• “I’ll go hurry her up and start getting ready myself. The things I do for her...” [Man Tuuli, you got some sas]

• It seemed that Myne has pleasant dreams whenever she fell asleep with a fever, and she was never as happy as she was when talking about the wold of her dreams. [That’s heavy man]

• Inspired by the tales of knights in minstrel stories as he was, he mimicked a knight when courting me. He got on one knew before me and held up a magic stone he had obtained after slaying a feybeast. [I hope Effa can tell this story to Myne one day]

Souce

A while ago I mentioned I wanted to go a re-read of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and I was asked to get some quote when I went through it for the community. Well because of many thing and just how low Part 1 is I've dragged my feet a little. But I've finally re-read P1V1.

But man is P1V1 a hard read. If you were to give me this book to me and told me I'd fall in so love with the series I'd buy an e-reader to read it, I'd call you crazy. Take it from me, while I love this series, if you want to get into it watch the anime, or read the Manga. Myne is unbearable at times, (as per her character is designed to be), and I quickly grew tired the one sided obsession of "Books" after 1-2 chapters. The book picks up steam again once she's stopped obsessing with books, like with the shampoo and food, but in P1V1 these are far and few between. But from the perspective of the story this is understandable why and in Volumes 2 and 3 it gets so much better.

If you want my two cents on when to read this book. Do it after you've read the Manga or watched the anime, to fill in the little bits of extra world building. Especially for the side stories.

Overall a rough start to what is still my favourite books series.

---- Quotes ----

Prologue

• Urano Motosu loved books [understatement of century]
• She had her books, and that was enough to make her happy. [A certain high priest has words for you]
• "Complain all you want. A little pain is a lot better than getting hit by a truck and dying, yeah?" - Shuu [truck kun misses their chance this time]
• "That's true. I wouldn't want to die from anything but an avalanche of books" - Urano (Myne) [Moments before disaster.]
• "But if I did die, I'd ask a god to reincarnate me so I can keep reading books in my next life. Isn't that smart? Ahaha." - Urano [I can see the God of Chaos saying; "deal, but you'll need to work for it"]
• "Life ain't that convenient, moron" - Shuu [I think Shuu and Ferdi would be friends]

Chapter 1

• "A college girl nearing graduation was crushed to death by books in her own home" [we would call this natural causes]
• ... That's so embarrassing! I died twice that day, once physically and once socially. [You did ask for this]
• "I don't see any books... Maybe this is just a nightmare? A death nightmare?" - Myne [God of Chaos asking if you've read the fine print]
• No, I'm not Myne! I wanted to protest, but I couldn't. [This is why you get hit by Truck-kun]
• I can survive anywhere as long as I've got books. I'll endure anything. So please. Books. Let me have books. [The beginning of the book fueled tantrum]
• By acting like I was worried about her. I could avoid things I didn't like. [I feel this is how she handles most situations even 5 parts in]
• Attention, whichever god put me here... I wanted to live somewhere modern and convenient. [God of Chaos laughing in the background]
• I... I miss Japan. It was filled with so many wonderful things I took for granted. Soft wash cloths, comfortable beds, books, books, books... [I don't think she mentioned books]

Chapter 2

• "Wow, Myne! You've gotten really good at this. Soon you'll be able to do it on your own," Tuuli [to myne while she was peeing]
• I could appreciate that she was happy for her little sister growing up, but my pride, dignity, and self respect as a human being were in tatters. [She had dignity?]
• The first step to improving my life here would be getting books. [Good luck with that]
• It wouldn't be long before I started screaming "Books, give me boooks! Waaah!" while sobbing and flailing [the tantrum continues]
• "Bwuh?!" - Chaos Gremlin [Our girls first Bwuh, I should start a counter]
• ...Um, God, do you hate me? Is this a cruel joke? [Na girl the gods will love you soon enough]

Chapter 3

• Um... Do your best, Tuuli! My lunch is counting on you! [Myne you need to respect our angel more]
• For some reason, only the steps from the second floor downward were made out of pretty stone. [This is what we call foreshadowing]
• Aaaah. A temple. It sounds like religion is enforced here, which sucks. I'll try to avoid that place as much as possible. [Good luck with that sweetie]
• ... Oh wait, am I going down the child prodigy path here? At age ten I'll be God's gift to mankind and at age fifteen I'll be a genius, but once I hit twenty I'll just be a normal person. Oh well. [You'll soon have people which will ensure that you are revered like a goddess]

Chapter 4

• Um, was that alcohol?! Who in the world would give an innocent little girl strong alcohol like that! [your mum huny]
• Bwuh?! [number 2]
• "M-Mister! What's this? Wait is it?!" "Oh, that's a book" [Myne entering nirvana]
• "I-I don't know what's gotten into you... But I get the feeling I shouldn't let you touch that book" [wise words]
• "...And what do I do if I can't get them? Well, what choice do I have but to make them myself?" [rinse and repeat]

Chapter 5

• So many of Myne's memories were burred in her thoughts of "no fair," it made me kind of not like her. [spoilers]
• "What? Huh? Myne your hair's all pretty and dark blue now. It's like the night sky. And your eyes are like moons!" - Tuuli [first worshipper of the saint]

Chapter 6

• My Family's faith in me had hit rock bottom and apparently Tuuli wouldn't even consider leaving me home alone. [it isn't just your family]
• "Hey, Myne. Want me to carry you?" ...Lutz, you're such a good kid! [The beginnings of a long friendship]
• "Myne, you were sick again recently weren't you? It must hurt. I'll carry you" - Lutz [You'll be saying this a lot soon enough]
• Ohohoho, my sweet young Ralph. Are you after my Tuuli? [Elvira frantically writing in the background]

Chapter 7

• So... So nice. You're way to nice Tuuli. All I cared about was avoiding Mom's wrath over him forgetting what she worked so hard to find.
• "Hahaha! Teach you...? Heh, don't you barely know how to write Captain?" The moment I heard that, I felt a crack run through my very soul. [Be nicer to your dad sweetie]

Chapter 8

• Um... Just how useless do people think I am? I mean, it's true that I never do anything, and I'm useless almost all of the time, but still. [At least you have some self awareness... fool]

Chapter 9

• "See? It Broke. I told you it wouldn't last all winter. Now, Dad Fix it" ... "Myne, go help Effa" [The struggles of all parents of chaos gremlins]

Chapter 10

• ... Wait. Am I the most useless thing in this wagon? [Yes... yes you are]
• "Myne, close your mouth. You're gonna bite your tongue off." "Bwuh?!" [number 3]
• "He did say she wasn't as young as she looked." [Ummm Otto he meant she was 5, not mature]
• "Sorry Tuuli" "Seriously. This is a real pain" "Aww what? Didn't you promise not to say that?" "I never promised that!" I mean... Okay you didn't promise that. But isn't it still like an unspoken promise? [That's not how that works. That's not how any of this works]

Chapter 11

• "Bwuh, it didn't work. I wonder if there's something else I can use like a (mirror)..." "I would appreciate it if you would stop wasting out time." [Numbuh 4 and Effa, she will never stop wasting people's time. They just learn to profit from it]
• "That's right. Creating clothes for your family is important both practically and to show off to the neighbours. You can't be a true beauty if you're not good a sewing and cooking" Aaah... I'm definitely not gonna grow up into a beauty, then. And I mean I can understand all that being important for a good wife, but what do cooking and sewing have to do with being beautiful? [Myne I am certain that a god will bless you with beauty, it just takes time]
• ...Bwuuuh, there’re all so thin I can barely tell them apart. Fiddle fiddle fiddle fiddle [Number 5]
• "That's it! I can't do it! Okay (ancient Egyptians), you win! I lose!" Mentally and emotionally exhausted. I clenched a fist around my faux papyrus and yelled out in frustration. [She really needed Lutz here]
• "Bwuuuuuh... I failed. My papyrus plan failed so hard." [number 6]
• "Be quite. Myne! If you have time to play with plants, weave some baskets!" "Baskets won't turn into books..." "I don't know what you're talking about, but you failed, didn't you? Just start making baskets already" [Good Lutz impression Effa, but only a true Lutz can turn this into something about books]
• "That's amazing Myne. I didn't know you were a natural at this. Maybe you should try to be an apprentice carpenter?" "Whaaa? That's a little..." [Poor Myne, your secret is out and now you'll need to work]
• "Ngh, why are you so good at this, Myne?" Tuuli compared her basket with mine and slumped her shoulders, depressed at how much worse hers were - "Don't worry about it, Tuuli. You just need to lean how to tighten gaps and plan ahead to make patters" [Tuuli is so precious]
• "I can't believe you're better than me, Myneeee..." Oh no... Looks like I've really hurt Tuuli's older sister pride. [Poor jelly Tuuli]

Chapter 12

• "It's sunny Dad, it's sunny! Come, wake up! Myne!" Tuuli's excited voice rang through the dark bedroom and soon I was shaken awake. [Ahh the joys of winter]
• "Once noon comes and the sun rises, sunlight fall into the forest and like the parue leaves start shinning, and the tree starts shaking, and the leaves all start making swishy swashy noises" [The explanation of a child are fun]
• This... This is what happiness tastes like! It's like thick coconut milk! [Poor sugar deprived child]
• "Wait, seriously? She made you eat bird food, Tuuli?!" [and it tasted good]

Chapter 13

• “Bwuh! So cold!” [Number 7]
• "Uh huh, I really like him." I mean, he's my teacher (or so I've unilaterally decided), and he gave me this slate. How could I not like him? [Ah, never change fool never change]
• What exactly are you trying to stop your five-year-old daughter from doing? Even if I did like him in that way, he wouldn't give a five-year-old the time of day. - You sure are being dumb, Dad [Myne you did this to yourself]
• "... Myne, I'm going to swallow my pride to ask this. Would you please help me?" [Ah enter merchant #1 taking advantage of the chaos gremlin]
• "A-Anyway! The point is, I'm not a cheap enough girl to work for free" [No you usually give the information away for free if you talk long enough]

Chapter 14

• Dad's face fell with disappointment the moment he heard my answer. He looked so, well, pathetic that I wished he would at least try to act a little tougher. [You did this to him]
• "Myne, it looks like Dad's all cheered up now. I'm so glad!" Tuuli beamed the innocent smile of an angel [never change Tuuli never change]
• "If there's a way to make her cuter, it's wrong not to do it" Cuteness is justice!" [A future orange haired believer nodding in agreement]
• I wonder if all dads act like this when their daughter is sweet to them. Well... Now that he's happy. I guess it's ok if I stop worry about him for a bit? [You'll soon get a few more Dad's to test this on, and ouch so cold to your old man] You see... Making one big flower would be a problem if I got bored halfway though, right? Once again, I kept my thoughts to myself. [She really needs a Lutz]
• "You really thought this through Myne." "Of course I did! I'm doing all this for you, Tuuli." [This chapter needs a diabetic warning for how sweet it can be]
• "Really?! You're amazing, Dad! I've never respected anyone this much in my life" I got so emotional that I hugged Tuuli hard as Dad muttered to himself, "Hehehe. I beat you Otto." Apparently he had been secretly competing with Otto [Oh lord not again]
• Also, Mom ended up addicted to lacework, and before I Knew it the needles Dad made for me were in her sewing box. [Effa is as much of a gremlin as Myne is]

Chapter 15

• I had been very careful over the winter, so I only got ever and passed out five times total. Um... That’s a lot less okay? My family was really impressed. They’re like, wow, that’s amazing, you’re doing so much better. And they mean it! [I know it, you know it, she knows it. But it’s better to not shatter her disillusion]
• “...So I can do to the forest if I throw a tantrum?” “No need for that. Don’t be dumb” [Never change Myne, never change]
• Otto was real serious about convincing me. Said I wouldn’t find a cheaper helper for him anywhere.” [The trap is set, Myne will not escape the merchant’s grasp]
• “A pace like today’s is ultimately for the best. You really shouldn’t compare them to me.” [Many a sibling of Myne will agree to this statement, now and in the future]
• ...I mean, the forst words and phrases he taught me were “Person Inquiry”, ”Noble”, “Letter of Introduction”, and “Written Petition” [And thus begins Myne’s slanted education]
• Apparently, past Myne had barely ever participated in the neighbourhood social events, so the local children considered her something of a rare monster with a low encounter rate. [Can’t decide between Chansey or Tauros]

Chapter 16

• “What were you doing at the gate Myne?” “Learning my letters.” “Letters? You can write?!” Lutz looked at me with utter shock. I got the feeling his eyes were whining with respect and admiration for me , but I don’t know enough words to really say I could write. [The second worshipper for our saint has joined us]
• Incidentally, first Lutz, and then all his older brother actually cried afterwards. They were sincerely thankfully for how I had not only given them delicious food, but more food than they normally got to eat. [And only Lutz appears to respect that]
• ...So hard! Bwuh? Is it even possible to dig into this? [Number 8]
• “Why are you willing to help me, Lutz?” “Huh? I mean, you made those parue cakes for me when I was real hungry, right? That day I decided to help you with whatever you need. No matter what” [The beginning of a long a beautiful friendship
• ...Bwuh? Just that? He’ll help me dig out clay just for that [Bumber 9, and yes you idiot he likes you]
• “Sheesh! You look all nice and sweet on the outside, but I can’t let my guard down around you!” [Wise words for someone so young]
• “Actually, I think you should let your guard down a bit more... Why do you have to be smarter than Dad?” [No sweetie, you need actual guards to keep you in line]
• I glared at Fey and the other as hard as I could, shocking back sobs as tears streamed down my face. Rage coursed through my body as if to set my blood boiling, but somehow, my mind was frighteningly calm. [Darth Myne has appeared]
• Fey and his friends flinched from my glare and slowly backed away, trembling in fear. [Your ability to destroy clay tablets is insignificant to the power of the force]
• “Myne, what’s wrong?!” She peered over to see my face and immediately her expression twisted into one of fear, just like Fey’s. “...What happened? You look really mad.” She averted her eyes from me and looked around to assess the situation while consoling me [Don’t use the force on Tuuli, she’s our angel] Apparently, I reigned as the queen of the rumoured “Top People You Should ever Make Angry” rankings for some time. [And thus began her rule, of fear, terror, and books]

Chapter 17

• What was normally a grassy wonderland had been scarred deeply by the storm, with mud scattered everywhere. Um... Does this world have financial assistance for natural disasters? [Nope]
• I Began to teach Lutz, feeling an odd sens of responsibility to proselytize books, and writing” [And thus began Mynes long childhood career of teaching other children her age]
• I heated them on the hearth and boom! My first book turned to dust and rubble. [Almost there girl, you just need Lutz for the whole project]

Chapter 18

• The meeting had been ordered by an arch noble, one of a higher-ranked family in noble society, and thus his head would literally fly if he didn’t go. Literally?! Really?! That’s scary! [I wonder is this noble is the one we get to know in the future]
• “...I’ve heard that they don’t go to the temple. They summon the priests to their home. Nobles don’t understand how we commoners feel.” [Neat]
• “It’s a father’s duty to wait outside the temple.” “Isn’t going to work and making money a father’s duty too?” “Ngh!” [Ahh our baby girl is learning]
• To think that a simple change of clothing and crimson blush from crushed red plants would make her look so much more beautiful. Wow... My mom’s got perfect genes. She’s like an absolute beauty. [You can do the same thing if you keep your mouth shut]
• I hate working with needles, so I guess I’m pretty much guaranteed to never find a boyfriend or get married here. [I think you’ll need to keep this excuse in your back pocket Myne, you’ll need it]
• “Oh goodness, Myne did that? To think she’s good a something other than weird cooking.” [Karla, you need to be nicer to the chaos gremlin, she already is corrupting your boy]
• “Oh, okay. You’re healthier now, but we really can’t tell when you’ll get sick. That’s too bad; I wanted everyone to know how amazing you are.” [You are such an angel Tuuli, don’t worry this will be in her benefit]
• ...”Go home with this captain immediately. He as so antsy during the meeting that an archnoble glared at us and thereby shaved years off my life.” [And he will never change]

Chapter 19

• “Whaaa?! She hasn’t just been resting at the gate?” “Myne wasn’t exaggerating about all those things?!” Tuuli, why are you that surprised? And ouch, Mom, that hurts. I can’t believe you though I wasn’t telling the truth. [Honestly I can’t blame them.]
• Wouldn’t that mean it looked it I was in love...? Bwuuuh! [Number 10 Oh I need to save this quote for P5]

Chapter 20

• “Wha?! Myne, do you want to become a travelling merchant?! Wha?! Hold on! Did I inspire you by accident? The Captain’s going to kill me!” [And this is how Otto survived all these years]
• “Bwuh?! Awww... Okay I guess that makes sense...” [Number 11] Wooow, This would suck really bad if I weren’t fooling myself into thinking I’m cosplaying Cinderella [yeah... cosplaying]
• “How long do you think I should dry them?” “Meh? “Maybe I should try cooking them.” “Don’t bother. They’ll explode again” “Awww...” I followed Lutz advice and quiety let the soot pencils dry on their own. [And thus begins Lutz’s long career of being the Myne Manager]

Chapter 21

• The moment she glared at the white radish and sharply cut it in half, I heard a loud scream. From the radish. “Bwuh? What?” [Number 12]
• Is it just me, or does Mom look at lot more dangerous than the radish? It’s probably just me. [A rare parting of wisdom from Myne]
• Sorry Sorry. But Dad, when I asked for some, Mom gave me a meaningful smile and told me that you had stealthily brought that without telling her, and that you it’d be a waste if everyone didn’t get to enjoy it. For once I actually managed to read between the lines. [Gunther you fool, why did you think Effa wouldn’t notice]

Chapter 22

No Notable quotes I found in this chapter. Just Darth Myne using the force on herself in confusion.

Chapter 23

• “I want ahead and told her you did it for me. ‘Go and ask Myne this stuff’ I said” Bwuh?!” [Number 13 and good on you Lutz, your mother is scary]

Chapter 24

• But although he was a successful merchant, her wasn’t like a wizened company president. He has the intensity of a CEO running a venture capital firm. [If you knew that why are you jumping into the jaws of death]
• “...Your assistant hasn’t even been baptized?” “Aah, well, actually, I’m in the middle of teaching her to read and write so she can become my assistant.” “You sure made it sound like she was already helping you out quite a bit” “...Let it go, man.” [Benno is right Otto, but we both know he’s no better]
• “Listen, girl, I don’t wanna hear them. He’ll never shut up once he gets going” Benno hurriedly tried to stop me, but Otto’s eyes were already shining. [Myne attracts weirdo’s like this a lot huh.]
• In the end, I didn’t know whether I pulled Lutz into this or if Lutz pulled me into this, but if Lutz was willing to do what I couldn’t then I was willing to do what Lutz couldn’t. [And here marks the beginning of Assendance of a Bookworm. Took long enough]

Echapter 1

• “Oh? My brother force to negotiate? Please share the details with me, Otto dear.” Corinna’s gray eyes shined and she scooted her chair toward Otto a little as she asked for details with a sweet voice [We don’t believe it too Corinna]
• “Hair so silky that light gleams off of it, you say?! What does she do to make it like that?!” “Wha? Corrina, you’re plenty pretty already.” “Quiet, Otto. I’m asking my brother” [Corinna has Otto well under her thumb, and Myne... run]
• “...I knew it, you have been making her work as your assistant. How could you make a little kid like that help with budget reports? Shameful.” [Again Benno has a point]
• “I’ve never said this to anyone, but listen. She’s doing most of my paperwork for me. Seventy percent, at least” “...What?!” “...Seventy percent? Dear...” [can’t tell if this is praise for Myne, or Otto making himself look incompetent]
• “... She’s going to become a living natural disaster that destroy the market and remakes it anew.” [I think her scale has the potential for more Benno, don’t sell her short]

Echapter 2

• “Should be about shumil season now. I’m bettin’ there’s tons of them running around here” Ralph grinned, holding onto a net [First instance of Shumil]

• “Phih phiiiih!” Other shumls that had been earing nearby also ran off after hearing their friend’s squeals. [Pooey]

• Fey gave a mean smirk, “That shumil kinda looks like Myne, huh? They’re both blue and stuff” “No they don’t! Shut up, you’re making this hard for me!” Tuuli resisted Fey’s bullying and safely finished her butchering [Don’t be mean to our Angel Fey, you jerk]

• “Think about it. Myne and shumils are both super weak right? But when they get mad their eyes get all rainbowy and stuff. What’s the difference?” [I mean you’re not wrong, but you are still mean]

• “Hey Lutz, go home early with Fey and sell this at that crystal store. Me and Tuulu gotta stay here to watch the little kids” [Remember this kids as it will be helpful later.]

• “When Myne glared at me with those rainbow eyes, it felt like, like, I couldn’t breathe. It hurt. Just think about that freaks me out. Myne’s just weird and scary.” [Then don’t crush her hopes and dreams]

• ... and looked up at the darkening blue sky. As it came closer to resembling Myne’s hair and the moon rose looking just like the color of her eyes. [You’re a hopeless romantic Lutz]

Echapter 3

• Urano I hope that someday you get stuck in a world without books and suffer! [You fool don’t make wishes like this]

A Pop UP store will open between april 25th and July 31th 2024 in Shibuya Tsutaya

The Battle of Gerlach begins at last. How does Rozemyne’s fight against Grausam play out, and what happens to Ehrenfest in the aftermath? Behold the full extent of the explosive war shaking Yurgenschmidt to its very foundation!

From a quick glance at the rules, gifts should be in digital form. Fanarts, Fanfics and other forms of artistic creativity were mentioned.

As I see most things would be on Tumblr but we can ask to repost on lemmy.

Sign ups open on Monday (2024-03-09) and last until 2024-03-20

Souce: https://twitter.com/macha_5/status/1761368928344060007

https://files.catbox.moe/ov797v.jpg

Source: (warning some art has spoilers for P5V12)

https://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=1223658

Credit:

https://twitter.com/bookkanata/status/1125758454193242112?t=6yt5cg49z2ZU--uyHlPtPQ

Rozemyne will take on even the gods themselves in her quest to rescue Ferdinand. She speeds to Ahrensbach faster than Steifebrise, and as the battle against Lanzenave commences, Georgine finally begins her invasion. To war!

https://nitter.net/JNCNina_DE/status/1737552360304439331#m

Repost from reddit because this is very cool interview

Hello fellow Bookworms! For context, I am currently taking a college course called "Literary Editing and Publishing," and in that class, we get to choose a topic for our final. Since I know some things about it, I chose to do my final on MTL and its effects on the translations in publishing industry. For this final, I'm supposed to select people within the industry to interview, and I thought a wonderful person to ask was Quof, and luckily, I was able to get into contact with him! Originally, I was just going to keep this information for my class, however, after reading through Quof's answers, I've been extremely intrigued (and saddened), so (with permission from Quof himself) I've decided to post this on the reddit for people to see.

Do you think edited MTL will ever have a significant impact on the publishing business/industry?

Answer: It already has. Machine translation is not only far faster and easier than manual translation, it is cheaper for companies as well. From every single angle, the industry is desperately striving to adapt MTL in any way possible. Translators want their job to be easier - seemingly unaware they are contributing to their own replacement - and publishers want work done faster and cheaper. It stands to reason that many translators are already sneakily using MTL where they can, and publishers too. Massive by-commission agencies in particular have been phasing out the human translator role and morphing it into a professional “MTL editor” role for at least five years, much to the bemusement of many of my peers. Edited MTL is an invisible specter surrounding publishing already; as it improves, this presence will grow. The question is simply whether it will improve enough to totally replace human translation or not. Shocker: when Chat GPT got big and revealed its extremely high quality machine translation power, a majority of my peers were thrilled and started trying to use it in any way they could.

What is your process?

Answer: My process is pretty simple. First I convert an epub to a spreadsheet – a holdover from the days when I translated video games, which had their massive disconnected scripts organized in spreadsheets. In Column A there’s the Japanese, in Column B I type my translation while looking at Column A, and finally, in Column C I write any translation notes for the line. For video games, Column C would be for the editor to insert their edits and Column D would be the TL notes, but for novels I’ve been converting the spreadsheet into a word doc for the editors instead. Although it sounds glib, 95% of my work is just looking at the Japanese and typing in the English methodically. I can translate just fine even on a laptop with no internet or access to anything but the spreadsheet in question. (In other words - the process of translation is very boring in almost all cases. Just sit and vomit out text in the dark for 5 hours straight.)

The 5% is when some text is incomprehensible, or there’s a new name / invented word. That second part speaks for itself (need to do online research), so let’s focus on the first one.

Usually when reading or writing in our primary language, we just shrug off things that don’t make sense and idly roll with an assumption as to what it actually means, but in translation that’s not an option. One needs perfect clarity of an idea or action to translate without introducing errors, and so I have to resolve this uncertainty. The ideal is that I can just ask some other fan of the work and they can help piece together what it means, but if they can’t, then I need to either guess or ask the author.

The most basic example, and one apt for Bookworm, is when it’s impossible to tell who spoke a certain line. All nobles in Bookworm are trained to speak similarly, and when there gets to be let’s say 10 nobles of similar status all gathered in a room, it gets to be genuinely impossible to tell who says certain innocuous lines. A reader can shrug it off, I can’t. If nobody I know can tell who spoke the line, then I include it in a note to ask the author.

Asking the author is a simple process. I have a text document in which I record every question and concern I have while translating. Anything that seems contradictory, anything that seems incomprehensible, etc. Then, when I finish translating a volume, I email it (in Japanese) to the author and wait for a reply. She gives clear, direct answers, and has even drawn a picture once to better illustrate certain imagery.

This is an unusual circumstance, so let me explain briefly. At the start of Bookworm I was already being confused by certain things (the intention behind the name of the currency, I believe, is already ‘incomprehensible’ right from the first volume), and people were already being uptight and picky over how names were spelled, so I immediately identified that confirming things with the author would be essential to produce a good translation that readers would enjoy. J-Novel sent my initial list of questions and concerns off to the author, and you could say the magic happened here - the author subsequently asked for ALL names to be sent her way to check. I never asked about the motivation for this, but in any case, this led to a direct line of communication that I use today. I think that most translators wouldn’t bother to ask, they aren’t faced with translating such complicated behemoths. I never felt the need to ask about anything in my other work. I also think most authors wouldn’t bother to answer; they’re busy, and tend to consider English as something beyond them. There’s also likely some corporate meddling where more… strict, sizable companies would prevent translators and authors from ever communicating at all – which sounds unintuitive, but imagine if Miya Kazuki had been offended by my questions (“how can I trust this guy with my work?”) and demanded the translation be stopped or something like that. It’s something of a miracle we were allowed to communicate, and subsequently that this happened.

What are your thoughts on MTL?

Answer: “MTL is inevitable.” - Quof

Most translators commit a very basic error in thinking, I believe, and it has muddied discourse about MTL quite extensively. They like to base their thinking on the assumption that every translator is a master of their source language, and a prose smith in their target language. That is simply not true. The dirty secret is that the bulk of human translators are not very good at either language, much less both. The romanticized image of a creative, transcendent translator masterfully localizing every line of text with perfection is simply as rare as a unicorn. Lots of translators in the business get hired with a weak grasp of Japanese – many of them having started learning the language a FEW years ago – and no creative writing experience in English. There’s just no getting around the fact they make comprehension errors and at times produce poor translations.

My objective isn’t to dunk on anyone. Rather, it’s only after accepting the above reality that we can look at MTL squarely. The fact is that MTL can at times produce better translations than humans, especially with current language models. A lazy human translation by a mediocre to bad human translator will not have some amazing, untouchable brilliance to it that MTL could never hope to capture. Even in my work, at times I misread numbers (mistaking 12 for 21 or something) or kanji in ways MTL never would. MTL can have value and it can produce translations worth something (just not necessarily with consistency).

And finally, audiences as a collective value all of this translation minutiae far less than just having a book in front of them in the end. What they want most of all is to read and experience a story, not admire clever turns of phrase or inventive localizations here and there. Who buys books based on the translator? Enthusiasts, not the bulk of audiences. Publishers know this - they have data that proves again and again that better translations don’t equate to better sales at a certain point. A translation that’s good to decent will likely sell as much as if not more than a translation that’s absolutely masterful.

MTL already provides massive quantities of foreign text to consume on a never before seen scale, and people all over the globe are tearing through it, even now when it’s of low quality. Every slight improvement in output quality will make people feel more and more good about it, until one day MTL is good enough that the average person doesn’t make a distinction between it and human translation. Already chat GPT is producing convincing enough prose that normal, reasonable people are fully content with it. (It used to be that the clunky, obviously wrong grammar of MTL would make people suspicious of it getting the meaning wrong too. Now, chatGPT produces fluid, natural text, and the average person isn’t equipped to be so suspicious that they realize it’s just as incorrect if not more incorrect beneath the fluidity.)

With these facts accepted, I can only look at MTL with a kind of resignation. It will surpass me one day - either before the AI singularity gives AI consciousness (lol), or after. Audiences won’t stand up to bat for me or any other translator - they’ll stand up to bat for the program that produces a high–quality translation of a 33 book series for them in 1 day instead of 6 years. At most the human translator away will be looked at with a wry sort of pity, and only given the time of day in the rare circumstances they are useful in some way. I can even imagine a situation where translators are credited on books to give it “that human translator feel”, despite the book itself being machine translated in its entirety. That’s about how useful we will likely be – providing our names and little more.

In the current day, MTL is a rival who I compete against with my strengths; in ten or so more years, I will be dirt beneath its feet. I don’t know exactly how long it will take. Maybe ten years, maybe twenty, maybe even never. It would be nice for me if it took twenty, thirty years, but the world is not going to put my job status over progress, just like it never has for any other job. If some disaster doesn’t slow down AI development, or if there isn’t some abstract quality of the Japanese language which prevents AI from ever translating it well, then my ilk and I are not long for this world.

Thanks to your work as well as the editor’s work, Ascendance of a Bookworm updates weekly. Do you think that your fast schedule plays a large role in why there are no edited MTLs for your series?

Answer: There actually are edited MTLs, but hidden away in back channels. Providing a fast, high-quality translation has indeed provided some comfort and lessened the necessity an average audience member feels for turning to MTL, but the most important factor is that the author has specifically denied anyone else permission to translate the series in any form. Thanks to that, the mods of the Bookworm subreddit delete any attempts to post MTL, since it’s not only piracy but going against the wishes of the author. In the end, though, there’s still edited MTL out there. They’re shared happily in private and in fan communities. It saddens me because, indeed, even now at my strongest, I’m losing many battles to MTL. Even now, the biggest fans of Bookworm still turn to it out of impatience, and those who stay away are almost exclusively motivated by the fact that MTL wasn’t good enough for them. If it was, they likely read it with only a sympathetic glance.

In short, all that fast, weekly updates does is lessen the damage. Faster work means people get impatient slower. If the series took 10 years for me to translate instead of 6, that would be 4 extra years of people turning to MTL out of impatience. All I can do right now is minimize the damage, not stop it.

Edited for structure

forked from https://startrek.website/post/4028398

please omit memes from pre-pub to not spoil people (Included image of Hildebrand when he saw Grown-Rosemyne

I have found a website where you can write in Yogurtland script. I will just leave a link here for someone in the future. You can also download it from github page.