CAMPUS WIDE EVENT: THE LANGUAGE BARRIER REINSTATED

[intercom_voice]

[Today, something somewhere went wrong. On the evening on the 15th, any bilingual (or otherwise) knowledge granted by the Campus has simply...disappeared. At least for anybody walking by the North Wing.]

Tja ... det här kommer att lägga sordin på våra studier, är nu inte det?

[Translation: Well...this is going to put a damper on our studies, now isn't it?]

((ooc: So! For the next 5 days (the 15th~20th), your character officially only knows their native tongue. Aka, whatever language they primarily grew up with. They can no longer read, speak, or understand any other language but.

For fun you can even use Google Translate to show what your character is speaking at a glance! Don't worry, we all know it's probably gibberish :P

If you go the Google route, please be sure to put a translation at the bottom. If not, then please take care to specify what language your character is speaking in at the start of every thread.

If you have any questions, just head to the mod plurk or send this account a PM, but most importantly--have fun!))

Comments

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Leaning over, he rests his forehead against Malik's for a moment, speaking soothingly. Even if he can't get the words through, the tone at least can be expressed.]

Don't worry. We'll make them pay for this.

[Drawing back, he punctuates his words by drawing his knife and miming stabbing the air.]

[obeytherod]

[Even if he can't understand him, the tone gives him some comfort out of the words. It was something to ground himself with, and he's pretty sure he knows the meaning behind that stabbing motion as well.]

الباقورة ...

[The accent and inflection was different, but the word itself was clear: Bakura.

Pointing down the hall in the direction of the dorms, Malik takes a few steps forward and then gesture for Bakura to follow.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Malik~.

[Nodding, Bakura falls into step beside him, letting him lead the way. It's odd, hearing his name spoken like that. He's not sure he likes it. But he'll just have to deal with it. It's probably just as weird hearing him pronounce Malik's name accurately instead of with his normal accent.]

[obeytherod]

... هذا هو المرة الأولى كنت قد قال من أي وقت مضى اسمي الصحيح.

[...That's the first time you've ever said my name right. He didn't mind it, but it was almost weird to hear at this point.

While they're heading towards the dorms, it's not actually the room that Malik's looking for. He's actually heading straight for the library. He may not be able to read Romanji anymore, but that's not what matters.

All he has to do is find the section with the language books! Arabic to...whatever Bakura was speaking. He'll figure that out when he gets there.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Yeah, he's clueless. Though he does appreciate the accent. Hearing Malik speak in his own language was... kind of nice, actually. It'd be better if he could understand it, but it was still nice. He glances up at the library's sign as they arrive, unable to read it, but knowing what the room is anyway. Curiously, he cocks his head slightly at Malik, pointing to it.

It was probably really unlikely he'd find anything to help in here... at least considering what language Bakura was speaking.]

Here? I guess it can't hurt, but I can't read or anything right now...

[He hesitates, looking away awkwardly, then mimes opening a book and shakes his head.]

[obeytherod]

[Malik stops to watch Bakura's charades and, thinking he's understood, answers needlessly.]

أنا متأكد من أننا يمكن أن تجد شيئا مفيدا.

[I'm sure we can find something useful.

Then he gestures for Bakura to follow again as he heads inside.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

...well, okay.

[Sigh. Following Malik in, he looks around blankly. He can't even tell what books are where, since they use the Latin alphabet. Not that he could have guessed even if they didn't, since the characters were entirely foreign to him. Already he can tell this is going to be awkward.]

[obeytherod]

... [Malik looks like he suddenly just realized how overwhelming this task really is. Without being able to read the signs, he has no idea how to start.

Weren't most of these books in English and Japanese anyway? That's all he'd picked up in his time here.]

Uhh...

[fluffydeathdealer]

... [Maybe if he just skims the titles for something that looks vaguely... not-latin-alphabet-y? Of course that leaves it open to be anything from cyrillic to greek, but it's better than nothing.

That's if he can even tell the difference in alphabets.]

So you did figure out that I said I can't read, right?

[He peers at a shelf blankly.]

[obeytherod]

هاه ...؟

[It was a confused noise more than a word, and Malik just stares over at Bakura waiting for some visual elaboration.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Sigh. This is such bullshit.]

Uhm. Hold on.

[Someone left a pencil on the desk, at least, so he grabs that, pretends to write and then shakes his head, before tossing it aside and tapping the books, repeating the head shake.

Giving that a moment to sink in, he awkwardly points at the letter sign, then at the spines of the books in front of him, shrugging.]

Please tell me you're getting this.

[obeytherod]

[Malik stares, brow knitted in thought, until it finally hits him: Bakura was trying to tell him that he can't read or write. Was he getting this right?! This was insane!

To let Bakura know he's understood he weakly nods, too caught up in his disbelief and outrage to do much more.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[He was just going to hope that was understanding and try to make sense of the book titles again. Comparing the symbols on the alphabet signs to the spines was slow and awkward, but at least it gave him a bit of an option. He didn't know what they meant, but if they had the same letter, they were written in the same alphabet, right?

...but even if he finds a book written in Malik's language, how will he even know if it's the one he wants? Ugh...]

Damn it-!

[A surge of rage rises up within him. His fist strikes one of the shelves suddenly.]

[obeytherod]

[Malik had started looking around as well, hoping more to find some sort of international section than anything. As soon as he hears Bakura hit something, he startles and stops what he's doing to glance over.

...Bakura's frustrated. Of course he is; so is he! The thought of not being able to talk to Bakura again, let alone Harriet or Ryou...it was killing him!

Striding over to Bakura, he reaches out to grab Bakura by the shoulders and look him sternly in the eyes. That look gives way to something more worried as Malik comfortingly kneads Bakura's shoulders with his fingers as he thinks. A moment later he pulls him into an embrace.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Getting real tired of your shit, Campus! It's only funny when it's happening to other people, dammit! But his irritation is interrupted as a hand seizes him, turning him so he can meet Malik's eyes.]

Malik...?

[The feeling of strong fingers massaging his shoulders calms him a little, makes him feel more real, though it's not until Malik's arms close around him that he relaxes. Bringing his arms up to return the embrace, he holds Malik close. That was right... there was no sense losing his head here. As unnerving and unpleasant as this was, they were at least together. Language barrier or no language barrier. His gaze softens a little.]

Sorry, Malik.

[His voice is soft and filled with affection.]

[obeytherod]

[The embrace only lasts a minute before Malik sighs and pulls away. He gestures for Bakura to sit and wait before moving further into the library to look for himself.

He figures he'll just save Bakura the frustration.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Frowning, Bakura nods and sits down. Being unable to read is an absolute pain. While he waits, he takes out the handheld for a moment, realizes he can't play it because he can't even figure out what game is what from the titles, and shoves it back in his pocket with a muttered grumble before burying his face in his arms. He feels really useless right now.]

[obeytherod]

[Malik finds a section of books in Arabic in time, but even then he can't find what he's looking for. The floor is littered with books as he sits down in defeat, slumping over to stare at the floor.

...It looks like he'd have to learn the hard way. Or maybe he should just teach Bakura Arabic? But Malik already knew three languages. He knew he was capable of learning quickly, and what Bakura was speaking...sounded familiar.

He was sure he could pick it up.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Bakura lets him look for a while, just slumped over on the table, but eventually he gets bored and comes looking for him. Seeing the floor covered in books gives him pause and he goes over to sit on the floor beside Malik. One hand idly pats him on the back.]

Given up? Ah, well. Guess it can't be helped.

[obeytherod]

[Malik shakes his head, growling slightly. He hates being seen like this, but at least they were in this together.

Looking over at Bakura he points to his mouth and then shrugs, trying to pose a question.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

...?

[Bakura stares at him blankly for a moment. At first he thinks Malik's just hungry or something, but then it clicks. Is he asking about the language?

There's not that many ways he could say it, so he holds up his arm with Ryou's watch on it, tracing his finger around it backwards a couple of times to try to imply the past, then pointing at Malik's mouth.]

[obeytherod]

Hm...

[That takes him a minute, but he finally figures that Bakura trying to tell him it was something he could speak in the past, before this all happened...

Then it must be Ancient Egyptian. That would explain why it sounded so familiar, and yet not. It would also make sense--if he was forced back to his first language, maybe Bakura was too.

He reaches out to tap the Ring and then the Rod before pointing Bakura's mouth again and nodding. He's just trying to clarify that he understands.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[...he thinks he gets it. Nodding, he rests his arms on his knees, looking over the books thoughtfully. If Malik had been looking for a dictionary or something, then he was probably screwed, come to think of it. Lifting his hand, he rests it against the Ring, then frowns. He should probably warn Malik of Ryou's situation, too. But Malik can figure that out for himself. He's not very happy with Ryou today. Getting up off the ground, he offers his hand to help Malik up.]

No sense hanging around here.

[obeytherod]

[Malik gets up on his own, needing some sense of strength right now. Once they're up he pauses a moment to grab a book, using it as a prop when he points to Bakura's mouth, then traces some lines in the book, and then points to his own head.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

...what?

[Yeah, he isn't getting a word of that. Spreading his hands, he shrugs. Is he trying to say that he wants to learn to understand the language? Because that's the only thing he can guess.]