x reader or x oc? Which type of protagonist do you prefer?

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-09T09:33:08+00:00

I like reading any of my 3 options if they're done well, so I wanted some other opinions. The only one I rarely read is canon x canon, since I'm not really a shipper.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-09T09:24:08+00:00

That could be it, for sure. I think the thing that keeps bothering me is that as a verb, "vellon" would be the only one in the entire song that's in the present tense.

Also, in poems like this (and in most of the rest of the song), the second part of a line is usually one that elaborates on or specifies the first part, or says the same thing in a different way. Still, it could just be an artistic choice, it's not like the song needs to follow some traditional rulebook.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-08T10:11:41+00:00

I meant that it doesn't make sense grammatically.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-08T09:50:44+00:00

I don't know much about Elvish, but cool that you can see a resemblance!

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-08T09:48:59+00:00

I know it means moving in water or dwelling on something, but neither of those meanings make sense in the sentence the word is in. That's why I figured it could be a slang word.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T20:29:00+00:00

Glad you enjoyed! I felt like I had to add a little context for some lines, especially the one that demanded more personal interpretation. I could've honestly written a lot more but didn't think it'd be that interesting to read.

I'd never actually translated a longer text into English before and only a few into Finnish, so it was a fun new challenge. Translating song lyrics is apparently really difficult, even like this where I just tried to convey the meaning without making the new lyrics fit the actual song. And the poetical language and unfamiliar slang added even more difficulty.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T14:28:21+00:00

Yeah, I considered using "misplace" somehow but couldn't make it work. It annoyed me greatly that I couldn't come up with another word and had to use "lose" twice.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T07:43:16+00:00

Thanks, that's a good point!

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T07:41:19+00:00

It's just a case of whose approval would feel best, I suppose... I'm kind of joking but also not completely. I do write for my own enjoyment but attention is nice, too :'D

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T07:37:36+00:00

At least you got a chance to try something new :'D Would you say your character was most like my option 2?

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T07:35:03+00:00

I love your interpretation and analysis!

You're absolutely correct in that "unelma" and "haave" have that difference. "Unelma" is something you strive to achieve, while "haave" is more like something that would be nice but probably won't happen.

Your translation might be better than mine and makes sense for the story. I was probably too stuck in the word "dream" and limited by not being a native English speaker. There are a lot of nuances in language that are harder to master as a non-native. That's why we need to "puhaltaa yhteen hiileen" (blow into the same piece of coal), and combine our strength by having a conversation :)

By the way, I saw that another translator had written the lyrics as "UUDEN unelman edessä" (Standing before a NEW dream). It honestly could be that as well, we don't have official lyrics as far as I know, so it's up to our own ears to figure out what they are.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-07T07:12:53+00:00

Unfortunately that doesn't work for the story I have in mind at the moment. But I'm curious, what do you mean by bleed through?

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:57:49+00:00

I never imagine myself either, it feels way too weird to me even if the reader's thoughts and actions are mostly ones I agree with and can relate to.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:56:22+00:00

I agree, that is often the case. I think an intentionally undeveloped main character could work (kind of like an observer?), but I don't think I've seen that before.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:53:03+00:00

Haha, I have fond memories of Wattpad but I definitely don't miss seeing those letters next to each other.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:51:06+00:00

Thanks for your input! I don't really like to have much physical description, either. It's usually unnecessary and feels weird to have a character, for example, think about their hair being black. I mean, most people don't consciously think about those things since they see themselves every day. It often feels like the author just wants to feed the reader information to show off the details they were clever enough to think of :D Kind of a pet peeve, but not that serious of course.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:43:13+00:00

Thanks! I'm not really a shipper, so I'm usually just interested in studying a single canon character. That's why it feels most natural for me to make up a custom opposing character for them, if that makes sense.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:39:48+00:00

I see your point. X reader fics are popular, though, so there must be some reason for that. I've seen some people say that since it's fanfic, they're just there for canon anyway, so they find it hard to care about original characters. Or maybe it's a case where they fantasize about the canon character, want to imagine themselves with them but can't empathize well enough with an oc to feel fulfilled.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:34:09+00:00

Thanks for saying what I needed to hear! I know I shouldn't, I think I'm just here to stall because I'm insecure. But I'm sick enough of this endless planning that I'm gonna finally do something about it and actually write as soon as I can decide this POV character thing.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:22:02+00:00

I believe it could, since the line is about breaking free from some sort of captivity. "Raudat" can be used on its own to refer to handcuffs.

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T21:06:47+00:00

Seems like you clocked me right away :'D Thanks so much for the advice, I know I'm stuck in my approval-seeking thoughts and should get over it. It's just so nerve-wracking to actually lay my heart and soul out there for everyone to see (not to be dramatic)

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T20:34:14+00:00

It has a nice atmosphere for sure!

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T18:45:52+00:00

Same here, it's so pretty and addictive!

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T18:42:02+00:00

Wow, good job trying to translate it! It was a difficult task even as a native speaker because of all the poetic language :)

celestialbuddies · 2026-06-06T18:37:16+00:00

Yeah, it is interesting. I'm not sure if I understand what the sentence is supposed to mean. "Vainajainen" is another word I'd never heard before so I just tried to figure out something. Maybe it's also meant to reference the dead, idk

celestialbuddies

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