It’s embarrassing to say how many times I have to go back and fix Vanguarthe every time I draw him, because I constantly forget or mess up the details. What’s really sad is I could solve this problem so easily simply by making a character reference sheet and posting it on my wall near by drawing table, as I have done for the core characters (otherwise you’d see their hair parts constantly flipping sides and other little annoyances). I recently spent several hours going back through Chapter Eight and correcting all the Vanguarthe continuity errors for the upcoming graphic novel. Which I hope to have some news about soon.
Galaxion reader Elena shared with me some very cute plushies that she happened to notice on Deviant Art, and I wanted to share them with everyone else. Do they remind you of anyone? If you start hearing strange noises in your head telling you to go on Twitter and tell everyone how great Galaxion is, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Thanks, Elena! 
And finally, did the rest of the world (or was it just Canadians?) get as excited as I did about Chris Hadfield and the Barenaked Ladies writing and recording a song together? While Chris Hadfield was (still is) on the International Space Station? I studied his career somewhat for the Roberta’s Space Adventure book I did for Scholastic (the book was mostly about Roberta Bondar, but I learned about him as well, and I even got to draw him, as you can see if you follow the link), and I know how insanely accomplished the man was even before he was selected for Canada’s astronaut team. All that, and now I learn he can sing and play guitar as well? Good heavens. Between this and all his gorgeous Tweetpics from space and speaking with Captain Kirk himself, he’s making astronauts cool and exciting again.
“They will have been taken by the Miesti” – why such strange grammatical construct?
Because he’s predicting what Vessa will find, if he allowed her to go hunt for Ari and Zan.
However, as always I rely on my excellent team of sharp-eyed editors (that’s all of you readers!) to keep me honest. Is this awkward dialogue? Does it need rewording?
If you wanted to add force behind the words (and onto the art) then “They were taken by the Miesti” would be more forceful. Your wording suggests a warning belied with sympathy, especially since he turned his face away to see the commotion.
It seems just right to me. Any awkwardness becomes part of the mystique of translating the Orehu language.
It is gramatically correct – of course. But you don’t usually hear it in -spoken- English, do you?
Some people don’t even use present perfect when talking
However, since we are not on our Earth, those are strange people with strange language and perhaps what’s not normal for us it is normal for them!
I know that I got excited about that bit of ground-to-orbit collaboration!
I like the original wording – it gets the point across
For what it’s worth from a grammar nitpicking perspective, I agree with Tara’s original wording.
“They will have been taken by the Miesti” is the Future Perfect Passive. The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future. It is passive because the action is performed on Aria and Zan by another party, the Miesti.
“They have been taken by the Miesti” is the Simple Past Passive. The Simple Past is used to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past.
So given that we know Aria and Zan have been taken by the Miesti, the correct tense is Simple Past from our perspective. Given that the statement is made by Vanguarthe, he knows the action has either taken place or is about to take place. Thus, his use of the Future Perfect is more appropriate.
Future perfect passive is neither strange nor awkward. That may be the Latin nerd in me talking. Not that I have the best grasp of Latin either.
My level of excitement over the cited singing thing (none) is a poor metric as I am not a good sample as far as such things are concerned.
Astronauts have always had the same level of excitement. I recently saw a good presentation on Bob Kerr, et al.
Wait a moment, cookie. Isn’t “They have been taken by the Miesti” Past Perfect Passive. It seems to me that the Simple Past Passive would be “They were taken by the Miesti.”
I tend to DESPISE the passive tense as a writer (and former Catholic English class student). I would write it the “active” way: “The Miesti took them.” It’s blunt, strong, and to the point with fewer words. This is a type of prose, so the passive could be a way for the Rebel Leader Dude (I keep forgetting names) to add compassion to a short confrontation. Also, I like Fred’s comment that the passive could be Carl’s translation.
We could diagram this all day till the cows come home, but it really is up to Tara and what she decides on…and we will LIKE IT!
Passive is loved by me. I do technical writing some of the time. I don’t know of any good way to use active for some of the things that passive is really good for.
Also, isn’t it passive/active voice, with tense referring only to pluperfect/past/future and other time variations?
I don’t know a thing about pasts/futures/perfects… or Latin for that matter. I simply speak English, have done for 54 years.
Normal English,between strangers, on the high street…
‘They will have been taken by the Miesti’ looks fine to me.
Eli.