#Alice is an isekai

[mistress-chan]

Its weebsday my dudes

Sorry about missing last Weeb Wednesday, started a new position at my job and life was crazy, but it got me thinking about jobs and long story short I thought of isekai because this devil is not just a part timer. I am not a fan of most isekai, even though one of my favorite stories is an isekai (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There) I did want to talk about an isekai I did like. Also because it is Weeb Wednesday it has to involve gay magical girls, okay that might not be the rules but the world just needs more gay magical girls. I mean technically one is magical(ish) but does travel through time and there is something about time traveling lesbians.

Anyway the anime I am wanting to bring up is Shokei Shōjo no Ikiru Michi (The Executioner and Her Way of Life) which I loved because it started out as your normal power fantasy isekai where some guy gets summoned to a fantasy world and turns out he has a magical ability that gives him incredible power. Now, in your average isekai the hero would:

Meet up with a priestess, ⭕ like he does

She shows him how to use his ability, ⭕ like she does

They go on an adventure. ❌ wrong.

Nope, turns out the priestess was not your normal member of the clergy but an executioner who was sent out to kill anyone who ended up getting isekai'd.

So the “main character” gets murked halfway into the first episode and all the nerds got upset on MAL (MyAnimeList) and review bombed the episode because they “killed the main character.” From then on it follows the story of the priestess Menou as she tries to kill other “lost ones” but turns out that is harder than you think, mainly because the one she has to kill is just a normal Japanese school girl, Akari, but falls in love with Menou and can turn back time (yep a time traveling lesbian). Throw in her assistant Momo who also has a crush on Menou and Ashuna the warrior princess who has a thing for both Momo and Menou and you get the gayest anime in the spring of 2022 that did not involve golf (yes golf). It is not really a polycule but damn close. Unfortunately it looks to be just one season but the light novel is better than the anime in my opinion. 

Oh and last thing, just to twist the knife the last episode showed the corpse of the “main character” being used as a component in a spell so he is double dead.

[salmonella-destroyer-of-worlds]

[chelledoggo]

God i love western isekai 🥺💖

("where's Amphibia/The Owl House/Infinity Train/etc???" I HAVEN'T SEEN THOSE YET I'LL GET TO THEM SOMEDAY MAYBE SORRY 😭😭😭)

[sarahreesbrennan]

I remember reading in one of your blog entries (years ago??) that in the new book you were writing, the main character's *sister* had cancer. Does that mean that Alice was originally the main character of Long Live Evil? Was she going to go into the book to save Rae, instead of Rae going in to save herself?

How extremely kind of you to remember!

No, that was actually a YA murder mystery that I wrote while ill, revised while recovering, and sent out into the world where it died on submission. (Which means we sent it out to about 12 editors and the editor either said no, or said yes and took it to acquisitions - a group of people at the publisher including sales and marketing - and acquisitions said no.)

One editor told me she really wanted and really tried to buy it. Another person who worked in publishing (and has since changed jobs, or I wouldn’t share this) said the response at her acquisitions was - if you like this writer, find the next her (implications about health and youth were made).

I was terrified my agent was going to ditch me too, but she said ‘We’ll sell that one day, for now let’s write the next thing.’

I remember another writer telling me she missed my work that wasn’t a tie-in, and I felt ashamed to tell her it wasn’t that I wasn’t writing other things - it was that I couldn’t publish them.

The tie-ins meanwhile were paying the bills (they still are tbh!) and I was and remain so grateful for them. But I also really loved writing them - especially my Sabrina tie-ins, you don’t forget the first, and it reminded me I want to write horror and poly one day - and how they got me to love and sympathise with so many fandoms.

I see the burnout of caregivers all around me, and I wanted to write the story of one. But maybe I also wanted to take a step back from cancer. I didn’t think I did, at the time. I had a whole lot of things I tried writing before Long Live Evil, and I think some of them were really good. One of my critique partners gave me a lipstick with the same name as someone in the murder mystery. There was a romance novel another critique partner said was her favourite thing I’d ever written. But none had someone with cancer at the heart of the story.

And even though Rae isn’t much like me, maybe I had to start there. You can’t make real magic using someone else’s liver. Maybe I had to wait to be brave enough to use my own liver.

I do get requests for advice on how to cope with rejection of your writing, and I always worried I didn’t have anything else to say, but I suppose my example says - if you can, (and I know it’s hard, you feel so terrible at writing and so useless) (and you love the work you’ve done so much and you don’t see a way forward to loving the next thing) (but still, if you possibly can) write the next thing.

Even if the first thing sells, you’ll want the next thing one day. Writing the next thing is more writing practise, so it’ll make you better. Write the next thing.

Ultimately I’m really glad Long Live Evil was my comeback book. I think it needed to be. It took the time it took.

But maybe it was a shade of that past book (where the heroine’s sister with cancer was six, so not much like any of the Time of Iron characters) that made me think of the YA version of this book, which I always had in my mind as something I was intentionally hewing away from - a more straightforward book, a book that might have sold better - in which shy reader Alice was the hero. She’s the one with the suggestive hero name - Alice through the looking glass - the heroine looks, and the more projectable-upon personality. She’d get called annoying less often (though still some, because she’s a girl), partly because she is (with love, Rae knows I’m right) a genuinely less annoying person. Much kinder, much sweeter, and much better at in-depth reading! Her sister being in trouble would’ve been a backstory, a catalyst point, and - you’re totally right - a great motivation for her to get the Flower. Saving a family member is a much more sympathetic and heroic motivation than saving yourself and one I do love (the Hunger Games, Labyrinth, Mahy’s the Changeover, and I write it a lot!). I think Snarky While Tragically Dying Rae would’ve been a pretty popular side character, too. I think it would’ve been a good book! Just not mine.

I love your question because I love thinking about POV, and all the decisions that are the building blocks of a story. To me, the Alice centric Time of Iron is a version that exists. As are several versions of the Lia centric Time of Iron. And versions centring other characters exist to me, too. (Eric, absolutely.)

Speaking of POV musing, I think Rahela the wicked stepsister featured more in the musical than the book. If the Time of Iron series ever became a TV show (and at this point in time I think I’d rather a movie because it wouldn’t… get cancelled…) and I got to write it (don’t know why I would…) I would start with the beginnings for three characters about to go on a journey to somewhere strange to them: Key in the Cauldron, Rae in the hospital, and Vasilisa in the icelands. There are so many possibilities! And I really wanted the sense that there were so many possibilities, too.

But I wanted the chronically ill one to be the centre of the story, and for it to be her villain origin story, and to ask a lot of questions (hence a lot of villains!) about who gets villainised and why. And I thought hers, to my mind, would be the most fun of all the possible stories.

So that’s the one I made. But Long Live Evil has a lot of origins. Thank you for remembering one of them! I don’t think I would’ve dared tell the story, if things hadn’t worked out for me (so far, fingers crossed).

And I also tell it to be clear my publisher was taking a RISK with me and Long Live Evil, and I really appreciate that, and I’m so happy it’s worked out for them (again so far, early days, fingers crossed, etc).

I hope some writers - whether in the process of submission, rejection or making the choices that are the building blocks of story - find this helpful, and some readers find it interesting.

Let this be one of the universes in which your story is told.

[kandlewick]

i'll dry the villain's tears

t h e r o s e r e d t y r a n t ' s m o t h e r pt.2

you get reincarnated into a role that became the breaking point of the villain's story and you, be it an unwillingness to cause them harm or a desire to survive, must work hard to make sure they grow into a better (or at least safer) person.

You felt entirely too overdressed sitting here at the park. Your former body's wardrobe was obviously not meant for anything too strenuous and that apparently included just enjoying your time outside in the sun. You could feel the sweat gather in uncomfortable places... but your nerves weren't just because of the warm weather.

Trey's mother sat beside you, much more dressed for the occasion, and watched as Trey and Riddle reconnected. You could hear the two of them laugh and giggle as they began playing as if nothing had ever happened and the two were quick to run up the steps leading to the slide, followed by a whole gaggle of other children. You let out a soft sigh of relief at the sight.

Not just the clothes, but your body was so stiff and rigid it was hard to even relax as you tried to breath. Your back was straight as a rod while you sat on the uncomfortable park bench, your well manicured hands firm on your lap and you shuffled uncomfortably in place. Trey's mother eyed you from her spot on the bench and offered a small smile, like she was acknowledging how strenuous this whole situation was for you.

"I'm guessing you've never brought Riddle to a public park before, huh?" She crossed her arms and leaned on them over the table, linking her fingers together, "You look like you're about to faint."

You forced out a laugh, too embarrassed to meet her gaze and pulled at the high collar of your buttoned top. You could practically feel heat waves steaming off of you. "Something like that," you admitted, "I wasn't exactly a good mother when it came to recreational activities."

You inwardly cringed at your wording — what, is Miss Rosehearts vocabulary infecting you too?

Trey's mother hummed as she continued to look at you. You could feel her bright hazel eyes staring at you. You could feel a cold sweat drip down your neck.

"Please stop me if this sounds too forward," Trey's mother leaned back but quickly offered her hand to you, "but my name is Dinah."

You blinked up at her, startled. She... wanted you to shake her hand?

She offered up her hand again and made a motion for you to follow. Almost hesitantly, you reached out and clasped her hand in your own, shaking it. Her palms were so warm, comforting, almost the exact opposite of your body's cold touch. She smiled at you, the dimple on your cheek crinkling with delight.

"I figured since our children are such good friends, we could at least try and act cordial." She glanced over as your two children sat next to each other on the swing set, the elder Trey guiding Riddle on how to kick back his feet. Riddle was hesitant and stumbled a few times, but kept giggling all the same, obviously entranced.

"Trey likes to baby younger kids," Dinah smiled, "I wonder how he'd do with younger siblings..."

You noticed that too as Riddle followed him around like a little duckling chasing after its mama. Whatever Trey did, Riddle would follow even if it meant pushing his limits. Trey watched carefully from the other end of the playground as Riddle jumped from one platform to the next, his arms out and knees shaking as he tried to keep himself balanced. Whenever he would stumble and topple over the edge nearly sending him into a fit of tears, Trey was quick to act and followed him back to the beginning.

"He's a sweet kid." You mumbled, "You're a great mother."

She gave you an almost sympathetic look, noticing your tone before reaching out and grabbing your hand, "Hey, you're not doing so bad now either." She squeezed your hand in her own and offered you an encouraging smile, "Parenting isn't easy and sometimes you don't notice the damage until it's too late but look at you," She gestured to your whole self, "Better late then never, right?"

You both sat there idly chatting until much later then you had figured you would and before long, the sun had began to set, casting the park in a orange hue. You were caked in sweat but Riddle wasn't doing much better. The two children came back huffing and puffing from exhaustion, sweat dripping off their foreheads like rivers. Riddle looked especially tired, his cheeks a bright red.

"I think I'm ready to go now," Riddle sighed.

You gave him a small smile and pulled him close, rubbing your pristine sleeve against his cheeks and wiped away any of the dirt that stained his skin, laughing as he let out a soft whine. Trey wasn't faring any better and was quick to lean against his mother's lap. Dinah ruffled his hair but her face quickly grimaced at the sweat in his hair. The kids obviously were going to need a bath after this.

You pulled Riddle in to your arms and tucked him under your chin. His bright red hair tickled your face but you held him even closer as his arms wrapped around your neck. He let out a soft sigh against your shoulder. Trey, being much taller then Riddle, simply grabbed Dinah's hand. He tiredly looked up at the young boy in your arms and smiled, his hands raising to offer Riddle a small wave.

"Bye, Riddle. We'll play again sometime, ok?"

Riddle turned his head and nodded, a sleepy smile on his face, "Mmmhm..."

"We will do this again sometime, right?" Dinah lowered her voice and leaned over so that Trey wouldn't be in ear shot, "This isn't a one time thing?"

"Oh?" You blinked over at her. Oh! "Yes!" You reassured her, your voice a little too loud, "Yes, we would love that. Riddle would love to." I would love to!! You screamed in your head, eager to befriend her. You wanted friends too!!!

Dinah gave you a dazzlingly bright smile, "Then I think we should invite Chen'ya and his uncle next time too!" Riddle and Trey straightened up at this and you could tell the two of them were excited about the thought.

"His uncle?" You questioned. That doesn't sound very familiar.

"Oh yeah," Dinah laughed behind her hand, "Chen'ya's parents are always out of the country on business so he lives with his uncle and his grandfather. My husband and I are good friends with them both and his uncle is a really fun guy, I'm sure you'd find him... interesting!"

It would certainly be interesting meeting someone new that you had no idea about... plus you'd be able to apologize properly to Chen'ya and whoever his guardian was. It could possibly be very... fun. You could feel your body hum in excitement as you found yourself nodding eagerly, nearly bouncing Riddle in your arms, "I would like that very much."

And then after exchanging phone numbers, you and Dinah parted ways, the two children eager to return home and rest.

"Mmmm," Riddle hummed in your arms, his hold on you loosening as he began drifting off, "I had a lot of fun today —" He yawned loudly, his head burrowing itself further into your neck, a content smile on his face, "Thank you."

[just-some-user-hunny]

I hope Isekai!reader is firmly team green I’m sick and tired of characters born to Alicent being team black 💀 also I need to see her getting along with her platonic yandere FULL-blooded siblings instead of Rhaenyra (I beg you I don’t want to see her around here ��🙏)

I think it'd be fun to write for team Green, I adore Helaena and Aemond's character, they're so interesting :) I really want to do some stuff on Alicent too, there's so much to get and it'd be fun to navigate what kind of relationship the reader would have with her in a yandere situation. She's really always done what she's been told to do, always following orders, even at her own expense. She's given and given, and although I think she is a questionable mother, I do feel so sad for her because she could have had such a wonderful life if it weren't for the people around her :( for once she has something- someone of her own.

I always see the comparisons of her children representing parts of herself, and for a yandere Alicent I feel that reader would represent the part of herself that dreamed for more outside the confinements of her life. You'd be her joy for life, and she's obsessively possessive over you. Perhaps since you'd be isekaid, you'd have a deeper understanding of her character as a whole. It's like you know her better than herself, and for once she feels seen. Not the heir creator, not the powerless queen, not the screeching mad woman. Just her. Just Alicent. You'd be her precious one, the only person who can see deep into her very soul and not recoil in disgust- only understanding. She needs that. She needs you.

Having her three children as your siblings as well would be another trial of its own. Still, going on the isikai!reader perspective, you've seen them grow up through your screen. Seen the challenges they've endured, so they'd also feel that attachment to you through your empathy and understanding.

Aegon would love you because you listen to him. He's seldom met with your eye rolls or enraged scoldings, and he deeply appreciates that. With you, he can smile. Genuinely smile. The one that makes his eyes crinkle like crescent moons and his smile lines to wrinkle like the ripplings in a still pond. He practically glows in your presence, like the sun.

Heleana, the sweet girl, often feels that you are the only one who can see her. You listen to her with full attention to her dreamy mutters and ramblings, never once raising a brow or finding her odd. You indulge in her fascination with bugs, and may even join her in collecting them out in the garden together. You two would be especially close, as she can't say she has many close friends like you, the person she can happily call her sibling. She is different, and you embrace that. Embrace her, and that's all she could ask from whilst in a family where she is often ignored.

And Aemond? Oh he is an interesting specimen. He's riddled with loneliness and lack of care, the added fire of his rage and cunning wit creating a frightening combination. He'd be extremely protective over you, often shielding you from harm and consoling you if anything upsets you. He's a little different, because although he takes as much affection and care as he can get from you like his siblings and mother, he also enjoys giving it back tenfold. Taking you out riding under his supervision, joining you in the gardens to read, having you watch him train. Your other family members would most likely keep you locked up tight in the castle to keep you as safe as possible, but he wants to give you at least some taste of freedom. As long as you are kept in his line of sight, of course :)

I may write more on isekai!reader since it's a fun concept, and delve into some more writing on team green. I adore Rhaenyra and team black, but both have plenty to explore and pick apart :)

[jisreal64]

You know, I’m not a weeb, or into anime, but I decided to make a meme satirizing the isekai/portal fantasy genre (btw, sorry for the low quality, it was made on an iPhone):

What do you all think (no offense to fans of the isekai/portal fantasy genre, I’m actually a big fan of the genre myself (well, at least the western ones anyway))?

[ibelongtotheclassics]

spooky season calls for spooky anime recommendations

check out my list 🎬🇯🇵➡️

genre/s: 🕵️‍♂️🧩☠️💣♟️👽😳 • mystery • dark • gory • intriguing • supernatural

[a-forbidden-detective]

Akira Amano designed the characters for “Suicide Squad Isekai.” How much do you think has Akira been influenced by Harley Quinn giving life to Alice Moriarty? Or at least a small percentage of it?

Anyway, we will suffer today.

PS: Will someone do a RonToto illustration with them cosplaying as Joker (Ron) and Harley Quinn (Toto) ?

[magicaldogtoto]

My thoughts on the general idea that isekai anime started to go downhill when they started to be written by men featuring male protagonists in wish-fulfillment adventures is that if you look beyond the current trends of isekai--beyond anime, even--you'll find that there are a lot of works of isekai (or, as they're called in English, "portal fantasy") written by men that featured girl protagonists that didn't have the same issues people find in current isekai when discussing the genre's flaws. (Some of these works are a lot older, and have other issues relevant to the time, but that's another topic.)

Off the top of my head, you have L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and C.S. Lewis as examples of men who wrote portal fantasies with girls as protagonists that didn't have the same issues that you see people criticize in isekai anime. The main difference I could see between their works and isekai anime that people dislike is that they were writing for a more general audience of children. More often than not, they also had younger girls who were either related to them or the children of friends of theirs that inspired them to write those stories. Lewis dedicated The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to his goddaughter Lucy, Lewis Carroll wrote for Alice Liddell and her family, etc.

Even looking at more recent examples of isekai/isekai-adjacent works that feature girls and are written by men--Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Labyrinth by Jim Henson, Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro--if you look up interviews by those people, they often cite their daughters as inspiration for the stories and protagonists they wrote.

The underlying theme I see here, is that none of them were horny while writing their works. (There's debate about Carroll, but I'm not going to go into that for now.)

I'm not saying that you have to be a dad if you're a man writing these kinds of works, but there is a general sense of empathy for the younger protagonists that doesn't involve sexualizing underage characters. I think that's one of the main reasons why these stories are different from current isekai that people often criticize. Just my two cents.

(There is one European isekai that is written by a man and features an overpowered male protagonist--that would be Michael Ende's The Neverending Story. But that story makes it a plot point about what happens when the isekai protagonist becomes too powerful for his own good.)

[fictonrantsworld]

These pics are of aegon looking at rhaenyra and helaena glaring at daemon....no its technically not confirmed by the actors or hbo...no u cannot change my mind, cos that's what these pics show...canonically for me...

[i-am-trans-gwender]

Thinking about girls in blue who get sent to a fantasy world and appreciate the real world more as a result

Dorothy Gale: Wizard of Oz

Alice: Alice In Wonderland

Wendy Darling: Peter Pan

Coraline Jones: Coraline

Any examples I'm missing?

[amberkendslacy]

[morganoperandi]

“Lately I’ve been really getting into isekai manga and anime.”

“Ugh. I hate those kinds of stories. I prefer classics like The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland.”

“…”

“Maybe try reading some Edgar Rice Burroughs.”

“…”

[stardusteyes]

This is such a weird joke that’s so hyper-specific to me

Also should I read some of Dunsany’s stuff?

I believe the original image is from Reddit

[just-some-user-hunny]

Would Isekai!reader, daughter of Alicent care for Viserys because I imagine she won’t care for the man who ruined her mother’s life and neglected her and her siblings like unlike all of the others she is quite literally his BIGGEST hater like she is ready to insult him and she actually has a list of why he should have never become king that does secretly convinces the court but it’s your writing not mine so do whatever you want 💗 it was just my personal hatred for Viserys speaking

No no I get it 😭

I have a bone to pick with viserys, a lot of the stuff that happens like the dance of the dragons, does feel like an outcome from his lack of action and neglect. The way we don't really see any interaction with him and his three kids (Aemond, Helaena, Aegon) is just really sad, like this old crusty man married a literal 15 year old to make heirs that he's going to ignore anyway? Alicent is far from perfect, and has done messed up stuff, but you can't convince me that she wasn't doomed from the beginning. (And don't get me started with Aemma, what he did was gut wrenching)

I think the possibility of a genuine father-child relationship between isekai!reader and viserys would be little to none.

His attention is scarcely on them or their siblings and mother, so honestly, whatever scrap of interaction between the reader and the king would be a push to call it a good relationship. If I were isekai!reader, I wouldn't be a fan of him at all 😅 stick with Alicent and the others to support one another, because he's clearly not interested. Oof and the backtalk would be absurd, I would be inconsolable when it comes to talking shit about ol' gramps. Every time he does something dumb or not very helpful, you just keep a tally chart or something and scribble in it during mealtimes.

I love the mutual dad hatred that both bastard!reader and isekai!reader have. They'd be besties.