#i want doctor who to take place in more countries and explore their takes on horror

[vilelittlecritter]

So I got bored and decided to look into if Doctor Who had a large Asian audience and I ended up finding these Japanese book adaptations of some of the old stories and ngl they go hard as fuck.

[heian-era-housewife]

Going North

This is not a fic. But it is a story. My story. Or at least, part of it.

When I started this blog I wanted to maintain as much anonymity as possible. Six months in and here I find myself publicly journaling my most guarded secrets. Funny how things change.

Warnings: ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Please proceed with caution. I have done my best to put the appropriate tw/cw tags in place, but be aware this post mentions nonconsensual sex, SA, suicide, mental health, mental illness, grief, and loss.

I'm writing to you from the depths of a very severe depressive episode and hoping that, in doing so, I may start to find my way out.

So...where do I begin?

For those who don't know I am, regrettably, American. This election has affected me more profoundly than I could ever have imagined.

I recently discovered that my entire family, including my parents- who have always been my best friends, voted for the man who represents everything I reject. Everything I despise.

This comes during a time I find myself exploring and redefining my gender identity. During a time where the healthcare system has repeatedly failed me in treatment and diagnosis of a reproductive condition. During a time when I am learning that ectopic pregnancy is a potentially fatal reality for me. While living in a state where abortion and life-saving reproductive care have been made illegal.

I was 13 the first time I was raped. With 8 months of continuous and repeated rape and sexual assault to follow. The only person I told was my family doctor. A Christian. Who told me sexual activity was an act against God. I never spoke of it again.

Not until I was 18 and had my first "real boyfriend". In explaining why I wanted to wait to be intimate, I told him my story, unaware he would weaponize it. Once again I found myself an unwilling participant in an act called "love". Only this time it was years, not months. The day I escaped I was punched in the face and thrown down the stairs. I still have a scar on my leg from fleeing my boyfriend assailant.

I ran to the safest person I knew. A friend from high school. A kind and gentle person. Someone who, in time, would show me that love and intimacy can exist in a non-toxic capacity. And though our eventual relationship would come to end in mutual respect as he came to explore his own sexuality and gender identity, I still credit him with playing a role in saving me.

Unfortunately, I was unable to return the favor when, just two months ago, he took his own life on the eve of his 30th birthday. I can't say for certain why he chose to end his journey, but I can only imagine that his race as a POC and sexuality were attributing factors as we stare down a future of continued systemic hate and bigotry.

In some ways, I still consider myself lucky. I never became pregnant. I never lost hope in finding love. I am married to a wonderful man who supports my every endeavor. His kindness is unrivaled, and his empathy knows no bounds. He meets me in my darkest places. He reminds me why I must continue to fight- to live. Even on the days I no longer want to...

And now, with the recent election, and the terrifying days ahead, I can't help but feel sometimes that it really is me and him against the world.

My family has chosen to stand behind a man who promised to lower the price of eggs, while creating a country wherein my life and those of countless other are at risk. Where it seems our validity as human beings is in question.

I am not even sure how I am supposed to continue a normal job, when every waking moment I am revisited by the traumas of my past with people shouting "Your body, my choice". Or fearing that another friend may take their life in the wake of the hatred that is blooming here.

I miss my parents. I used to call them every day. Now I am unsure how to even speak with them.

I am unsure of a lot of things.

In large part thanks to friends I have made here, I have begun the process of seeking further psychological support and evaluation.

Moving forward, I also plan to put more time and energy into my art. I am currently seeking ways to support myself financially in a work-from-home capacity as my deteriorating mental health is making working a regular job nearly impossible at the moment.

I'd like to remain active on this blog and continue building friendships over the love of JJK- something that, as silly as it is, brings me so much joy.

I hope that, if you've read this far, you'll continue this journey with me. And if you have read this far, thank you so much for being part of my life, sharing in my memories, my grief, my struggles. Thank you for listening to this story. Hopefully the next few I post will be more cheerful, and fictional, of course.

Thank you also to my international friends who have shown so much incredible love and support. You have no idea how much it means to be extended a friendly hand in a time where the world is justifiably furious with and untrusting of Americans.

I want to fight for a brighter future. I want to see what happens if we don't give up. I am determined to find peace and to one day look back on this post and be glad I chose to go North.

With love and gratitude,

Yuri 🩷

[alicedash2]

( not reviewed )

Refugee

Izou x Child!reader

°•°•°•°•°•°•°°•

Everything seemed so normal that day, it was just a cold and rainy day, but everything seemed to go well, well, just for the crew.

The thing was that the island was in a process of war because there were people that the navy was after, and in that somehow later on I will go into detail, it resulted in a war, a war of a country against navy

And guess who was running to avoid going to the battlefield against the navy? Yes, a child group

Just like the navy, the government on that island was horrible, they used the elderly and children to fight, that was the situation on that island

In that, when Whitebeard's ship arrived at a new island, a large island, however, simple, it was so common that it had nothing special until then, except, a small child

The crew went looking for supplies, Whitebeard stayed on the ship while the others explored the island, Marco would go looking for medical books, he was just a young boy who learned about medicine to maintain his role as a doctor, Thatch would go looking for food, and Izou, would go for clothes, he had the day off

That was until a small child caught the attention of him and other people around, the girl's situation was precarious, she should have been between 14 years old, thin and shivering with cold, but the cold did not bring down the fast and light child, who stole food quickly, was a child who wasted no time

- brat! Come back here! YOU COWARD!- the seller screamed, while the little girl ran away with a good amount of food in her lap

- I'm sorry! -the girl apologized, she didn't want to steal and much less be judged for her decisions, she was just a child that the government threw her into battle, but a child doesn't have the strength to hold a gun

"Coward?" Izou thought, he looked at the girl again, his curiosity slowly piqued.

°°•°••••°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

- I finally ran away from the battlefield, I can't let them find me!- the child said to himself, the clothing was a little different from the locals, it looked more like a uniform, the white shirt with brown pants, the child she was bruised and malnourished as it was winter and the country depended on other countries at the time

For some reason, Izou's curiosity piqued, he tried to ignore it, but what caught his attention the most was an emblem on the child's shirt, what did that emblem mean? Was it military? And why did the girl steal when she was in uniform? Why would someone in military uniform steal?

Why did a child wear a military uniform?

Izou didn't think twice and went after the child, who crossed a forest, as the child ran, he noticed the footsteps of a man behind, which made him speed up his steps.

- Hang on! - Izou shouted, making the girl get scared more and run more to her hiding place, which is a hut made of wood, it was crooked but it was well made for a 12 year old child

The girl arrives at her hiding place, which was another cabin in the forest, seeing if the man who was no longer in her field of vision had lost her sight.

-Here...I got a lot, enjoy- the girl was delivering the food to other children who also fled from the battle

- How did you get so much, YN?- a blond-haired child, called Zart, said with a big smile

- at certain times, I manage to be very quick to catch a lot -

- YN, you're the best! - Koki said while picking up the food and tasting it, a girl with long black hair

- I'm responsible for you, we were the only ones who managed to escape from there, but they're still after us - YN, who spoke with a sad look, remembering the times they managed to escape from the military

- I'm afraid of them - Zart said shakily, thinking of the times they tortured them to form the perfect soldiers, they could be worse than the navy

- everything will be fine, we'll get out of here soon - YN said while hugging them

- Hey you. - the male voice came quickly in their ears, making them take a fright

- Wh-who are you?! - YN quickly prepared to attack, picking up his only weapon, which was a knife, and pointing it at the man

- a-ah! I know him! - Koki said

- he's a pirate - Koki completed

- pirate? - YN said, lowering her knife

- I'm not going to do anything to you -

Izou said, he tried to approach but the children retreated more

-...they must be scared-

Izou smiles sweetly, he holds out his hand, hoping to gain the confidence of the older child, who looks at him while pointing the knife at him, knowing that she doesn't stand a chance against him.

- come on, I won't do anything-

Izou gestures, the older child holds Izou's soft and warm hand, which pulls her out, Izou gently throws a cloak over the child, making her startle at the sudden gesture

- did you like it? -

- ....it's...it's warm... - The cloak was light pink, with white edges made of cotton, made like the snow that had begun to fall before them slowly

- ah..- the children looked on with curiosity, seeing the affectionate interaction that YN received from the oldest, wanting to receive the same attention, they ran to the man and looked at them in a loving way, like a dog asking for some food

- You can have mine - Izou took back his winter clothes and distributed them to the children, who dressed happily, the children looked at each other and Rien of the situation, seeing that they were not treated in an abominable, tragic, unhappy and unfortunate way

- and now? - Izou came closer

- Can you tell me where you're from? -

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The children look at each other again, giving the oldest confidence to say that they are refugees from a war

- we... - YN started to speak

- Yes? - Izou listened attentively

- we are war refugees! - YN said, her cheeks blushing with the comfortable feel of the cloak

- war?-

- Yes! -

- what do you mean? -

- ahmm... We were summoned to war, but we ran away from there -

- which war? -

- the war against the navy, the government has soldiers, but it is using civilians to fight too, and we fled!-

- it's a government where they use children for experiments to turn them into perfect soldiers, and we are one of those experiments -

- and since then we've been waiting for a pirate ship to get away! -

- I can't understand, how can a government do this? -

- good... -

- navy does almost the same thing, so the government thought it could do the same -

- by any chance, do you still have refugee children?-

- yes, some are around here, we decided to separate if they found us, we would have a way to escape -

- And how long have you been in this war?-

- in some years, we were called when I was 6 years old -

-And how is the current situation?-

- it seems that the navy invaded the southern coast and they are taking things, they are going to destroy the island- the girl said with a scared look

- ... Please! We get out of here! We don't want to die!

- ... Stay here, I'll notify my captain and take you with me, if only to adapt to a new island - Izou said getting up

- serious?! Would you do this for us?

- I'll do it, but I want you to do something, you, what's your name? -

- YN LN -

-it's a good name, come with me, and you, gather as many refugee children as possible and hide here, I'll be back soon-

Both kids nodded, doing as Izou said

°°°•°°°•°°°°•°•••••°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Izou ran with YN on his lap, hurrying faster and faster

- everything will be fine? -

- come on, you can trust me -

- You didn't know anything, did you? They try to cover it up -

-...dictatorship?-

- not much related, but this is also included -

- We need to get out of here! -

Izou arrived at the ship panting, still with YN in his arms, Izou called the attention of the crew and the Captain

- Izou, what happened? Who is the child? - Whitebeard asked

- Ah... The country is at war! We need to get out of here! -

Izou screamed

- Why do we need to leave here?

- the country is in crisis! Using children to battle! That child...is a refugee!-

Izou took off the robe under the girl revealing the heavy uniform the girl was wearing.

- do you know the situation, brat?- Whitebeard asked the girl, intimidating her

- The navy already took a good part, the government was against the navy and now we have to deal with them, in addition to the government's experiments - the girl said quickly, taking the mantle back and putting it around herself

- please help us! My friends are waiting- -

The girl's voice was cut by a flash of light and then a gale, knocking Izou and almost the ship

- What happened?!- Izou asked

- an explosion... An explosion! Oh no! My friends are still there!- the child left Izou's lap and ran to her hiding place that she had built herself

- it can not be! - the girl was fighting people running towards her to run away, while she saw people being fallen and others lying on the ground injured

"Please..." the girl pleaded.

- please... They are the only ones I can call friends! -

Images came to YN's head when remembering that she brought them and as time went by, they improved the hiding place

When she finally arrives after crossing the woods, it's all over, the explosion hit the head made of wood, with trees and rocks over the cabin, YN couldn't see anything in the small exposed hand.

- do not look! - Izou covered her eyes girl, but it was too late when he felt the tears falling and heard the sharp sound of the child who already understood the concept of death

- go fast! -Izou held her tight as she ran to the ship

- they're still there, boy!- YN said to the tears, seeing the hut disappear little by little

Izou didn't say anything, he just took her to the ship, where she was last seen on the island already destroyed by the navy.

[moongothic]

There is something so interesting to me about the whole "Devil Fruits are manifestations of people's desires" concept... Mainly because, when you think about it, a lot of characters do end up having Devil Fruits that like, suit them, you know?

Althought people do tend speculate about it, we can't really say for sure that a "Devil Fruit chooses its user", like it's not canon yet. But if there was some funny thing of FATE that somehow leads specific people to certain powers that they, subconciously or not, desired and wished for... It would explain how so many characters end up with powers they're happy with, abilities that really suit them, even if/when they can't know for sure what powers they might end up with

Like we have Kaku and Kalifa who both seemed happy with the abilities they obtained despite having no idea what powers the mystery fruits the Government offered them would grant them. And that's just those two. Aokiji is a very Chill Dude so his Ice Fruit suits him, same could be said for Ace who was a bit of a hot head. The Wapol's ability to nom on literally anything goes well with his appetite, while Iva-chan and Bon-chan both obtained powers perfect for exploring their genders and identities. Luffy is a ridiculous ray of sunshine, while both Moria and Perona got the most goth-ass fruits available. Buggy's circus acts aside, Shanks did split his heart into pieces that have not come back together yet (though this did not kill the clown, just left him in pieces). Law's fruit was best suited in the hands of a doctor and not only was he was the son of doctor, but he specifically needed its power to not die. Kuma needed the hands of liberation to save not just himself but so many other slaves at God's Valley, and so many others later in life. All Robin wanted was to hold hands with her mom.

With that all in mind. How does Crocodile's ability... suit Crocodile..?

Like sure, on a pure surface level, it suits him in the sense that he was The Final Boss of the Sand Level. You go to a desert, you gonna find some sand. And of course, Alabasta was suffering from severe drought that Crocodile was manufacturing. The Drought Man taking the rain from a country makes sense.

And maybe there isn't anything more to it than that.

But also like, think about it with me for a second

The man who once dreamt of becoming fucking Pirate King ended up a Sand Logia. And I don't even mean that in the "lmao water is his weakness" kinda way (though it certainly doesn't help, all you need is one (1) battle in the middle of a storm and you're dead), I mean like. How doth one rule the seas when your power is to rule the earth instead. That Logia in particular is about as fitting for a Pirate King as a beach is a fitting place for a whale to live on. So if Devil Fruits are somehow drawn to people whom they might suit the most, then how did the Sand Logia end up with Crocodile? How was that the most suitable fruit for him? Was it just bad luck? Was it fate? Did Crocodile even really yearn for that throne to begin with, or was it just the idea of absolute power and fame instead?

Sidenote, but it is worth pointing out that we don't know when Crocodile ate his Devil Fruit. For all we know, it could've been years after he got his ass kicked by Whitebeard, when he had already given up on his dreams. If can't become the king of the oceans, then a Desert King is okay too

I do also want to point out... Was Crocodile drawn to this fruit because it's sand? Because nothing can really grow and blossom in nothing but dry sand, nothing can live in it. Because deserts and wastelands are lonely places. None of Crocodile's plans have ever turned out like he wanted them to, nothing has come to fruition from his ventures. And Crocodile if anyone knows a thing or two about solitude.

[dropintomanga]

What Smoking Entails in Manga

Last year, a survey was given to Japanese manga publishers about what top 5 manga to recommend for 2023 and the number one title was symbolic of many things related to Japanese culture - one of which was smoking.

The title was called Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You by Jinushi. I got a chance to read Volume 1 recently and it's a very fascinating romantic comedy about a middle-aged salaryman and a early 20s' female convenience store clerk and how they're bound by their love of smoking. The author made a comment saying that their admiration of how cool smoking was in fiction was a huge inspiration in creating the story.

Which got me thinking about how much smoking is prevalent in the anime and manga worlds and how much characters who smoke are beloved by many.

When I was still exploring new titles to follow in my '20s, one that stood out to me was Great Teacher Onizuka. The main character was someone who was a total idiot, but was pretty badass. Oh yeah, he smoked. I later got into Rurouni Kenshin and fell in love with Saito Hajime. Oh yeah, he smokes. A LOT. It's funny because I got into comics because of X-Men and the characters Wolverine and Gambit smoked quite a bit. I liked both, but not as much as the anime/manga characters who smoked.

When you think about it, there's a lot of anime/manga characters who smoke. Sanji from One Piece, Revy from Black Lagoon, Nara Shikamaru from Naruto, Toshiro Hijikata from Gintama, several adult characters from Cowboy Bebop (like Spike Siegel pictured above) - I could go on.

In video games, there's Yakuza/Like a Dragon characters and one of my favorite heroines ever, VA-11 Hall-A's Jill Stingray, smokes.

I love how cool all of those characters look when they smoke and I don't even smoke. I don't want to because of all the health risks smoking entails. My father used to be a smoker, but quit before I reached junior high school because he was having health problems.

At the same time, I do something a bit silly. I pretend to smoke with the air around me. I like to pretend I'm holding an imaginary cigarette to my mouth and inhale/exhale oxygen when no one's looking. It's a habit I've built from following my favorite characters who smoke.

Smoking is indeed something that shouldn't be romanticized. But I think about why people smoke in the first place - particularly my dad and Chinese people (particularly men) smoked. I remember one time when I was at a Chinese doctor's office, there was a video played for Chinese people addicted to smoking. There was a doctor in the video who said when Chinese people immigrate to the United States, they're often exposed to a lot of stressors (usually related to acculturation) that weigh a ton. Smoking is one way to help process and relieve their stress. They're coming from a country where smoking is definitely the norm in their culture.

There's a lot of talk about smoking being a sign of maturity and surviving through tough times. I decided to look up the relationship between smoking and mental health/illness. It's not surprising that there's negative effects. People with depression and anxiety may smoke a bit more than those who aren't affected by them. What makes it really hard for them to quit is that smoking has social benefits. Nicotine can help calm nerves and make smokers feel more confident in behaving in a proper social manner.

When I think about the many characters who smoke, smoking does help them before they get ready to take on a big task involving other people. It's literally the calm before the storm. Hell, I do "oxygen smoke" as a way to feel calm before facing reality or having big conversations with my friends. But I was drilled so hard by United States anti-drug programs (when compared to Asia) that I didn't want to feel like I was dying. That's why I never took the plunge despite the coolness of smoking found in Japanese media and try to encourage anti-smoking measures. Plus I think it helped that I wasn't super-stressed despite my mental illness to the point where I resorted to substances. Plus I had people who genuinely cared about my well-being and a somewhat optimistic belief in the best of humanity.

While Japanese media (and other Asian media in general) continues to showcase smoking to a decent degree, there's contentious pushback in America over the portrayal of smoking in their media. Yet smoking rates in Japan have gone down though quite a bit over the years due to anti-smoking measures. It's not as low as health organizations would like, but progress is progress.

The only thing I think we can agree on is that the world is so cruel and there should be wider acknowledgement of how the bad parts of life can lead people down to dangerous substances in order to cope. I think this is what creators intend to show when they have characters who smoke. Yeah, they look cool, but they're flawed people trying to find some sense of meaning/connection to worlds that disappoint them over and over again.

We're just trying to find ways to breathe life into inner peace, whether it's with oxygen or smoke.

[sojournerdiraq]

Hmmm...

I should probably make an introductory post by now.

Hello!

You may call me the Sojourner (going by the name of one of my own characters because it sounds couldn't than my actual name)

I'm 23, she/they pronouns, and my current project is an interactive science-fiction narrative about aliens, the deconstruction of religion, and the biblical apocalypse, taking place over the course of over two hundred years.

Seven passages are uploaded every Sunday at 7 AM, and these passages cover a few story arcs.

Oh, and it's also coded in basic HTML (I'll learn more HTML as I figure out how I want this to look like) which allows you to jump from one passage to another, exploring the narrative at your own pace.

Funnily enough, I consumed a LOT of classic sci-fi while conceptualizing/writing/coding this story, most notably, classic Doctor Who and the Dune series, so expect a load of Dune references and some plots that may have been inspired by some of my perosnal favorite classic who serials.

Also, Argentina.

A lot of ideas has been borrowed from Argentine literature, with the most notable one being the ideas/short stories of one Jorge Luis Borges (who is currently one of my all-time favorite writers)

Argentina (the country) is the main setting, with a few glimpses of minor characters round the world.

And while you're at it, here's a link to the Writer's log, if you will, where I am given the opportunity to ramble incessantly about what exactly goes on while I'm penning passages.

Anyways, I fear this introduction post has gone on a bit too long.

If any of you are interested in character introductions, I'll be sure to set them up real soon!

[venting-corner]

This is just a vent session/ideas that I don't how to express other than ranting and complaining about it like a Karen, don't mind me

We all know that the world building and rules of bnha are bullshit and I get tired of fics using the same trope with the same people and the same place. I am looking at you vigilante!Midoriya fics. Of course there are some exceptions with original content like green guide and viridian(time travel fic), but most of them are the same with slight differences.

Where am I going with this? Well generally 90% percent of fics and canon itself is focused on one place,Musutafu. Even though, our heroes go to other cities, generally they're there for one fight and then go back to the capital of bnha. While ocs are not interesting to some people, they could be used to take a breath of fresh air from class 1-A and explore the world of bnha even more.

For example, who does investigations? We don't see heroes investigating most of the time (except nighteye). They are more like responders and generally do not act before a criminal does. Obviously it would be police and investigators, as stated in canon, they are above heroes and can call them to take action. However, we don't see the police that much except for Tsukauchi and the Chief of Hosu police. Wouldn't it be cool to see stories about police without showing all mha characters into the police department?

Who works in the underground? We are told about the power AFO has on the underground, but not shown. At most we saw 3 organizations that get involved in a big battle and go out with a bang. What about others? Organizations that establish their power in one place, trade with others, make deals with legal departments and generally stay hidden. Okay, I admit, those are shown in canon, but not that great. I want to see underground doctors, mafias, weapon smuggling, illegal trade with other countries, corrupt police and politicians (not HPSC), law battles, brokers (not Giran), contingency plans for the destruction of the hero industry, bars, casinos, smart criminals that know their limits and so on. I need to search a little bit more for criminal and underground info.

What about other cities? You can take vigilante! Midoriya and have him protect another city with less to none heroes. Just look at Deika city! It doesn't have heroes that are not part of MLA. Have Midoriya go to a reputable high school in the desired city to have an excuse to go there and protect it. Have him make deals with some shady, but harmless businesses, if you want to make him morally gray or make his character develop to not see everything black and white. Have him meet other underground heroes, aside from Aizawa!

What are other countries doing, while all of shit show is happening in canon? If this is Japan 200 years into the future, then you can bet that everyone already knows about what is going on there, because internet🤌. Why did only America respond? What were their motifs for helping Japan, because politics. Where the fuck is military? Most of those villains would be dead from a military grade weapon!

TD;LR Mha world is an ocean of potential that only was slightly explored

[river-in-the-woods]

greetings! i'm new to buddhism and i would be curious to know if you have any tips for westerners regarding the practice. i see a lot of people online aggravated by western attitudes at times and as new convert, i would like to avoid contributing to that. thank you!

Hi there :)

I suppose one of the greater issues is that there is a mindset of... shall we say, pioneering and innovation that can be unhelpful when approaching Asian traditions.

Western practitioners like to experiment, change the rules, "fuck around and find out" as they so often say. This works out well enough for them – in fact I think Western practitioners often thrive on their enthusiasm to explore, when it is balanced by discernment – but it is not an attitude that will get them far if they decide to train properly in an Asian tradition.

What we have in Asia that is lacking in Western traditions, are culture, history and esoteric lineages spanning thousands of years, and techniques that have been refined through trial and error with each passing generation. European traditions don't have this kind of unbroken lineage, which creates some distinct differences in mindset.

A Western practitioner might consider themself 'advanced' after 5-10 years of practice. But to become a Buddhist monk, guru/lama or Daoist method master, in that time you might only have just completed basic training (depending on tradition; I'm making broad generalisations here).

There is such a thing as spiritual authority, and Westerners sometimes don't like to hear this. After all, for many, becoming a witch/sorcerer/magician/spiritualist is all about taking fate into your own hands, claiming the universe's power, the church be damned, etc. Asian witchcraft and malefica does exist, however it is not treated as the path of self-liberation and sovereignty as it is in the West, so please do not mistake it as such.

(Diasporic Asians like to claim titles such as 'witch', and this is fine, but just bear in mind this has a decidedly negative connotation when you visit countries in East Asia).

The line between laypeople and ordained monks and priests is very clearly defined, and one is expected to show deference. This does not mean any sort of self-deprecation, rather, to understand one's own limits and keep an open and curious mind. Just as a layperson would not presume to know better than a trained doctor or surgeon.

Therefore, having ample patience will serve you well. You should expect to repeat the same basic practices 100s and 1000s of times, because cultivation is grueling and the path to Buddhahood, Immortality, or what have you, is something that takes lifetimes to achieve.

Now, that may not be your goal. You might simply want to live well in this life, and that is fine. The above message is more for those who aspire for mastery, importance or greatness, but do not yet understand what the journey requires. (I don't claim to understand it myself either).

This might be obvious, but in case it is not... be discerning about who you trust to guide you. There are genuine European/white practitioners who have entered their respective traditions the correct way, and there are Asian frauds and charlatans who have no qualms about using their cultural traditions to con people out of their money. You should respect what people have to say about their cultures and experiences, naturally, but don't use someone's ethnic background as a validation of their skill or character.

Most of all, maintain humility. Humility is the virtue that supports all other virtues. One that I think all of humanity struggles with the most, perhaps because we don’t understand it very well, and our survival has so often required its opposite.

Beyond that, I advise you not to place too much emphasis on seeking knowledge in books or written texts. The main reason for this: published texts on Buddhist practices come from oral traditions that may require empowerment and transmission. The people who publish these texts might not understand this, or they are relying on the good faith of spiritual seekers. One does themself a great disservice if they believe they can bypass the guidance of a teacher from a long-standing lineage.

The other reason is that the wisdom, capacity and personal growth one gains through cultivation is experiential. It can only be gained through consistent practice. A skillful teacher can guide you on the path, but ultimately, the real thing cannot be taught, and all words fail to capture its true majesty.

I hope this helps, and doesn't come across as too intimidating. Take it slow, let the path unfold before you, and enjoy each day as it comes. Keep a green bough in your heart, and the singing bird will come 💚

[for-my-mind-to-run-around-free]

When I first came to the country I am in right now, I had left my home in a state of distress, a political war. I sough refuge here, and looked to make it somewhere I could call home again.

Then, I met the doctor. A man with two hearts and who feels so guilty for letting his home burn but has to move on, run from it all, travel, seek new places and friends. I loved watching him go, maybe because I was just as trapped where I am now, compared to where I was, even if I had more freedoms. I travelled with the doctor, because I couldn’t physically go and see the world I so wanted to explore.

And because every time he missed Gallifrey, I felt he understood me. The 12 year old me, catching up on all the seasons with my very broken English, who cried at Capaldi’s and Amy’s words and squealed with joy at many reunions.

We don’t get to see many representation of refugees on screen that is positive, or even neutral.

This morning when I watched the doctor finally leave a genuine part of himself on Earth, to be with his found family, and to rest, and a part of himself went off to adventures all across time and space, I found peace within myself. Because after 5 years, I finally have some sort of a passport and this summer, I can finally travel to different places I’ve been yearning to go.

I can’t go back home ever again, just like he can’t go back to Gallifrey, but I can leave the past to rest for a moment. And finally travel the universe :)

Let’s not ever forget that the doctor is a refugee running from his past.

And it’s ok to take a break and give yourself a hug and permission to rest from it all.

[aloeanemonabee27]

OP ASL brothers big brother Ace au

Y'all have seen those hidden fanarts of the grownup Ace with kid Sabo and Luffy? Cause that's exactly what we're doing here, though the story would be a little different, the ages and the years of the historical events and all will be different as well. Sit back (or don't) cause this will be longer than a giraffe's necklace, yes I have sleeping problems.

Luffy haven't meet Shanks yet like in canon, he doesn't have a devil fruit but he still wants to be a pirate (much to Garps dismay), however he does gets send by to Corvo Mountain to Dandan's country, this time there is no Ace which he can follow to befriend with but he still leaves the bandits hideout to explore the forest without dying in the process and because the bandits spend more in medical supplies that in food ironically. Because of this Dandan send one of her men to keep watch over Luffy and help him whenever is necessary, it doesn't even need to be one person in specific, sometimes Dandan herself keeps watch on him and when she is discovered she puts the excuse that is her free time and she's taking a walk (a walk in the middle of the forest may I add).

Sabo does the same thing like he did in canon, he escapes his home, hates nobility, finds refugee in Grey Terminal and he steals so he can buy himself a ship in the future, the only difference is that he does it without help and the process is obviously slower. Sabo's treasure is hidden in the forest, so in one of his successful treasure hunt he was returning to Grey terminal and meets Luffy, absolutely dumbfounded on the fact that there's another kid in the forest besides him and friendly, energetic and stupid. Luffy being Luffy immediately wants to befriend him, at the same time feeling curiosity out of him so is a matter of time when he starts to follow Sabo everywhere and because of this he gets extremely late more than necessary to Dandan's country. Sabo didn't had the intention in becoming friends with Luffy at first, he was just being polite and cordial with him and somehow got used to his rambling and all, he would sometimes successfully avoid him in order to continue his treasure hunt, sometimes he couldn't and was stuck with him and always ended saving him if they got in trouble.

Sabo always made sure to lose sight of Luffy cause he never trusted him any close to his hidden treasure, but Luffy ended up finding out anyway and happened what happened in canon without Ace, Sabo tried to kill him (he couldn't), Luffy screamed bloody murder, Porchamery found Luffy and asked about Luffy, Luffy refused and then he was taken to "interrogation". Keep in mind that Luffy doesn't have a devil fruit, so the torture hurts ten times more than canon and basically is a miracle Luffy's still alive. Sabo move his treasure to another hidden place but was wary that the Bluejam pirates didn't looked for him so he went to their lair to see what's going on, when he arrived he found out that Luffy never said anything about his treasure and that's when he rescues him. Almost got caught by the pirates, when he successfully avoided him he tried to aid Luffy the best he could despite being short on medical supplies and at the same time demanding an answer in why he hadn't say the truth in the first place, to which Luffy weakly simply replied if he did Sabo wouldn't be friends with him anymore. In that moment Sabo felt like an absolute scumbag, this kid as stupid as he is, only had the innocent intend to be his friend and nothing more and all he did was to act coldly at him. Not wasting more time Sabo carried Luffy seeking for help, luckily he found one of the bandits which was Dandan who was looking for Luffy and he cried for help, Dandan took Luffy into the speed of light to Foosha village for a doctor. When Luffy was being attended by the doctor, Dandan demanded an explanation in what happened, when Sabo told her she was furious with him, because of his recklessness that almost costed Luffy's life, not only that but he got himself into trouble too and the Bluejam pirates could be looking for them by now to kill him. Makino saved the situation to put the boy at ease, she tried her best to calm Sabo down while he tried not to cry but it was futile, the entire infirmary could hear his cries of regret and Makino let him pour his heart out. When the situation eased a little bit Makino offered Sabo to stay at her place so he can rest, but he refused her offer cause he wants to stay until Luffy wakes up, Dandan stayed as well so she needs keeps an eye on Luffy anyways or Garp will have her head (not because she cares about the boy and she's worried, what are you talking about?).

After a while, Luffy woke up and the first thing Sabo did was to apologize non stop to him, Luffy had no hard feelings on him so he forgave him instantly and from that moment on Sabo began to be nicer and protective over Luffy, he even moved (uninvited) to Dandan's country to stay closer to him. From that moment on, Sabo and Luffy went to adventures together, hunting together, suffer the fist of love of Garp together, treasure hunting, dine and dash, share their dreams, Sabo would read stories to Luffy from books he found and he tried to teach Luffy to write and read. Among all everything was fine for the kids, until everything changed when Luffy saw from the cliff a boat with a young man to heading to the island.

Ace is a rookie pirate, he used to live in Corvo Mountain when he was a child and he started his pirate adventure much sooner at the age of fifteen. His relationship with Garp wasn't the best cause they always had their usual argument of him being a pirate while Garp force him to be a marine, Ace's burden on him being a "devil's son" is much heavier and his self esteem is almost none existen. Ace used to take out his anger on bars to beat up bandits and animals bigger than him of the forest, the only thing that kept him going was his goal on answering his question on being alive and being free without any regrets. Because of Garp's stupid decision on signing him up in the marines without his concent, Ace flee Corvo Mountain, he didn't care about the dangers of the Grand Line he wasn't willing to let someone to take his freedom away. At his journey Ace learned the hard way the difficulties of surviving in the sea, but despite that he didn't regret his decision, in on of his journeys he meet Masked Deuce who soon became he most trusted and best friend, the one and only who shared his most intimate secret and Deuce didn't even judge him, slowly these two started a crew of their own and that's how the Spade pirates where born with Ace being the captain and Deuce as his second in command. Rookies in the Grand Line but enough to make their name known in the seas, Ace eat the mera mera no mi by accident, the crew had lots of adventures, overall everything was fine for Ace.

Things took a chaotic turn when the Spades accidentally got involved in a conflict of pirates attacking an island and the towns people which lead to a misunderstanding, and not just any island but an island on Whitebeard's protection, not just that, Ace also found out the Ensign Isuka teamed up with Garp to capture him, to put it plainly Ace was screwed. The Spades pirates where in no condition to face marines, let alone to fight the Whitebeard pirates; they were tired, unprepared, short of supplies, lost a bunch of his crew, Ace would never run away from a conflict but his crew where not in a favorable situation, so much to his dismay the Spade pirates had to get separated until things cool down a bit. They put a time limit over a few months so they can reunite again, they split up in teams, each being lead from someone of Ace's trust, each got a Vivre card of Ace and they put an island of destination so they could reunite again. Ace decided to go on his own, him being in whatever team will put the crew in danger, he took the Striker and left the only place he knew where it could be safe for a bit to stay low, in east blue in Goa kingdom island.

When he arrived he parked the Striker away from prying eyes, he decided to be on the forest which he felt a bit of nostalgia, as he gets deep in the forest soon he notice curious eyes of kids watching him in awe which in left him dumbfounded. The first kid who got close to him first introduced himself as Luffy, and Ace soon thinks that he is dumbass with no self preservation, the other kid seemed more cautious unlike the younger one. Hours passed and the younger than him wouldn't leave him alone, finally he snapped and yelled at him to leave him alone which Luffy counter attacked him asking him if he was a pirate, Ace took this opportunity to scare off the kid by confirming his suspicion and ended up doing the opposite effect cause the Luffy got excited even more. Sabo, the only one with self preservation put Luffy aside in suspicion of him trying to knock some sense on the youngest on what if he was part of the Bluejam pirates, Luffy asked him if Ace was part of them, he tells he doesn't even know them and somehow the kid trusts him.

Days, Weeks were like this, Ace avoiding these kids like a plague but never got lucky, somehow these kids could keep up with him and apparently is their new sport to harass him till no tomorrow. Sometimes he can have moments at peace when they go treasure hunting, which he thought it was just kid's stuff so he didn't bat an eye, in the blink of an eye Ace was now spending time with the kids and sometimes was willing to join them in their little adventures and also find out that treasure hunting meant stealing from nobles. As time passed, Ace took a liking to them, he meet Dandan again, showed his devil fruit to them and they share sake cups and became brothers.

Then things once again took turns for the worst, when they were at High Town that's when Sabo's sperm donor (father) Outlook appeared demanding at Sabo to return home, Sabo fled to the forest in fear now that his secret has been revealed but neither Ace nor Luffy cared where he came from, he was his brother after all. Since they were sharing secrets, Ace revealed he is the son of the former pirate king and once again none of the kids didn't care, they care about Ace and Ace only not his father. Everything went downhill when Outlook hired the Bluejam pirates to kidnapped Sabo, Ace could've easily won against them if it weren't that they made him chose over Luffy's life or Sabo's and Sabo made the choice for him returning voluntarily to Outlook. Another tragedy happened when in that very same moment they burned Grey Terminal with them inside, resulting in Sabo getting injured, Outlook fleed fast with Sabo and Ace stayed trying to protect Luffy, the Bluejam pirates where doing their felonys and Ace was getting furious at time passed. When Dandan and the bandits arrived, Ace made sure that Luffy stayed with them so he could burn into ashes those flickers who took Sabo away and he made them pay every second of it.

When the chaos eased, the bandits told them the reason why they burned Grey Terminal was because a Celestial dragon was visiting and they needed to get "rid of the trash", making Ace more angrier than ever he wanted to rescue Sabo in that very same moment but Dandan knock some sense into him that Luffy needed him right now and he needed a plan to rescue Sabo properly, he had the disadvantage if Outlook recognized him and no doubt he'll gather more security in his manor or worse calling the marines. In those times Ace stayed with Luffy, both of them helping in easing each other, Ace made his best efforts in distracting Luffy out of his worries, that's when he received the unexpected visit or Dragon himself asking for his help, he needed his mission to be completed so he requested his cooperation and in exchange he'll help him to rescue Sabo which Ace agreed. Dandan was not kidding when she said High town was highly guarded, not because of the visit of the Celestial dragon but for the rumor that Fire fist Ace was here, the mission of Dragon is the inside of the Celestial dragon's ship so Dragon helped him to infiltrate in the gardens of the manor of Outlook, he gave him a den den mushi so he can gave him the signal for Ace to commit a commotion so the attention will be put in the catastrophe. When the time arrived Ace put a hellfire show in the Outlook manor and the manors at close so the fire could spread, when Ace entered the manor he had no trouble at all defeating the guards until he found Sabo, he was angry and sad at the look of his brother's condition, he took Sabo into his arms and burned the entire manor into ashes. With the help of Dragon he escaped all the commotion in High town and taking Sabo back into Dandan's country, Luffy was overjoyed seeing both his brothers returning alive and he didn't leave them for a second.

What Ace didn't account for is Garps sudden visit, hearing the rumors of his grandson in Goa made him navigate as fast as light, Garp was beyond furious with Ace of all the destruction he had caused but Ace made sure to clarify that he did in order to save Sabo from his so call father, Garp understands his reasons but he knock it on his head that the marines won't look it that way and is saved to say that he became mad when he found out that Dragon was the one who helped him. Not that he's mad with the rescue, he is mad that all his efforts go to waste cause soon enough the marines will find out about Luffy's background and take him to do God knows what and in the case of Sabo it will look like a kidnaping, but Ace could care less about what other people's think of him and this could be solved. The only solution Garp could found is that these kids go to Marineford without question and there they could be save, but Ace refused that idea cause if it wasn't gonna work for him neither will for Luffy, but the decision was being made and it didn't matter what the kids or Ace think and Garp told Ace to leave right now that he has the chance before he captures him here and there and these matter does not concerns him.

After that Ace was leaving immediately of Goa kingdom, he had no business there anymore and he was a pirate, he had no intentions on staying any longer. Or at least that's what he likes to think, but in his heart bo matter how much he ignored it, he couldn't stop thinking about Sabo and Luffy, how they were involved in this disaster because of him, how their freedom was going to be taken away, Ace was faster to leave but Sabo and Luffy where just kids and Garp definitely would be much more prepared if the same thing repeats itself again. The memories of their time together, how these kids looked up to him, accepted him and loved him, they became brothers and Ace couldn't leave them behind. He knows the dangers of taking kids to the Grand Line, the burden to take care of these kids, he knows the consequences but he just shut his logic and let his heart act. Unlike Garp he was going to give them a choice, no matter what they decide he will respect it, he knows what they will say but he needed a confirmation from both of them to act. Ace gather Sabo and Luffy for their goodbye, but before he leaves he asks... "Sabo, Luffy... you guys wanna go to Grand Line with me?"

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 6/13/2023

very games-centric week

listening

this opening bit samples bowie's life on mars and sounds like a piano cover of a half-remembered but still beloved childhood anime. like the kind you had a set of two VHS clamshells for but only episodes 4-6 and 10-12. it goes on the "lofi beats to data and entry to" playlist. spotify

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reading

fallow week

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watching

the folks at waypoint games, formerly vice's leftist games vertical, BOUGHT THE BRAND FROM VICE and are rebranding as remap. i wish them all the fuckin best and i hope they succeed but i feel like we have maybe six months of this before one of them goes literally bankrupt from a doctor's visit bc healthcare is such a fuckin nightmare in this country. im simply not excited for starfield. i am not interested in corporate nasa

anyway i enjoyed their commentary, excited for compulsion games' southern gothic action/adventure spellcaster South of Midnight

neutrally optimistic about obsidian's Avowed, bc i do love obsidian but i do not love sword and sorcery rpgs

there's airships in microsoft flight simulator so i may genuinely buy one month of gamepass to try that out

capcom's path of the goddess looks fucking gorgeous but i have never played more than half an hour of a capcom game and i expect i never will. is this topdown? is this isometric? what the fuck is the gameplay mode??? who could FUCKING say

also there's a new jersey fallout 76 expansion coming at some point. in real life i hate atlantic city and i don't really how know this will look or play differently from point lookout. i don't know if i want to play a much-reviled cash cow mmorpg just to get postapoc jersey lore. if this leads up to 5 being set in nyc im going to be real pissed off. go somewhere DIFFERENT. there are DIFFERENT PLACES on the east coast!!! blease

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playing

viddy game can consistently turn my brain off enough that i forget im moving cross country in two weeks and can forcibly relax my body for twenty mintues at a time between packing boxes. so there's been a lot of pomodoro-ing, or my version which is: pack until i get so anxious i physically cannot pack anymore, go have a snack, go play twenty minutes of a video game, and then go pack until i am on the verge of a panic attack again. this is not healthy but all my books are packed. all of these were free on epic at some point btw which is why i own them

the first time i played Airborne Kingdom, i lost track of time and beat it in one sitting in eight hours. the second time i played Airship Kingdom, i replicated that exact experience. i have allied with all the kingdoms and have like two hundred souls on board but am not QUITE selfsufficient enough to take on the northern/artic sea DLC. stay tuned. soundtrack in this thing is great.

bounced VERY hard off Close to the Sun, a bioshock-lite i put about four hours/three levels into. a huge gilded age cruise ship where the science has Gone Wrong would normally be catnip to me, but the game did brutally kill the player character's sister in front of me in an unskippable cutscene so we're done with that game now THANK YOU. it is very slow, which i do like in a game that gives you this much stuff to look at, but there is no gamma control. this game is so fucking dark. i played it in a dark room with no lights and it was still too dark.

pinged off the typing exploration game Epistory despite its charming art, bc fast and accurate typing is something covid has taken from me.

rediscovered Carcassone (online) which is great bc i love Carcassone and own a physical copy of the board game but no one else in my life loves it. tile-building countryside-building game, seconds to learn, etc. thank you board game review even though there are no meeple in their natural habitat (the board) in this picture

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making

it's gonna be putting things into boxes for the forseeable future (the next week) and then living out of them for a while (the next two weeks after that)

[marybeatriceofmodena]

I came across your anti-Grishaverse posts and I like to add some of own analyses about the worldbuilding (if you're willing to go through the series again after 2021, ofc). My knowledge on Russian history and folklore is very surface level but even then I still was absolutely baffled at how bad the worldbuilding is. Especially with "Grisha" which is literally Russian for Greg???? Lol, let's just call in the Pasha Army too because why not. I've already relentlessly made fun of the name "Grishaverse" being a multiverse of Gregs so here are my favorites: Gregor-Man: Into the Greg-verse. Gregory-thing Gregory-where All At Greg, Doctor Greg and the Multiverse of Greg-ness. And it's even worse with the show when they clumsily tried to explore racism with a more diverse cast of people of Asian descent which would've been an incredible story considering Russia's rich history with the Mongols and the Turks but then they had to add in the term "rice-eater". When like, Russian cuisine includes rice. Like salmon coulibiac. So it just makes no sense at all, it's kinda the equivalent of calling an American "burger-eater". And the absence of patronymic names just because the author thought it sounded better without them (Alina Starkov is grammatically incorrect and it drove me insane, it literally takes 5 minutes to look up how to do it). I think it's great how the author wanted to do a fantasy story with some vaguely Slavic traditions but the result reminds me of Raya and the Last Dragon from Disney which, as a South East Asian person, I really dislike because it literally does the same thing of cherry picking stuff from SEAsian countries and using words from real languages that don't make sense at all, even if it's a fantasy story (I really hate the "dep la" line from the movie). It's like the author doesn't really care about the nuances of Russian society or Slavic societies in general and really only cared about the aesthetics of it (which the show didn't even do right, what the fuck are those costumes, I hate fantasy costumes that look like they were on a haute couture fashion line). Which could lead into some really awful pitfalls bordering on stereotyping and exoticization. I think it's great how she wanted to do a fantasy story with some vaguely Slavic traditions since they're pretty underappreciated but the result reminds me of Raya and the Last Dragon from Disney which, as a South East Asian person, I really dislike because it literally does the same thing of cherry picking stuff from SEAsian countries and using words from real languages that don't make sense at all (I really hate the "dep la" line from the movie). I'm just tired of authors cherry picking stuff from other cultures for the aesthetics and don't bother to really delve into said cultures and build an interesting story inspired by their folklore or history. Not to mention, it feels like the lack of research shows a reluctance to genuinely learn and fall in love with Slavic cultures, like Westerners still think they're backwards and barbaric. I certainly felt the same way with Raya.

So, I'll start with the disclaimer that I haven't seen Raya as of now so I can't really speak for it, BUT I think the one nuance I would bring to this is that I do think it's fine to use artistic licence when you're taking inspiration for a certain culture, WITH THE VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT that you need to understand what you're taking inspiration from in the first place.

Take me, for instance. My original fiction takes inspiration (among other things) of Breton tales and mythology, since it's the region where it's believed Nimue trapped Merlin, and there is a personnifcation of Death figure that is a bit of a nod to the Ankou (who in Breton mythology is considered to be Death's henchman), a plot point that will be a callback to the Midnight Washerwomen, and so on and so forth, but none of these are a 1:1 comparison with the Ankou and the Midnight Washerwomen, simply because... well, I felt like doing something different. But you know, I acknowledge it's a nod, I'm not going to say "Lord Death in my story is like the Ankou", because that simply wouldn't be true nor accurate.

All that to say, "inspiration" doesn't save you from having to do research, and learning "why" certain things tick a certain way. Orthodoxy tends to be very oriented towards mysticism and spirituality, and we kind of get that with the cult of the Saints in the Grishaverse, but if you stop and think about religion for more than 5 minutes in that setting, it falls apart. You could get away with saying naming conventions are different in your story compared to Russian conventions (if only for the sake of being gender-neutral and more inclusive), but it becomes a problem when there are several other mistakes that native speakers can easily point out.

And then, of course, you have to take into account that LB's forte is not writing fantasy that involves politics, sociology, wars, and so on. If we're talking about something that's more "in isolation" like the SoC duology, you can get away with that. Seriously, 19th Russia was a mess - it produced absolutely amazing art that endures to this day and still inspires a lot of people (not that we see any hint of that lmao), but it was also a pretty shitty place to live if you were a peasant or a serf. The problem is, the PoV characters we have for both the Grisha trilogy and the KoS duology are essentially 21st century characters, who apply 21st century logic and solutions to a 19th century setting, and instead of that causing a certain set of consequences, it works out for them when it really shouldn't, all the while they're ignoring HUGE PROBLEMS that are right there.

If you're going to write high fantasy with big stakes, I cannot recommend enough reading and learning about history. You're writing about a female freedom fighter in an oppressive regime? Read about real life folk heroines - Boudica, the Trung sisters, Joan of Arc, Emilia Plater, Rani Lakshmibai. You're writing about a rags (or close enough) to ruler protagonist? Read about Catherine I of Russia, Wei Zifu, Basil I, Fredegund, Theodora, Honwu Emperor. What made them tick? How did they get all the way to the top? Was it charm? Guile? Brute force? Knowledge? Sheer luck? Divine intervention (don't look at me like that, go ask Joan)? How did royal courts work? What were the conflicts at the time? Why were there conflicts at the time?

"But Irina, why should I do that research? It's all magic and dragons and monsters!"

Unless we're talking about a post-apocalyptic or primitive society, you're still going to have a certain level of societal organization. How is magic viewed in your fantasy world? Is it allowed? Glorified? Despised? Where does it come from? What's your inspiration? How does this inspiration view magic? What are you going to do differently and why? Are your dragons friendly or not? Are they gods? Pets? Prey? Are we talking about dragons in Persian mythology where they represent vices? If you're going to make them benevolent, why? Are they Chinese dragons, where they're considered benevolent and wise (on that note, that's why China had a more negative reaction to Mushu when Disney's animated version of Mulan came out)? If they're just going to be mindless beasts who just think about violence, why? Why not even pick another monster if you're going to make them the big bad when they're anything but? And the list goes on.

[lurking-latinist]

For the meta for writers questions, 1, 3, 8, and 20!

Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

Ah, the Ace Longfic! Which still doesn't have a title to itself. It is supposed to be like ten chapters but will probably be more than that, and I'm in chapter four! I'm trying not to talk about it too much online because then I won't want to write the actual thing, but without spoilers, it's a series of solo adventures for Ace that explore her parallels with/similarity to the Doctor. I'm trying to actually write full adventures and I'm having fun coming up with interesting characters for her to meet. Plot less so, but we'll get there.

Since she is on her own and filling the Doctor's shoes, I've found she works less and less well as a POV character. So I'm writing from the perspectives of people she meets along the way, which also allows me to show how she's growing and changing and getting weirder (as she should). My current POV character is a wet-behind-the-ears military officer posted to an isolated space station where secret scientific experiments are being done. I'm sure you can guess whether the scientific experiments go wrong or not. My young officer has to step up and make complex moral judgment calls (which she does not want to do but discovers she will if she has to) when both her superiors get their brains taken over.

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Hahaha I always do just write it anyway! That's why I have so many ficlets. The things I dream about and don't write are the big sprawling daydream AUs that won't distil into one scene.

Oh fine OK I do have one key scene but the reason I haven't written it is because no one will have any idea what it's all about. Remember you asked for this! This is from the viewpoint of an agent of the Gallifreyan CIA who's been spying on the Seventh Doctor during the events of the novel Set Piece.

--

It's a shame to see a good agent--never reliable, but brilliant at his best--end up in such a state. A shame, but not surprising. He's not the first agent to end his career like this and he won't be the last, especially being a renegade as he is. They know from his file that nine centuries' hard living has put him in his seventh body already. Most of his career he's believed he was defying the Agency. Some of it he actually was. They've retrofitted quite a bit of their timeline planning around his entirely unauthorized interventions--and it's always turned out better than you'd hope. Now he's stranded, sponging off an old friend, health broken, nerves shot all to pieces. He's lost that TARDIS of his--gossip says they'd grown hopelessly into each other--if she's dead he'll have a horrendous psychic wound. Perhaps that's even the root of what ails him; perhaps that's the reason he's drinking French wine laced with opium at ten o'clock in the morning local time. Not much else he can hope to do for it, not without a Gallifreyan medic. And he won't come home, they know that too. He'll wither away there, jumping at shadows, country servant-girls pitying him, before he'll come home and be properly looked after. Some of the agents think he can't anymore; after so long away, they say, he can't take his place in Gallifrey's telepathic web. The closest he can get, now, is the buzz and chatter of human voices around him. They note how he haunts the kitchens. He's made a wreck of his lives and fortunes, probably his ship as well. He's reduced to drifting about in the local skirmish called the Franco-Prussian War--a purely human conflict, not even a branch of the War, which would be something--and he isn't even doing anything there. He's serving as a dreadful warning to young agents: the renegade life may seem exciting but this is how it ends. There's some suggestion they should inform Cardinal Braxiatel. If you want to speak to him, you should do it soon. Before nineteenth-century drugs and living on his nerves and the loss of his ship and the unknown wound in his shoulder he keeps rubbing take their toll. Even the humans say he isn't quite all there. And wherever else it is he's going, it's somewhere the CIA can't reach.

--

It's a weird book, Set Piece. Don't worry, Seven has a very complicated plan going behind all this. But he does have something of a breakdown. It ends up being quite cathartic for him actually. (He's drinking the drugged wine because someone else is drugging it and he doesn't want them to know that he knows. He claims.)

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

I like to read the sort of thing I write, certainly! (Although there's some things I've written that I'm pretty sure if someone else had written them I'd find hopelessly saccharine.) But there's also things I like to read that I could never write. Novel-length fics, for sure, I really appreciate but don't write; I also love a good pastiche of a book series with a strong authorial voice, but avoid doing them myself, after a really harrowing experience doing cod-Pratchett. (Although I had a really fun time doing that Stevenson-in-space bit. Maybe I just need the amount of distance provided by an AU to enjoy doing author pastiches? I should try space!Aubrey-Maturin sometime and see if that'll do it.)

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

These questions assume I don't shove all that in the notes already! :P

Oh yeah, I did do a bit of research for that Hornblower fic that I forgot to put in the notes! I wondered whether the superstition that it's bad luck to toast in water was old enough for the characters to think of it. The few minutes of research I did were pretty inconclusive, actually--one source did say it originated in the Royal Navy but didn't say when, which was not very useful to me, but I decided it at least sounds old enough that I could project it back to the 1800s. Apparently the superstition is specifically that someone who drinks a toast in water will die by drowning, which... well, both of them avoid that at least....

[dystopicjumpsuit]

I'm not sure how many of these you've already answered so I hope you don't mind me sending you a hand full! B F H K and Y for the fanfic game, also, I'm sending you all the happy weekend vibes your way cos you deserve it!

No problem at all! I love this game.

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

I work in academia, so I definitely was inspired by that when I was writing "Martyrs and Kings." Things like the endless deluge of administrative tasks, and also the gala scene with the lecherous donor--those were pulled straight from life (except my organization named a museum after him, not just a wing 🤢). Beyond that, I think most/all of my fics have some element of displacement or migration/diaspora. My family fled my home country when I was a teenager to escape cartel violence, so those themes of alienation and struggle to find a place that feels like home tend to work their way into most things that I write. Finally, I am bisexual, and I seem to include a lot of queer characters in my stories.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

I'm pretty happy with this scene in "Martyrs and Kings." I think it shows so much of Kix's charm, and I enjoyed throwing Maree off her game. I also liked the inversion of roles for Kix, the medic who now is getting medical "care" from someone who is very much Not That Kind of Doctor:

“Where else are you hurt?” she demanded.

“Nowhere,” he said, avoiding her gaze.

He took a hitching breath, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Take off your shirt,” she ordered.

He shot her a startled glance.

“What?” he asked.

“Off. Take it off. I know you’re hiding more injuries.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, rising to comply.

He shed his jacket and then slipped his shirt over his head with a tiny grunt of pain.

She hissed in a breath and unleashed a torrent of curses that made Kix’s mouth drop open in awe. The entire left side of his ribcage was covered in dark bruises.

“Will you teach me how to swear like that, doc?” he asked as some of the tension in his face began to ease. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

H: How would you describe your style?

Oh, that's tough! 😂

I think I'd describe it as introspective. I like to explore the characters' inner lives, and sometimes I do it to the detriment of the action. My next longfic will be more action-oriented, so I'm hoping to strike a balance there.

K: What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

It's a spoiler for the next fic, alas! I will say that it gave me writer's block for two weeks because it hurt my feelings every time I opened the doc. 😭

Y: A character you want to protect.

Oh my god, every clone. All of them. Just let me gather them up like ducklings and take them somewhere safe and warm and happy. Most specifically, Echo and Gregor. I know I'm hyperfixating on them right now because they're the heroes of my WIP, but damn, they've been through enough. Let me protect them.

[kissmetwicekissmedeadly]

Ikemen vampire is my favorite ikemen game so far, which other ikemen games should I check out and that is still playable?

Hello anon! Thank you for the question!

You could pretty much get the idea of what the rest of the ikeseries games are about just by their looks alone... the ones playable in english right now are Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Prince, and Ikemen Revolution which won't get any new content but is technically still playable. Same with Midnight Cinderella which is an old title and discontinued since 2021, but I'm assuming you're asking about the former two as regularly updated titles.

Now, it depends what you loved most in ikemen vampire to determine which of the two you should check out. I think all ikeseries games are really alike as they take a certain setting and time period and revolve around forbidden love, the mcs are quite alike (not only because they share a similar fate, but personality-wise too) the love interests share characteristics across the series as you can play spot the eyepatch guy, the glasses guy, the doctor, the playboy, etc etc.

let's put the rest under the cut...

If you liked the dark and the angsty part of ikevamp, you'll love that about ikepri, as you receive ten times more of it. Every route will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, as the suitors here have their pasts entangled around one another, with a few deep dark personal secrets there and there. Even the seemingly laidback ones would make you bawl your eyes out crying when you discover more about them.

If you liked the chaotic energy of ikevamp, you'll see a lot of that in ikesen, and more. Now, not that ikepri doesn't have its chaotic moments, plenty of them actually (most of those princes are quite the eccentrics), it's just the serious part of it that tips the scales towards the more mature side. In ikesen you'll be encountering a lot of iconic lines delivered by MC, as she brings a lot of her 21st century humor into her new life, confusing the heck out of the warlords sometimes. It's something I found lacking in ikevamp, actually! It's hilarious and will make you recover faster from the angst which is also plentiful in ikesen.

If you like historical stuff, you'll appreciate ikesen for that. Just like ikevamp, in ikesen everyone has an irl counterpart, and the mc finds herself sent back into a certain time period. A lot of that same getting used to her new life, looking for a way back home, trying not to fall inlove or won't ever return, making friends with a person who similarly found themselves there but before her.

If you want something different as for the setting, you will enjoy ikepri's worldbuilding. The story is taking place in a fictional country that is loosely based on France, in a period that is...medieval for the most part. The neighboring countries are involved too, with some of the suitors being from them. I won't spoil you about the identity of the mc but she is different for not going through all of that time and space stuff. It brings a nice change among the other titles and it has much to explore about it.

What else... ikepri's atmosphere is more elegant and refined while ikesen's is rather warm and homely. The princes are not having the best relationships among each other whereas the warlords might be at each other's throats but are also more likely to get into shenanigans together. Both games deal with themes of war. Ikesen's interface might not be to your liking as the game is quite old, whereas ikepri only came out about three years ago and has a lot of new stuff like bond level with the characters.

In case you decide to give Ikerev a try, the premise is: inspired from alice in wonderland; mc finds herself not back in time but in a whole another world altogether instead, there is a war going on that she will play a key part of, there is magic, she can go back to her world in about a month, tries not to fall inlove, does, remains there... the two rival sides of the conflict are armies led by a king each, one army is chill and like a family, the other is founded on authority... real fun and while the angst will make you cry, you will be smiling twice as much. The entangled fates of the characters here are a lot of what i love ikerev for, you'll hardly find a character that doesn't share something big with others from the cast, another thing that i missed in ikevamp.

As someone whose first ikeseries game was ikevamp, after it I enjoyed ikerev the most. In fact, i've played more ikerev routes than of any other game, and i think it's the closest to ikevamp. Ahhh this became a very long post! My advice is, just see the prologue of the games in youtube (if they're available and you don't wanna go through the bother of downloading them just for that) and see what's to your liking. You're welcomed here to talk about your impressions afterwards if you want to! :) I'm putting this on the games' tags in case someone else finds this helpful!

[writ-in-violant]

🍐🥬

What is their current social standing? If they could change it, would they, and to what?

Vivian's currently a Person of Some Importance, which they're pretty happy with. Gives them a lot of ability to do things that interest them and means they're high enough that a lot of their strangeness can be dismissed as acceptable quirks. They just dislike how difficult it was to get there and how fickle being Known can be, but as things stand now they're content.

Blake is not yet a person of some importance and frankly is most comfortable out of public acclaim or spotlight. Before the Neath he was a spy, meaning public positions are always uncomfortable for him. His original life goal was "spouse to a country doctor" he does not want to be famous. Unfortunately, he has to buy a boat, and you need to have some acclaim to do that...

Art is fairly low on the social totem pole, being one of a scattering of rat-catchers and wannabe monster-hunters who can be found in Watchmaker's Hill or the Docks. The only reasons he'd want to be higher is because it opens up new exciting places to explore and enemies to make; it's not easy making a living where he is now, but he's a Vake-hunter. Making a living is not necessarily a top priority.

Celestine is similarly lower-class; she fronts as higher and uses the fake "lady" title to gain clout, but she wants to be in Society. She wants to be Important. She wants people to Know her and she wants all of that in a way that nobody can take away. Give her wealth and standing and all the trappings of that, please, or she'll be stealing them herself.

How mundane are they? Do they like it that way?

Vivian is...not very mundane at all. Their day job is studying the language of stars that tries to drive you mad. They also write poetry, often on the beauty and grandeur of the various things in the Neath that are super cursed and hostile to human life. They're studied in the Shapeling Arts and the Red Science, and spend hours in their lab extending those studies. And they love it this way. Life as a normal professor would have been far too dull for them.

Blake is fairly mundane for Fallen London, but still less so than he would like. He's got a transplanted eye that makes him better at intrigue. That's helpful but not ideal for leading a "normal life." One of the many tragedies of Blake's life is that he wanted, so badly, just to be a fairly normal man living with the man he loved, and was willing to leave behind all the unusual parts of his life as a spy...and then Liam got murdered, and in order to figure out who did it, Blake can't be that mundane man in love he always wanted to be.

Art is not very mundane either. He was unusual even on the surface for his albinism. Since coming to the Neath, he's only been leaning into the strangeness of it all, because it finally feels like somewhere he can, for lack of a better term, fit in. Nothing is mundane, here.

Celestine, somewhat hilariously, is fairly mundane for the moment. She's just a burglar. She's just a con artist. That's not a supernatural job, and so far, very little she's gotten herself wrapped up in is supernatural except that her old friend's sister is pregnant and the baby seems distinctly unusual...but that's not Celestine. Celestine is currently peripheral to several strange things, but she herself is just a con artist doing her worst/best. I sincerely doubt that that will continue to be the case.

Feel free to send me more asks from this list: https://www.tumblr.com/writ-in-violant/727454306787278848?source=share