green tea in the morning

The old gang

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:09:39 GMT

In a surprising (?) twist, some of the original NaNoWriMo crew, including founder Chris Baty, established a site called nano2. They promise not to support AI and to guarantee the safety of minors. No obligation for 50k words, just to write in November. They also promise badges. Am currently watching from afar.

Sometimes I wish DW has a like button for posts, like on social media.

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No ey ay

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:15:01 GMT

udm14, for AI-free search results (new to me).

thirty30, write 30k words in 30 days. It takes place four times a year, and the next challenge is live in November.

After a long time, I get v. excited again over a shounen anime, and it is, not surprisingly, Demon Slayers/Kimetsu no Yaiba. I love how kind-hearted the siblings are, and how the story forgoes the "must fight a group of super powerful good guys first before facing the group of bad guys" trope. Will just wait for the movies to be available online.

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Write on

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:56:07 GMT

NaNoWriMo is as good as, if not officially, closed. I'll just remember the good things, like how it's helped launch my writing career. (I guess I can call it that?) One of the alternatives that have sprung up is Weeknight Writers. Their First Draft Fall event, whose goal is to create a first draft, will begin on October 1st and run through December 13th.

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Love wins all

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:19:57 GMT

Thank you very much pensnest for the DW points ♥

My favorite video this week: D.O.'s cover of Love Wins All, feat. IU.

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For 3weeks4DW

Wed, 08 May 2024 13:05:57 GMT

Would you like to receive Dreamwidth points as a gift? Sign up here.

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One gold knight and one silver knight

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 03:50:08 GMT

Knights of the Zodiac: The much-maligned live-action (...) adaptation of Kurumada Masami's Saint Seiya is a forgettable movie and remains a puzzling one. Why was it even made in the first place? Fans didn't ask for it, and non-fans wouldn't be interested. Unless they just want to watch Mackenyu, which, valid. Production values are so-so. Marc Dacascos steals every scene he's in. The Athena character looks better with the purple wig, and Marin looks formidable.
One thing I didn't expect and did like is the mother-daughter bond. I need to see more of that.

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State of the writing event

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 03:08:54 GMT

tw // mention of child predators

A Twitter thread on why there's been little investigation on NaNoWriMo's part on the following allegation: that one of their mods is a child predator. In a nutshell, they're dismissive and handwave-y about it, and hasn't welcomed discussions held by participants and MLs.

Per March 27, 2024, all MLs have been removed from their regions. Which makes it easier for me to consider deleting my account.

I've done NaNo since 2007 and been an ML since 2011. Joining the event has been tremendously helpful for me. I wouldn't have been where I am today without it. For the past few years, however, I haven't been contributing much. I'm also no longer in a place where I want or need to write 50k words every November. So it's time to let go.

Link to the situation summary at the end of the thread.

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Old favorites

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:14:53 GMT

Interview with Kubo Tite (mangaka of Bleach) and Morita Masakazu (Ichigo's seiyuu): on staying in character after ten years, a new battle that isn't in the original manga, and more. Kubo mentions that his favorite series are Gegege no Kitaro and Saint Seiya.

Speaking of Saint Seiya, if you're a fan of the franchise, you've probably already seen the trailer for the live-action movie. It looks.... very Hollywood-ized.

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takes out my Zhou Xun userpic

Fri, 20 May 2022 10:33:42 GMT

Actors who have played the same Jin Yong characters twice:

Jason Piao Pai: young Guo Jing 1976, adult Guo Jing 1995
Elvis Tsui: Xie Xun 2003, Xie Xun 2021
Zhou Xun: young Huang Rong 2003, adult Huang Rong 2022/to be announced

While I'm here: Chen Kun as Guo Jing is.... something I thought I'd never see. We live in an interesting timeline.

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Things I watched, Marvel edition

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 09:29:41 GMT

My mobile internet package comes with a Disney+ subscription, so I easily keep up with Marvel releases.

Brief thoughts on WandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals.
( Spoilers )

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Actresses

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:15:26 GMT

The evolution of Dan and Four Dan over the years. "Hua Dan and Qing Yi have become popular terms used to refer to Chinese film actresses."
The end part though.

[Zhou Dongyu's] rise proves the standards for the prestigious awards have never been lower. This should be ringing alarm bells on the recession of the Chinese film industry.

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SEA rise

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:13:33 GMT

Calls for submissions for Southeast Asian writers:

The Transpacific Literary Project is calling for writing and translations that swirl around in lullabies. Possible projects might include translating a traditional lullaby into another form, creating a contemporary lullaby, or analyzing an existing lullaby. We are also interested in writing that embodies the liminal space of the lullaby, that offers comfort in the most morbid way, that sweetly sings of death’s door, that consoles as much as it disturbs.

Sea Wing Anthology is looking for "works of short fiction from South East Asia that reclaim indigenous magic and LGBTQIA+ identity for an aspirational anthology of both emancipation and belonging."

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Upgraded roles

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 15:00:43 GMT

1. Why do I have followers in Spotify (only two, but still). I don't make music or podcasts, I just listen to it.

2. Actresses whose roles in Heaven Sword Dragon Saber adaptations are upgraded from disciple to teacher:

Kathy Chow: Zhou Zhiruo (1994) to Abbess Miejue (2019)
Chen Zihan: Yin Li (2003) to Purple Robed Dragon King (2021 - the upcoming movie)

And this made me realize that my specialty (?) and passion is, in fact, Jin Yong screen adaptations.

3. A few Indonesian writers-related things happened this month. Two senior writers passed away; one of them used to teach me during my graduate years.
(CW: Mention of sexual abuse, violence) An award-winning Indonesian writer briefly got arrested for the very thing he wrote about in his award-winning novel: sexual abuse in clerical circles. He got so furious that he went to a seminary (the one named in his book, as a matter of fact) and started smashing the properties, so the priests called the police. My takeaways are just that I'm not one to judge and sometimes writing can only do so much.

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Cautiously venturing out

Wed, 27 May 2020 03:53:00 GMT

The pandemic has nudged me toward consuming more varied media (which I know is a privilege). Finally I'm listening to podcasts on Spotify, mostly for horror stories and discussions on inexplicable phenomena.

I installed Viu - like Netflix but for Asian media - and there are?? so many?? K-dramas, plus Indonesian movies. The K-drama I've begun to slowly watch is Priest. Three episodes in, enjoying the characters and (too) familiar tropes.

Pengabdi Setan (English title: Satan's Slaves): 2017 remake of 1981 Indonesian horror movie of the same title. The director has been working on movies set in the past; the props/locations have been mostly visually accurate, are sometimes even aesthetics.
( Summary with spoilers )

All the family members are played by very capable actors. Some scenes fly over my head, might be because they refer to parts of the original movie.

The closing scene, where two new characters suddenly dance together, confused me until I realized it's a tribute to one of the actors in the original movie, a famous dancer.

Trailer with English subs:

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Booming sounds at 2 a.m.

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:10:33 GMT

Anak Krakatau erupted earlier this month. Loud booming sounds were heard as far as Jakarta and Bogor. I happened to be awake and heard them too. "The sound caused by the eruption could have echoed throughout Greater Jakarta as there was less activity and noise in the area as a result of large-scale social restrictions over COVID-19."

Fujiwara Keiji passed away at 55. His voice and vigorous acting will be missed.

My tolerance for angsty fanfic has reached the point where I only accept happy endings.

I hope you're all healthy and doing well, dwcircle.

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Sunny with a side of passionate

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 12:17:13 GMT

LJ no longer notifies us when a mutual posts after months of inactivity?

I tried out Spotify Premium - started with the weekly package and after that it's the only package I'm allowed to buy. (side-eye) Absence of ads is good, being able to opt out of the shuffle play mood is great.

This page tells you what your birth flower is. Mine is sunflower. No wonder I'm more active when the sun is out. /logic

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Friending meme

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 12:56:02 GMT

st_aurafina is hosting a friending meme.

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Of living fictional men

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 08:34:45 GMT

A Twitter mutual asked whether we're planning to try something new in 2020. My plan is tiny: to write a kind, sensitive male character who gets a happy ending. A lot of my major male characters are villains and/or dead, or protags with an attitude.

Reading-wise, this year I mostly reread. New books that leave impressions on me are Japanese thrillers/mysteries.

Confessions - Minato Kanae: After her young child is found dead, Minaguchi Yuko confronts the killers - her own students. The novel begins as a short story, then new chapters are added. The end result is pretty solid and cohesive overall.

Murder at Shijinsou - Imamura Masahiro: The novel is very reminiscent of the Kindaichi Shounen Jikenbou manga series: young people being trapped in an isolated location (with bonus zombies), hetero male gaze/fantasy, and the reason the murderer kills is 120% Kindaichi-like. Doesn't mean it's predictable - I could guess how the first murder happened, but only partly.

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Bats

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 08:30:51 GMT

The CW's Batwoman is starting next month and I expect Supergirl-level cheese in the dialogues (not an inherently bad thing, mind you) plus carefully shot action scenes.

I'm trying to make a Spotify playlist for an upcoming novel because Spotify playlists kind of play a role in the main characters' dynamics. Yeeea.

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And those zombies do move fast

Sat, 10 Aug 2019 02:42:31 GMT

One of my editors said, "I'd love for my writers to earn enough from their writing to be able to afford a house." So would I. T_T

If everything goes according to schedule, by November I'll have published four novels (two on online platforms, two print books) this year. Three of them have young men as main characters; two of the young men work/are active in language-related fields. Should go back to writing girls after that.

Kingdom: The Korean zombie series. Because I've watched Rampant, my mind automatically compared the similar elements in them. Being a series, Kingdom has way more space to explore the premise and characters, and does so thoughtfully.
Someone says that the characters don't behave like typical horror movie characters. I think it's because Kingdom isn't intended as a horror series, if that makes sense? It's a story about a kingdom under siege, and the threat happens to be the undead. The writers just borrow zombie fiction tropes to propel the plot along.

Helpless: Korean movie, 2012. A man's fiancee suddenly goes missing. Throughout his search for her, he discovers that she's literally not who he thought she was. The ending makes me think that, were this a Hollywood movie, there'd be less emotion and more chase scenes.

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One-track mind at work again

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 01:34:14 GMT

BTS releases the tracklist for their upcoming album; one of the song is called "Mikrokosmos" in English; I need to know if the hangul used = the kanji used for kouchuu/Cosmo in Saint Seiya; and whether the boys are Gold Saints or deity-level.

My current reads are a mix of rereads, books given by a friend, and one purchased book. Might upload a pic to Instagram later.

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Sometimes I watch non-superhero movies

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 11:02:04 GMT

Jordan Peele's Us: When I first watched the trailer, I was a little confused on what the genre might be about. Supernatural horror? Thriller with SF elements? A woman and her family go to a summer house, near the beach where she had a traumatic experience as a child. Cue home invasion by people who look exactly like the family. The narration & presentation is slick and theatrical, also pls give Lupita Nyong'o another Oscar. The group of audience sitting near me kept laughing, even during supposedly scary parts, which got tiring after awhile.
+ Like I said on Twitter, Winston Duke is adorable.

( Trailer )

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Titles should entice and be specific

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 10:46:09 GMT

When you write a story where people get murdered and stuff, but they give you a cute, soft-colored* cover, that's when you understand the importance of a sinister title. So my next title might have blood or mayhem in it.
*They choose a character that wears a pink blouse so it's partly my fault?

An internet comment on the CW's The Flash, "I love these actors but not the characters," and I realized that it's one of my main problems with the series. The actors click well with each other, but I don't enjoy the characters assigned to them. Am definitely no fan of any of Tom Cavanagh's characters.

I watched Captain Marvel on International Women's Day, which I just realized later, being me. The movie has a different vibe than the average movie about an Avenger's origin and I enjoyed it. Fewer Marvel-esque jokes, too. We could always use more stoic, unsmiling lady heroes.

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Taking my time

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 02:02:19 GMT

Heaven Sword Dragon Saber 2019 started airing on February 27. I'm taking my time to watch it - on episode 3 now. Production values are good, acting skills and screen presences vary, shooting locations are visually grand without coming across as trying to upstage the actors. So far I like it better than the 2009 version! But Wuji and the girls are the make-or-break point, so we'll see.

There's a Twitter account that sometimes tweets fanfic about the Indonesian founding fathers, while being up to date with Twitter culture and trends, and I'm here for it.

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My fangirling consists mostly of flailing

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 14:14:40 GMT

Very belated hello to people who subscribed to me recently!* If we knew each other from somewhere else, please drop me a note because I'm slow like that. I'm a lifelong fangirl, and always open to questions about being a professional fiction writer in Indonesia.
*Or if you, you know, mistakenly clicked Subscribe, feel free to unsubscribe.

Is it too late to join the shitposting challenge since we're halfway through February? Ideally shitposting should be funny, and I don't do funny even when I fangirl. orz

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green tea in the morning

The old gang

No ey ay

Write on

Love wins all

For 3weeks4DW

One gold knight and one silver knight

State of the writing event

Old favorites

*takes out my Zhou Xun userpic*

Things I watched, Marvel edition

Actresses

SEA rise

Upgraded roles

Cautiously venturing out

Booming sounds at 2 a.m.

Sunny with a side of passionate

Friending meme

Of living fictional men

Bats

And those zombies do move fast

One-track mind at work again

Sometimes I watch non-superhero movies

Titles should entice and be specific

Taking my time

My fangirling consists mostly of flailing

takes out my Zhou Xun userpic