#i didn't realized how much growth and development i'd go through in the process of recording and editing and producing these

[takonxmz]

A series of stories about modern exorcists, the ghosts to whom they become tied, and the various vengeances that they may or may not take.

(A modern-with-cultivation AU for MDZS, originally inspired by Beetlejuice and now gone entirely off the rails.)

A takonxmz series of podfics of ghost stories written by @dangerouscommiesubversive

Listen on ao3 here 🔗⤵️

Jiangzai x3: A Story About Death

songxuexiao | total podfic length: 01:25:13

Interior Design

sangcheng | total podfic length: 01:58:51

Gimme Shelter

wangxian | total podfic length: 2:10:28

Writ In Blood

xiyao | total podfic length: 2:08:45

[tapmora]

"The 7 Things I Stopped Doing That Made My Life Better"

The Decision to Change

A couple of years ago, I came to a place where I knew something had to change. I wanted to be healthier, happier, and more productive, but at the heart of it, I knew that it wouldn't change unless I released the habits and patterns quietly sabotaging me. It wasn't simple. Some of them had become habits, and releasing them was awkward at first. But as small changes produced noticeable results, I found the boost I needed to continue. Listed below are seven things I eliminated that really transformed my life.

1. Dead Time on Technology

My relationship with technology was the first and most difficult thing I confronted. It's easy enough in concept: locate the applications and sites that drain your time and energy and eliminate them. But in reality, it's not that straightforward. Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Netflix, the distractions go on forever. And whereas it may seem appealing to "just delete them all," some of these sites are used for purposes in my job and creative endeavors. So far from a complete digital detox, I discovered how to use them mindfully. Now, I watch Netflix only once per week, set limits on how much I watch on YouTube, and permit myself a mere ten minutes a day on social media to post content, then shut the apps down. Taking back this time cleared space for things that really fill me up.

2. People Who Drain My Energy

Something else I needed to move away from was people who left me consistently drained emotionally. You know the type, friends, acquaintances, or even family members who, after each conversation with you, make you feel worse, nervous, or drained. Initially, I was guilty of pulling away, but eventually, I understood that defending my peace wasn't selfish; it was required. I began to be choosy about who received my time and energy and looked for relationships that seemed reciprocal, supportive, and kind.

3. Constant Comparison

Social media provided no defense against the comparison trap. I'd catch myself scrolling through others' highlight reels and wondering why my own life wasn't as perfect, productive, or adventurous. It took some time, but I eventually stopped comparing myself to beautifully edited versions of other people's lives. Instead, I started looking inward and measuring success based on how I felt about my own personal growth. Letting go of the comparison habit set me free to enjoy my own path, and no longer feel behind.

4. Negative Self-Talk

The critic in my mind wasn't always benevolent. For decades, I treated myself with disrespect, saying things to myself that I'd never say to someone else. I told myself I wasn't good enough, smart enough, deserving of success, or happiness. Realizing how harmful this inner monologue was, I actively tried to substitute bad thoughts with neutral or kind ones. It wasn't about ignoring all the problems but being kind to myself and acknowledging that change takes time.

5. Clutter - Physical and Mental

I had no idea how much physical clutter was holding me back until I began getting rid of it. Old clothes, miscellaneous gadgets, papers I didn't need anymore, releasing it brought a feeling of mental clarity I wasn't anticipating. The same was true of the mental kind: anxiety about matters outside my control, resentments against people who no longer mattered, or endless lists of tasks without priorities. Uncluttering both my physical and mental environments made me breathe more easily and concentrate on what really counted.

6. Saying Yes to Everything

I was once the yes-person to every invitation, request, or favor, even if it ended with me feeling depleted. Along the process, I confused being available and being valuable. But overcommitting all the time sucked the life out of me and took away time for the things that nourished my soul. Saying no, without a lengthy explanation or an apology, was one of the healthiest routines I've developed. Now, I say yes to what feels right and no to what doesn't.

7. Waiting for the "Perfect Time"

I was constantly waiting. Waiting for the right moment to begin a new hobby, tackle a personal goal, or have a crucial conversation. I would say to myself, "I'll begin when things calm down," or "when I'm ready." Here's the thing: life never gives us perfect timing. So, I no longer wait. I began before being completely ready, before things were perfect, and it made all the difference. Progress, not perfection, became my creed.

The Takeaway

Letting go isn’t always easy, especially when we’ve grown attached to habits, people, or beliefs. But little by little, releasing what no longer serves us makes room for what does. These seven things weren’t overnight fixes, but removing them piece by piece created space for a life that feels lighter, calmer, and much more intentional.

[denchi-love]

4 Note-Taking Tips That Can Change Your Life

Making the right kind of notes has helped me learn from the past, be a better adult, and occasionally make some money.When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to become a writer. I hung around book signings and listened to authors talk about their processes. A lot of them mentioned notes. Have an idea? Make a note. Overhear something interesting? Jot it down. I was confused because I didn't understand how you could make notes and then, weeks later, magically remember they exist and use them in your writing. As a process-oriented person, I wanted to know every step. Where do you write notes? What kind of detail should they have? When do you look through them? How does a note go from being a thought to something more substantial?Now that I am both an adult and a real writer (yay!), I make a ton of notes about many more things than writing. What I've learned is that the purpose of notes is to improve your life.So, what kind of notes can change your life? 

1. Postmortems of the Past

For starters, I make notes about big life events that might happen more than once, like moving house and changing jobs (or, for some people, "having a baby" is a great example). When a big life event happens, I write down what went right and what could have gone better so that the next time I experience it, I can learn from my past experiences. 

I call them postmortem notes because I used to work at a magazine about the business of making video games; in each issue, we had a "postmortem" feature. A few people from a video game company would write an article about what went right and what went wrong while developing a particular game. That way, the team could learn lessons for next time, and any game developers reading the article would learn, too. I took the same practice and started making notes about my personal life whenever it seemed relevant.

The big one for me is moving house, which I do way too often and sometimes across borders. Getting the details of the move right, like what I put in my suitcases versus what I pack up and ship, makes a huge difference in both my comfort during the move and how much it costs.

All I do is create a new text note in my note-taking app, which is Joplin at the moment, and make bullet points under two sections: What Went Right and What Went Wrong. 

Looking back through these notes, I can see that moving pets is always stressful and that unexpected problems arise no matter how much I try to perfect the process. Another bullet point says I should stock up on prescription medications and contact lenses (both of which I order by mail) before a move so that I don't get caught without them while my mail is forwarded. It looks like a few years ago I regretted packing up the dog's brush rather than bringing it in my bag. Skimming these notes before a move always makes the next one easier, better, and more comfortable.

2. Journal Entries for Emotional Growth

Another type of note is a journal entry. I've been keeping a daily journal regularly for 10 years, which sounds like more than it is. I record the goings on of the day and my reaction to them. More often than I'd like to admit, I turn to those pages to prove that I'm right about something, like who was at an event or what happened. My journal is digital, which means I can search it easily and don't have to flip through paper pages.

Another and more important way my journals have been useful is for my emotional growth. A few years ago, I read a couple of diary entries that made me realize several incredibly stressful things happened back to back. It was just after COVID-19 had started to spread globally. I was in the process of moving from Europe back to the US. That I remember. But in going through my journals, I realized that I also had a major medical issue that started just a few days after that. Then, one of my dogs got injured badly. Then, I learned I needed surgery but that the hospital wouldn't schedule it until June because of COVID-19.

3. Calendar Events for Being a Better Grown-Up

Whether you're forgetful or not is irrelevant if you keep up your calendar by marking important dates and recording upcoming events. I rely on my calendar all the time, not just for reminders of meetings but also to improve my adulting.When a friend or extended family member mentions their birthday, I make a calendar entry for it and try to send them a message that day. I make the calendar event yellow so it stands out more. When I can't remember the last time I went to the dentist or to a particular doctor, I look it up in my calendar so that I can plan the next visit at the right time, both for my health and for health insurance eligibility. If I make a calendar event for someone's wedding, then I always know when their anniversary is. If I jot down a pregnant person's due date, I see it on my calendar and remember to ask how they're doing leading up to it.

4. Photo Notes for Quick Reference

Occasionally, my notes take the form of photos. Usually, it's something that I don't need to preserve for the rest of my life but need to reference quickly while I'm on the go.

For example, my favorite grocery store has a huge bin at the front for recycling all kinds of stuff (pictured below). But what stuff exactly? I always forget. That's why I took a photo of it. Now I know to bring an old pair of sneakers with me the next time I go shopping.If there's a store I go to regularly, I snap a picture of the sign showing its hours. If I have a particularly good bottle of wine, I take a picture—I could write down the details in my notes, but I don't want to take the time to do that if I'm hanging out with people. A quick photo is better in that case.The last time I bought a bicycle, I took pictures of price tags of the ones that I test-rode because they had the make and model on them. Again, I could have made notes about them, but that would have been awkward to do in a busy bike shop. It was much easier and faster to snap a couple of photos and look up more information about each bike when I got home.Certainly, I'm more organized than the average person. I write down all kinds of important things to make sure I'm on top of them. After years of doing it, I've finally connected the dots to see how taking the right kinds of notes makes my life appreciably better. It's a far cry from what I expected note-taking to be when I was a kid listening to writers talk about their creative process (although I certainly make creative notes, too), but these other notes are more valuable to me—and probably will be for you, too.

[future-dregs]

Send Me a Fandom Ask Game

@nitghowl1600

Yu Yu Hakusho, I love that, thank you.

Let's dig in and see what the answers are.

The first character I first fell in love with: Hiei!

My sister actually read it first, and then we watched the anime together, and from the moment she showed me his first picture I knew I would love him. And I was RIGHT. He's a bastard gremlin (affectionate) and that's just the ones I like, so it was really no surprise that he rocketed right up to the top.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Yusuke. Despite being the MC, he was an absolute ASS (which was all part of his character development but I digress), and I really, REALLY didn't like him. Brash, crass, sexist, and irritating, I did not want to spend any more time around him than was strictly necessary. Now, of course, if you've seen any of my posts or tags, you'll see that he's shoved his way into my heart and I love him very dearly. He's amazing, and his growth, maturity, and tenderness are something outstanding.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Yoko Kurama. Idk who was a closet furry in that translations room, but giving the giant, muscled fox man a "time for spankings" line was a damn choice and a choice they kept on making. Every time he opened his mouth I braced in horror and despaired of what he would say, cause ALL OF HIS LINES ARE LIKE THAT. (My sister assures me that wasn't in the manga….that...I have yet to completely finish). I do not like Yoko Kurama. But the fandom does. Oh, how they do.

The character I love that everyone else hates: Itsuki. He's not great and his relationship with Sensui is (imo) weird at best and unhealthy at worst (though I wouldn't go so far as to that its abusive). But idk man, he's a compelling, interesting character. He's a demon, who was being hunted by Sensui and was about to be killed by him, but Sensui thought he was funny and hot I guess so he let him live and they started hunting together. After Sensui's horrific (in every absolute sense of the word, holy fucking shit) realization about the humans he had been working to protect, and he was so shattered and disturbed and at loose ends that he had to make multiple personalities to protect himself and process what happened to him, Itsuki stuck with him. They may not have dealt with what happened to them in the healthiest manner, and Itsuki stepped back and let him go when he should have intervened, but what they hell else were they supposed to do, really? He supported and loved Sensui in the best way he knew how, even if that way turned out to be pushing him to the point of self destruction. Their last moments together were very moving, and solidified him as an intriguing character to me. Idk what the fandom feel for him is, but my sister greatly dislikes him, so that's who I'm picking.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Lame, but I don't think I have one.

The character I would totally smooch: Yukina. But a nice, cute little forehead kiss. She's precious and want all good things for her, and I'd like to kiss the top of her head like a cat. I don't have any character I'm attracted to though.

The character I’d want to be like: I admire Kuwabara. He's strong as hell and can fight like crazy, but he runs off of love. Like, the power of love is what motivates him. He's kind, loves his friends so much that he was willing to debase and humiliate himself so that no harm would come to them, he loves cats, his sister, PEOPLE in general and he just genuinely wants to make the world around as good as he can. He applies himself to his studies and is determined to make himself into a good man, and if I could be at all like him, I would consider myself to be a success. (The dub frickin' BUTCHERED him and all of his character traits btw)

The character I’d slap: Koenma. He deserves it. He bears a lot of responsibility for the REALLY bad stuff that happened and the unnecessary pain and torment that several characters went through. Aside from that he's also a little whiny and should really treat his second better but hey, what else is new?

A pairing that I love: YuHieiRama. This is not the most *popular* paring in the fandom (30 fics on Ao3, minimal art, there's…there's next to nothing, basically) but I LIKE it.

Kurama treasures Yusuke, he doesn't even attempt in any way to hide that fact. Also Kurama has two hands and he knows it. There's a reason Hiei/Kurama is one of the biggest ships in the fandom, their flirtation, instigated mostly and many times, by Kurama, is too much to be ignored. Hiei had THIS wonderous line "I would kill you before you could touch him (Yusuke)" which is HUGE for him and his character because his whole shtick is that he "doesn't care" about other people (he does sometimes he just doesn't show it) but when he thought Yusuke was in imminent mortal danger, he didn't hesitate even a moment to VERBALLY THREATEN (AND THEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE HOW IMPORTANT YUSUKE IS TO HIM) the one posing the danger. And he would have. And he's not a big talker, so this was a BIG MOMENT to him and his character development. Also, though not as open as Kurama, and more bashful about receiving, he reciprocates the flirtation, and seems almost to expect or wait for it at times (and then he tries it out on Yusuke, it's so cute). On Yusuke's end, he admires and respects them both, he likes them both and he just genuinely WANTS to be around them. They are right up there with the top five or so most important people in his life and his devotion is obvious. There's also the common bond between them with Kurama and Hiei being yokai, and Yusuke (SPOILER) also now being one. They have an understanding of each other and a deep care and they make such a wonderful unit, and their interactions, both between any of the two of them, or all three of them together, are just LACED with care and affection and (I think) romantic, flirtatious undertones. *deep breath* I'm so sorry about this.

A pairing that I despise: Yusuke and Keiko. And NO its not because I ship Yusuke with someone(s) else, its because I never believed them as a couple, and they seem supremely unsuited to each other. They kept saying "I love you, I love you, I like you, I miss you, I admire you, I want you" But they never seemed to show it, to prove or display that in any romantic way. They do care for each other, I'll believe that. But IN love? No. They make a horrible romantic couple, and I dislike it greatly.

[omegangrins]

Chibnall, Children, Choice and Consequence

Allow me to introduce a companion piece to A Treatise on the Doctor:

It's pretty simple:

Chibnall knows what he's doing and is playing a long game to show how the Doctor needs to take more responsibility.

Let me start off with my favorite examples. That's right, plural.

Every single villain 13 faces is never defeated, merely pushed away from causing them any immediate problems. Tim Shaw being the prime example.

1&10. Seriously, Tim Shaw. Her plan was to use his own bombs on him and then teleport him off the planet. Even without Ranskoor Av Kolos, the Doctor should have thought to check in on him. Especially after The Ghost Monument showed the Stenza were a greater threat than she knew. She still hasn't even checked up on WHAT THE HELL THE STENZA ARE! They sound worse than Daleks but naw, let's go rain-bathing in the upper tropics of Canstano instead.

2. Ghost Monument. We saw the END of an interuniversal race. What the fuck is the beginning that got them there? Who is Illyn and how and why did he orchestrate a super race?

3. Krasko. Sent back in time. Really, Doc? Not gonna take a look at the device and see where Ryan sent the prick so you can double check that he's not gonna cause anymore damage?

4. President Trump analog. Ooooo, you looked at him menacingly, Doc, that'll show him!! Not like he's gonna KEEP DOING ILLEGAL SHIT LIKE THIS.

5. The Pting. She literally shunted it off ship to be dealt with by someone else BUT DOESN'T GO BACK TO BE THAT SOMEONE ELSE ONCE SHE HAS HER TARDIS. That's like leaving a living nuke floating around after sweeping it under the rug while you fly off to Paris.

6. The Pakistani-Indian conflict still happens and millions still die. Not her fault but still....

7. Kerblam. Sure, Charlie's terrorism was solved but not the underlying problem that led to it. Humans still can't work because corporations like profits over people.

8. Similar to the Punjab, how you gonna solve sexism, classism and all the -isms?

9. WHY WAS THE SOLITRACT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE??!! It's been around since before the universe. Why'd it decide to come back now? It's a whole universe trying to hug our universe to death. Maaaaaaybe we should check out why.

11. She's gets a pass on the Dalek. Fucking impossible to eradicate them.

12. The Master!!! Finally she checks up on something after the adventures... and it's horrible. With everything gone to shit in her absence. Seeing a pattern yet?

And Barton? And the Cassaven? They didn't disappear into smoke.

13. Multiple Earths being multiply fucked. Remember when I said the Doctor couldn't solve racism, classism, sexism, or any of the other -isms? Starting to look like she needs to TRY.

14. The Skithra FLY OFF after getting hit by a laser beam. That kind of thing tends to piss people off. Even if they're idiots using other's technology.

15. Jack. The Judoon. The Ruth Doctor. All things I'd start checking out if I had a time machine BUT

16. WE CAN'T cause the TARDIS emergency alert is going off and we need to hurry up and run and solve this problem before we run out of time in our TIME AND SPACE MACHINE. Leading to another problem the Doctor could help solve but won't. Plastic and over-consumption.

17. Oh yeah, let's trap two Eternals from another universe in the same place. There's NO WAY that could ever turn out bad.

18,19,20. And again. Cyberium. Pushed off Shelley onto herself and onto Ashad and onto The Master.

That's almost 20 "enemies" the Doctor still needs to deal with.

Oh, not to mention that they let UNIT go defunct because they didn't have the forethought to ask if they needed any money in their alien fighting budget. After asking for an office, a desk, and a job. Kinda funny that way, aren't they?

I hope by now you've gotten the idea that this is VERY deliberate. This is Chibnall laying down some very heavy pipe to smack the Doctor like a clothesline. There isn't a one of these situations that can't come around to bite her in the ass.

Barton, Roberts, Skithra. These are all very loose strands for a time traveller like the Doctor to get tripped up on. Chibnall's past episodes prove it. They're all about the Doctor learning how to take responsibility.

42: The Doctor almost gets Martha killed and almost gets himself killed trying to fix it.

The Hungry Earth: The Doctor (a thousand year old "adult") tells Elliot (a 10 year old kid) that "Sure it's totally fine to go get your headphones while we prepare for an approaching unknown alien force." And 11 rightfully gets his ass chewed for it by the child's mother when the kid goes missing because OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS, JACKASS!

Cold Blood: I could write an entire essay about the Doctor's guilt over the Silurian/Human conflicts they've witnessed, but I don't need to. Because every single Silurian centered episode written in the new era is from Chris Chibnall. And you can feel the sad knowledge of Classic Who spill through. He KNOWS how many times the Doctor has fucked up with the Silurians (about 8 times in television format. And it's rough everytime. Rough.) and he writes those episodes like an apology on behalf of the whole human race. And the Doctor. You know why people are put off by Warriors of the Deep? 5 releases a gas that melts the Silurians. And though it's cheesy, the idea and execution is still horrible.

Add to that if the Doctor hadn't stopped to check the crack, then Rory wouldn't have waited and been around to be shot then absorbed by the time crack.

Power of Three: An entire episode about how the Doctor has a problem slowing down and really taking account of the lives of their companions.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: The Doctor actually tries to be responsible and pick the right people for a job. For once. But gets angry when they realize it's too late and there's another bunch of Silurians they failed to save. Classic!

Like I said, if you can't see the pattern, you're not paying enough attention to your responsibilites.

Which leads me to the why.

When you fly around time and space for thousands of years, you develop a few duties of care along the way. In every situation, you're the oldest. Technically the only adult in terms of experience. You have a responsibility to act a little less rude and be a bit more aware than needing cue cards to tell you that you should be sad about things around you. And that's the purpose of 13. She's unlucky but learning. Like 12 telling himself something with his face he couldn't say out loud, 13's instincts are leading her to a new place for the Doctor: being a caring, responsible person. Not so much laughing hard or running fast, but being kind. It's the one thing they recognized as a problem in themselves when seeing 1. Being a Doctor is about being kinder than that. Just because you HAVE to saw someone's leg off, that doesn't mean you can't wait a little and comfort them before you do it.

You wanna know what gave me every faith in Chibnall showrunning Doctor Who? 13 staying for Grace's funeral.

Do you understand how unprecedented that is? This is the same person who never said Goodbye to Jo Grant as she got married and fucked off into the night. The same Doctor who said, "I don't do domestic.", did it with Rose a regeneration later, and then closed himself off to everyone but a married couple he felt guilty about who ended up birthing his wife. Have you any idea the number of funerals the Doctor should have the common decency to sit through? This many.

So for 13 to stay around for the death of a woman she has only just met and not only that, BUT call out Ryan's father for not doing the same, it shows tremendous character growth. It's taken millennia but they're still changing.

Something similar happens with Rosa and The Witchfinders. Realizing that there a lot of companions who have been in situations that are sometimes worse than aliens, but they still manage to make it through. So she needs to buck it up and persevere for everyone else.

That's where her anger comes from, and really it's one of my favorite traits on her. It reminds me of 7. Someone impossibly old and impossibly kind saying to hell with it and at least having some fun with the evils who drag us through the universe. And just like Cartmel planned for 7, 13's past will come to haunt her.

That's where children come in. Most of us are crying babies to the Doctor.

There's this thing you notice most in British shows about answering the question directly as asked. Someone says "Are you sure?", you answer "Sure". That's a direct acknowledgement that you heard the question, understood it, and processed it enough to respond in a manner directly correlating to the question asked. Yas and Graham got it and said "Sure" but Ryan missed it and said "Deffo". This is like Elliot with the headphones. The Doctor should have immediately been like, "Okay, Ryan, it's obvious that you're still dealing with the trauma of your grandmother's death and probably not processing things on a logical level. I said "Are you sure?" Not "Are you deffo?" Because we are most definitely not deffo, Ryan. Graham, you wanna help here?"

I'm being sarcastic for points sake but you understand the idea. The Doctor knows better and has a responsibility as such. She should've really sat down with Ryan and Graham and seen if there was a better way to process their grief.

Because I'm fairly certain that "Deffo" is gonna lead to Ryan's death and Graham's cancer resurging as time cancer (I don't know what time cancer is. I just know it's bad.)

And that is gonna piss Yas off. Which will give you all that character you think she's missing (she isn't. Her character is in her subtleties and silences.). That's WHY her character is a police officer (like how does no else see that the man who wrote Broadchurch wrote an inspector character companion?) Imagine you're Yaz and you see the Doctor flying around in a big, magic box that says POLICE. As a fellow officer, you're gonna expect some basic safety protocols.

Like do a background check on everyone flying in the TARDIS to know whether they're stable enough (mentally, physically, emotionally) for time and space travel. It's no picnic. These people are going to go through hell. A little vetting and planning like Time Heist or Dinosaurs on a Spaceship goes a long way.

Secondly, full fucking disclosure.

"Oh. I can't die because I change my body. Oh. I have arch enemies that will try to kill and torture us any chance they get. Oh. My home planet is full of the biggest assholes in the universe and I'm including my arch enemies."

Third, police like to do this thing called "check-ups" where they go back to the scene of the crime in order to see if there is any more information that can be gleaned which you might not notice when you are busy running around trying not to be killed... Like, the Doctor has the perfect machine to do this with, but nope. Adventure done, run to the next place!!

These are all things you'd expect any reasonable person to do and say when taking others flying off into time and space and "helping". Even if they are an idiot passing through and learning. Especially when you consider the Doctor is vastly older and more experienced than everyone they encounter. They SHOULD know better. And they've got the lifespan to slow down. It's not like they need to be in a hurry because they're going to die at any moment like humans. The Doctor could easily stay for tea and it would be less than a drop in their lifespan.

Now, as usually is the case when I make these theories, I have a parts 1,2,3,4 and 6. There's allways this 5th piece I miss but I manage to get at the end.

But the 6th piece is the Timeless Child. The Doctor isn't a Time Lord anymore. They're not beholden to those people and ideas anymore. Even moreso, those people basically raped her childhood for their own gain so it's not like you'd really listen to them and their "policy of non-intervention".

I'm sensing a coming Trial of a Time Lord season (even believing these two seasons are the opening statement and preliminary evidence of the trial itself) wherein the Doctor finally gets the turnaround 6 deserved. A Trial of the Time Lords, if you will.

"In all my travels through time and space I have battled against evil, against power-mad conspirators. I should have stayed here! The oldest civilization: decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core! Power mad conspirators? Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen — they're still in the nursery compared to us! Ten million years of absolute power: that's what it takes to be really corrupt!"

This is what it's all coming down to. Chibnall's takedown of the Time Lords. And The Master is going to play the most crucial role of all.

They're going to be revealed as an Ux alongside the Doctor and show how the only constants they have in this universe are each other and it's about damn time they work together and tell these high collars to eat Schitt while they explore every star and planet they can find.

Come on, the episode is called The Timeless "Children". If it was just the Doctor it'd be called "The Timeless Child". The Master says as much with the misdirect line, "built on the lie of the Timeless Child." since we see two kids playing in that flashback.

"Since always. Since the Cloister Wars, since the night he stole the moon and the president's wife, since he was a little girl. One of those was a lie, can you guess which one?"

Now we know which one was a lie, we know the Master HAS known the Doctor since they were a little girl. THAT little girl...

But this is all just speculation. It's not like Chris Chibnall could have been thinking about this for the past 40 years and was given a blank slate to do whatever he wanted for five years on his favorite TV show. If y'all want to think he took those reigns and is choosing to make things worse...

Well then you don't know much about responsibility.

I'll let the man himself tell you about it.

"Very early in my career,” says Chibnall, “someone told me that you learn more from a failure than you do from a success. And then I lived out that phrase for a year in Los Angeles. I learned that I would not work that way again or be put in that situation again.” The essential lesson was: “You either have to be in total control of a show or working with people who share your vision and will work with you to achieve it. Also, never work with 13 executive producers.

“Camelot was the classic case of too many cooks. It wasn’t a harmonious set-up and I think that does manifest itself on screen.

“I had a fantastic cast but you have to be free to tell the story you want to tell in the way that you want to tell it. What ended up on screen was not what I wanted and so it is a blemish on my CV.”

Credit to @thirteenthdoc

“You immortals - so entitled, so spoiled. You never clear up after yourselves and you always leave stuff lying around.” - Thirteenth Doctor in Can You Hear Me?