safe as life

Fans with more knowledge will have to chime in but I don’t know if we’ve ever had one of the Doctors write a full novel before, and the writing of Dr Who (both for the show itself and for extended universe material) has been so dominated by writers who are white men, so it’s incredibly exciting to have a writer come from a different demographic. Black fans - and Ncuti Gatwa too - have been saying for years that we need more diverse storytellers, not just to combat racism but for the sake of the art itself!

It’s coming out 3 September!

When memories lie, the truth can be fatal.

In the aftermath of an improbable mission, the Fugitive Doctor and Martha realise that something is interfering with their minds. Something that doesn’t want to be found.

Their investigation leads to a curious artefact in the British Museum: an apparently medieval toy known as the Kaleidoscope. But the object refuses to stay in one place, one time – or one identity. And when the Doctor is repeatedly mistaken for someone she’s never met, fragments of unfamiliar memories begin to surface.

Across the Earth, a hidden pattern emerges; evidence of a secret that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal. As ancient enemies close in and innocent lives are put at risk, the Doctor learns the hard way that some truths were buried for a reason…

A key instalment of the Doctor Who transmedia event Circuit Breaker, this novel is written by the Fugitive Doctor herself, Jo Martin – and also features Martha Jones (as played by Freema Agyeman) together with the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, or UNIT.

From https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/481708/doctor-who-the-kaleidoscope-circuit-breaker-by-martin-jo/9781911743101

You can also go to this Cultbox article to see pictures of the sonic screwdriver they gave Fugitive Doctor.

There’s also this really wonderful interview with Jo Martin where you can find out more about the premise. She talks about what it was like to be cast and how her son is a huge Whovian who helped give her pointers while writing the book. And this lovely bit:

I really did grow up with Doctor Who; I used to dress up my cousins in tin foil – they had to be the Daleks! And I would fashion some kind of costume for myself and play the Doctor. And they’d be like, “Okay, now it’s my turn to be the Doctor. You have to be a Dalek.” And I’d always say, “Nah, nah, nah! I want to be the Doctor.” And they’d be like, “You can’t be a doctor, you’re a girl.”

Back then, the show had a long tradition of white males in that role, so it really was wonderful that we got Jodie. But, as you can imagine, I never saw myself represented – and to be seen is so important. So to be standing on set the day when I had to say, “Hello, I’m the Doctor…” Well. I mean, we had to retake that a few times because I’d get really choked up… I could see that little girl in me.

But now it is – and, of course, the fans have always been very inclusive. So to have that acknowledgment from Brazil to America, from France to Australia – from Aboriginal girls sending me a message – means a lot. It’s great to be able to cosplay as someone without anyone look being able to look at them and say, “Well, you can’t be wearing that.” You know? The girls can dress up as Jodie or anybody else; they can be who they like. And then, as a Black child, you can look on me and go, “You know what? I could do this.” Because Doctor Who is for everyone.

The thing I’m probably most excited about is that it sounds like the Fugitive Doctor being Black isn’t just ignored, there is some cultural diversity there or touching on how being Black might shape her experiences - and we are going to that written BY someone who is actually Black, which was one of the things I loved so much about The Storyteller and the Engine.

So we lean into a bit of the Fugitive Doctor’s heritage; the fact that she’s a Black woman. We’ve gone into what happened when she left Gallifrey – we’ve also gone to Jamdown, my dear! So we’re in Jamaica in some of the story.

Executive dysfunction comes from a lack of available dopamine. Common advice is wrong. You need to provide your own dopamine before you can start. Otherwise you're trying to run your car on empty.

"But what if I still don't do it" well you already weren't getting it done anyway. Now you have a little treat. Try again later.

You deserve kindness and care even when you aren't being productive.

I usually suggest this technique as a "Reverse Pomodoro." In the original Pomodoro, you work for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes (the times vary, but that's the essential ratio). People with executive dysfunction often find this insurmountable, and they get even more frustrated, and then the task seems even more difficult. So instead, flip those times.

FIRST, spend 25 minutes doing something energizing and engaging that you like to do. Not scrolling social media passively, not watching tv, not napping. Try something like colouring, doing yoga, running/walking around the block, talking about your favourite tv show with someone in real time, playing with the dog or cat, making and eating a lovely sandwich, hula hooping, something active. Having a little treat absolutely falls in this category!

(on the subject of little treats: refusing yourself food until you do work is for fucking Puritans and you can be kinder to yourself)

Then, after 25 minutes (or however long it takes to eat the sandwich or finish the yoga routine, it doesn't have to be exact), spend 5 minutes writing (or doing whatever you're struggling to start). Most people can coax themselves into doing something they find difficult for five minutes, if they have already filled up the joy/energy/engagement bucket. You can put a timer on for the 5 minutes if you want, or if you find that annoying, just work for as long as you like.

The other key is: don't push yourself to keep going when you're frustrated or tired—that will just reinforce the negative belief that you already have, which tells you that this task is painful to do, and needs to be avoided. If you've commonly had to force yourself to do this kind of task, that's likely part of why you think of it as painful and have trouble starting it now. Also, you should just, at a basic level, try not to put yourself in pain for the sake of productivity. So just do it till the good feelings run out. Then start hula hooping or colouring again for another 25 minutes. When the tank's refilled, try another 5 minutes of work, if you can. Adjust times to taste.

I am always thinking about this slow fucking hockey player with beautiful freckles. And a weak backhand. A weak backhand? Yes, very weak. And, he's so boring and he drives this terrible car! It's a normal car! I am always wishing that these women were him.

oh, Sisyphus! i got you

likes caviar and cigarettes

is well versed in etiquette

is extraordinarily nice

OR MayBE WE SHOULD GET A CHEERLEADER! THEY’RE USED TO GOING UP HIGH

Shane and Ilya start to glumly extract themselves from each other because they really would rather not have to deal with pap photos when they get home from this trip even if it is totally above-board for them to do this...but then the three biggest guys on the team fall in line and totally block any view of the table from the rest of the bar. And then a gaggle of drunk women flock around the photographer and Luca shrugs, saying, "They think he's some famous, well-connected fashion photographer from Paris here scouting models. Wonder what gave them that idea."