"The Scent of Jasmine Tea - Tales from the Orient” - the 2026 Story Event Official Support Thread

[Writer61]

I'm already realizing I'm biting off quite a bit. I like these kinds of stories to be accurate as fuck, so now I'm trying to figure out how I can have a British/Australian mandate border a Japanese mandate in the Straits of Malacca, which didn't happen. That's fine, but I want to have a way that it could have happened.

That is certainly a challenge. What time period do you have in mind?

 

[Voboy]

That is certainly a challenge. What time period do you have in mind?

1927.

Germany has just made it into the League of Nations and the guys who got expelled from Germany's possessions after WWI are just starting to make their way back.

I could pretty easily move east, near Rabaul, but I feel like the Solomon Islands aren't really in keeping with what Chloe's looking to do: she's shooting for tea ceremonies and rice cultivation, rather than Pacific islanders. I might compromise by moving across Malay into the South China Sea instead, which presents a wee bit more plausibility.

I kinda need the prewar German possessions to be a couple thousand miles west of where they really were. But I think I can make it work.

 

[Voboy]

Agree 100%. This one could involve a lot of research for participants unless you're already a history scholar. I think it would be wise to not wait until the summer to get started unless you've got the research or a concept that doesn't need it.

Lol. I'm already sort of a history scholar. No worries.

 

[Voboy]

She's seemed pretty open to interpretation. While some of us might end up writing tea ceremonies, I don't think that her goal was to get a bunch of stories like the ones she'd write.

Oh no, I know. She'd be fine with Rabaul. But I don't really feel it's in the spirit of the event. I like to have these kinds of rules imposed on me; they make this sort of thing more fun.

I don't want it too far offshore. The Solomons aren't really what I think of as "The Orient" in the sense of this event.

 

[Writer61]

1927.

Germany has just made it into the League of Nations and the guys who got expelled from Germany's possessions after WWI are just starting to make their way back.

I could pretty easily move east, near Rabaul, but I feel like the Solomon Islands aren't really in keeping with what Chloe's looking to do: she's shooting for tea ceremonies and rice cultivation, rather than Pacific islanders. I might compromise by moving across Malay into the South China Sea instead, which presents a wee bit more plausibility.

I kinda need the prewar German possessions to be a couple thousand miles west of where they really were. But I think I can make it work.

How about Sumatra as a German territory, rather than a Dutch one (perhaps purchased or swapped with the VOC), that is ceded to the Japanese after the Great War? That would put them on one side of the Malacca Straits, directly opposite the British in Malaya and the Straits Settlements.

 

[Voboy]

How about Sumatra as a German territory, rather than a Dutch one (perhaps purchased or swapped with the VOC), that is ceded to the Japanese after the Great War? That would put them on one side of the Malacca Straits, directly opposite the British in Malaya and the Straits Settlements.

Yeah, I can't do that. My "history brain" won't allow it. I'm not doing an alternate history.

I've already got a solution to the geographical problem. Now I mostly just need to devise a plot I can present in such a way that the readers will understand the politics. I'm sure I can do that.

 

[Writer61]

Yeah, I can't do that. My "history brain" won't allow it. I'm not doing an alternate history.

I've already got a solution to the geographical problem. Now I mostly just need to devise a plot I can present in such a way that the readers will understand the politics. I'm sure I can do that.

You asked for something that could have happened, and my proposal certainly could.

The VOC (that's the Dutch East India Company) were always up for a deal, just look what happened to New Amsterdam.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I'm already realizing I'm biting off quite a bit. I like these kinds of stories to be accurate as fuck, so now I'm trying to figure out how I can have a British/Australian mandate border a Japanese mandate in the Straits of Malacca, which didn't happen. That's fine, but I want to have a way that it could have happened.

Aceh, in northern Sumatra

It was an independant state, but under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 the British ceded their colonial possessions on Sumatra to the Dutch. In the treaty, the British described Aceh as one of their possessions, although they had no actual control over the sultanate.

Initially, under the agreement the Dutch agreed to respect Aceh's independence. In 1871, however, the British dropped previous opposition to a Dutch invasion of Aceh, possibly to prevent France or the United States from gaining a foothold in the region. Although neither the Dutch nor the British knew the specifics, there had been rumors since the 1850s that Aceh had been in communication with the rulers of France and of the Ottoman Empire.

Pirates operating from Aceh threatened commerce in the Strait of Malacca; the sultan was unable to control them. Britain was a protector of Aceh and gave the Netherlands permission to eradicate the pirates. The campaign quickly drove out the sultan but the local leaders mobilized and fought the Dutch in four decades of guerrilla war, with high levels of atrocities.The Dutch colonial government declared war on Aceh on 26 March 1873. Aceh sought American help but Washington rejected the request. The Dutch tried one strategy after another over the course of four decades. An expedition under Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler in 1873 occupied most of the coastal areas. Köhler's strategy was to attack and take the sultan's palace. It failed.

The Dutch then tried a naval blockade, reconciliation, concentration within a line of forts, and lastly passive containment. They had scant success. Reaching 15 to 20 million guilders a year, the heavy spending for failed strategies nearly bankrupted the colonial government. During the course of the war, the Dutch set up the Gouvernment of Atjeh and Dependencies under a governor, although it did not establish wider control of its territory until after 1908. The Aceh army was rapidly modernized, and Aceh soldiers killed Köhler. Köhler made some grave tactical errors and the reputation of the Dutch was severely harmed.

During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Empire of Japan emerged as the most developed state in Asia and as an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence. After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea and the southern half of Sakhalin, and annexed Korea in 1910.

As Japanese trade with foreign powers expanded, and Japanese merchant shipping begam to open trade ith Europe and Asia, the Japanese found Aceh a useful port of call and in 1870, in a treaty with the Sultan of Aceh and with the tacit agreement of the British (who were assisting Japan in building a modern Navy), the Japanese established a protecterate over Aceh.....

 

[Writer61]

It is a fascinating region, with so many competing powers, foreign and indigenous. Even today, you can see the Dutch influence in Malacca and the British influence in George Town (Penang).

 

[Voboy]

Aceh, in northern Sumatra

It was an independant state, but under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 the British ceded their colonial possessions on Sumatra to the Dutch. In the treaty, the British described Aceh as one of their possessions, although they had no actual control over the sultanate.

Initially, under the agreement the Dutch agreed to respect Aceh's independence. In 1871, however, the British dropped previous opposition to a Dutch invasion of Aceh, possibly to prevent France or the United States from gaining a foothold in the region. Although neither the Dutch nor the British knew the specifics, there had been rumors since the 1850s that Aceh had been in communication with the rulers of France and of the Ottoman Empire.

Pirates operating from Aceh threatened commerce in the Strait of Malacca; the sultan was unable to control them. Britain was a protector of Aceh and gave the Netherlands permission to eradicate the pirates. The campaign quickly drove out the sultan but the local leaders mobilized and fought the Dutch in four decades of guerrilla war, with high levels of atrocities.The Dutch colonial government declared war on Aceh on 26 March 1873. Aceh sought American help but Washington rejected the request. The Dutch tried one strategy after another over the course of four decades. An expedition under Major General Johan Harmen Rudolf Köhler in 1873 occupied most of the coastal areas. Köhler's strategy was to attack and take the sultan's palace. It failed.

The Dutch then tried a naval blockade, reconciliation, concentration within a line of forts, and lastly passive containment. They had scant success. Reaching 15 to 20 million guilders a year, the heavy spending for failed strategies nearly bankrupted the colonial government. During the course of the war, the Dutch set up the Gouvernment of Atjeh and Dependencies under a governor, although it did not establish wider control of its territory until after 1908. The Aceh army was rapidly modernized, and Aceh soldiers killed Köhler. Köhler made some grave tactical errors and the reputation of the Dutch was severely harmed.

During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Empire of Japan emerged as the most developed state in Asia and as an industrialized world power that pursued military conflict to expand its sphere of influence. After victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), Japan gained control of Taiwan, Korea and the southern half of Sakhalin, and annexed Korea in 1910.

As Japanese trade with foreign powers expanded, and Japanese merchant shipping begam to open trade ith Europe and Asia, the Japanese found Aceh a useful port of call and in 1870, in a treaty with the Sultan of Aceh and with the tacit agreement of the British (who were assisting Japan in building a modern Navy), the Japanese established a protecterate over Aceh.....

Yes, dear, but... I need a German ex-colony. Gotta be German. My muse demands it be German. Fuckin' Germans...

I've solved it. I've got one, on the equator just south of Singapore. My original location was off Aceh, but for complex diplomatic reasons, it's got to be on the Equator.

I know. I'm high-maintenance. I went ahead and invented an island. Easier all around.

 

[Writer61]

Yes, dear, but... I need a German ex-colony. Gotta be German. My muse demands it be German. Fuckin' Germans...

I've solved it. I've got one, on the equator just south of Singapore. My original location was off Aceh, but for complex diplomatic reasons, it's got to be on the Equator.

I know. I'm high-maintenance. I went ahead and invented an island. Easier all around.

Ah, you mean Pulau Jerman.

 

[Voboy]

Ah, you mean Pulau Jerman.

EXACTLY!

I'm calling it Pulau Luntak, though, because I like how that sounds.

 

[Writer61]

EXACTLY!

I'm calling it Pulau Luntak, though, because I like how that sounds.

With 17,508 known islands in Indonesia, what's another one?

 

[Writer61]

I can reveal that my entry is also set in the 1920s, primarily in Malaya. I have taken a few liberties with the timing of actual events, hopefully @Voboy's historical brain will forgive them.

 

[Voboy]

I can reveal that my entry is also set in the 1920s, primarily in Malaya. I have taken a few liberties with the timing of actual events, hopefully @Voboy's historical brain will forgive them.

Oh, absolutely. I impose limits on me, not others!

 

[Husky_Embrace]

The first thing I thought of was "Journey to the West," though I think it's out if scope and now that I have a kid I can't write it anyway.

Still nice to imagine it. Maybe a 15th century version in Japan, mixing the cultures and times.

Following a person meeting being from folk tales. The protagonist is someone who learned Tao, and it able to shapeshift into 72 erotic forms and personalities, made to overcome any obstacle.

Formal, respectful and seemingly slow speech filled with meaning, followed by bursts of action. Imagine a formal dinner at a shō-chi house that blocks the pass. During the dinner the daughter shows no behaviour of affection, but her speech and uncontrollable physical reactions tell a different story. When left alone they break composure, kissing passionately and drawing the other to the bed. Afterwards the daughter puts in a good word, so the protagonist can continue his journey.

 

[Voboy]

My story isn't going well, alas. It might be more than I bargained for.

 

[Writer61]

My story isn't going well, alas. It might be more than I bargained for.

I'm sure you can do it. Still got plenty of time.

 

[Voboy]

I'm sure you can do it. Still got plenty of time.

Oh, it's not about time. Having less time would probably benefit me more, honestly.

It's about will.

I no longer like the story, nor do any of the characters interest me. If they don't interest me, they surely won't interest anyone else. My setting is boring and claustrophobic, my conflict is FAR too complicated, and ultimately there's no good way to tell the story, sexually.

I'll see if anything else speaks to me.

 

[Writer61]

Fair enough.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

Just a small comment: I love the fact that we are doing "orient", but the exclusion of India bothers me. The Indian cultures have informed so much of Chinese, Japanese and Indo-Pacific cultures (Buddhism, Zen, Shaolin, Angkor Wat, Bahasa, The Journey to the West, the LITERAL names of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the sailing culture in HK, the architecture across all of the Indonesian archipelago) over millennia, and discarding Indian cultures because they might feel "different" to the uninformed doesn't sit right with me.

I would love to do a love story of an Indian sailor and a Singaporean courtesan, or an Indian pirate who has captured a Korean princess, or even gay romance between a Chola prince and his Chinese apothecary, but the way the contest is framed right now is, quite frankly, shallow and limiting. Most of the defenders of Singapore during the siege during WW II were Indians. The British Indian Army was one of the largest contingents during Opium Wars.

I know you have no reason to pay heed to my words, but if you have a bit of openness in your heart, I would urge you to broaden your world view. Us "brown" people might feel dirty or smelly to you, but for millennia, we have mattered, and we continue to matter.

/End drunken rant

 

[Voboy]

I would love to do a love story of an Indian sailor and a Singaporean courtesan, or an Indian pirate who has captured a Korean princess, or even gay romance between a Chola prince and his Chinese apothecary, but the way the contest is framed right now is, quite frankly, shallow and limiting. Most of the defenders of Singapore during the siege during WW II were Indians. The British Indian Army was one of the largest contingents during Opium Wars.

You're being silly, or perhaps just dense. It's quite clear that a story involving Indian pirates is just fine, so long as it happens in Singaporean or Korean waters. Indian soldiers in Singapore are just fine. The Opium Wars are perfectly acceptable.

Run your own writer event, if you don't like this one.

 

[YmaOHyd]

A South Asia event next year would be super fucking cool, actually. (I say that as someone who's a little bummed that I won't be entering this.)

 

[calmlikeabomb]

You're being silly, or perhaps just dense. It's quite clear that a story involving Indian pirates is just fine, so long as it happens in Singaporean or Korean waters. Indian soldiers in Singapore are just fine. The Opium Wars are perfectly acceptable.

Run your own writer event, if you don't like this one.

I'm being drunk and self righteous. There is a difference.

But there is a broader point here about the mystical "orient" and how special and wonderful it is, without acknowledging one of the major cultural influences that made it so.

And no, I will not run my own writer's event. I will bitch and moan about things I don't like, just like everyone else here.

Deal with it.

 

[Writer61]

I know you have no reason to pay heed to my words, but if you have a bit of openness in your heart, I would urge you to broaden your world view. Us "brown" people might feel dirty or smelly to you, but for millennia, we have mattered, and we continue to matter.

/End drunken rant

Stop posting before you embarrass yourself any further.