#WoT anon

[hcmoeroticisms]

Natasha O'Keeffe as Lanfear in Wheel of Time, 2.07

[bunabi]

dav spoilers

Its such an inconsequential detail in the scheme of things but Tevinter would neverrrrr allow Dalish settlements to happen in Arlathan Forest 😭

They wouldn't risk a bunch of nomadic elves and escaped slaves linking up so close to the heart of the empire, dangerous ecosystem and weakened veil be damned, there's no shot they'd allow it

The Kirkwall templars stormed the Dalish camp on Sundermount for less lol aint no way the magisterium would ignore them

Like...........an entire exalted march on the Dales was sparked by a misunderstanding

But the Archon is letting them tee hee and clique up and amass ancient elven weapons on the doorstep of Minrathous

I'm sorry but absolutely not lmao canon denied

[k-wame]

JACOB ELORDI & ZACHARY QUINTO He Went That Way (2023) dir. Jeffrey Darling

[markantonys]

Do u like feathers

[simplydnp]

i have also recently been thinking phil would be a perfect taskmaster contestant-

1) he loves puzzles and to be assigned A Task

2) he would vibe well with finding ways to define the tasks outside of the first level of meaning

3) he would be so bad at the physical challenges

4) he would have a lot of biting the non-existent glue lid moments

ALL OF THIS IS HOWEVER IRRELEVANT! the most important reason he should be on TM is that:

5) he is *exactly* the Taskmasters Type (impish twink with an unpredictably absurdist sense of humor) (see: sam campbell, mike wozniak, mae martin) and i think it would be amazing to see him flirt five points out of an absolutely captivated Greg Davies each and every prize task.

phil is a guy who Loves being put in a situation

(if phil is on taskmaster we need a Live Dan Reaction for it please please im on my knees)

categorizing mike wozniak as an impish twink is probably the funniest thing i've ever read and you are so right for it

phil's prize tasks would be incredible because he'd find something stupidly sentimental and absolutely win the audience's hearts over it, whilst the very next episode he's tasked with taking the most embarrassing photo and it's just a screenshot of his eating glue youtube video with 1.4 million views

phil's casual delivery whilst saying wild things is my favourite and i'd love to watch his earnesty break alex horne. greg would get a kick out of how tall he is while being so clumsy.

11/10 i need to see it

[blacktofade]

Seems like you like gemtho, I just wanna tell you that they bickers a lot on the decked out lobby (etho teases gem about her bad rng of keys and etho immediately gets the taste of his own mockery), etho saying gem is great and more that I don't remember. They're so silly

I ADORE gemtho!!! I've been having the time of my life watching all the DO streams seeing them interact! Etho gets so giggly and it's adorable! Also sorry this took me a little while to answer. I wrote a nasty little ficlet for the girlies (gn) based on the stream moment where Gem keeps hitting Etho and they're running around together.

---

Gem’s still laughing, hand outstretched to try to hit Etho again when he grabs her by the elbow and pulls her into his Decked Out room.

There’s a pinching at her shoulders when she’s shoved against the shrubbery near the doorway, but it’s muted by the surprise that hits as Etho slips his mask down just enough to lean in and kiss her.

He’s smiling against her mouth, hands tight on her upper arms, holding her steady for the brief moment where she can’t even remember her own name. And then in a rush, she realizes what’s happening and how much she wants it, and she brings her hands up to clutch at his face in case he dares to think about pulling back.

He’s more insistent than she expects as he nudges her backward, harder into the shrubs, his hands dropping from her arms to tug at her skirt, rucking it up with an unbridled eagerness.

She feels changed knowing what it’s like to have Etho slide his palms up her bare thighs while pushing soft noises into her mouth.

He’s so desperate and it makes her feel powerful.

“I need you to stay quiet,” he pulls back to whisper, eyes bright, almost feverish, and it must be contagious because Gem feels it in her chest, burning bright.

His fingertips slip into the elastic waistband of her underwear, pulling with the kind of intent that has her glancing over her shoulder. If anyone comes close, they’ll be spotted, but being in Etho’s corner keeps them from the majority of prying eyes. No one probably even knows they’re back there, though she can still hear voices, laughter, coming from near the dungeon entrance.

“Etho,” she exhales as he sinks to his knees, dragging her underwear down with him, and he taps at one of her boots and then the other to make her step out of them.

“Quiet,” he reminds her, and then hooks one of her legs over his shoulder and eases himself beneath her skirt.

It’s probably worse that she can’t see his face and doesn’t know what to expect, because her whole body jolts at the first exploratory press of his fingers against her pussy.

She reaches down, grabbing at his shoulder as he holds her open with two fingers and rubs his thumb across her clit.

“Etho,” she gasps as loudly as she dares. “You —“

She doesn’t get to finish the thought because then Etho’s mouth is on her, hungry and unrelenting, and she stares at the ceiling, face so hot she wonders if she’ll survive long enough to come.

He eats her out as though he’s been thinking about doing it for weeks, as though he’s been waiting for her to step away from the crowd so he can get her like this.

His tongue is devastating, as quick as it always is when he speaks, and he shoves his face forward, as though trying to get as close as possible, to be able to lick into her.

She feels insane from it, still reeling from the fact that Etho wants her like this, that he's maybe thought about things like this while they've spent long, exhausting days together, taking turns in the dungeon.

Etho always emerges from his runs with a frenzied look in his eyes, especially when he's successful,  when he escapes with new treasures to show off. And sometimes he'll still be breathing hard when he looks at Gem and accepts her congratulations, and it'll send a shiver of something down her spine.

She rolls her hips, just thinking about it, and she can't stand that he's hidden.

She pulls her skirt up, needing to see, and it’s easy to curl her fingers into his hair and tug, getting him to pull back, the lower half of his face wet — from her, she realizes — as he stares upwards with hooded eyes.

He looks blissed out, like this is all he’s ever wanted to do, and she lets go of his hair to card her fingers through it instead.

“You were made for this,” she whispers to him, and he nods as though she’s asked a question.

She slides her hand to the back of his head and pulls him forward again, using her other hand to spread herself for him.

The noise he lets out buzzes against her clit, and she bites her lip to keep from groaning, part of her wishing they were elsewhere, somewhere more private, so they could listen to each other.

She wants to hear him moan.

His hand shifts on her thigh, two fingers nudging at where she's so wet and easy, slipping inside with barely any effort and giving her something to squeeze around. And she does — around his knuckles, enjoying the way he fills her, wishing it was his cock instead.

She can't stare down at Etho for long, it's too much to bear, with his mussed hair, the way he's flushed up with his enjoyment. But he holds her gaze when she does, jaw working as he takes her apart, and she moves her hand away from herself to trail one fingertip across the bridge of his nose.

There's a bump there, maybe from where he's broken it a few times over the years, the cartilage not setting right. She's never seen it before, always covered by his mask, but she thinks it suits him.

He moves his head, dropping down until his nose is pressed against her, that beautiful bump brushing her clit like he knows, always too observant to not drive her insane.

"Etho," she whines as he gets his tongue back on her, and she can feel his smile against her pussy now, and she's spiraling.

He pumps his fingers slowly into her and never once looks away as she clutches at his shoulder and shakes apart under his mouth, coming so hard she's almost afraid her knees will give out.

And even then he doesn't stop, not until she pushes at his forehead, spent and bordering on overstimulated, needing him to ease up.

He turns his head, stubble rasping against her skin, and trails kisses along the inside of her thigh until he eventually reaches her knee. Carefully, he guides her leg back to the floor, smoothing down her skirt, and Gem’s whole body trembles.

Wiping his face with one hand, Etho grins up at her, and he looks so pleased with himself that it makes Gem want to ruin him.

She pulls at his jacket, dragging him to his feet, his breath ghosting over her as he laughs before she silences him with a kiss. He tastes like her,  but also him, and Gem can't get enough.

She slips a hand between them, rubbing the front of Etho’s pants, where he's hard and probably aching, and all she can think about is dropping to her knees to return the favor.

But before she can, Etho reaches down, grabbing her wrist and holding her steady.

She looks at him questioningly, raising both eyebrows, and he smiles again.

“You can help after my next run,” he tells her and Gem’s mouth opens, unable to stop the laugh from bubbling out.

“Etho,” she says, and Etho cups her face with his palm before leaning in to kiss her again. It’s surprisingly sweet this time, and he laughs against her mouth once more before he pulls away, nudging his mask back into place.

Somehow, he looks the same as always. His hair is a little flyaway, but she doubts anyone would suspect a thing.

He adjusts himself in his pants and she can’t help but shake her head in disbelief.

“Are you going to wish me luck?” he asks her, stepping back toward the box where he keeps his shards.

“No, because you’re the worst,” she lies, stooping down to grab her underwear from the floor. “How about you have these as a token instead?”

She moves closer, slipping the cotton briefs into Etho’s pocket, grinning at him because two can play that game. Etho’s eyes shine like he knows he’s made the right choice.

“Have fun,” she says. “You know where to find me when you’re done.”

[lordgolden]

Okay so I've never actually read the books and I'm only on episode four of the first season but like are Rand and Mat meant to have that much romantic chemistry?

they have some in the books but they definitely kicked it up a notch in the show :) keep watching - glad you’re enjoying wot so far!!!!

[butterflydm]

Since you're on a reread right now (and I don't have the spoons for one), I'm curious: does Min pass the Bechdel test after she leaves Salidar?

Oh, that is a huge task, anon!

Haha, off the top of my head, I can't think of any -- maybe her telling Melaine about her being pregnant, if you count her napping on Rand's lap as her 'leaving' her earlier conversation and starting a new one, oh but Rand is still part of that convo, so I guess it doesn't count. Ah, maybe a super-late series conversation she has once she leaves Rand's side counts.

I know that most of the female characters talk to other female characters about plot points fairly frequently but once Min gloms herself to Rand, most of her conversations happen with at least one man around or a man as the object of the convo, I think. But actually sifting through the books to check would be a pretty big task.

What I can do is run a general search on my pdfs and see if I get any results that might count. I'm going to use "Min said" or "said Min" as my search phrases, which is not ideal and probably won't find every time she talks to someone (it misses any time she was introduced in a scene via prose but then Jordan used "she said", for example) but should hopefully give an idea.

TEotW: the only time she talks to someone 'on-screen' in this book is her conversation with Rand, so nothing in this book.

TGH: has ten conversations in this book. First one mentions Rand; second one mentions Galad and Logain; third one mentions Rand (and is the first occurrence of her blaming Rand for things that are her own choice); fourth one mentions Doman; fifth one counts!; sixth is with Doman; seventh one counts!; eighth one counts!; ninth one is about Rand; tenth is with Rand. So 3 out of 10 aren't about or with men.

TDR: has four conversations in this book. First one is about Rand; second one is about Rand; third one is about Rand; fourth one is about Rand. So 0 for 4 in this one.

TSR: has four conversations in this book. First one mentions Gawyn; second one is with Gawyn and Galad; third one is about Rand; fourth one is her helping Leane and Siuan escape and counts; fifth one is with Gawyn. 1 out of 4.

TFoH: has five conversations. First one is about Gareth Bryne and Rand; second one maybe technically counts but Min is thinking about men a lot during it; third one is about Logain; Elayne and Min's reunion technically counts because they don't mention Rand out loud but he's the obvious subtext; and then they do talk about him in the fifth conversation. So... two half points adding up to one full one?

LoC: has six conversations. First one is about Rand (and is Min expressing the idea that Rand is the only thing that gives her happy thoughts); the second is about Rand; the third is her reunion with Rand; the fourth technically counts but is about her escaping Merana and the embassy so that she can go see Rand again; the fifth is Perrin introducing Faile and Min; the sixth is with Rand. So maybe half a point, but that 'conversation' is a single line of dialogue and the subtext was about Rand.

ACoS: has four conversations. First one is with Rand; second one is with Rand; third one is about Rand; fourth one is with Rand. 0 out of 4.

TPoD: has three conversations. First one is Min fetching drinks for Rand and Dobraine; second one is with Rand; third one is with Rand. 0 out of 3.

WH: has seven conversations. First one is with Rand; second one is with Rand; third one is about Rand (Min talks about how she "doesn't tell him things he doesn't need to know"); third one is the group love confession to Rand; fourth one is about Rand; fifth one is with Rand; sixth one is about Rand; seventh one is with Rand. 0 out of 7.

CoT: has one conversation, with Rand. 0 out of 1.

KoD: has eight conversations. First one is about Rand; second one is about Rand; third one is with Rand (and is the infamous "Min struts sexily through corpses on a battlefield" scene); fourth is with Rand; fifth is with Rand and Loial; sixth is with Rand; seventh is about Rand; eighth is about Rand. 0 out of 8.

TGS: has nine conversations. First is with Rand; second is with Rand; third is with Rand; fourth is about Rand; fifth is with Rand; sixth is with Rand; seventh is about Rand; eighth is about Rand; ninth is about Rand. 0 out of 9.

ToM: has seven conversations. First is about Rand; second is with Rand; third is with Rand; fourth is with Rand; fifth is with Rand; sixth is with Rand; seventh is with Rand. 0 out of 7.

AMoL: has fourteen conversations. First is with Rand; second is with Bryne; third is about Bryne; fourth is with Mat (and features their bizarrely appearing from nowhere friendship); fifth is with Mat; sixth is with Mat; seventh is about Mat; eighth includes Mat but most of the scene is a conversation between Min and slaver princess; ninth is with Mat; tenth is about Gareth Bryne and Mat (her convo with Siuan); eleventh technically counts but it's her leaving a helpless slave to die while cursing her for not helping (when Min should know that it's impossible) and is only two words and is said along the way to rescuing Mat, which is her focus in the scene; twelfth is with Mat; thirteenth is about Mat; and her last scene in the series is about Rand. So... half a point out of 14, I guess?

Just for comparison's sake, I'll pull out a random book for Aviendha and see what I get. I used a randomizer to give me a book number between 3-14 and got 9, so Winter's Heart. I'll use the same criteria ("Aviendha said" and "said Aviendha"). I'm doing Aviendha instead of, for example, Elayne, because I feel like Aviendha is closer to the same kind of secondary character status as Min, while Elayne is a main character so she's going to be talking a lot more.

Aviendha in Winter's Heart: ten conversations.

First conversation is her first-sister bonding with Elayne. While it does touch on Rand during the confessions, the bonding itself is a whole group of women talking about a bonding ceremony between two women. Still, for fairness sake, I won't count it.

Second conversation is talking with Birgitte about Nynaeve. 1 point.

Third conversation is with Birgitte, Elayne, and Nynaeve and they talk about Dyelin's loyalty and Aviendha teases Elayne about her being overly proud. They do mention male assassins during the convo, so I won't count it.

Fourth conversation is the love confession with Rand (as mentioned above).

The fifth conversation is introducing Min to Birgitte. Again, Rand is somewhat mentioned here, so I won't count it.

Sixth conversation mentions Elayne tricking people into thinking Mellar is her kids' dad, so doesn't count.

Seventh is Aviendha and Elayne talking about pregnancy and the Kin, so that's a second point.

Eighth is Aviendha, Elayne, and Birgitte talking over plans; third point.

Ninth is Aviendha talking to Birgitte about Elayne. Fourth point.

Tenth is Aviendha talking to Master Norry to get him to leave a very-tired Elayne alone, doesn't count.

For 4 out of 10 for Aviendha there.

[birgittesilverbae]

Top 5 culture shock moments in WoT

1. Elayne's gay awakening on the Seafolk raker

2. Elayne's entire "oh everything I was taught about the Aiel was wrong actually 😬" when she first meets the Maidens in TDR

3. the EF5 seeing Baerlon and going 😮😮😮 because it's such a huge city and then the boys hitting Whitebridge and going 😮😮😮😮😮😮 because it's such a huge city and then hitting Caemlyn and going 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 because it's... such a huge city

4. the Aiel and large-to-them bodies of water

5. any time Nynaeve and/or Elayne have Expectations about literally anywhere and they're immediately shot to pieces

[neuxue]

what about our lord and savior rand al'thor?

this one's hard mostly because it depends on when in the series you're looking at him. but up to and including early in Towers of Midnight because that's as far as I've got (do not @ me)

notes:

'lia his intensity should be off the charts' you say and I don't disagree with you but this is a series-wide average and intensity is not the same as stubbornness.

tragic backstory really just depends how far back you go :)

he really is just some guy but unfortunately he is the pattern-mandated protagonist of life, so. that's rough buddy.

whether he's good or terrible company depends on a set of factors complex enough that asmodean spent a book and a half trying and failing to work it out and resorted to musical therapy instead. RIP.

weapons or tools? this is more a perrin question but it really just depends when in the series you're asking him. either way, he is one.

enemy of god/at peace with life... see: dragonmount

he actually at one point announces that he plans to 'break the rules' but when you are the pattern-mandated protagonist of life who can literally bend the fabric of reality to your will mood, not to mention the de-facto ruler of multiple nations, the rules are kind of whatever you decide them to be. for better or worse. the only reason he's not farther to that side of things is the balefire habit.

the romance. oh, the romance. I love all the characters individually, I really do! But I am on record (extensively) as not being a fan of the romance in this series in general, and as much as I enjoy Rand interacting with and caring for and being cared for by his girlfriends, the romantic element of it almost always feels forced to me.

different sex is mostly because he and asmodean should have fucked at least once. i'm not sorry.

he gets my classic 'a better time' + 'a worse time' combination. His life sucks and everything hurts and I want him to heal and know peace and get to remember the shepherd named Rand al'Thor but I also want to watch him walk through agony and inferno, patiently forging his soul in the fires of pain. The duality of man.

He probably inspires the most godawful takes known to mankind BUT due to avoiding any and all WoT content until I finish the liveblog I can live in blissful ignorance.

I have not actually drawn any absentminded doodles on tabletops but I did write a song so I think that counts

meta-posting on main: do not @ me

[scoups4lyfe]

Wait Scoups, did u even finish Revice Mystery 3?

I'm looking in the tags and only found the beginning

SS

oH—

FVCK

[markantonys]

petition for this sad wet cat to be cherished into becoming a happy fat dry kitten

[daisychainsandbowties]

hellloooo, i really want to watch the wheel of time show but i haven’t read the books yet (i want to read them too though. just wondering what do you think is best to start with? the books or the show?

oh definitely the books!! there’s nothing quite like getting to point excitedly at things in the show and seeing them adapted and also having all the extra context and framing that the books have the space to give you. i think at least read the first three books before the show if you decide to read the books first. 🤔

one thing i will say is if you want to watch the show first then do that - don’t read the books at the same time. certain things are different enough in the show that i can see it being extremely confusing to try and follow both at once. and it’d probably ruin the experience. i personally prefer the books and i would want to read them first if i had just discovered the wheel of time now 🥰🥰

rosamund pike has done the audiobooks for the first three books so i also recommend those - i think she does a really good job!

[variousqueerthings]

Hello again!

Anon here, who asked for advice how to avoid River Song episodes.

First of all, thank you so much for your extremely detailed reply and all the work you put into it.😘

Wow… these upcoming storylines are wild, and reading about it made me cringe a few times. Also reading the summary of the events makes it look like the show’s focus shifted somewhat (more towards the personal/ romantic life of the Doctor???). But I’m sure that won’t be true for the story when I finally watch it, and it just seems like it now, because I read the summarized version.

I’m not sure if I already asked this in my original message… But, as you mentioned in your reply, season 9 is the last time River Song actually appears in DW, which seems kinda odd, given that they are married and she was foretold to be the most important person to the Doctor. Did they drop the character or the storyline??? Or is it still too early for their main story, and most of their time together is still a part of the future (of future seasons) ? Plus after reading your answer, I was wondering if the Doctor had time to get to know her as a person and fall in love with her at all? Maybe I’m thinking way to logical about a TV series “love story”. It all sounds just somewhat icky. Obsession turning into love etc.😕

(In the end I probably should stop guessing and start watching, with the help of your guide.)

And another question...

As implied, I haven’t started with s5 yet. So I was wondering if it would be advisable to watch the 60th DW anniversary episodes with David and Catherine now, given I just finished the Donna & Tenth Doctor arc? Or would it be too confusing without the s5 -s13 knowledge?

Thanks again for your detailed reply!

hello hello again!

I hope the guide is useful (I can fall into the trap of over-explaining that lead to a confusion for others, but hey, it's not for lack of enthusiasm that's for sure!)

I can tell you that there's a whole bunch of storyline that isn't related to the doctor and romance. there's some neat stuff with the doctor and the master (played by michelle gomez) in s8-s10 and I like about that narrative how much it throws itself into the un-nameability and complexity of their arc, but people can and do read it as romantic, which is totally fine. but point is it's far more open + the master and the doctor obvs have that... history

outside of river song, the arc of s5-7 isn't romance-based either (well, the ponds are romancing each other, but the doctor is kind of weirded out and/or curiously fascinated like a kid looking at bugs by the Rituals of the whole thing)

I think river song's narrative is over on the tv-show, because of how that final story in s9 ties it all together. there's this odd thing about the timeline of river song in her seasons where she talks about her and the doctor as if they're meeting backwards in chronological order (so for example at one point she kisses the doctor who's like "oh ok... first time for everything," and she answer sadly when he can't hear her that there's also a last), but this is definitely not actually the case, meaning theoretically she could come back, but if they nominally want to keep this idea of them meeting backwards, it's finished. it's doctor who though, and some characters come back after over 50 years off the show sometimes, so who can say

(I uh... personally don't think the doctor was ever written properly as falling in love with river song and that it's very creepy in its whole construction and that river song never seems to have agency in her narrative, right up until she gets trapped in the library for apparently all eternity to "save" her, but then m*ffat has had the doctor seemingly "falling" for a woman who's been into him since childhood twice now (girl in the fireplace), not to mention that amy pond -- while he does not reciprocate thank goodness -- also meets the doctor as a kid first and as an adult wants to have sex with them, so... that's just a weird thing m*ffat does a few times)

but you don't really get that narrative with the watchlist I gave you, because river song barely exists outside of narratives that are actually about the doctor (no really, she's almost always doing things because of the doctor, for the doctor, so the doctor will notice her, or talking about the doctor)/in which she's a plot-point, it's one of the reasons I actually quite like her final episode -- the doctor falls into her adventure, rather than her assisting his narrative (and it turns out the doctor knows next to nothing about her life, which is frankly another embarrassing anti-endorsement to this fuckn "romance") and that format... actually works for me, it's frustrating how it gives a tidbit of a story that might have been quite fun -- still not the romance though, go away

as for the last question: I know some people who watched the Specials before watching m*ffat or chibnall eras (I actually watched the Specials before I watched most of thirteen, just because I couldn't wait, but I had spoiled myself for the major stuff of that era beforehand). there is character development and plot and lore that gives the Specials extra Spice for sure -- I think the main thing that is Very Good in terms of going the long way around is that one of the core themes of the Specials, the doctor's sheer exhaustion and loss, is really felt a whole lot more, buuuut tbh, I think there's a lot of fun in having seen the Specials first and then going back and building to it, with the second time around being "ohhh so that's why- yeah, yeah this Creechur needs a holiday or something!!!" sometimes knowing where things end actually adds to the fun, youknow

but hold on, I'll ask from a direct source: @aq2003 you watched the Specials first and then went back to catch up, do you feel solid about that decision-making in hindsight?

(in the end though, seriously, watch the specials if you're impatient -- I don't subscribe to delayed gratification. get gratified in any order you want, that's more my personal speed, it'll be fun either way)

[nervouspearl]

Do you think there’s any significance with Moiraine’s weaving now being both gold and white compared to being only white previously?

I kinda thought it might be just the way they have developed the weaving visually from season 1 to season 2 and also the fact that Moiraine was weaving fire, but I would be interested in hearing other thoughts. I haven’t read the books myself so I might not know enough about different ways of channelling to have a very educated take on this.

[smallpapers]

Tumblr down, i think

???