#although the way she's written in the books I definitely don't buy her talent with knives or her interest in philosophy/reading

[alectology-archive]

ohh im sure youve maybe already discussed this but if you're up for it id LOVE to hear your full take on Min. personally i like her okay, but I've never understood the massive favouritism of her on reddit, and it really annoyed me that so much time is spent on her and rand, and so little on elayne/avi/rand, tho obviously elayne and aviendha.. have their own storylines which min. doesnt really

There’s definitely a Type of crowd on reddit which makes her a very popular character there - characters like Egwene and Elayne who’re complex, willing to set themselves against their respective partners, realistically flawed & ambitious aren’t quite as popular for the same reasons.

As for Min herself... well. In general, my feelings about her have progressively gone from 'deeply disinterested in her’ to ‘deep dislike’ over time and it’s such a shame because I’m very fascinated by whatever is up with her ability. It lowkey reads like a very, very minor way of manipulating the Pattern and I've previously kind of compared it to whatever the Finn do & the Seanchan's own omen-reading practices (although I do need to admit that RJ has stated that what the Finn do is very different from Min's powers). If I weren't so irritated by how she ends up getting credit for a fashion trend in Cairhien when 1. She didn't actually start the trend 2. She didn’t like dressing the way she did and only did it because she thought Rand liked it 3. And If Dobraine had actually been praising her for talents other than dolling herself up for Rand, I would actually obsess over the fact that she got called Lady ta'veren because the text lowkey allows for that interpretation in a way. But I digress.

To get back on topic, the main issues I take with her characterisation are:

1. Her contributions to Rand's trauma, even if they're unintentional are massive - these include dumai's wells, Semirhage & Cadusane (I include her since she spends a lot of time bullying Rand or just being a Problem in general. She's not a good mentor figure.)

2. She receives undeserved praise all the time for supporting Rand during his downspiral when she does nothing but exist in the background. She’s acknowledged as Rand's emotional support gf in the fandom pretty widely but this is pretty much nonsense because she doesn't do anything to actually help him with his mental health. 

3. She encourages Rand to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms (resorting to sex during moments of emotional distress) while discouraging him from nurturing healthy coping mechanisms (she also gets really bothered when she isn’t the centre of attention in private)

4. It also definitely gets on my nerves how Min is constantly complaining about having to share Rand with two other women & always reminds the readers that Rand is involved in a polygamous relationship - Avi, Elayne and Rand easily read like they’re involved in a polyamorous relationship without her tbh. 

5. Her arc of embracing femininity & constructing her personality around an idea she has of the kind of women Rand prefers (even if Rand liked her perfectly well before she started changing herself for him and never asked her to change herself for him) is one of the worst things to come out of the books. Sometimes her pants are so tight and her heels are so high that she can't walk properly. It’s kind of funny how she’s constantly complaining and blaming him for problems he isn't to blame for because she hates that she's supposed to love him according to prophecy.

6. Min is used to replace more healthy relationships like the ones Rand has with the Maidens & his friends from home which also really grates on my nerves since the books where they take centre stage are my favourite ones

7. She encourages and excuses Rand's bad behaviour a bunch (which Avi and Elayne would never have done). I got this vibe especially during TGS.

8. She blabs about Rand's trauma to practically everybody - including people who're looking to take advantage of him/manipulate him.

9. Min also threatens Rand with physical abuse when he's going through rough patches (this includes using her knives on him? The narrative plays this off as a fun, kinky thing when it really isn't)

10. Also because I’m petty I specifically hate her for that scene from TGH where she gets mad at Egwene for ‘tossing Rand aside’ when she wasn’t romantically interested in him anymore (like ???) She seems to feel that platonic relationships don’t matter as much as romantic ones do & pretty much behaves like it during the rest of the series lol.

RJ is to blame for a bunch of this, obviously, but Min doesn't have enough of a personality outside of Rand for me to really find it in myself to redeem her in my head, tbh.

I will admit that the entire point of providing Rand with an emotional support gf when he's supposed to be in a mental health downspiral was a pretty ridiculous choice on RJ’s part. I suppose Min as a character was set up to fail all along - she can't provide Rand any actual help because that would mean helping Rand out of his downspiral, you know? It gives the same vibes as the pointless plotpoint where Cadsuane is assigned as Rand's therapist when her method of accomplishing tasks involves bullying, abusing and harassing people until they’re sufficiently cowed.

[accomplice-tendou]

Chapter Fourteen

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

You sit in the back of the car with Tendou as Shirabu drives you to a somewhat abandoned-looking building with two large men in suits standing outside.

A club?

"Alright give it to her," Shirabu nods to Reon in the passenger seat.

As you look over, Reon passes back a briefcase to you.

"Why am I the one in charge of this?" you think aloud.

"There's one hundred ten mil yen inside," Shirabu says after ignoring you, "so don't mess this up."

Helpful as always, Shirabu.

"So what am I supposed to do with this?" you worriedly ask Tendou even though you already know what to expect.

"You're going to exchange it," he shrugs.

"F-For what?" you ask as you look back to the men in the front seats.

"Oh my god," Shirabu groans, resulting in a punch in the arm by Reon.

"It's Y/N's first time leave her alone!"

Reon then turns to you and gives you a reassuring smile.

"Tendou and I will both be with you so try not to worry too much, okay?"

You nod and look towards Tendou as he wraps an arm around you.

"Ready, Y/N?!" he speaks with excitement.

"Sure," you reply even though you wish you were given more answers.

Reon and Tendou both step out of the car. You watch as Reon walks to your door and opens it for you. He holds out a hand and you put yours in his, allowing him to help you out of the car.

"Thanks."

You give Reon a weak smile and the two of you walk over to Tendou on the other side of the car.

"Awe no fair," Tendou whines, "I wanted to help Y/N out of the car."

"Will you shut up?" Reon mumbles as the three of you walk towards the bouncers.

When you approach them, you take in their appearances. The first has messy black hair and is intimidatingly tall. The other is a bit shorter, has light brown hair, and wears a bored look. Both men begin looking you up and down as you stare blankly ahead. Tendou lets out a low growl before yelling at the men.

"Oi! Her eyes aren't down there shitheads. Where's your boss?"

"God you're so loud," Reon groans only loud enough for you to hear.

The bouncers finally notice the briefcase in your hands and move aside to let you through. As you walk past, you see Tendou giving them a serious stare until you pull him away.

"Come on," you whisper, indicating to where Reon has begun walking.

The three of you walk to a back room where Reon knocks on the door. A man with dark brown, spiked hair answers the door and stares at your companions until he notices you. His eyes instantly widen before he moves aside to let you through without asking anything.

The three of you walk into the room. Tendou places his arm around your waist and ushers you inside.

"Don't be nervous, Y/N," he whispers as he removes his hand.

When his hand leaves your back, you can't help but feel the nerves. Especially when a man approaches you from the other side of a desk. Although the room is dimly lit, you see his brown hair with eyes to match that begin burning into your skin.

"Hey there boys who'd you bring with you today?" he smirks.

"H-"

"Hands off."

As Tendou was about to tell the man off, Shirabu makes his grand entrance and gets to the statement first. You can feel Tendou pouting behind you, but you are too busy worrying about the man in front of you.

"So gorgeous, you got my one hundred fifty million yen?"

What the hell?! Shirabu said there's only one hundred ten!

Tendou gives you a slight push towards the man before you. You see his eyes sparkle with excitement as you're forced closer to him.

What are they expecting me to do here?!

"Actually sir, we have a new offer for you," you lie after a moment of quick thinking.

"Go on. I'm listening."

You look to your side where Reon's standing. He looks at you with worry written all over his face. However, it's their fault for putting you in this position.

"Well, uh, since we're making a big exchange," you begin making up, "this is a big opportunity for both of us. Without us, your business wouldn't be thriving as much as it is."

I've got no idea what Shirabu and Reon are planning on buying, but if it's worth one hundred fifty yen, it's gotta be important to this guy.

The man bends down to grab something. When he stands back up he slams down a brick of cocaine.

You can't help but stare at the brick for a moment. This is all so new to you. When you look back at the man before you, he can read that expression like a book.

"Do you have my money sweetheart?" he asks coyly, still seeing right through you.

Unsure of what to do, but experiencing the same rush of adrenaline you felt when you met Tendou, you take a step towards the man teasing you.

"Y/N..." Tendou calls from behind.

"You know, I've seen the exact same product from my old neighbor and he was definitely not getting two point three million yen per brick," you smile sweetly.

I heard Tendou say something about sixty-five bricks before. I guess they're supposed to be buying sixty-five bricks of cocaine for one hundred fifty million yen.

"He must have not been doing his business the right way," he winks.

"That may be true," you shrug, "but then I can always go buy the goods from him."

You turn around and see your three friends with worried looks on their faces but before you can move, the man you were bargaining with grabs tightly onto your wrist.

"Y/N right?" he asks.

You turn around and nervously nod your head.

"I like you, Y/N," he chuckles.

"Not cool 'Kawa, that's not yours," you hear from behind.

The man shrugs off the comment and lets go of your wrist. He sits down in his chair and gives you a quick look up and down before continuing the negotiation.

"So, Y/N, how much would your neighbor sell sixty-five for?" he asks earnestly.

"Probably one hundred mil but I guess I'll settle for one hundred ten," you grin.

"Goddamn what a rip off," he laughs, "but I guess I can make an exception for you just this once."

After throwing you a wink he stands back up and places down two large, black containers on the desk. He then eyes your briefcase so you place it onto the table.

For a brief moment, you notice the man smirk once more and begin to look down along your body but before he gets too far you get pulled back to Tendou and an arm goes around your waist.

"Sorry guess I forgot to mention that Y/N's taken," Tendou teases as he tightens the grip on your hip.

The man pouts at you and begins whining about how he was tricked. However, before you get the chance to think of what to say or do, Reon nudges your arm and says it's time to go.

The four of you walk out together satisfied with the deal.

"HOLY SHIT!" Tendou exclaims as he spins you around the room, "Y/N did such a good job, didn't she!"

"I've gotta admit I was worried there for a second," Reon tells the group, "but you did well, Y/N."

"Thank you," you nervously accept the compliment even though on the inside you were freaking out that Tendou's friends were beginning to accept you.

"I agree," Shirabu nods, "I was skeptical but you negotiated better than I thought."

"It was your idea you know!" you make sure they realize.

"You were just supposed to show him your tits and let us handle the rest but you didn't let us begin before you started your own idiotic plan," he huffs, "and I wasn't expecting him to talk business with you."

"What a bunch of pushovers," Tendou laughs loudly, "I can't believe they let Y/N manhandle them like that!"

"How are none of you acknowledging that you all just threw me in there without telling me what's going on! You're all ridiculous," you pout.

"No, what was ridiculous was the math you did in your head!" Reon chimes in, "How'd you know how much he wanted per brick."

"It was easy," you shrug, "I just divided the total by how many bricks you were planning on buying. I overheard Tendou talk about it before."

"That's a serious talent," Shirabu tells you, "It was actually pretty cool."

"You think so?!"

"I told you guys," Tendou sings, "Y/N's the best accomplice!"