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rey-jake-therapist · 8 days ago

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There's a lot of discourse around shipping lately, treating the concept of shipping a female character (in this case, Galadriel) with a male character as "sexist". Those who say this kind of thing will argue that shipping is equal to treating the female character as "a side character" for a male character, who would be considered by the shipper as the most important character of the two. For the record, this post is inspired particularly by a Reddit post, but I've read these takes many times.

Excerpt of said Reddit post :

People in this fandom center Galadriels entire character around the men she interacts with. Every time she speaks to a man, there is a group of people who start shipping her with that man. It's not even funny anymore how some people here can't talk about her character without bringing up some guy who she interacted with. And this is especially frustrating because a lot of these discussions push her into the wife role. She is "married to Sauron" she is "married to Adar" the ring she wears is totally an "engagement ring". Even though there are two men who also received rings and I don't see anyone calling their rings engagement rings. And then there are some discussions that are downright disgusting, especially the "the stab she received from Sauron is a metaphor for penetration," and I don't mind discussing that. What I have an issue with is the romanticizing of that moment. Because Sauron also stabbed Celebrimbor, but people don't have an issue calling out how fucked up that scene was. It's almost like people are treating her like an accessory to men, when the show doesn't even do that. One of the strongest relationships in season one in my opinion was her relationship to Miriel. But I barely see people talk about that.

Notice how this person says with their whole chest that they're all for the kinky stuff, but not for the romantic stuff; this screams like a person who reads Saurondriel smut in secret, but clutches their pearls as soon as there are feelings involved because "uh, he's evil !".

To see the whole thread, click here. Notice that there are some very intelligent reactions to this claim, proving once again that Reddit is not completely lost. At least, this sub in particular isn't.

I won't start dwelling on the fact that this trend which consists in claiming that romance somehow diminishes a female character is getting very old, it won't be the subject of this post. Others have already breached this subject in a much more articulate way than I could ever do.

When people say they don't like that people ship Galadriel, it almost always means, "we don't like her being shipped with Sauron, yikes". I mean, let's be real : the most popular ship, is, by far, Haladriel. We're the ones being "sexist" here . Tbf with this person, they mentioned other ships as well so I will give them the benefice of doubts. It's also clear that they can't take a joke, because I never saw any shipper, being Haladriel or else, who was serious when they called Galadriel "X's wife", but whatever.

But even if we were serious, what's sexist about that, exactly ? If she's "Sauron's wife", for example, doesn't that make Sauron "Galadriel's husband" as well ? Why is shipping always called out for making the female character "an accessory to the male character", and never as making the male character an accessory to the female character ?Why is it considered reducing towards Galadriel, but not towards Sauron/Adar/Elrond ? Do the male characters gain somehow more than female characters at being shipped ?

The same question can be asked about the sexualization of the characters : it's always considered "outrageous" and "sexist" to sexualize female characters, even when it's done by women (which is almost always the case, in the context of shipping), but generally okay to sexualize male characters, why ? Because male characters supposedly have "the power" in the dynamics, based on their gender ?

I mean, I just find these ideas very reductive.

Now on the subject of Galadriel always being "connected to male characters". Well, first, sorry, but Galadriel doesn't get to spend much time around other female characters, in the show. And even in the books written by Tolkien, errrrr...?? This person mentions Galadriel's relationship with Miriel, that no one talks about. Well, I would love for Galadriel and Miriel to have interacted more, but the fact is that most of her interactions were with Halbrand/Sauron, in season 1. She indeed had an interesting connection with Miriel, but the show dedicated so little time on it that it leaves not much to discuss, really.

And in season 2, it's even more simple: she doesn't interact with any other female character. There's a female Elf in the company who leaves Lindon for Eregion, but the writers didn't even give her a line until episode 7, and when they did they killed her off 10 sec after she opens her mouth for the first time. If she had a good relationship with Galadriel, we have no other choice but imagining it. So, yes, we discuss Galadriel's relationship with men, because this show is very male-centric. And Tolkien's world itself is very male-centric, as a matter of fact. That the fans, and the shippers in particular, are blamed for that is really something.

I would LOVE for other female characters, albeit non canon characters, to be introduced in the show and to interact with Galadriel. I would LOVE Galadriel to have a female best friend, or even a female rivale, an enemy, a colleague, whatever ! And if I hope that Galadriel will return to Numenor, and I think she will because it was hinted more than once (her vision in the Palantir identical to Miriel's, and Miriel's promise to Galadriel that Numenor will return, which could imply Galadriel's involvement), it's also because I want Miriel and Galadriel to resume their relationship. They'd have much to talk about, it'd be great !

Now I'd like to discuss Haladriel in particular, or more generally, Galadriel's relationship with Sauron. Another thing that bothers me with this discourse is that according to this person and many others, too much importance is given to this relationship, wether it's considered romantic or not. "Too much importance" ? Hello ? It's literally this relationship that led to all the events that followed ! In show!canon, I mean, not in the Tolkien lore. From now on, everything I'll write will be related to the show!canon, unless I specify otherwise.

I find very strange, to say the least, to feel criticized because I talk about Galadriel and Sauron, while the entirety of season was built around their relationship : even before they meet, she's obsessede with him. They meet on the sea, she saves him, they are brought to Numenor, they're thrown in jail together, Galadriel insists he's a lost king, he says nay, then he changes his mind, they fight together in the Southlands, she stops him from killing Adar, he does the same with her, they share a moment in the forest, she brings him to Eregion to heal him, then boom, she learns he's Sauron, they fight, and he leaves. And yes, Galadriel gets to interact with other characters, including Miriel, but c'mon now : the first season of this show has made Galadriel and Sauron's relationship the center of it all. Not just Galadriel, no ! Almost everything she does and says is related to Sauron. Is it our fault ? Is it the shippers fault, if the story was written this way ?

And don't get me started on all the sexual and romantic innuendos, that the tenants of this discourse are always prone to deny. "There was nothing romantic in their interactions !", "They were just friends !", "they were just political partners !". Sure, Jan. These innuendos were definitely present, the sexual tension was always present (and for God's sake, no, it wasn't the actors who wanted to jump each other, it was A-C-T-I-N-G). The writers and the directors wanted the audience to think there was, at the very least, a mutual attraction.

In season 2, Galadriel and Sauron barely interacted but they were constantly thinking of each other, especially Galadriel. Again, is it the fans' fault if they saw that and commented on a relationship that was broken, and yet still very present within the narrative ? Is it the shippers' fault if the writers decided to picture Galadriel as an ex lover in pain because her lover deceived her (or a friend deceibed by a fake friend, if that's how you interpret it !) ? Was it the shippers' decision to doll up an Elf woman as a discount Galadriel, so Sauron wouldn't take a break in his obsession for Galadriel ? No, again, it was the writing.

And actually, it makes sense that the writing spent so much time on this relationship in season 2, and will probably continue in season 3, 4 and 5 even if some of you firmly believe that Galadriel "shut the door" for good on him and will never see him or speak to him again. Because we know, this time from the Tolkien lore, that Sauron never stopped trying to grope to see her and her thought :

“I say to you Frodo that even as I speak to you I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns elves, and he gropes ever to see me and my thought but still the door is closed.”

It was literally the showrunners idea that Galadriel and Sauron must have had a sort of a relationship, based on this quote. Putting Galadriel and Sauron in a situationship was never a second thought !

It was meant to be important in the show, and it will remain important, because if it was what started this particular story told by the show, and it will probably be what will finish it as well.

To conclude : I understand why people don't all like Saurondriel... I understand why these same people don't understand why they are shipped, it's perfectly valid. But blaming the fans, and the shippers in particular, for talking so much about Galadriel's connection with Sauron, is speaking in bad faith, or being media illeterate because the writers WANT us to talk about it.

#haladriel #saurondriel #sauron #galadriel #the rings of power #galadriel x halbrand #sauron x galadriel #trop #rop #trop meta

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etoilesbienne · 7 months ago

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I try to be a fair person I try to be understanding. but I am sick and tired of having to read about the many sins of Léa for being a whistleblower. People are straight up putting words in her mouth for things she did not say.

Frankly I'm a little appalled that the MCYT community can have a huge moment about the heavy amount of misogyny present in the space and come away with the take she didn't actually experience hate from the fan community. No the other admins didn't not experience hate, but she didn't say that. She said she received hate for being the first person to come out. Or how she was discredited repeatedly and the "Jay" document was used to shame her pointedly and make her out to be unreliable and "a hater." Gee whiz I wonder where I've heard "she's just hysterical and took things too seriously and is a vindictive person out to get others projects to fail." That sure sounds familiar. Especially in CC spaces pertaining to women. Why would she be exempt from misogyny at the hands of the fandom?

Though the way people behave about former admins expressing frustration at the lack of internal translation is making me crazy. There is nothing wrong with Quackity speaking his native language in a stream for announcement. None of these admins ever said he was at fault for speaking Spanish, they were criticizing the lack of internal communication outside of the streams, and the fact the studios had no official translators on payroll to help with communication issues between languages. They aren't asking for him to speak English, tbf most of these admins don't even have English as a first language, why would they want a stream in a different language they aren't fluent in? I don't think Léa was expecting Quackity to suddenly start speaking French. They're asking for translations in the languages they do speak so they can understand these important announcements about their jobs, because they were not receiving the information about these announcements any other way. To be honest it still boggles my mind, even after all of this, that QStudios never even had official translators to relay messages between Quackity to other streamers and admins. Regardless, I feel like people are interpreting this pretty fair criticism of the complete lack of translation to non-English languages impeding the already barely existent communication to be as bad faith as possible from every side. On one hand you have people choosing to believe that is what the admins are saying and agreeing with it and then being racist toward Quackity over it, on the other hand you have people choosing to believe the admins are being racist toward Quackity and sending them hate over it. I'd be insane to deny racism toward Quackity wasn't also happening though.

I don't know what else to say than people who have been working insane hours for months on end to be exploited, and they're upset. This is a server a lot of people cared about as fans, of course the first person to come out and reveal the terrible conditions is going to receive the most amount of hate over this specific instance. It's not an unfounded claim. Have you seen the shit people say about Léa on twitter? It also doesn't mean the other admins didn't receive hate in their own regard, it's just the first person to come out is usually the biggest punching bag for it. Misogyny didn't magically dissipate from the fandom with the removal of a few problem CC. My god hear yourselves and the way you talk about a woman coming out as receiving workplace abuse.

#discourse #neg #qadmin situation #fandom neg #crit #fandom crit #qsmp crit #qsmp neg #im just very irritated. its like any consideration of misogyny goes out the window #as soon as its over someone whos deemed uncredible or bad

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genesisvirus · 23 days ago

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What is your interpretation of Wenda?

GOSH wenda is a tricky one cuz i think pretty much everyone has talked about her but like. lemme try atleast cuz i also think most people miss the mark when it comes to wenda. but this IS just my interpretation so take it how you will, i just dislike glorifying her actions ya know. anywayyyyy

-obvious one, but she mimics a cat! i'm sure if she was a specific breed she'd be a turkish angora, but she's mostly a longhair either way.

-she's rather snobbish and prissy at times tbh, think like how cats are usually protrayed in cartoons. tbf she does mean well - sometimes - like i don't think she's an outright villain in the normal mode, just maybe hard to get along with at times.

-her and gray have a love-hate relationship going on, where sometimes they get along decently, and other times gray can't stand her. they're both rather introverted and they sometimes do NOT bond over this.

-wenda does try to bond with the others, but she's rather closed-off and a bit of an outcast at times. she's not outright cruel, she's just hard to get along with, and that separates her from the others and she's aware of that. so is blackhat.

-that being said, others do try to include her when they can. oren obviously treats her pretty well, despite how she heavily dislikes his gf for some reason, and vineria and durple are rather chill with her when she's not being a jerk.

-i feel like her and jevin would've gotten along, had they interacted with each other more. i also think that, if she had let go of some of her ego, she'd probably be closer to oren.

-she is able to purr just like canon, however she is unable to meow or make most other cat-like noises. this genuinely upsets her since she can't make a whole lot of unique music. in actuality part of it is the little bit of wolf traits that she has. she can't meow, but she can bark if she tried.

-blackhat chose to manipulate wenda as she was the most outcast of the group. it was a bit of a slow burn, but he gaslit her into believing that the world they lived in wasn't real, and that they were all pawns that blackhat could bring back whenever, and as such there was no consequences to whatever happened to them. he deprived her of sleep and peace and quiet, drilling his words into her head until she finally snapped and had enough, and wanted to prove him either right or wrong.

-she drugs and kidnaps oren, and ends up performing an autopsy on him to see if he was real. he died in the middle of it, but came back via blackhat, which seemingly proved that everything blackhat was saying was true. this, along with the sleep deprivation and such, drove wenda insane, taking her frustration out on oren before eventually deciding that she needed to do the same to the others, under the belief that blackhat would free her from her fake life if she did what he said.

-i'm gonna leave the confirmed kills kinda small since i'm not sure if the creator will reveal more later, but so far i will say that wenda did kill oren, raddy, and tunner, and she was the one to mutilate pinki's face. she may've also caused the plant inside vineria to overtake her, or atleast speed up the process, but who knows.

-she's pretty much living in denial 24/7 in order to get thru the horrors she's experiencing AND causing. if she took a minute to process what she had done, she'd have a complete mental breakdown. she tries her best to ignore it for her own sake, just hoping that what she's doing is for a good cause. the truth will absolutely break her even more.

-she still interacts with durple and simon as if they're still their normal selves, oblivious to their changes and how they don't behave at all like themselves. she also does the same to the "dead", under the belief that it doesn't matter since none of it is real. so ofc they'd act normally, just ignore the blood and gore ofc!

-she's alot more comfortable with her singing after going insane, which is ironic since most of her singing is disordered and chaotic.

-she has a few stray injuries here and there from others defending themselves, and from simon randomly snapping at her at times. notably she has a bullet wound from when tunner shot at her, which the only treatment she gave it was a cloth wrapped around it.

-at this point and time she actually does not care whether she kills gray or not, she just views him as another victim. the problem is wenda has never been good at finding gray.

-the one person she actually hasn't tried to attack yet is jevin. the reason is unknown, but part of it may be explained with how she tries to encourage jevin to just listen to blackhat and give into its reign.

#ask #zephyr.txt #sprunki #sprunki interpretation #sprunki wenda

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apollosgiftofprophecy · 10 months ago

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So I was reading your Athena & Apollo headcanons and it made me think of a hc to help fill a (very mild but infinitely frustrating) plot hole in the books! (Well, plot hole is stretching it, it’s not even a plot dent, more like a detail inconsistency that affects Literally Nothing but it has driven me crazy since I read mcga)

The detail in question: Why are all of Athena’s kids blonde and (possibly) curly-haired, when Annabeth is said to get her hair from her dad and Athena has never actually appeared as a blonde? (Aside from that time in Sea of Monsters but tbf that was a hallucination so possibly not accurate). It’s bothered me for a while, because Athena doesn’t Do romance and therefore it wouldn’t really make sense for her to have a Type, right? Why would someone attracted to mortal’s intellect care about their hair color? I guess I just figured she’d been blonde for a while and decided to go brunette later, but the “dumb blonde” stereotype has been around for a long time, having been especially prevalent since the ‘50s, and I can’t imagine Athena to want to be seen as anything less than the smartest person in the room.

But then your hcs got me thinking… we know that Athena is very proud, but she’s also deeply insecure. Like, “she got made fun of for playing the flute One Time by two goddesses known to be bitchy that she already did not get along with and threw it into the woods with a curse and refused to pick it up again (until Apollo coaxed her to)” insecure. And she doesn’t have very many friends, does she? Apollo’s kind of all she has, other than mortals, but her relationship with mortals is that of a devotee and a god. Reverence is not the same thing as connection. But Apollo, who is in a similar boat to her, makes connections so easily! Even at his worst, he makes people like him against both his and their will. Even his relationships with his devotees were… well they were messy lbr but they were also very genuine, most of the time. There was something more, there.

So, all this rambling to say: what if the reason Athena’s kids all look so similar is because Athena chose to look like Apollo? I don’t think she chose to act like him, but. I dunno. Maybe she thought mortals would like her better if she looked more like her pretty, popular brother. She’s always had to listen to people, mortals and immortals alike, praise her brother for just about everything while she had to fight for even a scrap of respect. Maybe she thought she could absorb at least a little of that something that makes people genuinely like him. That something that draws her to him again and again. Maybe it’s like armor, pulling on her brother’s face. If they don’t like her, it’s not because it’s her, right? Apollo’s been driving everybody crazy lately, anyway… (and yet, he’s still more beloved than her…)

And that ALSO feeds into my preexisting headcanons about Apollo looking like a Chase, which is fun!! (I think his modern godly form looks more similar to Magnus but Lester has a face/hair texture that is really, really similar to annabeth’s! So when he bashes the two forms together he makes the two of them look even more like siblings because he’s basically a bridge between the two of them, lol. But his old godly form looked strikingly similar to Annabeth in a lot of ways… hmmmm.)

Anyway it’s kind of a convoluted hc and once again falls into the “Apollo is the specialist little guy in the WORLD” mindset but I!!! Just like it!!!! When siblings are weird and messy!!! And admiration gets mixed up with jealousy and genuine affection is twisted by circumstance and time!!! And identity issues!!! And loneliness!!! It’s latching on to someone and having them be your whole world when you know that you’re just a small part of theirs!!! AUGHHH. Weird fucked up Olympus dynamics my belovedddd

HELLO LONG ASK

I never noticed this before, but this explanation seems Interesting👀

And don't worry, this fandom basically goes "AND THIS IS WHY APOLLO IS [insert description here" ALL the time XD

BUT YES THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP EAT THEM UP WE ARE EATING THEM TOGETHER!!! :D

#the oracle speaks #the trials of apollo #apollo #athena #knowledge n wisdom #pjo apollo #pjo athena #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #magnus chase #annabeth chase #fredrick chase #natalie chase

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thequeenofsarcaasm · 5 months ago

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I’m gonna fix our mistake. Also because I’m genuinely curious - what’s your favourite intimate scene(s) you’ve written?

Dear Lord. I thought you’d never ask!

I carefully crafted a top 3:

Ahem

1- Their first time together in LIITH (Geto on top. Ch 5)

This one is a personal favourite because it was very tender despite all the frustrations, doubts and longing that preceded the event. I am very proud of the way I wrote it (mostly because of the little metaphors in the last part). But my favourite part is the last line: “Divinely his” because yeah. That’s what Gojo is now.

2- One and only intimate scene in Canary in the coal mine (Gojo on top. Ch8)

To be honest, I think what makes the scene interesting is all the build up. But my favourite aspect is the choking. Geto is a very empathetic character (empathetic to a fault even), so I felt like using their most intimate moment to allow him to feel the pain of his partner was the best occasion to show how insane he is (they both are tbf). The nice part is that he invites the pain upon him, out of empathy, to reassure Gojo, but also because he’s deeply infatuated with the idea of violence. No matter what they do, it keeps bleeding all over them. Sex is no exception.

3- THAT long and needlessly horny moment in LIITH (Gojo on top. Ch 9)

Whoever said being horny is a sin lied. I will start by making that clear.

The blowjob part was inspired by a creation by my beloved @bearhaviour and the rest is well…Let’s just say I have my moments. I once again apologise to Nanako and Mimiko for putting their father in such a state. But, in my defence, Gojo is always the one getting slutted out in every fic. I’m left wing so I think we should all get the same opportunities!

Honorable mentions:

The phone sex/masturbation moment in Joy. This might be the only fanfic of mine I re read. Changed my life fr

The tantric sex in Bewitched (that one was really cute) and the final scene I wrote while I was in the plane!

The climax of How can I decide what’s right… (I love Gothic architecture and repression so it was very fun to write. Also, they both cry in this one. Doesn’t matter if it’s for different reasons or at different moments. Gojo getting folded like a pretzel is always good. Geto licking blood from his body is even better)

Thank you for your sacrifice

#satosugu #geto suguru #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk fic

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dolche-tejada · 10 months ago

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I saw your ror post and I just wanted to say

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you–*is slowly pulled away by the fandom police*

Seriously though, it bothered me so much that there weren't any goddesses with actual roles cause you guys show Apollo but not Artemis??? Where's Athena! Or the baddest bitch, Ishtar?? Izanagi or Amaterasu when Susano is there?

WHERE'S PERSEPHONE????????!!!!!!!

ALSO! A good theory regarding Jack the Ripper is that he was actually a WOMAN which is why they were never caught. No woman could possibly be educated or blood-thirsty enough to commit this crime! Of course not!

Marie Curie was a side character, damnit!

What about Cleopatra? Joan of Arc?

There's so many badass women in history and they aren't being highlighted enough!

Sorry for ranting, ROR just frustrates me despite being such an interesting concept. Tbf, a lot of anime and manga have the same issue regarding women, so maybe I should be used to it by now

Thanks ahah and don't apologize, you're totally right !!

Of any fighting manga I've read, RoR has the weakest excuse for its lack of female fighters : The Ragnarok is supposed to feature the most powerful deities/humans that have ever existed but we're supposed to believe that out of over 26 fighters, not even one of them is a woman ?

And here it's just my opinion but there's no way Apollo was a much better choice for the roster than fucking Artemis. Okay he turned out to be a great character (one of my favorites actually) and he's also known in mythology as the god of archery but Artemis is literally the goddess of the hunt.

And even if she doesn't fight, AT LEAST give her some screentime in her brother's backstory or a cameo in the crowd, something ! At what point do you just turn her into some weird-ass statue ? What's the point of talking about myths if you're cutting out half of them ?

Plus like you said, concerning the other female deities it's just as annoying : Athena is never mentioned once ; Persephone and Demeter are just Poseidon and Hades' move names ; Hera is barely referred during Heracles' backstory and only for the writers to imply that she died a long time ago, talk about a waste.

Not to mention that as you pointed out, even on the human side there were plenty of candidates with a lot of potential.

Now I still love RoR don't get me wrong but at this point, I no longer have any expectations from its authors on this aspect. I can already bet that Izanami and Amaterasu will be the names of either Susanoo's swords or his special moves.

That's why if you or anyone else is looking for a manga similar to RoR that does more to showcase historical women, I recommend you to try Majo Taisen.

It has its issues with its lack of poc characters' representation and its portrayal of Cleopatra but it's still really enjoyable and its authors understood that History is full of badass and amazing women who also deserve the spotlight

#record of ragnarok #ror hades #ror poseidon #ror apollo #snv hades #snv poseidon #snv apollo #majo taisen #war of greedy witches #ror #snv #shuumatsu no valkyrie #rant post

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quillkiller · 2 months ago

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What are your thoughts about Lily x Petunia?

cannot believe i’ve become the resident incest guy :/ <- says guy who wont shut up about the implications of incest in pureblood families

anyway. so, incest is really only ever interesting for me to explore if there’s already potential subtext in the source material / very much ’the implications are there’ type beat where i just cant help but find it endlessly fascinating to untangle, examine, make up storylines for, etc. like incest was a common practice in pureblood households and/or marriages and i think it’s interesting to delve into how that can blur the lines when it comes to familial love/romantic love/sexual desire in such an isolated close-knit society where family and blood means everything

so like. with that being said. the evans sisters don’t fall into any of that. i’ve talked about how i consider them to have had a pretty normal upbringing here, and how their conflicts are caused by lily basically being taken away from their home to be raised at a wizard school. like they barely even grow up together, so obviously they grow apart, because they’re apart more often than they’re together. i think they were very close when they were kids, and then lily gets the letter and they just end up on completely different tracks. anyway thus is just an unnecessarily round about way to say that to me they’re just sisters lmao. i don’t think they ever had complicated mixed up feelings about each other other than genuine familial ones. such as love, betrayal, resentment, regret, frustration— but never indifference, because no matter what they’re still sisters. they were sort of forced apart, and so they ended up not even growing up as sisters, but like. that’s your sister. my sister should be here, lily thinks. my sister should be here, petunia thinks. blood isn’t everything to them and tbf they both work hard to prove that to each other due to constant miscommunication, and there’s no overwhelming codependancy blurring any lines because like. they didn’t even grow up together. i think they just miss each other like siblings who were forced apart and now they can’t speak each others language anymore so all that’s left is miscommunication and anger and both of them feeling abandoned :/

also. if they had grown up together, i still don’t think they’d ever develop incestuous feelings for each other. they come from a pretty normal household, weren’t isolated or left to depend on only each other, with pretty normal parents. they would’ve been pretty normal sisters, and i think they would’ve both been happier… 🤍

#worlds longest answer just to say ’no i dont’#<- girl stop yapping….#evans sisters #asks

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benchofindigo · 9 months ago

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Initial thoughts on first watch of Mansuang:

Standout performance for me was Tong as Hong. By the end of it his parts were the only ones that made me feel any real emotion.

Honestly, was kind of disappointed. The writing, directing, and editing were... not the greatest. Pace was all off and moments that should have been emotional fell flat. There were too many coincidences that got characters to discover information and characters trusted or told each other things without proper development or reasoning. A whole lot of telling instead of showing.

The premise of the missing document was weak and not engaging. As my one of screenwriting teachers said focus on the story not the business/paperwork and that document was definitely the later in this case. And by the end as they said, it didn’t matter anymore.

It's especially frustrating as this movie focused more on plot rather than character which is a huge reason this movie fell flat for me. All the actors did a really good job but the writing didn't give them the needed depth and relationship connections to make me feel anything. And when you add a convoluted plot to the mix it becomes tiresome to watch as you are trying to figure out what's happening and who is doing what but you don't really care because none of the characters feel like real people. I'm not one of those people that just because an actor I like is playing a part automatically means I like their character. Yeah no you have to give me a reason to and this movie didn't do that. (Though tbf that 2 second shot of Nodt playing the piano my beloved 🤩).

Again I want to say this is not a criticism of the actors!! They all did their jobs well. I can literally point out cases where it's the editing, direction, and writing that made emotional scenes fall flat for me. For example Khem crying while taking off his makeup... Apo did a great job but there were way too many quick cuts, the scene before where he gets berated is awkwardly slot in, and there was no time to breath to let that emotional scene play out. I should have been near tears but I felt nothing.

Also for a movie that did a lot of promotion on the Thai dance aspect... there wasn't really a lot of that 😕 tbh I felt more emotion out of that single behind the scenes long shot of Apo dancing we got awhile ago than any of the dance scenes in the movie. This movie really did not do the dance part justice.

#mansuang #mansuang spoilers

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demodraws0606 · 1 year ago

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What is q!BBH's end goal with the Soul Vultures ? (and his plan in general)

I'm making this in turn because I'm frustrated with the "q!BBH will die and come back with no memories" theories purely because I feel like they're really unsatisfying from a storytelling standpoint. I also have been thinking a lot about q!BBH's plan and how it could all tie together.

I've been specifically thinking about what cc!BBH has been hinting with his character's dialogue with others and the smaller details.

Now I'm gonna get started with the obvious : The Soul Vultures

We know q!BBH has been letting himself get hurt by the Soul Vultrues HOWEVER there is a big thing people are ignoring about this...

q!BBH also kills the Soul Vultures after getting attacked by them. You can see that happen at the end of this particular stream, where he even says "all according to plan".

youtube

Now I think most people know at this point know this information about Soul Vultures but after having attacked something, the soul vultures become "bloated".

When a Soul Vulture is bloated they can drop a Soul Heart.

Now those Soul Hearts can be used to make a Soul-stealing potion which can grant it's user the same abilities as the bird but after seeing some people talk about it and thinking about it...

I don't think q!BBH has been using the hearts to make potions, I think he has been eating directly.

I'm saying that based on two major things. The first being that q!BBH's ability to eat literally anything has been shoved in our faces a looooot of times to the point where it has to come into play in some way. The second is that we never really see q!BBH with the soul-steal potion effect which...tbf isn't that much of evidence but I still feel like its important to mention.

Either way, weither he has been drinking Soul-Steal potions or straight eating the hearts raw, q!BBH is not just letting himself getting attacked by Soul Vultures for no reason. He is doing so to gain something from it.

There is also a huge detail that people have missed and it's that this particular stream and it's end is the starting point of when q!BBH starts turning blue.

Meaning what is making him turn blue is not just the Soul Vultures attacking him...but the Soul Hearts (or soul steal potions) themselves.

Now let's focus on the big elephant in the room, q!BBH's clear death flags and him seeming to plan his own death.

However there are a tons of things that don't make sense with q!BBH planning to die. We know he doesn't know exactly how to get the Eggs back so him dying to get them back doesn't make sense.

He also says multiple things like him planning to escape the island with the eggs which just ends up contradicting the idea of him dying in a literal sense.

I've said it multiple times that I him dying would be most likely metaphorical but I do actually think it's a little more than just that.

I've pointed this out in a theory thread before but q!BBH's skin went through a strange transformation

He went from being extremely pale almost like he was fading away or turning into a ghost..

However, he is turning opaque again, you can see his skin almost seeming to grow back (I have no better words for it) but...he is not returning back to how he originally was. He is still changing.

I decided to compare how he was before turning to pale to the skin he currently has right now.

Now of course q!BBH now is still more pale but I want to point out to people how q!BBH's entire hood changed hues.

They're still blacks and grays so it's a lot harder to tell but I screenshoted the color wheel after picking the colors on the hoods between the two skins. You can see an EXTREMELY visible difference between the two color's hues, in fact i'd say the values of the colors are the thing that are left the most unchanged despite the fact that it's the most visible difference.

I've said this in a theory before but I do believe this heavily implies that q!BBH has died or is in some kind of strange rebirth process. I do think it's still true however I think it's slightly more different than that.

I think q!BBH is dying through this strange transformation he is going through, I don't have any other better ways to phrase it. q!BBH is slowly losing more memories and has lost any sense of pain/smell. It's quite obvious that he is dying however I don't think him dying is gonna be just him keeling over and taking his last breath. I think this transformation that q!BBH will be q!BBH's death.

When the "transformation" is fully done q!BBH won't be q!BBH anymore but be replaced by something else. That something else weither it will be completely seperated from q!BBH or be just another version of him, we don't know.

Now let's get back to q!BBH's plan, how can this transformation be beneficial for his plans at all and how does it fit with everything else he has stated about his plans.

I think q!BBH's main goal is to transform himself into something stronger because, here is the thing, q!BBH has blamed himself constantly for the eggs getting hurt. cc!BBH has said it loud and clear q!BBH's main goal has always been the Egg's wellbeing.

However his plan also involves hurting the Federation severely leading to pose the question...which is it ?

(I also want to say since I don't know how to insert it organically into my arguments but q!BBH's plan is something he had before the eggs even disappeared meaning him planning to die to get the eggs back doesn't make sense if that's part of his plan)

But I think seeing that as a contradiction might be missing the point because we assume q!BBH's Massive Omega Secret Plan only has one end goal or that it's end goal isn't broad enough for it to fill multiple purposes.

I think q!BBH's end goal is to become stronger

q!BBH is going through this transformation on purpose to become stronger most likely by giving himself the power of the soul vultures. He is going through this transformation that will most likely "kill him" to become more powerful and thus being able to protect the eggs.

The question is where does the whole "falsely emprisonned" part of this come in, why does he want to be thrown into jail for something he didn't do ?

Well I think q!BBH by making himself go into the jail..is trying to make himself snap and fully finish that transformation I was talking.

He said himself that if he doesn't time his emprisonnement correctly it could throw his entire plan into the water. Possibly because if he ends up not actually triggering the transformation it would both be harder to get emprisonned again and also would end up wasting a lot of time.

Now the reason why being falsely emprisonned would make q!BBH snap and finish his transformation would be well....we know q!BBH holds negative feelings over being emprisonned. Him getting thrown in jail at the museum for something people had no evidence for (even if he DID do it) is something that still affected him.

I think q!BBH's plan basically is the representation of what he told q!Bagi about wine glasses. When glass is broken, you can't piece it back together, you have to melt it into another whine glass. Basically q!BBH is trying to make himself shatter to reform himself again into this new wine glass.

It also fits another thing that q!BBH has said to q!Bagi, about how sometimes death is just the beginning of something else (not exactly the words he said but i digress)

And that's my theory, I probably left out some things there but I pretty much said the basics on what I think q!BBH's ultimate goal/plan is.

#q!bbh #q!badboyhalo #bbh #badboyhalo #qsmp #qsmp theory #Youtube

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fanfic-inator795 · 5 months ago

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I've talked a lot on here about my favorite characters, but what about some of my LEAST favorite characters?

Honestly, I don't have too many characters that I just hate with a burning passion or anything like that... but there are def characters that truly get under my skin. So let's have some fun and rant for a bit, shall we? Starting with least hated to most:

Sadie Miller (Steven Universe): Gonna be honest, a big reason why I dislike this character is because of her voice. No disrespect to Kate Micucci, but MAN her voice is just so grating to me personally (tbf, I feel the same way about Greg Cipes). As for the character herself, she's just incredibly whiny and annoying imo. I couldn't really relate to her frustrations with her mother, and that whole mess with her and Lars was just... yeah. Still can't really overlook the whole Stranded Island incident. Say what you will about how terrible Lars can be, but at least Lars can be funny and interesting sometimes. I just don't care for Sadie at all.

Mo Morrison (Lightyear): Laying out my biases here, I really don't like Lightyear in general, it's a very frustrating and agitating film to me personally, I could honestly rant about that movie for hours. But beyond the story/plot issues, Mo is just a very annoying character to me. They try SO hard to push him to be the comedy relief, and it just does not work. Then, when they try to push him as the team screw-up, they push too hard and just make him frustrating to watch since he literally can't do anything right and doesn't get a win until the payoff with the stupid spacesuit pen. Literally every scene with him just ends up making me go "goddamn it, Mo, why are you even here??"

Mr. Herriman (Foster's Home): As a kid who was a big fan of Frankie growing up, it shouldn't be surprising just how much I hate this rabbit. I think what really gets me is how callous and unfair he can be, with stuff like "Imposters Home for uh Make-em-up Pals", "Crime After Crime" and "Setting a President" showing him at his absolute worst. An all-around VERY frustrating and unsympathetic character to me, worse so than Bloo or any of the show's actual villains. Honestly, it makes me sad that we don't get to see more of his softer side - i.e. the life-long friendship he has with Madame Foster/the stuff that makes Madame Foster love him - as that easily could have saved his character. But for the most part, he just comes off as a huge jerk.

Stickler (The Cuphead Show): Similarly to Herriman, I think I just get incredibly annoyed with characters who put rules and procedure above everything else. What makes Stickler worse though is the voice they gave him, as while it's kinda funny in his first couple appearances, by season 3 I'm cringing just as much as Devil does whenever he pops up. They also amp up his jerkiness and pushiness in the later episodes - and while I get WHY they need to, given how distracted Devil gets, it's still a tad annoying imo.

Dr. Owen Hunt (Grey's Anatomy): Literally my least favorite character EVER. This guy... he really is just the WORST. And yes, I know there are in-universe reasons for how he acts, but when he continues being a shitty person to his wives and others, I stop caring about those reasons. He's a huge hypocrite on most things, has a 'my way is always right'/'My way or the highway' mentality, and he's just such a baby whenever he doesn't get his way or when he has to face consequences. YES, I KNOW, on Grey's pretty much everyone is a shitty person in some way because it's a dramatic medical soap opera and they need drama, but Owen really does just get under my skin the most with how stubborn and 'holier than thou' he acts a lot of the time.

...That being said, if any of my followers actually like these characters, no disrespect to you. In fact, I'd love to know WHY you like these characters, as perhaps I can get a new perspective on them.

#personal crap #random thoughts #venting #also if anyone ALSO hates these characters feel free to also comment haha

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snickerdoodlles · 1 year ago

Note

☕️ speak to me on what you want/think about for black post canon

BLACK MY BELOVED MURDER GREMLIN ❣

on a lighthearted note, Sean and Black and the behated in-law shenanigans. i want Black breaking into White and Sean's apartment to steal all their cereal and irritate the shit out of Sean (Ugh) and Sean to flirt with White in front of Black (the audacity!), because what is the POINT of Black and Sean being in-laws if not for them to irritate the shit out of each other. White absolutely knows what's happening and absolutely turns up the innocent "who, me?" mask as he winds them up, because the kid who resorted to biting Sean during a fight will absolutely be a gleeful gremlin about this.

on a cracky note, more of Todd and Black and their like...homoerotic tom and jerry act. what? i'm a simple person. Sing makes a beautiful villain and Gun makes a wonderful angry rebel. there's so much wrong with their relationship and i'm so invested, i could've watched an entire show of just these two getting bloody and physical about their ideological differences hello 👀👌

on a serious note though, Not Me as a show really let Black down :( Not Me's intended audience is an age group where people are really first getting involved with politics as well as often challenging their childhood (read: their parents'/guardians') beliefs, and Not Me as a show is both a love letter and wish fulfillment to the sense of injustice and anger at systematic discrimination that often follows that growth. it has a lot of overarching themes of marginalized people uniting as one community, validating the different ways righteous anger can express itself, and an overall message of needing to come together as one voice even when ideals don't align 100% (see Nuch and Gram).

all of which makes it really fucking frustrating that the gang leaves Black behind.

like. i agree with the show's message that Black's anger had tipped into self-destructiveness and that's bad. Black at the beginning of the show was burning himself to pieces trying to spark a revolution, and also pushing everyone who might've helped or cared about him away. White literally had to half-drown them both to knock Black out of his tunnel vision of rage -- i like the message of don't use injustice as self-harm and that trying to be a martyr isn't the answer.

but the gang isn't separated from Black because of any of that. sure, Black put distance between himself and them, but in action the gang actually dropped Black because the depth of his rage was like...inconvenient. they dropped him just because they didn't like him. Sean, Yok, and Gram don't follow up when Black has an abrupt personality change, they just like that he's suddenly a lot more personable (tbf to Gram, he did the first few episodes, then got a personality transplant so he'd drop it for plot convenience). thinking the standoff guy you barely know has been replaced by his twin you never knew is a bananas theory and there's no reason for them to ever suspect that, but then they still don't really care about Black or his well-being when he does come back. Gumpa as a character plummeted for me when he said he realized White wasn't Black right away and not only didn't follow up on Black, he went "oh yes, i like this one better, who needs Black." they didn't even look for him after Black rescued them in the hospital! the only people who ever give a shit about Black in the entire show is White and mfucking Todd, the guy who literally nearly kills him at the start, which is completely counter to the show's like. entire point. canon!

anyways, this is my long winded way of saying justice for Black. i don't want him to become a self-destructive rage monster again, but i like his righteous anger and post-canon i want Black to find a group of people who care about him and love him for being himself. i'm not against him eventually making his way back to the ROL group, but honestly i'd rather Black get a new group entirely because of *waves at previous paragraph* all of that. i did enjoy Not Me overall, but it completely dropped the ball on Black and i'd just like him to find a place that fully accepts him and all his rage and jagged edges beyond Only White.

[[ send me a ☕️ and a topic and i’ll talk about how i feel about it ]]

#not me #sorry this got a little long lol #me: i dont have many thoughts about not me #someone: *drops black in front of me*#me: I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS GREMLIN #thank u for this i love thinking about black <3 #teatime with cookie

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onaperduamedee · 1 year ago

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Notes on Knife of Dreams

This is my favourite prologue of the series so far, blood and ashes!

Galad immediately becomes a favourite if he is willing to go against a superior to have him stand trial and to fight him for assaulting his step-mom.

The way Valda talks about Morgase, Galad needs to turn him into a bloody paper garland.

During the fight, Galad talks about hearing and feeling everything in a way that’s close to how women describe embracing the source. Food for thoughts.

We've seen different types of channelling so far, but only one type of martial art?

Galad killing Valda??! Becoming Captain-Commander? Rebelling against the Seanchan?!? CONSIDERING ALLIANCE WITH THE AES SEDAI?!? Hell yeah!

"Soldiers’ hours made farmers’ hours seem restful" - spoken like a true soldier who has no idea what he's talking about. Shut up.

Ituralde leading the resistance against the Seanchan has all my respect though.

Wait, so Suroth had nothing to do with Egeanin's trap? That was the Seeker?

Everyone is trying to fight the Seanchan because they ARE the bigger threat atm, and Rand is genuinely considering working with them. Rand, don't do it!

Although I am beginning to suspect the group who will meet Rand is not Suroth and her party.

But still, Rand! They leash people who use the One Power! You cannot go anywhere near them! This is stressful.

I must admit Semirhage wiping out the entire Seanchan imperial family is satisfying considering Seanchan colonialism. RJ will always introduce bigger sharks, especially against groups who considered themselves big sharks.

We have now the Highest for the Red! First Selector for the Blue, First Weaver for the Yellow, Captain-General for the Green, Head Clerk for the Brown, and First Reasoner for the White. Nice! I am loving these details!

I haven't commented on it but Elaida's choice to call back sisters who were exiled to fill in the ranks, especially in powerful positions whatever their history with the Tower, is fascinating. This reminds me a lot of the behaviour of certain political parties losing their grip on power.

No one knows Rand healed saidin, it's frustrating me to no end! It's such a feat! And no one knows!

Loving the meta behind Yukiri wondering whether the scene depicted on the tapestry happened and the need of a weave to keep it from falling apart.

"Yes, red. I thought it might have turned green when I wasn’t looking." - Yukiri is the best, I laughed out loud.

"Pevara exchanged looks with Yukiri, then said, 'This is the less urgent, Seaine?'" - I love the BA hunting party so much. They're a hoot.

Seaine, Yukiri and Pevara are actually quite efficient given how fraught the situation is in the White Tower. And I dig the info sharing between the Ajahs: collaboration, it works!

So, the food rotting is the DO's doing? I really enjoyed the White discussing it like it's a very theoretical problem not affecting entire nations. Tbf, locked up as they are by Elaida, they probably don't know what's happening outside.

About AS as a whole: a) they're a millenia-old institution in dire need of reform, and that's even before we realise that b) they're infiltrated to the core by agents looking to sow discord and destroy the WT, c) they've been taken over by right-wing radicals. It is what makes the depiction of the White Tower mesmerising: the story shows us the White Tower at their lowest, in their deepest turmoil, when they are cornered and have no choice but to evolve or simply die out. Light, it's so current!

NON, Alviarin is onto Yukiri and Doesine, nope, nope, nope.

Ohhh, Galina has been captured by Perrin and is trying to wriggle her way out of Shaido captivity by manipulating them!

Perrin is a broken record repeating "wife." It's a tad silly.

You know what, Galina gets points for being one of the only POV characters respecting Berelain. She can call Perrin a fool to her heart's content because atm he is one.

Berelain hitting Galina, hard, because Perrin didn't want to was perfect.

Oh, the tension between the White Tower AS is THICK. Of course Egwene picks up pretty fast how degraded the situation is among the sisters.

Hell no, they have Leane too! Thinking about her being put to the question again is breaking my heart.

"Whether or not she had managed to do well as Amyrlin, she would die in a manner fitting for the Amyrlin Seat." - I love Egwene so much. She is fast becoming one of my favourite characters ever. Her arc is truly unbelievable.

I literally had Garnet singing "Stronger than You" playing in my head while reading this scene. Egwene is unbreakable.

"Whatever you do, you’ll never make me deny who I am” - I adore Egwene. I now have a very strong need to see queer Egwene. You cannot give me a character saying "I am what I am" and not make them gay. It's forbidden. Another parallel to Rand too.

The confrontation with Silviana was so tense! Really looking forward to seeing Egwene going against her and playing Elaida. Her thoughts going to Siuan and Leane though. I am going to scream. My love for this trio is all-consuming and terrifying.

"She was carrying the battle into the heart of the Tower itself. If she had had lips there, she would have smiled." - FUCK THEM UP YOU AIEL-HEARTED WONDER

Egwene, I would die for you on a battlefield.

The joy of having a Siuan POV - her strength, her worry, her competence - is somewhat marred by the constant thinking about Gareth. She spares time to moon over him, and then cannot stop to help the injured because her news are urgent? It's exhausting.

I cannot fathom the strength it takes Siuan to do what she does against women who are so much stronger and stand so much higher than her. Her willingness to put aside her pride and fear to do what needs to be done is astounding. Truly a pillar.

Faolain spilled the beans to Lelaine, but Siuan is keeping her cool. Lelaine with her machinations to become the next Amyrlin will get Egwene killed.

Wait, so Grays act as external judges going from villages to villages? That's fascinating!

Beonin, what do you think you're doing? Even your warder thinks you’re a fool.

So dead people are just appearing out of nowhere? Cool, cool, cool.

Egwene's plan of shutting down ship trading with cuendillar chains was brilliant, even if she was betrayed.

Look, my president was elected on the promise to save us from the extremes, has then started ruling with decrees, crushed public dissent with violence, painted opponents as terrorists and requisitioned striking workers to clean the capital streets where garbage is piling up. To say Elaida's reign of terror hits a little too close to home is putting it mildly.

Also fuck Beonin so hard for betraying Egwene and the Rebels, and revealing the rediscovered weaves. Whatever blood is spilled afterward is on her hands.

I did not have Aran'gar seducing Graendal on my bingay card, but here we are.

I'm surprised it took the Forsaken this long to set out to kill Mat and Perrin.

By my count, only Be'lal, Asmodean and Rahvin have been permanently killed among the Forsaken.

I am bloody angry with Perrin rn: giving the Two Rivers to Seanchan, really? Even if it means condemning to slavery some of his people? I thought his devotion to Faile was moving, but screw him, that's exactly what Tylin did.

Berelain MVP as always. What a great leader she is.

As with Isendre, I take no satisfaction whatsoever in the treatment Galina gets from the Shaido, even if she's loathsome: it's brutal, dehumanising and gendered. I think the Aiel rapport with extreme punishment is gratuitous and voyeuristic, and it’s putting me off.

Rolan and Faile... On one hand, I am glad he has Faile's back and he seems kind; on the other any woman would run from him as far as possible because his insistence is so creepy.

Also, I wish the motif of romantic captive/holder wasn't one in this saga.

At least, Arrela is sleeping with a Maiden to get her protection? Gay problematic is better than no gay.

Also, the wind, the ripple; what is going on? If this is the book of weird omen, I am all in.

And Faile has the rod! And followers! I knew she would find a way, crafty as she is.

Now, these are actually the first Mat chapters I found underwhelming? Luca is again getting annoying; I don't really care about Domon and Egeanin; what's the deal with Noal; the courtship with Tuon is entertaining, but not enough to justify the pacing.

And the Aes Sedai drama is exhausting because Mat, you lovable jerk, you are showing more sympathy toward a slave owner than her victims. Are they infuriating? Yes! Is Mat sensible in any of his interactions with or his treatment of them? No!

Also spanking Joline... He beats her first and asks questions later when channelling was the sul'dam's fault and it was HIS choice to put them in this set-up. They ARE annoying, yes! Last time I checked he wasn't spanking his manservants or Luca.

At least, Joline will teach the sul'dam? Not a great idea considering what the Aes Sedai went through and the sul'dam's attitude, but it's better than letting the sul’dam believe they are still the AS minders. No one had issues with Rand staying 1000 leagues away from AS because of Dumai’s wells.

Aludra creating canons to destroy the Seanchan: hell yeah, organise that resistance, you firecracker!

How hilarious that Mat keeps seeing Rand having sex with Min though.

The horse ride with Tuon was cute, and Mat's heart to heart with Setalle refreshing, but light, those chapters are slow. He still has so many interesting relationships with women.

The confrontation between the AS and Tuon sums up what makes Mat both infuriating and endearing: it's sexism and lack of empathy, until the women are attacked frontally and he defends them. His first impulses are always that of a jerk, but he course-corrects.

Is it fun to read? Not always, and there's something to say about reproducing sexist behaviour as is in a fantasy setting. But it makes him a realistic character.

Also Tuon can scram: enslaving people because they are annoying? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF

Shiota was terrifying! I loved the way the horror just erupted out of nowhere. And the scenes afterwards were lovely. They've accidentally become such a dysfunctional little family.

I am glad Juilin will not forget that Egeanin owned slaves.

I am really curious about the suggestions Mat will chase the Seanchan away. How will that unfold if he is married to their empress?

The Egeanin/Domon pairing heavily suggests that he will change her, but it isn't enough to change a whole nation.

MOIRAINE'S LETTER

SHE'S ALIVE SOMEWHERE WITH THE SNAKE AND FOX PEOPLE

HELL YEAH WE'RE GETTING A MAT-FLAVORED KATABASIS TO RESCUE MOIRAINE!

That also explains all the reflecting Mat has been doing concerning the Finn and what they did to him.

Light, one of the elements of a katabasis - a descent into the underworld - is that people don't always come back right... Moiraine, my heart.

Really curious about the inspiration for the Seanchan invasion because what RJ is describing - the population's acceptance, the government's obedience, the imprisonment of a minority - is VERY reminiscent of Collaboration across Europe during WWII.

The visit in a Hell was fun in its urgency. Even if it's very much the Whedon syndrome where pretty and tiny women have no trouble wrecking trained assassins thrice their size, I like that we did get to see Tuon practise a different martial art.

Misreading Tuon as Thom and vice versa when they are in the same chapter certainly makes things interesting.

Between Vane sent to kill Mat, the gholam reappearing and the Seanchan after a false Tuon, they better get the hell out of the circus. At last!

Perrin trusting Bawler after the shit he put Moiraine through is beyond grating. And Perrin witnessing a poor man dying horrifically and showing not an ounce of empathy or sense is A Lot.

What a thrilling chapter of Perrin on errands with the Seanchan!

It's crushing how thoroughly this middle stretch of books spoiled Perrin for me. I wouldn't go as far as character assassination, but he started off as my favourite of the boys and now he's just a bad friend, leader, ally to the Light and even husband.

And back to the Caemlyn siege!

Again, Elayne, having Rand's babies was 100% your choice, not Rand's. Not a mistake, not only Rand's fault.

On Elayne and the bargain: it's ironic because Morgase gave a whole lot of Andor to the Whitecloaks when held prisoner.

Elayne can fuck off for pressing her soldiers to kill retreating enemies and getting themselves killed while being a hothead on the battlefield because Min's viewing protects her. Why is she so blood-thirsty? Is the throne worth the blood and gold?

"Smiling, Aviendha turned her face up to let the rain run down her cheeks. 'I love to watch water falling from the sky.'" - Aviendha is so cute, seriously. I wish she had more to do than stand around and laugh or scowl or hug Elayne

Like with Min and Siuan, I really wish Elayne would not bemoan the Kin's newfound backbone. They deserve to stand straighter after everything they went through.

The Kin are as always very badass for managing to recruit 10,000 men for Elayne.

I love that the Kin have had a dozen professions because of their longevity and needed to move around to stay low. They are such a great addition to this universe. They will do a lot of good to the AS as a whole too.

Oh good, after competing in the last book over which of the two has the slowest arc, Elayne and Perrin are now competing for least empathy, excellent. Elayne wants to send the damane back to slavery and justifies it by her hatred of the Seanchan.

It's representative of the way some left-leaning people think about fighting oppression: hatred for the oppressor (the 1%, racists) but it doesn't extend to help toward the victims (supporting fiscal reforms, harsher sentencing against hate crime). Come on, Elayne, I know you have A Lot on your plate now, but you are better than this! If you managed to be the voice of reason for a whole journey to Tear with a traumatised Egwene and a drifting Nynaeve, you can handle this better, I know you can.

Vandene wears her sister's clothes and perfume while chasing her killer. Light, I am distraught.

"She had to watch Vandene perhaps destroying herself, and worse, make use of it." - oh, the gut-punch. Great parallel with Rand too.

At least this conundrum with the Aes Sedai and the Sea Folk is compelling. Elayne and Nynaeve made a bargain promising something they had no way of delivering, without much choice, and now they have to deal with the consequences.

Elayne, Birgitte and Aviendha are such a comedic trio: I have great expectations for the show.

The narrative is laying it THICK that pregnant women are unreliable and erratic in one of the worst bouts of sexism this book has displayed in a while.

"they did not think they already knew something of how to use a blade" - I appreciate the shade here.

I'm so frustrated by this arc: it employs Elayne in the way least fitting to her strong points. She's a Mat-type character in her chaos, with lots of heart, but her struggle with power is clearly echoing Perrin here and I don’t think it works.

Aviendha discovering her Talent with ter'angreal and the proof coming in the form of an e-book with an unbelievable library, along with the nice little nod to the difficulties of translation and the way it's a meta commentary on prophecies, was A+.

"How can you say you have nothing to give? You’ve given me everything." - The Aviendha/Elayne farewell was so moving and MoLan-coded. But I can't say I am displeased to see Aviendha move on to greener pastures where plot happens faster.

I know this won't happen but I hope the show just discards Elayne as Rand's love interest entirely. Their romance is the least developed of the three, it looks more like crush than love, and the chemistry pales in comparison to Min/Rand and Aviendha/Elayne.

I hope Birgitte is okay. With the bond, she should not be that tired.

Elayne is going to lose the mercenaries. Hiring them in the first place was a bad idea: Amyrilla also has mercenaries so it's merely a battle of who has the deepest pockets now.

Just give Mellar the boot if you don't want to arrest him! You are all needlessly endangering everyone.

The palace shifting is a really nice touch. This book has some delicious tiny worldbuilding elements showing the magic itself is wonky, like in TSR.

Birgitte and her Map room is such a neat choice and actually a great device to talk about Birgitte without doing so: her memories are fading, leaving only the newer memories, as the floor mosaic of Caemlyn is being progressively replaced.

"You were always expected to have an answer, to find one. That was what it meant to be Aes Sedai." - That's why people are like that when they learn AS are only humans. Also reminds me of my TDR notes: this is about kids understanding adulthood and that adults don’t have all the answers.

Elayne at last questions if maybe gaining the throne will cost too much to Andor. Siuan and Egwene were willing to let Elaida win if it meant saving the Tower.

Her gaggle of kid allies remain hilarious though.

The BA is now taking out Kin. No! I need whoever is responsible to be personally handled by Vandene.

Naean is also looking drawn and tired? Is something also happening to people's mind, like back in Tear with Ishamael?

Loial and his book! Of course he is interviewing Rand and Rand is underplaying his accomplishments.

Moiraine's name is written in fire inside Rand's skull: learning she may be alive will absolutely not fuck him up.

So, Rand is connected to Moridin because their balefire beams crossed? I was not expecting that.

Nynaeve replaced Moiraine as his personal Aes Sedia and it's so endearing. I am glad he has her by his side.

Man, I enjoy Verin and Cads' weird dynamic. Logain and Rand are at each other's throat like two roosters and need to cool down.

"Her knitting, a shapeless lump that might have been anything, sat in her lap" - I laughed. What a detail to drag, Rand.

Min, you're being childish: Rand knows he will die. Although apparently Rand has asked the Finn how to survive and there is a way out? Interesting.

I feel sorry for Loial. He clearly doesn't want marriage now. Why is everyone forcing him?

Awwwwww Loial wishing he had an AS with him to face his mom. Don't worry, they would make things worse.

The way he learned courage from humans though is filling my heart with joy. He has such a heartfelt subdued arc and now he will talk before his people!

The new weaves, LTT seizing saidin and trying to burn out Rand during the attack... Oof, a lot is happening to Rand.

"You’re harder than I ever was, Lews Therin said. Suddenly he giggled. If you’re not me, then who are you?" - wow, I am LOVING this.

Love the conceit of Alivia being so strong and old that no one knows what to do with her. Her destiny to help Rand die makes her figure all the more ominous.

Min seeing all sorts of things for Moiraine? How many viewings did Min have about her exactly? TELL ME

"Maybe it was just Aes Sedai concealment." - maybe it's the fact you should not require absolute obedience from anyone?

Using people as pawns is now second nature to Rand, Egwene, Perrin, Elayne. Only Mat and Nynaeve don't do it.

"She, at least, was one he did not have to worry about. Elza was fanatical in her devotion." - Rand, she's a DF. You're blindsided by her devotion to you. Be sensible.

Thank the Light Bashere is here. This meeting with the Seanchan is most definitely a trap.

A NYN POV AT LAST YES PLEASE MY GAL

"Moiraine used to say a headache was sign she had been channelling too much. That’s dangerous." - again, fascinated by this undercurrent in their marriage. How very Daphné du Maurier of Jordan.

"Greens! They simply could not be trusted with men!" - between Alanna, Myrelle, Elayne and Cads, they've certainly earned their reputation. Not on the same scale, obviously, but yeah, the Green Ajah needs to do serious education on bonding.

"his place was with her, not dying alone in a futile private war with the Shadow" / "She could try to make sure he survived, though." - No comment.

From wherever she is, Moiraine is mentally kissing Nynaeve on the mouth and praising her, as she should.

If the books had time, they would delve into what it means for Nyn to marry someone with so much baggage, and the time, adjustment and complexity behind such a match.

I've touched on this in one of my metas for the show before reading the books, but I love that Nynaeve has such a profound and sincere sense of community and duty, even more so than Egwene, which is saying a lot considering how dedicated Egwene is.

Nyn understands perfectly why Lan's commitment to Malkier matters, even understood Lan's commitment to Moiraine when she was around. But despite this understanding, she still meets Moiraine in feeling that Lan shouldn't let this commitment kill him.

There's no hypocrisy here: it's very much her saying "both matter; we are not going to sacrifice one for the other"

It's that same trait that made her push away Lan when he was ready to break his vows to Moiraine back in Tear and hats off to her.

"yet the land did not change greatly in two or three hundred years" - why do I feel this will lead to Tarmon Gai'don changing geography again?

"'Kiss me. [...] That wasn’t an order. I just want to kiss my husband.'" -

I dislike the whole Sea Folk obedience thing but that was SO cute!

One last night in Shienar: the show writers are sneaky.

Nyn leaving Lan in Saldaea to force him to ride all the way to Shienar is just SO good. She understood he cannot be trusted with looking after himself, so she will trick him into doing it, the fool man.

So men wearing the hadori carry "a reputation for sudden, unpredictable violence"? That is very interesting considering some of Lan's reflections and even Moiraine's behaviour in New Spring.

Many warders are essentially rehabilitated veterans.

They have different coins for different nations, but we haven't seen any mention of dialects? And what about the Aiel and the Seanchan being understandable? Do they all speak a language that's translated for the books like LOTR and westron?

Clever, Clever Nynaeve for travelling ahead of Lan to rouse the Malkieri, though it's funny to imagine her going from town to town in search of everyone with a Hadori before going back to healing everyone in the manor. She's the best.

Light, I've missed her POV. It's such a shame she was absent these last few books because she grew a lot in the meantime off-page. Instead of trying to overpower like she used to, she's far better at dissembling and not saying everything she thinks.

It obviously helps with Lan, but also with Cadsuane and Rand. With Lan, it's skirting manipulation, but she spent enough time with him - and with Moiraine's ghost - to realise he's not at a place where his death wish can be reasoned with for now. Healing will take time.

Oh, Rand's school led to the Locomotive rediscovery? This is making me emotional. He will change the world for the better, he will. It's truly a Renaissance!

"Lews Therin began to maunder on about taxes and money creating jobs" - okay, Ronald.

Again, not a fan of the depiction of Tear as not as beautiful as Caemlyn or Tar Valon, while pointing out the Tairens are brown-skinned and poor.

I love the detail of the merchant explaining silk can be made by worms.

Nope, please let Tear be spared the Seanchan, this city suffered enough.

Rand, you are sounding more and more like a tyrant ordering some people around and expecting total obedience, chill.

It's genuinely hard to see the lavish interiors while the Tairens are starving. It's not something Rand can fix without rebellion from nobles, but everywhere monarchy is depicted as a deeply flawed system bleeding nations (Caemlyn, Cairhien). This Age and Rand brought scientific and medical achievements in droves and magic hierarchy upheaval, but yet not an ounce of democratic progress so far. It's so bizarre!

If it isn't my favourite het couple, Darlin "himbo but noble" Sisnera and Caraline "girl in a bar restroom but noble" Damodred.

I like that Alanna gets to display her tactical knowledge as a Green Ajah, even if it's very brief.

Rand, I love you, but your imperial tendencies are showing.

So Merana, Bera and Rafaela did a good job with the negotiations with the Rebels in Tear. I’m relieved Rand is learning to delegate too.

Cads counting to get Rand to stop the disrespect: he should absolutely show more restraint as a leader, as the Dragon Reborn, otherwise his enemies will use it against him. Her advice is sound, even if she is patronising.

"When the terms you offer are accepted, hold to them.” - Rand, would you really starve the city even more because the nobles rebelled against you, a foreign leader who took power with an army of Aiel?!? Do you hear yourself?

"And would you marry a king, Caraline?” / “I will have to see you in it before I could answer that." - Darlin is a himbo king: I support him 100%. Caraline and he remain sickeningly cute and so charming together. They're by far the best nobles around.

Yessss, Rand is rallying troops for Tarmon Gai'don at last!

"More than that, we survived Cadsuane Melaidhrin, and I doubt anyone else here could do that.” - Harine and Shalon really went on a Hurin-like journey of epic proportion, didn't they?

Oh, cool, the Atha'an Miere are also flogging disobeying Aes Sedai. I would really appreciate it if ONE culture was not obsessed with spanking and whipping.

Oooooh, Logain is delivering the summon to the Sea Folk!

"It was not that he tried to dishonor anyone, yet he cared little for the honors of others." - like you humiliate AS sent to teach you? Self-awareness is the least shared trait in these books. Logain is just giving them a taste of their own medicine

Light, the Amayar after the Choeden Kal melted on Tremalking... That is truly horrifying. And so soon after the deaths in Ebou Dar and the Seanchan massacre too. How many Ath'an Miere died already?

I appreciate so many characters telling us the Last Battle is coming but Tarmon Gai'don is still three THICK books away.

"A brief interlude with tales of romance and adventure was much preferable to contemplating utter futility and the failure of what was by its very nature unfailing." - The meta of Romanda reading Birgitte's tale to escape from her reality is superb.

Of course, Romanda thought Egwene was Siuan's puppet, wrongly.

"No one has a leash on Egwene al’Vere. She is intelligent, observant, quick to learn and deft. She may become one of the great Amyrlins." - she already is. I love Egwene so much.

"That relationship was abhorrent." - I'm with you on this, Romanda.

I like Tiana: she's clear-eyed. The newer recruits are fast learners and thus priceless novices well worth the rules bent. Romanda is just the old guard bucking

Myrelle bonded Llyw to save him? The show is definitely merging her and Alanna.

Nacelle testing a weave to sense men channelling! The agreement with Asha'man! Eben helping uncover Halima! Oh, the little Hall scenes are my favourites. The drama! The tension! The theatrics!

Egwene teaching a lesson to the Accepted who wanted to teach her a lesson and keeping the novices in their place is just so bloody satisfying. All the senseless beatings and the silent resistance against Silviana make me so bloody proud of her!

So relieved Leane is okay and the Tower sees her as an AS which grants her a modicum of comfort and protection.

Screams in "Egwene and Leane trying to sow the seeds of mutiny one sister, accepted and novice at a time while prisoners", holy shit

Egwene becomes an Amyrlin for the novices, advising, comforting them, and extending this quiet support to sisters and Accepted and I love her so very much.

Laras truest ally. She'll help Egwene like she did Leane and Siuan, I tell you.

"Eventually she would teach them what she was." - EGWENE Also, again with the queer vibes. Her defiance in the face of violent rigidity and labels feels very gay.

She's apparently mediating pillow friends’ fights too.

"You’ve been kidnapped and brought aboard a sinking ship.” -

Egwene dodges Alviarin's attempts to ensnare her and absolutely dominates her conversation with Mattin.

I just love seeing her fine mind at work. Like Siuan, she's so incredibly smart.

Aes Sedai bound by the 3 oaths who swear obedience can reason their way out to an extent? That's not great for Rand...

Doesine finally interacts with Egwene, Beonin folds, Silviana talks, the novices bow... Easily the best chapter of the books so far.

I feel sorry for the women of WoT: even a woman with smaller breasts will get a description of her breasts and how doing anything will have her boobs pop out of the dress. Amazing. Tits in this universe obey to entirely different laws of physics

Elaida is a study in unravelling. And the echoes to Rand all the more delicious. This is what he risks, if he doesn't tread lightly: disobedience, allies at each other's throat, spies and DF manoeuvring in the background.

I am very confused about the amount of PDA and private discussion in public we are suddenly getting for various couples: Tuon asking for a kiss was so out there.

Of course, Mat dislikes nobles except Talmanes and Tuon. You old romantic.

I really, really wish Mat was warier of Tuon and Selucia. He's smarter than letting an invader know so much about his plans. Overall, the tolerance for a coloniser who enslaves people and slaughters others is just staggering.

Talmanes being unable to understand Tuon because of the slurring is hilarious.

The Band of the Red Hand might be the only army I feel an attachment to. Their devotion to Mat is quite moving.

My big issue with Perrin's arc is that the narrative camps on its position that He is the main character when Faile is the one driving the narrative. So we get him mostly waiting for Faile, and we get little of her POV.

Not a fan of Perrin hoping the tea will be strong enough when infused cold. It's a sound plan but you've been waiting for days! You had time to experiment! He's Ta'veren, I guess.

And Seonid adding on to the list of badass Aes Sedai. A trouper!

At least Perrin has more sense than Mat keeping the Aes Sedai and Seanchan apart. Respect to Annoura for broadcasting "fuck you, with feelings" vibes toward Tylee while the woman talks unchallenged about enslaving more people. I'd have bitten her.

Again, screw Perrin for making the personal sacrifice of letting Seanchan enslave people if it means saving Faile. He's this close to jumping the shark for me.

The ripples are so unsettling, I love it.

Seeing Rand donning his best garbs to impress the Seanchan... Moiraine would be proud.

I feel so bad for Rand. There was a time Min was a genuine source of comfort and now she's frankly overbearing and treats him like a child.

Oooooh, I thought the trap was set by Tuon's sister and was not expecting Semirhage at all! Also, Rand lost his hand? Wth?!?

So, tattoos can be restored through healing? I am not taking any notes here, none at all.

Semirhage revealing Rand's voices to everyone will not help his standing at all. Thankfully, Asha'man and Aes Sedai are getting closer which means more trust for him from these two groups.

"I am Cadsuane Melaidhrin. I look forward to long talks with you." - she's so hardcore.

Well, now he's aware the Seanchan have male a'dam, thank the Light. He'll be more careful.

Frankly, the way Mat treats Teslyn and Tuon as a "both sides" issue is so off-putting. One is literally trying to enslave the other.

I get such satisfaction from seeing Mat impress Tuon and Teslyn with his military tactics. Also, I love it when the plan succeeds thanks to collaboration.

As evident as Galina's treachery was, the escapees encouraging Morgase to channel was lovely. I’m curious about how Morgase wasn’t affected by the tea, but perhaps they drink from a different source as servants?

I don't like the Asha'man being overworked and exhausted. They should unionise.

What is so frustrating about Galina's obvious trap is that the main characters are constantly suspicious of Aes Sedai EXCEPT when they should be.

And Perrin and Faile are back together! At last! I do appreciate that Faile would have gotten herself out without Perrin, even if it failed toward the end.

Did Morgase faint because of the tea in the water or because she overdrew the One Power?

Perrin wanting to execute Galina on the spot, leaving all the Shaido Wise Ones in slavery... I feel sick. I genuinely hate him right now. I am glad he feels what the Seanchan do is disgraceful; it will be a great comfort to the people they captured.

I am so tired of people stripping their prisoners, so tired.

At Last the Shaido are leaving. I feel a little sorry for Galina: being trialled and executed would have been a mercy compared to what she will experience at the hands of Therava.

I won't comment on the expedition to High Moon Street because that was so foolish it left me speechless. That was even more clownish than the Far Madding outing.

Adeleas went to the Moiraine stabbing school of dealing with DF which I salute.

They cut down oaks hundreds of years old to make gateway grounds? Are we in Isengard?

Siuan and Egwene behave far more like adults sisters than Birgitte and Elayne: these two are like a much older sibling having to look after her disaster teenage sister.

A Birgitte POV chapter! What a delight! Like Berelain, she really is the MVP. Also Dyelin. Yes, I still ship them.

I love seeing her perspective on losing her memories. It makes her friendship with Mat of the 100 lives all the more touching.

Elayne's capture, the mercenaries, Arymilla's attack feel like such a waste: the bloodbath is a direct consequence of Elayne's recklessness. It's immensely frustrating because it's the same mistake made during the BA hunt back in book 2 to 5 except this time she’s a leader so her people die. She should know better.

The ending of the Caemlyn siege and succession felt rather rushed? Everything happened all at once and so suddenly after books of dawdling as if Elayne was ta'veren. Which she probably is tbh. I didn't enjoy this arc as much as Egwene’s or Rand's political intrigues so I'm glad it's done and she’s Queen at last. It was a fun concept, but I’m not sure about the execution.

Karede tracking Tuon and the marriage were rather cute. It might be one of the most well-developed romance in the books, oddly. I appreciate that Mat has been defeating the Seanchan for weeks now, so his leniency with Tuon is somewhat mitigated.

I get the Aludra hype now. I love a good resistance fighter and she is amazing.

"I think,” Joline said slowly. “Yes, I feel in danger, now." - The Aes Sedai are so funny.

That last battle was well set-up with a nice use of external POV and the humour in Mat's chapters is always a pleasure. His reluctance, about being a hero, a general, a husband, makes him really endearing too. He's very Nynaeve-like in his begrudging devotion. I just wish Mat wasn’t so at ease with the Seanchan.

How very Suroth of Suroth to be caught by Tuon in the epilogue though.

Pevara is extremely brave, extremely confident and extremely naïve to walk into the Black Tower like that.

As strongly as the book started, the ending wasn't as powerful as it could have been in my opinion. I would have preferred to end on Rand or Egwene whose final chapters felt more explosive. The Perrin, Elayne and even Mat plot conclusions felt a little like ticking boxes on a check list. They would have wowed me more had the plotlines not been stretched over several books. For example, LoC was very slow, but the conclusion at Dumai’s Well made it worth it for me.

It was still enjoyable and the Egwene chapters were some of the best I’ve read in a while, but we spent so much time on arcs with a foregone conclusion that at the end I didn't even care anymore.

And Nyn’s arc is still MIA. I thought that for a moment she would get something to do in the long run with Lan's ride but nope. She is shadowing Rand, but Cads is doing most of the counselling so far, and I don’t see the books introducing the kind of juicy conflict we got between Rand and Moiraine, if only because it would be repetitive. She also deserves to have an actual plotline that is about her character like Egwene and Elayne and not helping Rand.

I would be remiss in not mentioning this was RJ's last full book: when I started this journey, I wasn't particularly fond of his writing style, but I grew to enjoy his voice. I will miss his quasi photographic descriptions and impressionistic battles.

#the wheel of time #wot book spoilers #Wot book review #wot book journey #knife of dreams #remblai #I could edit and trim this but I'm already halway through The Gathering Storm #I am marching toward the Last Battle full steam ahead before september 1st #I don't have time for concision #also these are mostly for me so that I can read my notes when I need them #I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would?#probably because I was expecting something close the pre-LOC pacing and it wasn't #it did contain my favourite chapter #ever #Honey in the tea you are a star #and we learn that ***** is alive which is a big win #hell yeah we're in for a katabasis

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