#both are equally as bad imo

[osaemu]

i'm sorry but how r u gonna be close mutuals with a pedo and not know.....

[dazedsies]

Long hair Chara, Mettatons, and some fusions.

[forcedhesitation]

oh? something mizora said actually being worth listening to??

this is an interesting bit of foreshadowing to ansur being dead/wyll being the true "heart of the gate!"

[tonydaddingham]

https://www.tumblr.com/thesherrinfordfacility/725147876273094656/one-thing-i-dont-really-get-is-that-crowley?source=share

My point was more neither option is good by by dash seems to be acting like Crowley was making the right choice.

But your post was really interesting regardless, thank you for such a thoughtful answer.

no problem!!!✨

[centrally-unplanned]

We (somewhat rightly) mock the 2000's era fansub translation notes for their otaku fixations and privileging of trivia over the media, but they should be understood as serving their purpose for a bit of a different era in the anime fandom. Take this classic:

Like, its so obvious, right? Just say "pervert", you don't need the note! Which is true, for like a 'normie' audience member who just wants to watch A TV Show - but no one watching, uh *quick google* "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne" in 1999 is that person. The audience is weebs, and for them the fact that show is Japanese is a huge selling point. They want it to feel as 'anime' as possible; and in the west language was one of the core signifiers of anime-ness. 2004 con-goers calling their friends "-kun" and throwing in "nani?" into conversations was the way this was done, and alongside that a lexicon of western anime fandom terminology was born. Seeing "ecchi" on the screen is, to this person, a better viewing experience - it enhances their connection to otaku identity the show is providing, and reinforces their shared cultural lexicon (Ecchi is now a term one 'expects' anime fans to know - a truth that translator notes like this simultaneously created and reflected).

But of course your audiences have different levels of otaku-dom, and so you can't just say 'ecchi' and call it a day - so for those who are only Level 2 on their anime journey, you give them a translation note. Most of the translation notes of the era are like this - terms the fansubber thought the audience might know well enough that they would understand it and want that pure Japanese cultural experience, but that not all of them would know, so you have to hedge. The Lucky Star one I posted is a great example of that:

Its Lucky Star, the otaku-crown of anime! You desperately want the core text to preserve as much anime vocab as possible, to give off that feeling, but you can't assume everyone knows what a GALGE is - doing both is the only way to solve that dilemma.

This is often a good guideline when looking at old memetically bad fansubs by the way:

This isn't real, no fansub had this - it was a meme that was posted on a wiki forum in 2007. Which makes sense, right? "Plan" isn't a Japanese cultural or otaku term, so there is no reason not to translate it, it doesn't deepen the ~otaku connection~.

Which, I know, I'm explaining the joke right now, but over time I think many have grown to believe that this (and others like it) is a real fansub, and that these sort of arbitrary untranslations just peppered fansub works of the time? It happened, sure, but they would be equally mocked back then as missteps - or were jokes themselves. Some groups even had a reputation for inserting jokes into their works, imo Commie Subs was most notable for this; part of the competitive & casual environment of the time. But they weren't serious, they are not examples of "bad fansubs" in the same way.

This all faded for a bunch of reasons - primarily that the market for anime expanded dramatically. First, that lead to professionally released translations by centralized agencies that had universal standards for their subs and accountability to the original creators of the show. Second, the far larger audience is far less invested in anime-as-identity; they like it, but its not special the way its special when you are a bullied internet recluse in 2004. They just want to watch the show, and would find "caring" about translation nuances to be cringe. And since these centralized agencies release their product infinitely faster and more accessibly than fansubs ever did, their copies now dominate the space (including being the versions ripped to all illegal streaming sites), so fansubs died.

Though not totally - a lot of those fansub groups are still around! Commie Subs is still kicking for example. They either do the weird nuance stuff, or fansub unreleased-in-the-west old or niche anime, or even have pivoted to non-anime Japanese content that never gets international release. But they used to be the taste-makers of the community; now they are the fringe devotees in a culture that has moved beyond them. So fansubs remain something of a joke of the 90's and 2000's in the eyes of the anime culture of today, in a way that maybe they don't deserve.

[smatterbrained]

Overtarn is the funniest paring in tf imo,, guy who worships meg x the guy who wants to kill megs sooo bad. Both are equally obsessed with him. Megs is in this relationship and he doesn't even know about it, and would be horrified if he did. So many people are going to get hurt in the crossfire. It's sooo messy

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

I miss main story Sylus so much (;_;)

Don't get me wrong I adore memory Sylus. Soft!Sylus is everything to me. But I have to admit that I really want to see more of the other equally valid and real side of him as well. That being the rough, morally grey crimelord we see during Long Awaited Revelry and in his Anecdote. Apart from Sylus on the job being hot as hell, there is so much about him and his motivations that we don't know yet and that I'm dying to find out.

I will also freely admit that a huge part of the reason for why I fell for Sylus and why he still has me in a chokehold is his complexity, his duality. I like that he is neither devil nor saint. Neither black nor white. Neither red flag nor forest full of green. He is so much more multifaceted and layered. He has real tangible flaws, and is certainly not a harmless cinnamon roll. He is a loverboy, yes, but equally a dangerous criminal whose hands have and will continue to kill others. And this duality is what makes him a great character in my eyes.

Hell, as much as it hurts me to witness, I like that he monumentally fucked up his initial meeting with present MC. And the narrative is very clear on this — his actions towards MC were wrong. He was forceful. He was cruel. Let's not sugarcoat this. Sure, us players know why he went about doing it the way he did and we feel bad for him as a consequence, but that doesn't make what he did in any way right or justifiable. MC was right to feel fear and disgust, and she would've been fully justified in never forgiving him imo. And honestly, I think Sylus would agree. He realizes just how badly he screwed things up, even if it took the harsh but true wake-up call from the shopkeeper to bring him to this realization. And it's a hugely important moment, both for him as a character and for his relationship with MC. Afterwards, he puts in the conscious effort to do better. To be better for her. To make things right. To me, this decision and commitment of his wouldn't have hit nearly as hard or been as meaningful if his prior actions hadn't been what they were. They proved that he is capable of real self reflection and growth. It's a massively important moment in their relationship.

The rocky start to their relationship also makes cards like Razor's Dance so impactful. Same with Goodcat Code and some phone calls and interactions where Sylus' fears and insecurities regarding MC's feelings toward him shine through. With the context of his behavior in LAR, it's completely understandable for him to have these fears. He knows he fucked up. Had he been a cinnamon roll made up of purely green flags, neither his feelings nor MC's would have made sense. Nor would MC's eventual forgiveness, and ability to once more see in him what others cannot, be near as powerful.

I don't know, am I making any sense with this or am I just rambling lol 😅

My point is that I love and appreciate all sides of Sylus. Both good and bad. It's what makes him him. And I would no more want to trade or give up main story Sylus than I would memory Sylus. I want big bad ruthless boss of Onychinus just as much as I want soft loverboy Sylus. They are equally important to Sylus' character. He wouldn't be himself without either. It's a package deal.

Perfect/flawless characters bore me. If Sylus were simply soft and green through and through, I would've lost interest. Honestly, I most likely wouldn't have downloaded the game to begin with. It was the danger mixed in with the comfort that drew me in.

It's like a friend and I have discussed many times — the fact that the hands that have wrought violence and death upon countless people are the very same ones that touch his beloved with such reverence and tenderness, is incredibly hot. Duality ftw.

So needless to say I am waiting with baited breath for the day when we will finally see main story Sylus again. Or for that matter, just a memory of Sylus in boss of Onychinus mode.

🐉❤️ 🐦‍⬛

[okaysonny]

nsfw headcanons 〆 jake kim

a/n: idk how to write smut...writing about smut however... 🙂‍↕️ wanted to feed my jake fixation ❤️

afab! reader ✦ established relationship ✦ nsfw content under cut

has he ever had sex? (in canon)

it's not explicitly confirmed, but we can be 99.9% sure he's a virgin lol. for obvious reasons, he's saving his first time for someone special, someone he's built a connection with.

and right now (as of 544), jake isn't actively looking for one. if he finds someone he ends up liking, those feelings will just...come by chance.

even without his father's example, he's not the type to do casual dating or hookups at all (imo anyway). he's just a chill guy who likes friendship and fishcakes ❤️

favourite positions?

jake is a man of 🌹 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 🌹 so the classic missionary is his fav. cowgirl is nice too, but he just loves the closeness.

how 🗣️ is he?

trust that jake has the most angelic, harmonious, sheet gripping moans in lookism 😮‍💨 very comfortable expressing his pleasure!

loves moaning in your ear during missionary - he wants you to know how good you feel.

what's he actually like during the deed?

gangster son in the streets, gentle lover in the sheets 😇 if you like rough + degrading sex, you're not getting it from him lolz. unless you really wanted to, but he wouldn't enjoy it as much.

jake always prioritises your pleasure over his. #1 of big deal, but also #1 foreplay enjoyer (^_-) makes you cum multiple times on his mouth and fingers before getting to the main event.

and when it actually happens, he never finishes before you. i think jake equally enjoys the intimacy of cumming inside and also how your stomach looks with his release on it.

he likes kissing your neck + whispering his admiration as you catch your breath.

aftercare?

loves cuddling after doing it 💘 just comfortable silence as jake holds you in his arms.

and like i said, he's a gentle lover, so he won't hesitate to carry you (bridal style 🌹) to the shower if he thinks you need the pampering. jake...i've seen wot u did 4 samuel...carry me bridal style PLEASEEE

toys? does he like them?

i don't think many of the lookism men would be into toys tbh. jake isn't an exception. if you want to use them, he doesn't mind, but...they don't tickle his fancy.

does he prefer 🍑 or 🍒 ?

THIGHS! he's a thigh guy. if you wear shorts or a revealing skirt, you'll catch jake staring multiple times. he loves staying in between them too ;)

how 📏 is he?

ptj wants us to know his characters have the biggest, juiciest, thickest cocks in the world 😭😭 eg: the sauna scene with samuel + eli during suwon arc - "woah! those guys are huge!"...like we get it sir...

but i think jake is average sized tbh! not too big, not too small. just the right size :3

💭 a sexual fantasy of his?

again...he's a man of 🌹 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 🌹, so even his fantasies are pretty sweet and romantic.

his secret wish is making love to you by the sea. (the jake + samuel angst location)

but one of big deal could easily spot you, so he stays quiet 🙂‍↕️

if you're both there really late at night and get carried away, it'll probably happen. he'd use his long black coat as a blanket.

a/n: i want to fuck him so bad it makes me look stupid

divider credits - enchanthings

[vinelark]

Hello! Was going through your fic rec tag and saw someone asked for your favorite pangy Jason fics, and was wondering if I could request the same but with Tim instead?

okay, you’ve asked the golden question for me, because tim pangs are my favorite pangs—and this fandom has such an abundance of them. i had to narrow this list down so much, and tried to focus on fics where the pangs feel like a core part of the story for me. i came up with a mix of go-to recs that have definitely appeared on this blog before and some stories i don’t think i’ve mentioned yet. so here we go, serving up some tim pangs:

Like a Hinge, Like a Wing by @bonesbuckleup

tim joins the batfamily early, and in one of the pangiest ways possible. featuring an actual uncle and tim being so very isolated and alone (until he isn’t!)—excellent recipe for great and sustained pangs. i rec this one often and for good reason: i love the characterization of this pre-robin tim (smart! competent! lonely! believably a kid!), the writing is fantastic, and it still hits on each reread.

A Meditation on Railroading by @eggmacguffin

another one of my favorite rereads—this is all about robin-era tim being hurt in his home/civilian life and trying to deal with that on his own, because he’s drawn a clear line between “robin” and “tim.” this is pangs galore—from tim’s positioning of himself in relation to the bats (especially bruce and dick), to the large and small ways he is hurt + how he deals with that hurt, and, especially, the way we get to see jason observe & recharacterize tim based on what happens in this story.

Surveillance series by @smilebackwards

this series has these very specific “tim comes into the picture late” flavor of pangs that i am (more than) a bit obsessed with—it does such a compelling job navigating what this version of tim would think and do and feel as he forges relationships with the bats/assorted heroes a few years later than in canon. and some of those feelings (especially in the first and last installments) are beautifully pangy; here we have tim dealing with a lot on his own without ever expecting outside help, and even later when be finds himself with a support network, this still teases out the great, subtle pangs of tim having to learn how to navigate that.

equivalent exchange by scribblemetimbers

holy tim pangs, batman! this really hits the sweet spot—a tim who is competent and cunning and stubborn as hell AND is lonely with terrible self-worth unintentionally reinforced by bruce, all of which collide in a self-sacrificial gambit that sets its long plot in motion. (this fic is complete, but is part one of a series.) this does one of the top-tier, prime pang setups: in which one character unintentionally reinforces another character’s deepest insecurities (with devastating consequences).

between hands that relaxed by @deitybird

one of my new fav reverse robins fics (that recently completed!), in which tim, the second of batman’s partners, was killed by the joker—and that’s just where the horrors begin for him. lots of pangs re: tim’s sense of identity/worth, his aching loneliness as he slowly finds his way back to the family, and especially notable angst re: his relationship with an older damian. (before he died it was: bad. this story takes a very hopeful approach to their future.) i also adore the timkon & core four threads here. as a bonus, the first fic in the series is damian pov and, imo, extremely worth reading both fics for maximum pangs.

Hear it in your tone (you’re slowly letting go) by sexyPineappleMan (wip)

a take on “bruce is tim’s biological father” that is so far doing everything i would want with this premise, and delivers a buffet of pangs from chapter one. tim is brilliant, lonely, and hurting in this joins-the-family-late au—that also sees him as a (former) olympic hopeful gymnast, a non-robin tim identity i love—and i’m equally compelled by the angst/looming reveals, and by the intrigue of the plot itself. i’ve been well fed so far and am eagerly awaiting more.

Our Bodies & Other Fine Machines by @sunflowersandink

in which robin!tim is dealt a very specific kind of difficult hand and (you may be sensing a pattern here) tries to deal with it entirely on his own. the way there’s so much tension and angst hanging over a scene about eating pancakes speaks to the kind of story this is: one where every single detail is used for maximum potential. i return to this one for its prime tim pangs, and i still forget, every time, just how well executed they are and how the plot builds to a top-notch reveal and resolution. (heads up for food insecurity/disordered eating in this one, do mind the notes!)

some of us have childhoods that aren't poems on sight (but darling, you're doing alright) by mrs_d

specifically chapter 21, which has a fully executed pang arc that almost lets it read like a standalone story. don’t get me wrong, there are pangs threaded throughout—tim in this story is very lonely and primed to expect lack of care—but the misunderstanding between alfred and tim in the second half of this chapter is really notable. it’s simple and technically low-stakes compared to what else is happening in the plot, but the stakes feel high to us (and to the characters).

How to Proceed by @philosophersandfools

another reverse robins fic, this one a oneshot that pulls off its premise both efficiently and potently. here we see a teenage eldest brother damian, who has softened a bit (especially since a very young jason and dick have already been brought into the fold) but still distrusts and dislikes his father’s new mentee, 14 y/o tim. that distrust stems from damian’s misunderstanding of tim’s intentions/situation and leads to some excellent pangs before a decisive resolution.

this is nowhere near an exhaustive list and i reserve the right to update with additions later 💪

[qinnyanimation]

What are your opinions on eurylochus?, imo I think he's too overhated in the epic fandom, and when he's not,his own fans, mischaracterize and baby-fi him SO bad like he didn't know what he was doing.it sucks cus he's such a good mixture of good intentions but impulsive actions

I tend to not talk about him much because I know how people were

I think Odysseus and Eurylochus are both equally at fault, both are characters with complex personalities,choices,paths and are so well written but the fandom tends to watered down both of them into either being perfectly good or down right evil.

I really like Eurylochus to be honest, he’s so- human. That’s the best word I can describe him in my opinion.

[linderosse]

Are you planning on redesigning Aurora now that you intend to fuse her and Echo?

Yes!!!

I’ve finished the redesign, and now all I’ve gotta do is complete the little minicomic that goes along with it. Expect those out sometime soon!

(Aurora’s game, AoL, is actually one of the two Zelda games I haven’t played yet— and now that I’ve finished EoW, I’m super excited to stream my first playthrough of AoL starting tomorrow— 10/16!)

I don’t think I’ve actually written out the full context anywhere, so I’m going to take this chance to lay everything out:

Echo (EoW Zelda) is being merged with Aurora (AoL Zelda) in the Wisdomverse, and Rhyme (Cadence of Hyrule Zelda) is now also canon, and is Echo’s second adventure. This gives Silent (EoW Link) another game as well by merging him with Rhythm (CoH Link).

Imo, Cadence of Hyrule is the perfect second adventure for Echo and Silent:

CoH has two-player mode, and both Link and Zelda are equally playable, which means Echo maintains her protagonist status and gets to fight alongside her Link for a whole adventure this time.

Their names, Echo and Silent, also kinda fit the musical theme of CoH.

CoH features the Gerudo as one of the main races, who aren’t in any of the other Downfall games except EoW. It also features the Deku Scrubs in the DLC, who aren’t properly a race in *any* games except for MM and EoW.

CoH’s main villain, Octavo, goes around putting people to sleep. Sounds a bit like what happened to Aurora… but I don’t think Octavo is the Wizard— Octavo is not that bad a guy.

Cadence herself, the third part of the protagonist trio in this game, fits well as their new friend.

CoH gives Echo and Silent time to get to know each other properly before they’re cruelly torn apart in the backstory of AoL, presumably (but not certainly!) forever.

(I have indeed 100%ed CoH, then went back and completed Octavo mode, then went back again and completed main mode deathless and 100%ed it again. CoH is a really fun game, guys.)

Anyways, this means:

Echo’s journey: Echoes of Wisdom —> Cadence of Hyrule —> (Great Decline: 400 year timeskip) —> Adventure of Link

Silent’s journey: Echoes of Wisdom —> Cadence of Hyrule

Hyrule’s journey: (Great Decline) —> The Legend of Zelda —> Adventure of Link

Dawn’s journey: (Great Decline) —> The Legend of Zelda

…This is getting rather complex, isn’t it. I should probably make another version of that timeline I made for the Links, but with all the updated info, and with the Zeldas instead. So many ideas, so little time!

Masterpost

[raqi-marr]

About Affinification

I normally don't bother getting into quote-unquote "HDG Discourse", but I was recently falsely accused of doing so on anon on Ao3 (which was funny as fuck) so I figured why not take the opportunity to *actually* discoursepost, since this is a subject I have some pretty strong feelings on

My stance on affinification is it should be allowed & not discouraged. Right now it is allowed but heavily discouraged, and I think this is both unnecessary and unkind- particularly to members of the community who have affini headmates. I've seen some arguments about affinification being bad because it undermines the disability narrative at the heart of HDG, but, imo this is only true if you take a very limited view of the capacity in disabled people VS abled people.

Disabilities come in all shapes and size, ranging from things like being unable to walk and needing a wheelchair, to having autism in a world that isn't suited for autistic people (google 'social model of disability' if this doesn't make sense.) However, "disabled person" =/= "person who can't do anything at all", it just means "person who can not do/struggles to do some things."

I get that the general take here is "the affini are The System and disabled people are never part of The System", but disabled people are actually - very fucking occasionally - able to become part of the system.

The US has a non-zero amount of trans representatives and presumably at least some of those are disabled; likewise, I have no doubt there are disabled non-trans representatives that I'm not aware of.

I think, basically, affinification is fine if your character has to work for it in a story. It is true that yes, you cannot overcome physical disabilities irl- but it may well be possible in some cases to still do a job you wanted to do, or get a position you wanted to, with enough hard work anyway. I do recognise this is not always possible, but to be clear I'm approaching this from a mental disability perspective anyway because that's what HDG means to me personally, and things are a bit different there

To be clear, I fully acknowledge trans people/disabled people/other minorities should not need to work to get this kind of recognition. They do, though; that's how life currently is, and it's fine for people to want to explore that in HDG stories. It Takes Time is on some level about my self-insert wanting to fight to be accepted and seen as an equal by a bunch of people who are more able bodied than her, even if she isn't capabilistically their equal (or it will be when I get to that arc in 50 million years lmao).

The reason it's about that is that, as an autistic person who has spent their entire life being thought of as stupid, inept, and incapable by the people around me, but is not actually, my life has been all about fighting to get people to stop viewing me that way. This is also why ITT isn't an actual affinification story; I don't need my self-insert to physically become an affini to feel validated, I just want to be treated as equal to them in the ways that I care about (which is not in the ability to micromanage 50 vines at once.)

so yeah there's my 5 credits on affinification: basically I think you can write it without undermining the disability narrative if you do it properly. also I am not at all trying to say "disabled people should just work harder to get what they want" no one should have to work if they don't want to: I just so happen to be the type that naturally enjoys having responsibilities and being in charge of stuff and I would actually be okay being in the social role that the affini have within the compact (which I realise separates me from like 99% of hdg's reader demographic already lmao)

I am merely trying to acknowledge that some disabled people - such as myself - do willingly go down the torturous path to trying to at least sort of "fit in" in society, and having a way to represent that in HDG is good I think

[laserbobcat]

Their love language is insane (positive.) Leshy being like "He didn't kick the crap out of me so I know he's MAD mad and I need to fix that asap." Is wholesome in a deranged way and that absolutely fits someone like him.

I'm gonna add this comment by @inspector-finebeak here because it's relevant, and try to explain myself Ok so I grew up in the 90s with this kind of shit:

And that is self explanatory. Millennial jumpscare y'all. I didn't like it that much tho, like, please talk. Normal people don't throw tables at each other for basic misunderstandings. And what bothered me the most is that the boundaries are never respected. There's a "Haha funny the girl is angry because the guy was an asshole again" and then they get married. You deserved better Akane.

Now, with the way I draw Leshycat I think it passes because: -It's a funny cartoon cult game that already has the funny violence -One of them is a literal god of chaos -The other is a former heretic cat with a few lifetimes of repressed anger issues -They almost have equal fighting abilities -They both enjoy (with or without admitting it) the exercise -They both have the means to make it stop if they want -They both have boundaries (lost somewhere) that the other will respect once expressed (in stupid ways probably) because they actually care Morgan will never aim for Leshy's eyes, will feel bad if he makes a faux pas about his blindness, and Leshy now knows that you don't mess with the cat's sewing work and you don't trick him into feeling guilty. The list grows as they continuously push each other because men will do anything except go to therapy. That's what I want in a fighty-rowdy type of dynamic that I'm supposed to enjoy, not one where I think the writer is either consciously writing unbalanced power dynamics, or needs therapy to learn what a red flag is. So that's what I'm doing!

And this kind of casual violence is also just from the game tbh. The Lamb is a freaky murder machine and his favorite people have to be fucked up imo. To relate. ALSO. Writing and drawing serious tone angst is tricky and I leave that to other artists.

[markantonys]

3x05 thoughts! (book spoilers)

i loved all the character & relationship moments in this episode! it was nice to take a breather and just spend time with the characters and get to see how much they mean to each other. wotshow continuing its trend of doing a great job balancing character work vs. action across the 8 episodes!

against all odds, randgwene clung on by a thread for yet another week lmao but the breakup is 100% coming next week, and surely it has to be just about the first thing to happen in the episode given the cliffhanger. i'm reaaaaally curious (and anxious) about how they'll frame it, because right from day 1 after the first trailer etc i said "i really hope they make it clear that randgwene's breakup is mutual because they just aren't right for each other, and don't frame it as the only reason they broke up is because rand is ~cheating~ with lanfear and egwene feels betrayed". it was my biggest point of worry with the whole rand-egwene-lanfear situation, and it seems like it might be coming true! but we haven't actually gotten to hear rand talk about the whole lanfear situation and his feelings on it, so hashing it out with egwene might give him a good opportunity to do that and maybe whatever he says will make it clear to the audience and egwene that he's been manipulated and it will help ease things a bit. i just really hope rand and egwene will be able to end everything on decent footing with each other; i know there has to be big tension between them at the end of the series, but imo that would be cheaper and more emotionally shallow if it's leftover tension from a bad breakup rather than the more platonic tension between two conflicting world leaders who used to have a close personal relationship and grew up together but now must both put their greater duties first. not to mention that we HAVE to get egwene's signoff on avirandlayne if we want the audience to accept that relationship, so she has to end the season in a decent place with rand!

as of now, we're obviously on the verge of high drama, but i have faith that maybe rand & egwene's conversation will end up going in a good direction that allows them to go "look, lanfear might be the catalyst for forcing us to talk about it, but we've both known for a long time that we just aren't right for each other and THAT is the real reason we need to end things" (plus, surely egwene will tell rand that lanfear's been behind her dream torture and rand will be horrified and take her side and turn firmly against lanfear, right? right??). it's also interesting to consider how much control rand had over his dream; in the past rand-lanfear dream convos, he's always seemed "conscious" (though asleep of course) and fully in control and aware of what he's doing, but in this sequence, egwene is entering the other friends' dreams and it's clear that it's just their subconscious minds coming up with scenarios and they aren't doing anything on purpose. is rand fully in control of himself in this dream? or is it a somewhat subconscious dream on his part with lanfear consciously influencing the direction? it IS interesting that the new location could, maybe, imply that this is rand's own natural dream, at least to start, vs. past randfear scenes that seemed like lanfear pulling rand somewhere to talk to him. but we really can't judge anything for sure until we've heard what rand has to say about it next week.

sticking to the waste plot, the avirand scene!! 10/10 no notes! rand learns about polyamory, avi tries to feel out whether wetlanders are down for it, and they bicker <3 and rand playing with the little girl, my HEART let him be a stay-at-home dad!!!!

as i suspected, rhuarc-bair-lian is yet another balanced triad where everybody is equally married to each other with no mention of any sibling-spouses. alanna-maksim-ihvon was the same, so it does really feel like they're setting up for the Main Character Polyship to be a balanced triad where everybody is equally romantically involved and there are no metamours, aka avirandlayne only and min not involved at all. further to this point, there was no particular min-elayne interaction in this episode beyond sharing a group conversation and they didn't react in a noteworthy way to each other, but i'll keep an eye on further developments there in the remaining episodes! if no focus is given to the min-elayne individual dynamic in tanchico, i'd say that's the final nail in the coffin for min being involved in the polycule because at that point they would have blown past MULTIPLE opportunities to tie her together with elayne or rand.

continuing on with polycule thoughts, i was glad to see an acknowledgment of avilayne in elayne's dream! one of my problems with the way it was done so far is that it was so extremely casual as to have no impact on either character outside of 3x01 itself, but i'd suspected that might change later in the season with some kind of Reminder That This Happened, and sure enough, we did get that here. this kind of small but notable acknowledgement is striking just the right balance for me: it's making sure to keep avilayne in the audience's thoughts and signaling to them that there's more to come here, but without emphasizing it as a monogamous romance so much that people will be blindsided or upset when rand joins in the future. we can see that elayne is still thinking about avi, but she's not pining and yearning for her every waking moment of the day (if she was doing that and then if avi started falling for rand more clearly before elayne rejoins them, the audience would feel indignant on elayne's behalf, so it's good that they're not going TOO hard on elayne's feelings for avi just yet; especially with avi's line this episode derisively saying "that's too much to ask of one person" implying that she doesn't have monogamous expectations with elayne, it's good that elayne doesn't strongly have those expectations either, so they're both more or less on the same page as of now).

my wishful thinking was that it would've been nice to have rand crop up in elayne's dream too sort of the way faile did in perrin's, nothing overtly romantic but a sign that he's lingering in her thoughts just like aviendha is. but of course, that couldn't happen in this context because egwene might feel weird or betrayed about seeing rand pop up in her BFF's dream because randgwene are still together. man, i don't want to be a hater but the extended randgwene is 100% to blame for the dynamics i DO want to see getting repeatedly punted off and put on the backburner! gawene didn't get to even meet, and the avirand stuff we've gotten has been perfect but it still kinda feels like they're being shafted in THEIR OWN ARC; this is the biggest time they spend alone together in the whole series but we can't even treat it as a notable focus of the season because we have to keep the focus on randgwene (and randfear) and don't want to risk tainting avirand with cheating implications by drawing the audience's attention to them too much before randgwene has broken up. and i don't know how likely it'll be for avirand to get a little moment during the cold rocks hold attack next week as i'd hoped they might, because the breakup has been dragged out yet another week so they'll be too busy giving the emotional focus to the randgwene fallout and it might STILL be too soon to let rand share any kind of little moment with avi (and in that BTS shot of sammael, he was alone with rand and egwene in a potential cold rocks hold-y set, so i wonder if rand will be sticking with egwene during the battle and avi will just have separate fight scenes).

but all i can do is wait and see how it goes down! it's obvious that avirandlayne IS coming, so i have to trust that rafe has a plan even if i can't quite see it yet haha my fear is that randgwene lasting so long in s3 will mean avirand & randlayne couldn't get as strong setup as they might have otherwise will mean them coming together in s4 will end up feeling rushed (and then gawene too which i've been looking forward to almost as much as avirandlayne, god knows what might even happen there since they are now so SO far past the date of their book meeting). why the show is choosing to fastburn the getting-togethers of endgame romances but slowburn the breakups of non-endgame ones is beyond me, but i will trust that rafe has a plan and that it will all make sense once i'm able to see the forest instead of just the trees!

returning to the dreams, i loved this sequence of egwene visiting her friends' dreams SO MUCH probably one of my favorites of the season so far!! she got so much joy out of seeing her friends happy 🥺🥺🥺 and it was such a beautiful way to show us a little bit of each friend's inner life; nynaeve's lost daughter is still weighing on her and she still dreams about a happy life with her, elayne takes such joy and wonder in learning new things and dreams of a carefree life following her heart outside the confines of duty, perrin's happy place is being at home with his forge and hopper (my heart!!) and he's starting to take faile into his heart too, and MAT!!!! mat's dream killed me dead!!! he has often been played for comic relief this season, so i was really thrilled to get this beautiful reminder of his layers and depth and the good, selfless heart he has underneath the bravado, and particularly glad to get this scene for donal!mat who hasn't had much chance to get the family stuff that barney!mat had so much of in s1 - it really helps keep up the consistency between the two versions and connect our present mat back to s1 mat. all he wants is to give his sisters a good life and hear his mom tell him she's proud of him!! which is such a gutpunch after her death in this episode!

can somebody PLEASE tell mat he's a good boy and they're proud of him!!! my Show!Mat Has A Praise Kink agenda grows stronger every day. man, between mat's dream and rand being so happy playing with the child, my s1 show-only observation that rand and mat would be each other's ideal partner in domestic family life remains spot-on. let them be dads!!

anyway, mat's mom! i was SO not expecting her to die, what a shock! and a good decision, it adds some stakes to the two rivers plotline and gives perrin even more of a reason to want to fight back instead of giving himself up and giving into the whitecloaks. and it seems we're getting the book arc of bode being able to channel! since the girls are twins in the show, i wonder if they can both channel or only one. and i also wonder how big or small of a plot point this might end up being; it's pretty small in the books, but the show has placed more emphasis on mat's family, so maybe they might do a little bit more with it? his sisters are still definitely tertiary characters, though, so i don't know. my biggest wish would be for a full wonderboy reunion in s4 so that perrin can tell mat about his mom and we can see mat react to her death (and i can get a cauthor hurt/comfort fic scenario out of it, priorities priorities haha), and ideally bode & eldrin traveled with perrin and mat can reunite with them at least for a moment. because we know that, if the books are followed, perrin and the cauthon girls will cross paths with rand soon after the two rivers arc (so likely s4), so if they can just get mat back in rand's plotline for s4 to do his TFOH dragon's general plotline, then we could get mat coming into contact with perrin and the girls as well. but as i've speculated before, this might depend on how many total seasons they anticipate getting and whether they have time to send mat back across the continent for a season or whether they need to jump into his west coast seanchan plotline immediately in s4.

good stuff in the two rivers plotline this episode! i loved perrin and faile's battle couple moment <3 and the perrin-dain face-to-face reunion was just as messy and delicious as i'd hoped! "i thought you were a good man" "i was, before you" okay okay

my one complaint about this plotline is, i have to embarrassedly put on my bookcloak hat, but i am really feeling the "alanna and her warders are getting too much time" complaints this season haha i didn't mind in the first 2 seasons, but now they're overstaying their welcome for me. it might not actually be true, but it feels like we've spent more time on alanna and maksim's relationship than perrin and faile's this season! however, i am almost certain that maksim will die in the two rivers battle, especially now that he and alanna had a mini arc of working out their problems and realizing that they're stronger when they stick together - surely that's GOT to mean maksim has to die in order for alanna to lose it enough that she does what she does in LOC next season. and if that happens, then i'll be fine with them getting so much time this season to build up to that death and make us understand why alanna loses it so badly. another thing where i'll have to reserve final judgment until i've seen the forest instead of only the trees!

speaking of people who may or may not be on Death Watch, moiraine and siuan! i really loved their scene together and thought it was so beautiful. as for predictions, i'm split 50/50 on whether them getting to mend fences and share a happy moment and a bittersweet goodbye means this is the final curtain call for their relationship and one or both of them will be dead-dead by the end of the season, or whether the "i'll find you in every lifetime" "and i'll wait for you every time" is foreshadowing of siuan going to find moiraine in finnworld at the end of the show. i just don't know!

i loved the lan and moiraine scene of them sharing a drink. perfect!

tower plotline: it was fine, got the job done

tanchico crew: bringing the comedy as always! i loved the opening scene with bickering matlayne and seasick nynaeve, absolutely impeccable vibes, and then min officially joins the gang (i loved the "raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by liandrin" moment between the four of them lmao). as somebody who's been starting to feel oversaturated with the mat-min dynamic, i was disappointed that he left elayne and nynaeve's scene so quickly to wind up hanging out alone with min yet again, but we did get some great stuff between the trio and the quartet nonetheless! still, at this point it's kinda feeling like mat was lifted out of the waste storyline purely to hang out with min for the second season in a row (and arguably to act as a support piece in HER storyline about learning how to find agency in her visions, more so than having his own storyline get focused on), but i'm sure in ep6 that will change and mat will get more time to shine and more chances to interact with non-min characters since tanchico is slated to be the A plot. i'm very excited to see this plotline lead an episode, it's been a long time coming!

we did finally get a reference to the s2 rand viewing and we learn that mat's takeaway is that min's viewings aren't even accurate because she said he would kill rand and he didn't. and then in the ep6 preview it showed mat trying to pump some tanchico citizens for info about the male a'dam collar, so i just might get a little cauthor crumb next week with mat being worried about rand getting collared and wanting to help protect him!

i think that's everything off the top of my head for this episode!

[fantastic-nonsense]

Hello! I love your meta posts and I have a question about your opinion on some fandom stuff involving Dick Grayson! We all know that recent stuff with Tom Taylor and in fanon have popularized the kinda-annoying imo “Eternally Happy” Dick characterization the past couple of years. However, I’ve noticed lately that the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction and I see a lot of people characterize Dick as this edgy, super-depressed, loose canon that is always miserable and I find that characterization equally annoying. Stuff like “Dick doesn’t trust people”, “Dick has really bad anger issues”, “Dick is incredibly manipulative”, “Dick is a loner”, etc. while it is true that Dick DOES has moments of being manipulative, angry, and untrusting, those moments aren’t his baseline and aren’t as common as some people like to believe imo. There are usually a lot of extenuating circumstances surrounding those moments, such as Donna’s death, Tim’s perceived death, and other high-stress, high-emotion factors. I’d love to hear your thoughts as someone who enjoys his character!

Generally speaking, my thoughts are that Dick is an incredibly multifaceted and complicated character with a lot of trauma whose behavior is regularly impacted by that trauma. That reality, and what various writers choose to emphasize, is going to significantly impact how any given reader views his character.

Dick genuinely is a great brother, mentor, and team leader with a lot of friends and people who genuinely love him, trust him, and look up to him. He's a consummate performer who is kind and quippy and will nearly always lend a helping hand even when he doesn't want to. He's steady, incredibly devoted, extremely ethical, and has a strength of will and determination that "cannot be broken."

He also genuinely has insane trust issues, a tendency to self-isolate (and lash out when people don't let him do that), is extremely and routinely manipulative, and has a habit of helping others to avoid dealing with his own issues. He's a hypercompetent and intensely private control freak who takes his job as a superhero extremely seriously and doesn't appreciate when others don't.

The man contains multitudes.

Dick was raised in a circus, went through a horrific trauma, and then was raised by Batman. He regularly gets compared to Bruce by his friends and even by his enemies, and those similarities regularly impact Dick's life and relationships. He just has much better mental and emotional tools to effectively deal with issues when they come up than Bruce does. Which sometimes he succeeds at and sometimes he fails at, depending on what it is and what else is going on in his life. He is generally well-adjusted when you compare him to most of the Batfam; he is not at all so when you compare him to any superhero with even a moderately "normal" upbringing or most people in general.

But when a character hits the towers of fanon, they will inevitably get flattened from their complex, nuanced canon depiction into a one or two-note character, especially if a writer chooses to emphasize one side over the other in a popular run. Hence the discussions of "Dick the eternally emotionally mature, welcoming, happy, and awesome brother" vs. the "Dick the angry and miserable loose cannon who yells at everyone who tries to help him" pushback. He's both of those things. He's neither of those things. Both depictions are technically right while also being wrong, which is why it's such a hard discussion to maneuver.

[bouquetface]

Composite Chart Observations

Accuracy influenced by entire chart.

Scorpio 12th H.

12th H can indicate potential reasons a couple breaks up. In this case, it was due to cheating. Scorpio indicates issues with secrets, power dynamics & control.

Capricorn 2nd H.

These couples tend to be cautious when spending. It’s best for both parties when an equal amount is being spent by each.

Ex: I’ll pay for this and you pay next time. I’ll cook dinner and you will wash dishes.

However, entire chart must be taken into consideration. Cap 2nd H can mean a couple with traditional values/roles.

Moon in 3rd H.

Communication brings you closer. You feel listened to and understood. Especially when in an air sign, you can discuss anything with each other. You can like to debate as well. A best friend kind of relationship.

Moon placement.

imo moon placement can tell you if it is possible for the couple to end on good times (if they end)

Ex: Aqua Moon - in composite I’ve seen twice as the couple eventually letting things go & being causal acquaintances/friends.

Ex: Scorpio Moon - the only way the two would stay friends is because one or both want to keep tabs on the other.

6th H Aries.

The two may be prone to fighting throughout the day. Having physical hobbies/outlets is a good manifestation of this. Couple that works together to solve problems.

Ex: Doing home repairs together. Gym couple.

Moon in 6th.

Sensitive to one another throughout the day. One person may feel they’re putting in all the effort. One person may feel the other’s expectations from them are unrealistic.

The two can become critical of each other. They may keep their true negative feelings inside until they blow up. Or depending on sign, they let their feelings be known leading to fights.

Scorpio First House.

You are meant to transform in this relationship. There can be a lot of passion and intensity. Change may feel painful. One person may feel controlled.

There may be unbalanced power dynamic. Ex: One person is older. One person is more experienced. One person is more accomplished in career. One person has authority over you.

I’ve also noticed in these relationships (regardless of whether this platonic or romantic) one person is more aware of the other. I’m avoiding using the word stalking because that implies it’s always in a negative way. What I mean is one person has likely admired the other for a while.

Venus in 2nd.

Good for business relationships. The two value wealth. If afflicted, the two spend recklessly when in a relationship.

To feel secure in the connection, physical and/or materialistic things may be important. Being generous with affection and gifts. Feeling more confident in the relationship.

Mars in 2nd.

Similar to Venus in 2nd, this is either good for making money or indicating spending too much.

In this connection, the two take their time with each other. A no pressure relationship. If badly afflicted, one person is faking it. They want more now. The other is not offering it.

On the bright side, maintaining attraction is more easy for this couple. Physically affectionate. Possessive of one another.

Sun in 2nd.

Another indicator of being good business partners. If you have similar values, this is a good placement. If you don’t, you can try to convince the other. This can lead to issues. This can be the kind of relationship where one thinks they can fix/convince the other over time.

On the bright side, the two of you can value things that last. Wanting to create a legacy with each other. Wanting to be respected. Physical expression is important to feel secure.

Sag 2nd H.

You can become open minded in this relationship. A willingness to try things a new way. In the 2nd, this can either be good or bad for finances. The two will be very generous with each other. If you can afford it, all is well. If you can’t, you can have financial problems.

Mercury in 3rd.

Communication is easy between the two of you. Mercury is in the home it rules. The two are comfortable. They feel understood. They have no problem talking about “difficult” topics.

This can change based on entire chart. For ex: Cap 3rd H. You two can be reserved in communication. Thinking about what you wan to say, predicting how it will be perceived before speaking. You may have issues with being vulnerable.

Libra 3rd H.

You may like to debate each other. Conversations are flirty. May tell white lies to make each other happy.

The two may avoid difficult conversations to keep the peace. Protect the moment by repressing negative feelings rather than communicating.

Aqua 4th H.

The foundation can be unstable. There may times where one or both are unsure about the future. The two may have a non traditional start. On the bright side, relationship can be built on the foundation of respect for one another’s intelligence, interests/hobbies & uniqueness.

Saturn in 7th.

Saturn will test the relationship. The tests will bring you closer. Strengthening the connection. Assuring both are committed. However, the tests can lead to disharmony.

Saturn in 10th.

This can be one of the better placements for saturn. The planet is naturally associated with the 10th. This can make the couple appear traditional. The two are responsible & ambitious when together. You can help one another reach goals. Good sign of a long term partnership too.