#these guys are great with working equitation

[horse-breed-a-day]

𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺: 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘦

𝘏𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 14-15 𝘩𝘩

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴: 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯: 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺

[devilsskettle]

i feel like i’ve been WAITING for the other shoe to drop wrt people’s opinions about watcher for this very reason. not that i think the reaction is completely not understandable but the greater the parasocial relationship, the greater the fallout as soon as public opinion shifts. you don’t have a relationship with these people they’re just content creators, chill

[perasperaadpasta]

Between the widespread initial response of "it's all a transphobic conspiracy! (against some other guy!)" and the "I'll wait for a verdict :) I'll remain neutral until he's found guilty by a court of law :)))))))" you people could not possibly prove harder what dumbfuck hypocrites you are.

Superficial, performatic, empty.

You clearly never assed yourselves to learn a single comma about institutionalized misogyny, about sex biases in the justice system, about reporting, investigation and conviction rates for sexual offences, about real power dynamics.

You parrot slogans with your full chest that all cops are bastards and believe victims but the atom split second you have to actually practice it it's well, cops will handle this, let's hear the rapist' side before we believe victims (maaaybe), to be FAIR, in this completely equitable system.

White first worlders will trample each other trying to be the most allyest non-racist who listens to minorities the mostest completely oblivious to the fact THEY are talking over us, and then not even pretend they give a shit when their pet white fuck is a sex pest 'cause he did write great works! great shows! some people would literally kill themselves without this one rapist's quintessential two-british-middle-aged-men-get-freaky-pg13-style (there's only ONE of these!).

You stupid spoiled shits.

You're the fucking system, morons. You're the thing victims are afraid will happen if they come forward.

I hate you all so much.

[supergirlmayhem]

I’m excited about the Supergirl May-hem event, you guys are doing a great job but I can’t help but wish that supercorp wasn’t allowed at least this time. After seeing that 90% of the recs were supercorp I fear this event will barely have some more ‘rare’ ships and that’s a pity.

Hi Anon!

Thanks for reaching out with your concern. We have a few reasons why we decided not to exclude Supercorp and I'll list them below for you. Please excuse the ramble. I'll start with our main reason for making this an inclusive event for every WLW ship in the Supergirl fandom. We want to uplift every ship and give them a space to express themselves. We don't want to exclude anyone and leave them on the sidelines while we actively promote other people. That wouldn't be fair and the thought leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Another reason is that the ship lines aren't as black and white as a lot of people believe. Many people have multiple ships in the fandom and care deeply about all of them even if they also ship Supercorp. Many Supercorp writers have expressed interest in writing for multiple ships and artists have shown they're open to creating for multiple ships. Many of the Supercorp creators would not join the event if Supercorp was excluded and that would mean that there would be a lot less content for the 'smaller' ships as they are interested in writing/creating additional pieces for other ships.

Whether Supercorp is in the event or not, there'll still be a very similar number of fics/art created for the smaller fics. To exclude them would simply deprive Supercorp of also having new fics/art created for them.

As a multi-ship event, there's always going to be a ship that is more popular than the others. Whether that's Supercorp, Supercat or Agentcorp. One will always have the majority. Yes, that majority increases with Supercorp but they're not getting any special treatment. We're putting an equitable amount of time and effort into promoting each ship. We understand that some ships are smaller and need more of a shove to get them seen, so we've done our best to make that happen.

As for the fic list, fics are added from the community. There are 3 of us, and we can't be in every ship fandom at once. We need help from those ship communities to add the fics. We've reached out to each community and asked for recs. If there are none on the list, that's because nobody recommended any. If there's only a few, that's because those are what we were sent. We're always adding to the list and will always keep updating it so people can send us links at any time to their favourite fics. Supercorp might have the majority, but even if they weren't on the list, there would be the same amount of other ship's fics on the list.

The sad truth is that while many of the fandoms are still alive, there are a few that are running on fumes and barely have any active members left. This event would not be what we envision it to be with a lack of people involved. We're trying to get as many members of those communities involved as possible but time has played a big part in the dwindling numbers for all ships, Supercorp included, although there are still a lot of active members for that particular ship.

We're doing everything we can to reach out to every ship we can think of, and want everyone to be included. If there's more you think we can do, other than excluding people, feel free to reach out and let us know. We're all ears and would love tips on how to reach them.

The final reason as to why we're including Supercorp is simple. As the event creators, we're fans of multiple ships and we've created this event to showcase our passion for those ships. We're not going to ban Supercorp from an event we created to make other people happy when this is a passion project. We don't get paid for creating the event and we're putting in hours upon hours of work into making it. We're not going to change it to appease other people because that would simply take away our passion and make the event worthless.

We understand where you're coming from with your worries. You don't want the smaller ships to be drowned out by Supercorp. There's only two places that may happen, and that's our socials when we start promoting each fic/art as it's posted on posting week. That's unavoidable. However, the clicks aren't all going to come from us. Each person is responsible for also promoting their work and while we'll do our best to help, we physically won't be able to put masses of effort into each and every one.

The second place is the collection. The collection will have all of the fics stored in one place. The good news is that AO3 has a great filtering system so people will find the ship they want out of the collection with ease. Other people will discover new ships through looking through the collection too, and may end up being inspired.

We've seen a lot of people expressing worry or anger about other ships being included, or not getting enough attention but there's not enough attention on how this is beneficial for every ship. Everyone gets to display their work in one place full of like-minded individuals, showing off their love for their ships of choice. You're showing off your work and showing everyone why you love them in a place where it's going to get attention. The attention you want on your ships will come from you proudly displaying your work in an event made to provide a safe space for everyone.

Of course, we're also taking measures to ensure there's a safe space for everyone individually too. Our Discord server (which will open after sign-ups) has individual channels for ships as well as general channels so you can choose to mingle or simply stay within your ships without being drowned out by chats from other ships.

Finally, we're taking the ship disputes very seriously. We understand that people have different preferences and we won't tolerate any hate being thrown at anyone else for who they ship. You can like or dislike any ship you want, but anyone who is making our safe space unsafe for anyone else will be removed from the event and banned from future events. We're very strict on that policy.

All in all, I apologize for the long answer and would like to say that this response is not just for the person who asked the question but to spread our views on the matter to everyone. Thank you, Anon, for giving us this opportunity to properly give an in-depth answer to everyone asking the same question as you.

[natlacentral]

DANIEL DAE KIM: BEACON OF FIRE

Daniel Dae Kim, a paragon of versatility in the entertainment industry, continues to enchant audiences with his rich and compelling character portrayals. Esteemed for his significant roles in landmark television series such as Lost and Hawaii Five-0, Kim has also made waves with his reflective insights on the finale of the Good Doctor, where he served not only as an actor but as an executive producer. As speculation mounts about his character's return in the show's concluding season, Kim's artistic reach extends further with his riveting performance as fire lord Ozai in the much-anticipated live-action adaptation of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition to his work on screen, Daniel Dae Kim's return to Broadway in the production of Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang is a venture into the comedic genre, offering a fresh perspective on relevant cultural themes with a timeless appeal. 

In the heart of Hollywood's ever-changing landscape, Daniel Dae Kim stands out not just as an actor and producer but as a visionary leader dedicated to reshaping the narrative around Asian American stories and beyond. Founding 3AD, a production company that underscores his commitment to amplifying diverse narratives within the industry, Kim ignited a movement towards inclusivity and representation, drawing inspiration from the overlooked and undervalued voices at the proverbial high school party of life. His mission, grounded in the belief that entertainment should both captivate and challenge, has already borne fruit with successes like the Good Doctor. Yet, Kim emphasizes, 3AD's scope transcends any single community, aiming instead to spotlight a mosaic of untold stories, thereby enriching our collective cultural tapestry.

Kim's commitment to portraying multifaceted characters that challenge stercotypes and his explorations beyond acting into producing reflect a continuous pursuit of artistic growth and contribution to the cultural dialogue. Beyond his on-sereen prowess, Kim's advocacy for greater diversity and inclusion in Hollywood has made him a pivotal figure in the push for a more equitable entertainment landscape.

With a career that spans critical acclaim and a fervent dedication to cultural change, Daniel Dac Kim remains a beacon of inspiration and a force for progress in the ever-evolving world of entertainment. Read on and get inspired by this slice of Daniel Dae Kim's thoughts on his life as a father, an actor, a producer, and more.

How's the Sunrise House Event at Sundance? How did it go?

They were really fantastic. We had some really informative panels with some industry leaders from every sector. We had a great fireside chat with Steve Yeun. And we had another one with Lucy Liu and that seemed good. 

The Fireside Chats seemed to go really well. The feedback was really good. We threw some banging parties. And so you know, it was a little bit of substance and a little bit of fun.

 

And it's really great and inspiring that you guys are doing this, because I'm seeing a lot more mainstream visibility, especially in Sundance as well for AAPI.

Yes. 

It's really cool. 

What's funny is that AAPI filmmakers have been on it for a while at Sundance, they just have never had a home, you know, somewhere where they can be celebrated and their achievements can be spotlighted. And also, I think there's just a broader movement toward multiculturalism. And that's an emphasis of our house as well. It's not just for the AAPI community, we took specific efforts to do outreach to other communities of color and I think that's really important.

 

That's amazing. Especially how you guys are extending your arms to the communities, building and growing it.

That's what it's about, that's what it's about. We had a dinner one night where we invited all the other major communities of color, and we broke bread together, we talked and hopefully, that's just the beginning of broader initiatives among our houses. 

How did you approach the complex character of Fire Lord Ozai?

As a dad. You know, I have two kids and just thinking about the ways that he's actually in his own way trying to guide his children to their best future is what I kind of keyed into. We may make mistakes as fathers, some intentional, some unintentional, but it doesn't mean... I don't think Ozai doesn't love his children. I think he does, but his love comes out in ways very different from the way I express it.

 

The intention is there. It's just expressed in its own ways.

Yes. And, they can be damaging. They are damaging- physically, in the case of Zuko, but we damage our children without knowing it. We've been damaged by our parents without them knowing it. It's part of the cycle of life and that's kind of how I found Ozai's humanity.

Now, speaking of Zuko and Iroh, and Ozai's family dynamics. How were you all able to explore this complex family relationship on screen?

One of the ways that we did it was to just get to know one another. I've known Paul Sun-Hyung Lee for a while, and I'm a big fan of his work. And so there was a natural bond between us right from the start, and I really enjoyed seeing Lizzie's work as Azula, and watching Dallas' work as Zuko was fantastic, and just seeing what they brought to the table allowed me to kind of see who my children were. Because we were coming together as actors, and we were seeing what each actor brought to the table. But I was able to use that to inform my relationship with the children. What are they good at? What do they need help with? Where do we want to guide their future? Where do I want to guide their strengths and their weaknesses? So things like that, and a little off-camera bonding was really important.

You played pivotal roles that defied stereotypes. How important is it for you to portray complex characters that go beyond just one archetype?

It's just interesting as an actor, you know. I never want to be doing one thing forever, I've been in situations where I played a character for six years, seven years, but, in the case of Lost, I'm so grateful that there was so much growth in that character. So it never became boring. But if I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to work a lot, I want to use those opportunities to explore things I'm interested in as an artist. And part of that is just kind of finding a variety of kinds of people to play with.

And you've produced, you've acted, and you've explored all these other avenues in terms of creating art. What other things do you want to explore in the near future, aside from those realms?

Producing has been really interesting, the process of creation of television and film and theater has been something that has intrigued me for a while. Yes, I think, to have a holistic view of how one makes entertainment and how it affects us as a society and vice versa, I think it's a really interesting question. How entertainment reflects the cultures of our time and at the same time, pushes it in one direction or another.

What's the most valuable piece of advice you received from someone either in the industry or out of the industry that you always still carry with you?

That there's no room in show business for you, you have to make room. I keep that in mind because it encourages me to think that nothing is a given, nothing should be taken for granted and anything that I'm looking to do will probably require work because no one is asking me to do it.

What's the one thing people will  remember you after the credits roll? What do you want to be remembered as?

First and foremost, a good actor, because that's my life's passion, and I would say, second of all, someone who tried to use his platform to bring us together as a society.

What kind of book will Daniel Dae Kim be?

Well, I will tell you that I'm working on a project right now based on a book by Chang-Rae Lee, his first major novel - Native Speaker that came out in the 80s. And I have a real connection to that novel, because Chang-Rae and I are of the same generation as Korean Americans, and a lot of the issues he wrestles with in that book are issues that I've wrestled with my whole life. It's a beautifully written book. His prose is so eloquent and poetic. And it was the first time I'd ever read a book that kind of felt like he was talking to me.

[butterflydm]

polycule concerns & thoughts for s2 & s3

spoilers for what we know about the s2 of the show but also book spoilers through roughly The Fires of Heaven

If you've been following me for a while, you might know that my One Fear (TM) re: the WoT show is that the polycule will be split up into two monogamous couples.

We've gotten some hints and indications that the plan is to go with the polycule but I will probably not fully relax about it until we have something concrete on-screen.

So this post is essentially me thinking through the elements that would be helpful to have in season two that would pave the way for us getting the polycule on-screen and accepted by viewers.

Starting with what we already have:

behind the scenes, Rafe said that he's more interested in polyamory than polygamy and that the situation isn't going to be "one guy dates three girls" but something more equitable while also saying that removing the polycule would be "gutting" the story. So all of that is a good sign that Rafe is more interested in improving the polycule than ditching it. *fingers crossed*

we've introduced the concept of polyamory into the series already with Alanna, Ihvon, & Maksim, and shown that it is accepted among Aes Sedai & Warders (especially Green Ajah)

Min's mention of seeing "three beautiful women" in Rand's future.

It also seems like, in story terms, Falme is going to somewhat take the place of Tear, in terms of being where people launch into the story of The Shadow Rising, as S3 is meant to fairly closely align with that book. But, in terms of creating the polycule, having that happen in this version of Falme has the advantage of all four prospective polycule members being present (in the books, Aviendha is not present at Falme & Min is not present in Tear), so there can be some tentative vibes/conversations.

Realistically, I feel like season two isn't going to be able to give us too much polycule content, simply because people are going to be fairly scattered for most of the season, but we can still get some valuable set-up for the future.

So these would be the emotional beats that I would hope we get in season two:

Elayne and Rand getting a meet-cute, as they got in the books (losing Randlayne's meet-cute is the one thing that I really do miss about losing Caemlyn from S1)

We learn that Aiel culture is polyamory-friendly.

Min recognizes Elayne and/or Aviendha before being introduced to them (implying that she has already seen them in a viewing).

This sets us up going into S3 with all three of the female characters already coming from a base of understanding that polyamorous relationships are a thing that can happen: Aviendha through her culture; Elayne through knowing people in the Green Ajah; Min through her viewings.

@markantonys suggested that Aviendha x Rand might be the first full-fledged romantic relationship inside the polycule, since we already know that S3 will be a closer working of The Shadow Rising and then we'll likely feed into The Fires of Heaven for S4 (potentially mixed with the Tear arc from The Dragon Reborn), which would be a great way to build out a sustainable and consensual polyamorous relationship that isn't dependent on Elayne writing confusing letters that make Rand believe that she's essentially broken up with him. Because Rand and Aviendha would be working from within the cultural basis of the Aiel, which allows for polyamorous relationships, there would be no need for the narrative to trick Rand in order to begin the next stage of the romantic relationships. And because Avirand is the most slow-burn out of the romances, it's also a good one to be the first romance Rand gets into after the ending of the more serious Rand & Egwene relationship that we had in the show.

Using that as an idea, the sort of shape we could potentially have would be some sparks of mutual attraction in early S3, before everyone splits up (I am really hoping that everyone doesn't split up at the end of S2!), then Rand x Aviendha would be the focus in S3/early S4. Elayne & Nynaeve go to Tear instead of Tanchico (per another great suggestion from markantonys) and then Rand & the Aiel also end up going to Tear at the end of S4 when the Shaido leave the Waste (breaking to the south instead of the north), and we end up with Rand x Aviendha x Elayne at the Stone of Tear at the end of S4.

That's kinda as far as my thoughts have gone at this point in time, lol. Min is the toughest for me to figure out because the way Jordan approaches her relationship with Rand in the books is... not my thing, so I kinda want to just see how the show handles her and hope that I'll like it better.

[lol-jackles]

https://twitter.com/adamconover/status/1653272585252257793

This guy lists everything out in a pretty easy to understand way for those of us who don't really understand what is happening. With all the things asked for and the responses/counter-offers, are you thinking we're looking at a long strike? I mean, if the strike goes on for too long than even renewed shows might still be at risk when everything is said and done. It happened last strike.

Link. This is 2007, season 2. Except it's worse because WGA is bargaining from a place of weakness and herefore with a lot less leverage. I mean, striking right before The Great Recession and just as streaming services are falling apart at the seam and losing money? Long time readers know my gripes with unions and why I left the industry. I am pro-collective bargaining, but I'm union wary.

Personally, most people I know in the business (including writers) don’t see any need for the WGA. It stifles creativity by excluding talented writers from gaining a foothold in the industry, and it forces producers to pay very high rates to mediocre writers.

A good writer doesn’t need the intervention of a closed-shop trade union. If the work is good or profitable, then the writer will be in a position to negotiate a fair and equitable rate. At best, writers will simply become freelancers and take their talents to other countries that don’t have such restrictive practices.  This is not unpopular opinion, I’ve known a few writers who wrote for major sitcoms and said strikes are pointless.  The last strike didn’t benefit them when the union gave away the internet.

With that said, I think the studios did this to themselves. They went out of their way to hire young, inexperienced writers because they were cheap and easy to control (see my fraudulent creator post). Then when their projects failed and lost money for the studios, the same studios tighten their fiscal belts while these same fraudulent creators writers are striking even though they have no leverages to get raises. I really wish things were different and there were some way good writers get paid and bad writers get fired, but there should have been a more meritocratic system from Day 1, instead of being cheap then to lose money now.

[true-blue-sonic]

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening!!!

🏡💼⛈️😡 for Espio & Gold

(Muse 🤔... I haven't read this term for a while now...)

Good afternoon! ^-^

Espio:

send 🏡 for a home headcanon

Is the only one with any sense of cleanliness and desire to keep their house liveable in the Chaotix. Sadly, his attempts at cleaning up are mostly futile, as trash and dirt always manage to pile up in mere seconds after he is finished.

send 💼 for a work headcanon

Vector and Charmy still have him be The Hacker Guy of the bunch by virtue of the two of them knowing even less about computers than he does. Espio takes it in stride, but he definitely had to take a few lessons on programming and hacking before to be able to pull anything off in that regard.

send ⛈️ for a sadness headcanon

Tries to not let negative emotions unbalance him and make him perform poorly, so he often attempts to either not feel sad at all or remain in control of himself despite what is happening. It can make him come off as aloof or uninterested, though he does need time afterwards to process things healthily and stop them from weighing him down.

send 😡 for an anger headcanon

Even if he gets angry, it never interferes with the amazing aim he has for his kunai and shuriken! He could be boiling with rage on the inside, but it will only make his aim more accurate.

Gold:

send 🏡 for a home headcanon

When she still lived in her home dimension, her parents did not have enough space to give her and her plentiful siblings individual bedrooms, so she shared one with her oldest sibling and one brother so he could keep an eye on her during the night. Moving from the cramped but cozy and protective space to her large, empty bedroom in the Science Center rattled her more than she is willing to admit.

send 💼 for a work headcanon

Is highly competent when it comes to civic matters on Onyx Island, to the surprise of many scientists (as the Council is the most intelligent handful of individuals on the Council; even if Gold is plenty clever she is not a sheer genius). From Silver she knows the ailments and issues of the lower/lowest classes, which makes her an invaluable ally on the road to making Onyx City more equitable for all.

send ⛈️ for a sadness headcanon

Tries to keep her head up in the face of everything that has happened, but some days everything comes crashing down and she is simply distraught. Silver is a great help for her; he gets her something to drink and some Tacs (a 'cookie' of Onyx City), and just sits with her for as long as she needs to while she cries it all out.

send 😡 for an anger headcanon

She's got plenty of pet peeves and little things that can make her annoyed, though true anger is something Gold is not that acquainted to. But once she does get angry, it's easy to tell by how her quills are all bristled up and how she's puffing her cheeks all madly!

[queerlymasculine]

god bless you to the ends of the earth for your viewpoints and rbs on men; I’ve needed so so so badly to see it in this world where nobody seems to care let alone recognise our humanity at all

-Some Guy

I literally have no idea how long this has been in my ask box, I am so sorry my friend. I have been away from this blog for about five months, oof.

that being said, of course! I love men. I could tell you stories about the wholesome masculinity of the cis men in my inner circle and how much they love their friends, including me, and how easily and openly they talk about mental health and offer and give support. I love being a man! I love being a masculine man! I love being a masculine man who does kink and whose masculinity is not impacted or altered by the role I play. I love being a man and I love men!!!!

men are great.

viewing men as a problem, believing men are inherently predatory or violent - these are incompatible with building a better world. the people who hold these beliefs do not want a better world. they do not want an equitable world. you cannot work for a better world while holding hatred and disgust for people in your community, and we are all in community with each other.

so, I don't confer even the barest legitimacy to ideologies that hate men. I don't read what they write, I don't concern myself with trying to change their mind, I don't even think of what I might say to disprove their beliefs. I do not engage with people who are acting in bad faith. they do not deserve it, and I do not accept nor claim the responsibility for changing them.

they are wrong. they are poison. and that's their problem.

I know the truth. we know the truth. we know that all human beings are equally capable of great acts of love and great acts of evil. we know gender doesn't determine someone's personality or temperament or future. I think one of the greatest acts of love we can do for ourselves is ignore the noise that is not concerned with truth and reality.

being away from this blog, where I have seen more rad//fe/m propaganda than my other blog, for a solid five months was the best thing I could do for myself as I was working on surgery and other things related to realizing and manifesting my manhood and masculinity.

being a man is a beautiful thing, that is a fact. people can disagree, but opinions don't change facts.

I hope you are as well as you can be, and I hope you are doing your best to bask in your manhood and finding ways to celebrate it.

[flaringfoxsoul03]

Hullo, I’d like to request a One Piece matchup with a man 20+ years.

My pronouns are Xe/Xem/Xirs and I’m a Gemini/Cancer Moon and an INFJ-A.

Personality-wise I’m always striving to be thoughtful, creative, equitable, and appreciative of other’s differences. I’m autistic and have schizoaffective disorder but have found the right cocktail of pills to keep me functioning well. When my social battery is low and/or I’m talking to strangers I’m cautious and a little terse, but once I let my walls down and get a positive reception I loosen up considerably and can infodump and listen to other’s interests for hours.

I’m a very avid friend; I often give gifts to those close to me in my social circle and check up on them often offering whatever support I can. The closer I am to my friend the more I want to platonically cuddle but will refrain if it makes them uncomfortable. I do my best to surround myself with people who are kind, caring, and supportive along with a healthy dose of like mindedness.

My love languages are gift giving, quality time, and physical touch.

My interests include solarpunk, writing, drawing, sewing, crafting, swimming, reading, learning languages/linguistics, sociology, category theory, and psychology.

Some of my likes are weighted, minky blankets, the colours yellow, magenta, cyan, and brown, teeth/fangs, ferrets, raspberries, oversized sweaters, and ladybugs.

I dislike loud and/or sudden noises, strong perfumes and scents that aren’t food, and unwelcome touch. I abhor cruelty, arrogance, and willful ignorance.

Does my question button work now?? I literally cannot see it myself so I question it’s existence… But I since my asks button works just fine, I will require everyone from now on to refer to my Masterlist/Guidelines from now on. If you do not see your request within the next week of making it, please dm/pm me to confirm your ask made it through. I will reiterate this again in my next update to my pinned post.

You’re putting me into quite a pickle here Anon, it’s a pirate’s world after all. Creatures tend to be violent, but let’s see if this matchup works well for you…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I match you with…

Smoker!

——————————

Now, this is a bit of a peculiar meet. It’s not everyday that you get kidnapped by a ragtag group of pirates trying to use you as leverage in order to supply themselves for the GrandLine. Unfortunately but fortunately for you, they don’t get everyday when they’re all engulfed in smoggy smoke that propels far away from you. Captain Smoker meets you coughing up a fit trying to get used to the putrid smell of cigar smoke as the man who just saved you is smoking two at once. Not a great start as you run away in order to breathe cleaner, less polluted air. Not being able to be in the same area as him, you simply write a letter of thanks and give it to a wandering stationed marine asking it be delivered to him. It took awhile, but you guys did eventually start talking

First thing this man does is take one of his officers, Tashigi, to help him find a subtle yet effective cologne to wear around you. He doesn’t want you to be overly caught up on what he smells like, so he tries his hardest to not smoke around you and not smell strongly of any aroma products. But you have to be able to give him some slack here and there, his Devil Fruit is literally smoke, he can’t help that. You might be able to forgive him here and there, but the smell thing I see is your only problem that you might have fights about, at least in the beginning

After that barrier was crossed, you have a very loyal yet workaholic man for a partner. He doesn’t try to do anything that may jeopardize his position with the Marines, but you’re definitely are going to have to get some help with Tashigi to get him to spend time with you as a date or two if he’s too caught up in work. Outside of that, he’s very dedicated in making sure you’re very much appreciated in his life. Spoils you here and there, but it’s mostly that quality time he loves the most

However, his work in the Marines puts him out to sea when you both least expected it. No one was really expecting another ragtag group to cause the commotion that they did. However, this did lead to your first separation with Smoker. He was far too determined to capture those pesky pirates in order to think about the damage it would cause to your relationship with him. Don’t worry, this isn’t where your story ends!

He only left with a letter and a weighted blanket in his absence that smelled of him in a not so horrible way. He write that he must pursue the pirates that were in town not too long ago, the fellow Marines would take care of you in his absence. However, I believe this would only cause you to create greater personal growth. This will effectively allow you to join ranks of the Marines due to the fact that you were able to take on small crowds of rowdy pirates all by yourself, but you definitely need more training to really hone in on those skills

When you see Smoker again, he’s a Commodore from the Alabasta incident. This is probably where you get into your second fight, the ignorance of your relationship and the arrogance in the belief that you weren’t able to handle it. It gets heated, but by the end, you’ve both worked something out as you literally went the stretch to train and be able to be stationed under his hand and the rest of the G-5 crew. He’s not going to make the same mistake twice now since he’s gotten a bit more information to work with and got his head repeatedly bashed in with the information Tashigi and Captain Hina that he can’t dump his partner for work and expect it to be normal. His defense in his case was that you were not strong enough to protect yourself in the GrandLine and didn’t wish any harm to come to you, but least he’s getting a second chance

Admires you for your intellect and strategies that you come up with to defeat or interrogate your opponent. Since you’re a pacifist of a person, you rely on your words being the most effective tool in your arsenal to prod and poke at the minds of pirates in order to stop them in their paths, ultimately hindering themselves useless to a pair of cuffs you place on them. He doesn’t outwardly approve, he ends up agreeing with this method if said criminals are worthy in his eyes for redemption. Rehabilitation of former criminals is often on his mind, he’s just not sure he’s the right guy to lead that project forward

Doesn’t mind that you often are hanging out with other crew members instead of him, he trusts you completely and truly and would never question your loyalty to him. But really does cherish moments when you’re sleeping together or just relaxing in the ocean breeze. It’s rare that he ever does relax, but it’s you we’re talking about. He’s willing to commit to you, you are one of the only people who understands him and vice versa. You can keep a conversation about what you’re studying going and he wouldn’t get annoyed, he even finds himself implementing those tactics you talk about into his combat and finds great results in them. He will be forever in debt to you, the person that changed his life from the moment he walked in on it

Most would think that you’re couple dynamic is rough and cruel, but in truth they’ll find that you are the good cop needing that push for a better outcome and him the bad cop needing someone to regain him in and show him another method. You will have fights, but more importantly, you will be able to overcome it together as partners, hilariously enough, in crime

=================

The follow ups are:

Charlotte Katakuri

And

Trafalgar Water D. Law

===================

That’s all folks, until next time!

~Fox

[arrjaysketch]

Ah, another great example of "I've confused the neglect and abuse of my upbringing for the universal standard, and 'masculinity'." 🙄

In all seriousness, I think it's surprising to learn how much we think is "normal" and "universal" when it's actually...not.

Musing: the thing that makes me think "manly", weirdly, has nothing to do with gender. It's confidence, assertiveness, and strong boundaries. This means that one knows it's impossible to get everyone to like you, and it's a silly waste of time to worry about how other people are living their lives.

Shadaya comes off as super insecure. I can't speak for how self-loathing works in other people, but knowing how I used to feel about myself there's a lot of that going on, too.

I was also thinking about how "the patriarchy" really boils down to treating women like second-class citizens in every way. A patriarchal society says women are inferior to men in every single way. When one understands women, it turns out that is complete and absolute bullshit. It's built on fear, anger, shame, insecurity, and indirect (passive/passive-aggressive) communication.

The worst part about it is that patriarchy is a lot like growing up as a passive-aggressive communicator. I don't see it at all. It's invisible. I think I'm a direct, assertive communicator, but it turns out that no, I'm still super passive-aggressive. I think I'm forward-thinking and fighting for equality and equitability, but man, these roots are super old, super deep, and really insidious. Turns out I had (and still have) a lot of unlearning and re-learning to do.

Like, if cis guys (and a lot of people) really, truly understand how important empathy was as a skill we'd all be putting so much more effort into it. I can't speak for everyone, but I definitely grew up with an empathy-shaped hole, and it fucking sucked.

[cannoli-reader]

My Notes from Watching the Wheel of Time show

Originally posted on 12/24/2021. Possible spoilers for any or all WoT novels. Under the cut...

00:18 - So how will Amalisa’s channeling matter in this episode? Clearly it will, since it’s in the recap.

01:20 - “3000 years ago” We’re cutting to LTT now? Never mind it was a great way to kick off the series, no, we have to have it with 7/8 of the season gone, because of the inane secret-keeping.

01:30 - Oh, we’re not doing the prologue, we’re doing the Fateful Concord! And they’re speaking in Latin the Old Tongue on screen. That’s just dumb. The Old Tongue isn’t a viable language, it is there to sound cool and old-fashioned, to add significance to words and terminology. The one time this show has tried, with Nynaeve’s precisely memorized prayer, it was gibberish. I might go back and attempt to translate the dialogue for my own curiosity, but it seems too much like work that will just get me pissed off.

1:40 - Who is right in his conflict? I can’t tell! One the one hand, Latra Posae is white, and Lews Therin is black. But she's a woman and he isn't. Recall if you will (sorry about the pain), Moiraine’s commentary at the outset of the series was highly critical of Barack Hussein Lews Therin Telamon, so it’s a pretty good guess.

01:40 - And she has a baby.

02:13 - Ah, the White Girl Feminist is the one the narrative is backing. Because they have her precisely predicting the danger of Barack Therin’s strategy, when in the books, her predictions were different and further, as it says, “no one could have predicted the Dark One’s counterstroke” (emphasis mine). Also, I am getting a very much domestic dispute vibe from this argument. And that baby bearing a stronger resemblance to BTT than LPD suggests he is having a professional argument with a political rival in his child’s nursery or LPD used the One Power to conceive a child with her life-partner-of-color.

02:41 - Who even says stuff like this? The fate of the world is only being decided in a nursery, because the writers made the asinine decision to set this argument there and script it laden with hindsight!

02:58 - Ugh, we have an anachronistic super-woman-who-does-it-all depiction.

03:07 He’s the Dragon, not the Dragon Reborn! The Dragon is not the title of the guy who fights the Dark One, it was a specific title given to LTT, just like the Forsaken names. That’s a thing they did in the Age of Legends, recognize important people with names. When you have overcome resource scarcity, and govern justly and equitably through merit as any utopia would, formal recognition of your service or infamy is about the only reward that can be given out.

The point of Rand being the Dragon Reborn in not that he is the Dark One’s eternal adversary, but that he is the reincarnation of Lews Therin, specifically. The guy whose actions led to the Breaking of the World, who killed his wife and family and led his followers to death and madness! The point is all that baggage, of that particular man landing on Rand’s shoulders! Calling Barack Therin the Dragon Reborn strips the title of its damning implications and the fear that Rand is doomed to do what made LTT infamous.

03:15 - What flame is she watching? The Flame of Tar Valon, whose eponymous city has not yet been geologically formed, let alone founded, named or built? That’s clearly a Third Age title, when they would have been thinking about all they have lost and seen themselves as a group maintaining the fire of the Power, the Aes Sedai, civilization, humanity, whatever, so it does not go out. They were not separate in the AoL, they were one, so the Flame was only half the symbol.

And yes, WoT Novices would not know this, I am aware. My point is, the show writers don’t understand the meaning of stuff from the books. They’re not remotely attempting to tell a variant of the same story, just strip-mining it for names and ideas to bolt patchwork fashion onto the hideous visage of their own fantasy creation.

03:25 - Is that Dr. Strange’s ter’angreal for Traveling on several of Barak Therin’s fingers?

03:33 - Don’t you see? It’s powerfully ironic because what he’s about to do will actually cause him to kill the baby! Professional writing is a great art!

Why was that argument between Barack Therin and LPD a better piece of background than the lead-in to to a best-selling novel? And if you’re going to set your first ever Age of Legends scene in the Therin family nursery, why do you need to erase Ilyena?

05:23 - This looks more like they are going to find Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

05:52 - We are in the middle of a global pandemic, when people’s ideas of necessary measures against infection have taken a radical turn. Two idiots lurching through a thicket with their faces exposed, hair unbound and utterly failing to avoid crashing through the branches and underbrush does not remotely convey the danger of the Blight. Edit from the future: They built this set after the pandemic shut them down, so it's not like were filming this before the world became obsessed with sanitizer and N95. “Touch nothing” is something you tell people before entering the place where they should not touch things, not when you are deep enough in that you can’t see the place you came from.

Also, Moiraine makes it sound like the Blight is just some place only stupid adventurers go for kicks, rather than the terrain of an enemy with whom the Borderlands are fighting an unceasing war, where there are very good reasons for men and armies to go into the Blight. How else would Lan come to know it as other children know their mothers’ garden?

06:09 - Unnecessary negging of Rand, who is doing this because YOU told him he had to and has given no indication he is unaware that he is in over his head.

06:18 - Ever notice TV characters don’t come into a room like normal people? Normal people linger at the door, or approach the person they are there to see. TV characters stride right in, but they hang near the back, circling the foreground occupant as if getting into position of a game of catch or a duel.

06:53 - Nosewart and tear.

07:10 - Egwene is sad. Perrin thinks it’s dangerous to pursue Rand & Moiraine. Why did we need to be shown this? What was the point of that scene? Has there been too much white skin on screen to this point?

08:03 - They are sitting on mossy rocks, leaning against Blight-Trees. This Blight is lame.

08:28 - You can barely hold Lan back from the Blight under the best of circumstances. With Moiraine and the Dragon Reborn plunging into it alone, he would be after them if the whole army of Shienar was in his way. He would not be gazing wistfully from the inexplicably exposed balcony out in the general direction of the Blight.

Also, how does this room make any sense for one of the northern-most cities in the world? Balconies that are only closed off from the interior by screens? This kind of thing is seen in Ebou Dar and Tear and is the sort of thing Berelain wanted Perrin to make for her bedroom in Mayene. It is NOT what you find in the extreme north, where trees explode because their sap freezes! Edit from the future: Actually, there appears to be glass inside the screens.

09:20 - I could almost accept even one might would overlook a characteristic track made by their long-time partner, if they only ever needed their magic mindlink to find them. But if you are good at something, and do it all the time, and sometimes your life depends on it, you notice pertinent details by reflex! There is no way any real tracker would miss a tendency of his companion of 20 years to leave a particular track! Even if Lan has never had to track Moiraine, there must have been times when he was trying to cover their backtrail! That’s the point of his surprise when Nynaeve admits to tracking them to Baerlon, because he was actively taking measures to prevent that from happening! For the WHOLE group, because no one is stupid enough to cover their own trail and forget that of the person traveling with them!

And Lan does not let details like that pass, anyway. That’s why he’s so good, not because he has put so many skill points into his sword ability, but because he is diligent, observant and thorough.

The worst part of it is, I think the writers believe they are “fixing” Lan, by saying “actually, no one is good enough to track him, not even Nynaeve.”

10:00 - The context of Lan’s comments about Nynaeve’s future husband ITB was because he has already stated the reasons why it is impossible for that to be him. There is absolutely nothing established on the show why this should be the case.

BTW, Lan more or less ended the discussion with the love him/hate him bit, after she gave the line about Wisdoms and wedding and going to Tar Valon, which came after his string of compliments. They literally did the conversation backwards.

11:20 - And now Ishamael is just some goober. The actual thing they didn’t reveal for three books, even if the pieces are there for alert readers to pick up, that Ba’alzamon who comes to them in their dreams and fights Rand three times, is not the Dark One, but a mortal man, has just been tossed out the window by his very ordinary appearance and voice and getting rid of the expensive “distracting” flame effects. This guy is as menacing as an Uber driver.

12:04 - Lews Therin ITB had a Hundred Companions! That was their FUCKING NAME! If he was one of the hundred, to whom were they companions? The name comes from them being a young, rash, upstart faction that developed a strong loyalty to Lews Therin personally, rather than the office of the supreme commander. He was the respected leader with an established and illustrious career and they were his loyal following, not his partners. And also, ITB, the name was figurative, and he took more than 100 Aes Sedai to Shayol Ghul with him. WoTNovices would not know about the Hundred Companions, and readers who cared would have read “The Strike at Shayol Ghul” and know better.

12:42 - These sorts of personal details were far beneath Ba’alzamon’s awareness.

13:25 - Why would Rand wake up rubbing at his wrists, instead of the abdominal wound he just gave himself?

13:30 - We’re just supposed to take Rand’s word that the convenience store clerk from his dream is the Dark One? Why does Rand think this? Why are we supposed to trust his opinion?

14:16 - Moiraine is describing the ITB singular creation of the Eye of the World, but here applied to a sa’angreal that will merely increase Rand’s power “a hundredfold.” I’m not one of the One Power experts in the fan community, but I would have figured a sa’angreal, especially one that required thousands of male channelers (BTW, they had a name; it was Aes Sedai) to make, would have a more impressive payoff.

14:35 - A. Moiraine give no indication of how Rand is supposed to channel in the first place, let alone with the sa’angreal, and B. She’s basically demanding Rand single-handedly seal up the Dark One just like that, as if Tarmon Gaidon is not a thing. Now this is not too far off from a typical Book Moiraine plan, but I don’t think the writers (nor, to be fair to Rafe et al, many fans) are aware that she is an ignorant tool in just as far over her head as the rest of the gang, and her plans, especially where Rand and metaphysical stuff like channeling and prophecies are concerned, suck Trolloc balls.

15:09 - The writers immediately try to ameliorate the exposure of Moiraine’s error in believing Egwene was the Dragon by having Rand admit he did too, but they don’t seem to realize they are effectively saying Moiraine’s judgment is no better than a love-struck backwoods farmboy’s. There is no real suggestion that the narrative places them on the same level. The signals sent by the show so far is that she is great and awesome and brilliant and where she falls short, she is still miles ahead of the Emond’s Fielders, or at least the male ones.

15:21 - So we’re just writing out Nynaeve’s weather/conflict sense, which is a thing into the late series.

15:55 - Ah, they’re doing it in favor of playing up Egwene’s powers. It must be killing them that they realized they had to give the Dragon title to its canonical holder, Rand.

16:45 - We can’t possibly retain that horrific notion that the two halves of the Power are so different that a man can’t learn from a woman or vice versa!

No, Moiraine is refusing to teach Rand, because he has a limited number of channeling attempts before going mad. That, for the record, was never brought up in the books. Rand was the one reluctant to attempt to channel out of fear of the madness, while Aes Sedai were generally encouraging him to do so, in order to learn. As is later seen, the madness happens at random. You can go for years without being afflicted or it can strike the day you are tested. There is never once any correlation drawn between one's exposure to the Power and the onset of the madness.

16:46 - Adrenaline was first made in 1897, and the adrenal glands only became common knowledge in the 17th century. WoT, having Healing as an option for extreme medical cases, is considerably behind the real world on surgery, medical scholarship and publication or nomenclature. If Moiraine knows what the adrenaline is and what it does, Rand would certainly not.

17:07 - Those oh-so-deadly Blight trees, once again serving as a chair-back.

17:50 - ITB, no Aes Sedai would ever take this approach! They scorn the idea of channeling in distress or by instinct, as wilders do! They do everything they can to teach students to channel with a cool head and calm emotions. This is just writing for plot convenience, because they were too busy writing about Warder mourning and White Tower funeral customs to establish channeling lessons.

18:25 - That’s not a comeback! They have already asked what Min told their companions, so it’s clear their purpose “in the bar” is other than procuring alcohol! But TV shows love to have this sort of random statement come out of the mouth of a character they want to show as witty.

19:01 - Don’t think I don’t know that Loial is inexplicably sitting on furniture that is canonically too small for him, solely to hide how much bigger than a couple of women he isn’t.

19:14 - What direction are they even travelling, that they can glance off to their right and see the gap they passed through at the outset of their journey?

19:22 - Ah. We were supposed to see an army in that shot.

19:36 - Is it really easier to spot the Fades among an army of Trollocs than simply estimate their numbers using your own eyeballs and methods used to estimate the size of other armies?

19:43 - Uno still just sounds silly being the only one to use WoT curses, especially when everyone else uses real world curses.

19:56 - You know that drawbridges, especially in large fortresses holding vital strategic positions, that have been part of a militarized nation for a thousand years, generally have chains to raise and lower them? And they also have guards, 24/7 for exactly these sorts of reasons? Also, any ropes strong enough to raise and lower a drawbridge would be like cables that you’d need a team of strong men or hours of uninterrupted time, or a chainsaw, to cut.

20:21 - The higher ranking person does not salute first.

20:36 - Amalisa, he didn’t listen the first time. Also, Trollocs. Fighting them is the only option, regardless of whether or not you can win. No one needed to be told Agelmar & his men were riding out for a doomed fight ITB, they knew it, but it had to be done. The writers are either entirely ignorant of this point, or they are undermining Amalisa by having her make stupid comments.

20:57 - Eye of the World, by MC Escher.

21:56 - What does Lan looking at the Seven Towers mean to anyone who has not read the books, aside from the fact that he is, indeed, on Moiraine’s and Rand’s trail? Based on the prior seven episodes, the best way to make this scene meaningful would be to establish that Stepin the Tragic Warder came from Malkier.

22:05 - It was sufficient for the books that Agelmar was a human being riding to certain death. As far as his father is concerned, he could have sprung full-grown from Zeus’ forehead. You do not need to mention people’s fathers to make them worthy of concern, nor does mentioning them automatically make them so.

22:22 - So the point is that Amalisa thinks Agelmar should wear his ancestral armor, for some reason? Why would his own personal armor be insufficient protection? Even more absurd is that the show thus far has suggested she is the reasonable one, while he’s a blowhard who doesn’t listen to anybody.

23:00 - Why did they not ask the Tower for help? It’s kind of a self-evident solution! Trollocs are clearly not just a local problem ITB, although in the show, Fal Dara is so weak that a mere thousand Trollocs seemed like an overwhelming force certain to defeat Agelmar’s father. Despite Trollocs being so far depicted as undisciplined infantry, and it appears that there is some sort of fortification in the Gap, so a few hundred men should be able to hold off a thousand Trollocs for years.

23:35 - So what’s your point, Agelmar? Everything is futile because Tarmon Gaidon is coming?

23:55 - Um, you want to be careful about saying your messengers will “fly” with “the Light’s speed”, especially when you have an accent, so it sounds like “light speed” because that means something else to genre fiction fans. And when you’re watching fantasy, assuming literal flight is not a stupid thought.

24:49 - “Hey, since we’re such rabid Moiraine fan-boys, why don’t we have her be completely ignorant of what the Eye of the World is?” “Brilliant, Rafe!”

24:53 - Is there some reason why we, or Rand, should trust the competence of an organization that lets their libraries get purged of every record of the existence of a place where you think it’s essential the Dragon Reborn face the Dark One? I suppose no one had read those records or felt the impulse to write down again what they said, so future generations would remember? Or is the Darkfriends-purging-the-library situation a thing that keeps happening?

25:39 - I can see the point of the Aes Sedai needing gestures in this fallen Age, but why would Barack Therin need to?

25:46 - Seriously, why does Rand think that’s the Dark One? ITB, he introduces himself using a name believed to be the Dark One’s.

25:55 - I hope that’s not the literal seal on the Dark One’s prison Rand is standing on.

27:04 - This was Egwene’s test scenario ITB and only one of three in her test to merely advance in her training. In other words, even horrible cishet sexist transphobe RJ didn’t think a fantasy of a marriage and baby was all that important or tempting of a scenario, next to the high stakes conflicts in which they are involved.

27:25 - If this scene ever comes up in a BTS featurette, I know they are going to be pointing out the bridal ribbons in Egwene’s braid. Except you wear those for like, a month, and their kid is old enough to walk. Why not, instead of buying an actual kid that can’t possibly serve any purpose in the scene, spend the money on your CGI, so Ba’alzamon could have had a whole conversation in the fire-face mode? Before my nephew’s baptism, I literally walked the length of the church carrying his blanket folded in such a way that actual human beings who had borne children themselves believed there was a baby in my arms. You could have faked this. It’s probably Rafe’s sister’s kid whom he thinks will utterly enthrall the audience who will then be rooting for Rand to accept the scenario.

And that kid’s legs don’t look big enough to walk, and walking is not a trick babies only perform for certain people, it’s a thing they do because they want to move somewhere and reach things they can’t from the ground.

27:49 - I’m actually glad he bitch-slapped Moiraine, so we didn’t get her staring down Ba’alzamon “the Dark One”.

28:10 - Did he actually still her, or just shield her? If the former, why does the show do this to their fore-fronted character? I feel like her inevitable restoration will cheapen the moment when Nynaeve actually accomplishes it. And it should be noted that Siuan is in no way responsible for this, if it was Moiraine’s downfall. And how much worse could her actual downfall be, unless they are diminishing the significance of stilling? Edit from the future: Per a featurette, it’s because Moiraine is not doing much in The Great Hunt. So either they figured this would be a fun new arc for next year, or they believe it’s not plausible that a fully armed and operational Moiraine could be sidelined as she was ITB.

28:36 - Why are they charging so far from the wall, let alone before actually being on the same field as the enemy? And why is Agelmar bare-headed? If you are only going to wear one piece of armor, wear a helmet. It’s literally the most important body part and also there’s image issues and whatnot that a well-decorated helmet can help with. It’s also the only kind of armor used up until the invention of Kevlar.

28:45 - Why were they charging up to and through the wall? They should be formed up at the gates before they are opened to let them charge through en masse. Even if you don’t understand military issues (and from Rafe’s appearance and deportment in the featurettes and interviews, I am morally certain he does not), you could ask yourself, “Maybe LotR did it that way at Helm’s Deep for a reason?”

28:50 - Either the refugees are leaving the city and heading in the direction of the Blight, or that giant crossbow is pointing in the wrong direction.

Also I can’t help but notice that this is the only bridge we’ve seen in Fal Dara and it’s not remotely a drawbridge. That’s a solid, permanent, what-were-you-thinking-Turin?-type bridge.

28:57 - Juvenile-feminist pandering bullshit. Of all the lessons to take from The Two Towers, Rafe has acceded to his friendzone-girlfriends’ complaints that they armed the teen boys and sent the women into the caves. So what exactly are the women and children fighting for? The buildings? Why are those important? Why don’t they get a choice? Amalisa’s statement is framed as an order.

29:02 - Amalisa is wearing daddy’s armor, because she’s the True Leader of Fal Dara and it’s sexism and patriarchy that Agelmar is the lord. Is that also Daddy’s lipstick?

29:12 - Okay, why is it not standing policy to have torches lit to reduce Fade hiding places, as is the case ITB? Because men are dumb-dumbs and only a woman is clever enough to think up this elementary precaution?

29:21 - If channeling women are known and running around free, should not a census or register have been kept for just such emergencies?

29:33 - Min looks slightly better with her hair down (as well as slightly more masculine than Rafe Judkins). And I can’t decide if her fleeing is in keeping with her canonical common sense or against her propensity for being in way over her head but somehow finding a way to contribute anyhow.

29:58 - Don’t tell me they have some sort of Terminus Decree/self-destruct ter’angreal under the throne.

30:04 - Why do Rand and Moiraine have the only coats in the city?

30:26 - What did Nynaeve’s statement have to do with Loial’s announcement?

30:35 - If Agelmar and friends are going to be using crossbows in the fort, why were they charging dramatically on horseback to enter the fort?

30:39 - Why would the term for pulling a release lever on a crossbow be “fire”? What does “fire” have to do with crossbows? Especially if, unusually for a screen production, they are not loaded with flaming bolts?

30:51 - You don’t say burial prayers for Shadowspawn! It’s phrase to honor the dead, not a curse at your enemies!

31:18 - Every word out of Agelmar’s mouth aside, this is not the worst battle scene. The rate of “fire” is suspiciously high, though.

31:30 - That’s every woman in the city who can channel? I suppose that’s more like the response they’d get from such a call ITB, but the way they were talking it’s not an uncommon thing, and there should be more channelers in the city than were in Moiraine’s party. Also, why is Amalisa standing in a position that is off to one side of a three-woman formation, but dead center in a five-woman formation, assuming the other two approach from the right (as they do)? It’s like she read the script or something, and knew she’d be leading a group of five, assuming she isn’t bowled over by Egwene’s specialness and offer her command.

31:35 - No, you shouldn’t be surprised and from your positioning, you were expecting them.

31:36 - Oh, shut up, Nynaeve. No one cares.

31:49 - I can’t help but notice three of the five female channelers are foreigners of the sort being sent away. Assuming the show knows what a ki’sain is.

31:51 - No one’s making you sit there, Perrin.

31:56 - Bullshit is now a canonical curse. That bloody goat-kissing Uno with his flaming swears!

32:00 - Uh, since when was the Way of the Leaf anything anyone in Fal Dara but Perrin cared about? And he spent his whole time with the Tinkers mocking it or making aha! statements to its adherents. Why are we supposed to believe this is important or an actual conflict for Perrin, just because he mentioned it once to his friends, in a context suggesting the Tinkers’ diet was a more significant interest in that conversation?

32:23 - Real Loial does not cite his experience, because he’s a kid, and this conversation serves no purpose other than to make Perrin look stupid. He’s a professional craftsman and laborer, and a person who sees details others miss. He’d have already found ways to make himself useful ITB. Or maybe this is the wolf-stuff coming out, because wolves get frustrated sitting around.

33:35 - Why would they be running away from home in the direction of the Waterwood? It’s off to the east, while Rand lives to the west of the village, and the only road away from the Two Rivers runs straight north, practically from Egwene’s front door. Unless it’s the only interior geographical feature of the Two Rivers the writers could remember… Also, why is there a waterwood in the mountains where the Two Rivers are located? The context suggests a low-altitude forest on a high water table, which you don’t find in the mountains.

34:13 - In a setting where they believe in reincarnation as a known fact, the way we believe in evolution or astrophysics, a reference to “this life and the next” is really dumb. How much of your current actions or attention is based on fulfilling such promises or statements you made in your last life? None, because you don’t remember, so why would you say you would in the next? Russell Crow can say that in Gladiator because as far as he knows, he will get the chance to throttle Commodus in Hades or Elysium. But Egwene & Rand know they don’t remember previous lives, so their carved declaration is rather fatuous.

35:52 - That is Rand’s ultimate temptation? Weak. ITB it was the present prospect of his mother and friends being tormented by Ba’alzamon which was dangled before Rand.

36:17 - They are doing heavy manual labor, your buddy is a giant and you are canonically one of the strongest men in the Fal Dara garrison, Perrin. What do you think you can do to help?

36:26 - Whatever the show might be trying to say about Amalisa’s intelligence or sense, especially compared to her brother, she is a moron when it comes to military tactics. He, at least, understands the importance of committing all available forces at the decisive point. Going to the fort in the Gap now, before it’s overwhelmed, will prolong the lives of the soldiers, and increase the damage they do to the Trollocs. The faster you kill Trollocs with the Power, the less harm they can inflict on the fort and men, and the longer it will take those to fall, and thus a longer period during which Trollocs are getting shot with bolts. This principle is obvious to a novice player of Warcraft.

36:32 - “Light help you, brother” …since she apparently has no interest in doing so. It’s now dark. There has been plenty of time to ride to the Gap fort. Also, if there is absolutely nothing between Fal Dara and the Gap, why has that ground not been covered with fortifications in depth in the thousand years House Jagad has been defending it?

37:28 - Even a slit throat cannot distract from the nosewart.

37:29 - Are those married-lady earrings? Was the rosary chaplet/buzzsaw blade just for a single girl?

38:12 - Do you want a falafel while you guys wait, Moiraine? I’m sure he could accommodate…

38:26 - Guys, guys! It’s the line! He said the line. That, like maybe a handful of people know, and absolutely none of them will be impressed, given the butchery of every other bit of book material thus far.

38:29 - Oh yay, Fain. I wonder why he’s here. He’s gonna fight Perrin for what reason, exactly? Or is he Perrin’s archnemesis because he killed Perrin’s parents in the books, despite Perrin never learning of it in RJ’s lifetime?

38:31 - If you don’t know or trust the guy out there, why did you open the door? Either the code phrase means he is trustworthy or you should not open the door. But they see a black dude and they reach for weapons like a soccer mom goes for the door lock while stopped at a light on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

38:36 - Badass ladies FTW.

38:44 - So much for all that effort to light fires and keep the Fades from hiding. Looks like hiding is not a thing Fades need to do against the ladies of Fal Dara, even women judged competent to guard a high security door with password-only access.

38:51 - Are you bloody ashing me?

39:05 - “Without it, they won’t stand a chance,” sounds like they are aware who the Dragon is, where he is, and whom he is with. But they were not going to procure the object without which he will not 'stand a chance', until Fal Dara is about to fall.

39:16 - Nynaeve, how could you possibly have come to that estimate without counting Fades?

Also, are we to infer that Agelmar would still be holding them off if he was wearing his father's armor as Amalisa urged?

39:25 - The last time Egwene opened herself to someone, she got pregnant in an alternate reality test. ^rim shot^

39:29 - “Accept it. Let me in,” is what Rand said.

40:15 - That horn makes you think of the Horn of Valere, which was just mentioned a minute and a half ago. Also, these are not great CGI Trollocs.

40:25 - He was sitting there and only got up when Perrin looked at him? Why? Why either thing?

40:32 - Answer Uno, Perrin! I hate when TV characters don’t say things people would actually keep asking about, for the sole purpose of leaving the audience in suspense.

40:35 - Why do they hate Madeline Martin so much to make her stand in that pose this whole scene?

41:00 - Is he teaching Rand to use the Power, or the Dark Side of the Force?

41:21 - If men who channel go mad, then saidin and saidar and the differences between them, have to be a thing! So why is “The Dark One” telling Rand not to fight the One Power? Even if the mention of the fight/surrender contrast does give you menstrual cramps, it’s an important character issue that Rand has to fight the Power.

This is merely what TV writers often have villains say when tempting the hero, so we’re not going to think twice about our word choices.

41:42 - Kill him or don’t Moiraine. Making him bleed from the neck is just pointless, however cinematic, and from the PoV of writers who stan Badass Moiraine! all you’re doing is making her look like a weak woman who can’t control her blade.

42:13 - ITB, the chest required an Ogier to carry alone. That’s gonna be one tiny horn. More like the Kazoo of Valere.

42:16 - “Was that the sound of enemies drawing near?” “Yes. And since we are screen characters whose actions are plotted by hacks, at a dramatic moment near the climax, that can only mean one thing!” “You mean we must put down the vital object that has been the focus of our attention for a couple scenes now, and go looking for the enemy?” “Correct! Bring on the Emmys!”

43:00 - I have played flash player browser games where you use lightning on side-scrolling approaching enemies that looked better than this shot.

43:14 - Everyone without a nosewart looks sick and like they’re being drained, while Egwene looks like my sex jokes were less inappropriate than I would have thought.

43:25 - Don’t puke in the cradle, Rand (even if a real parent of a one-year-old would figure they were due some payback).

43:35 - From his reaction, a fistful of glowing light is the universal sign that a channeler does NOT intend to remake the world in his image, apparently.

43:50 - The climax of the first part of The Wheel of Time is Rand learning to be a supportive feminist husband and ally!

44:06 - It’s officially canon: good spouse and loving mother Egwene is so implausible that Rand cannot accept as possible even the most tempting alternate reality where she chooses loved ones over the Tower.

For the record, because people are complex, this very scenario, the only canon reference to Rand and Egwene having a daughter called Joyia, was, in fact, something that tempted Egwene as much as the thought of defeating Aginor tempted Nynaeve! Yes, she is ambitious, yes, she wants to be an Aes Sedai, but the point in the test was, she’s not an ambition-and-power-seeking robot, this sort of happy quiet life does hold some appeal for her. But Rand’s crowning moment of awesome so far is saying “Nope, no way. Not my Egwene.”

And considering that his epiphany during the Last Battle is that Egwene would be demanding her own chance to be a hero and have a part in the fight, that’s going to be kind of old news by the time the show gets there. Is this going to be a whole series of him learning the lesson he has just demonstrated he knows?

44:13 - Also, in a scene with a central point being a woman’s agency, why are you making the woman in question stand posed with a vapid smile on her face, as an object for the men to argue about?

44:24 - “The Dark One” is apparently just going to stand there and do nothing while Rand acts against him.

44:42 - If Moiraine cannot infer that Rand “did it” from the sight of him holding out a hand and “The Dark One” vanishing, “I did it” is not going to answer her question.

45:02 - Perrin’s improved senses have been alluded to. So why did he not know the bat was there, and why is he reacting like a ten-year-old girl?

45:07 - If not for the caption, I would never have known “Luuhh!” was supposed to be Perrin shouting “Loial!”

45:13 - Perrin thinks Fain was suspicious enough to investigate, but not to go armed. If it was not important enough to take a weapon, then helping dig up the Horn is probably a better use of his time.

45:35 - I’m getting nothing but a girl-power vibe from this whole plotline, but Amalisa is literally the worst. She just murdered one woman and might a second, given Min’s viewing of Nynaeve, because of her channeling incompetence.

45:58 - Channeling euphoria should have been established long before it kills a channeler who can’t bring herself to let go of the Power. I mean, I realize this scene would not have been as meaningful without Stepin’s tragedy, or the story of Dana the Dumpy Darkfriend, but you think they could have found some time to lay out the basics of the fantasy element in your fantasy series, that exists, because Amazon wanted the next big fantasy property.

46:11 - And in show rules, you can channel separately while in a link, but Nynaeve doesn’t try to do anything to stop Amalisa.

46:23 - This does not make the time spent on the female initiation ritual better, nor was that necessary to give weight and meaning to Nynaeve’s actions here, whose last line before coming out to join the channeling party was an assertion that she came to protect the Two Rivers kids. That’s exactly why she placed her braid in a Trolloc’s hand and rode it off into the wilderness!

46:37 - Buh-bye, Amalisa. No one will miss you. Your brother was a better character, even this pathetic version. Edit from the future: They are VERY excited about her makeup for this one shot, in a featurette.

46:58 - No, the arrival of spring is a good time for a peddler to go into a mountain community, which will need his merchandise after a long winter of being snowed in. This is not a scenario about which one says “Do you think it a coincidence,” because that’s not a coincidence, it’s a legitimate reason to show up there on purpose.

47:06 - If selling lanterns is dumb, it’s because the show changed that datum. Fain brought all sorts of necessities the Two Rivers people could not procure themselves, like books, and pins and fireworks. According to Rand’s alt-scenario a few minutes ago, you can make the lanterns by hand, anyway.

47:34 - Does anyone seriously believe Nynaeve is dead?

47:58 - Seriously, this nonsense about evil being necessary for balance is pathetic. Do they honestly think this makes the story better, that some of the characters have to turn evil to maintain some sort of mystic order? Why? What point does this serve, other than the convenience and intellectual shortcomings of the writers?

48:22 - Why is this a question at the end of the season finale, when ITB, it was the very first thing said about men who can channel? And that was after a prologue where we saw the results of that madness!

49:18 - Why would Perrin think anyone was defeated? He’s been in this room or wandering deserted corridors since Egwene and Nynaeve went out to help Amalisa.

49:47 - “Hey, what’s the most important detail to get right about the Myrddraal?” “The way they pass for human from the nose down?” “No, how about their creepy inhuman movements?” “That’s stupid. What about their horrible-sounding voices?” “Not that either.” “The way their cloaks don’t move?” “Clearly not.. Look, the answer is obvious! Their sandworm mouths!” “…what?” “I mean, it’s not in the text, but it’s pretty clear Jordan is not nearly as smart as we are. It’s how he would have described them if he had read Dune.” “I kind of think the hero becoming the prophesied messiah of an army of superb warriors from a desert community with blue eyes, fathering magic twins and having concurrent relationships with a princess trained by the female-only organization with special abilities and a desert warrior turned witch doctor with similar abilities, and being the first man in a long time to wield those same abilities, kind of means RJ did, in fact, read Dune.” “You’re high on the One Power and mélange combined, if you think half that stuff is going to make it onto the show.”

50:00 - Moiraine like pretty rock.

50:05 - It took Rand and Moiraine about 11:17 to get down into the Eye from the time they left the Seven Towers. It took Lan 28:09 to make it from the Seven Towers to the Eye. Lan’s tracking ability is another casualty of adaptation.

And yes, I know we’re not watching this in real time. It’s just pretty damn clear that Lan shows up at this moment because it’s narratively convenient, not because of any real concern by the writers for distance and time lapses.

50:17 - What was so hard about that, Moiraine?

50:26 - If her bond is still masked, that should have been Lan’s first concern. If nothing else, to make sure she’s not a trick or illusion of some kind.

50:42 - ITB, Moiraine always had some doubts about “The Dark One” being what Rand claimed, for the ease of his defeat, if nothing else.

More importantly, if she can’t channel, she can lie just fine! You could have had a gasp moment for the readers by having Moiraine flat out say 'The Dark One’ blew him to smithereens,” or some other blatantly false statement.

51:22 - She found a last reserve of strength in her nosewart.

51:38 - And Egwene can Heal now, because why not. We’ve done everything else we can to gut Nynaeve’s character, lets also give her special ability to Egwene while we’re at it.

52:26 - No, Lan! Pretty rock is all she has left!

52:35 - You have to be watching for it to realize that piece of cuendillar came from the floor, which it seems, means that floor IS a seal.

53:11 - I know WoT geography better than Rafe Judkins knows the glory hole bathrooms at Dragoncon, and there is no place called “The Far Western Shore.” You could convey this is the far western shore by showing the sun setting over the water.

I guess we’re setting up the Seanchan arrival. That would even be a cool thing to show happening as night falls, so as to have that sunset I just suggested.

53:40 - How’d that kid get down those cliffs?

53:56 - By the way, seeing the ribbed sails might actually mean something if they hadn’t made absolutely everything else in the series so far, look partially transplanted from medieval Asia. Are we supposed to be impressed by the remote and exotic appearance of these sails and the discordant Asian music after spending the last two episodes in the house of Agelmar, the Mandarin of Fal Dara?

54:04 - And just as with the Children of the Light, we’re going to ignore the complexity and depth of the Seanchan and jump right into them being evil for failing to appreciate how awesome it is that the people who channel have ovaries, and for having actually rather valid concerns about how human beings with that level of power once rearranged the continents and knocked an advanced utopian civilization back to the stone age.

You can tell this is where the show is going because the Seanchan ships are covered in big crude spikes like the Orc stuff in Warcraft.

54:16 - The damane are gagged! Because feminism! Silencing women is a way better symbol of gendered oppression! Except of course, the damane are not oppressed for their gender, but because of the One Power. They are oppressed by a society that has had only women in the supreme position of power for 900 years, directly controlled by women with honored positions in society, which is run by a gender neutral aristocracy, bureaucracy and military officer corps.

So what’s Old Tongue for “gagged ones”?

54:21 - What on earth is the purpose of that spikey spiral thingy?

Also, why, if they are standing behind their charges, and out of their line of sight, do the Gag-Holders make arm motions to command their channeling?

54:36 - What is the purpose of announcing their arrival on the lands where they are hoping for, if not expecting, recognition as the heirs of Artur Hawkwing, the rightful rulers of said lands, with a giant tidal wave on a mostly-empty beach?

The thing that makes the Seanchan truly dangerous, despite their obvious undesirable qualities as rulers, is their dedication to responsible government, that they make things better when they come, so there are fewer reasons to resist and they assimilate their conquests quickly. They don’t show up causing massive destruction where no visible witnesses can be intimidated, unless you count the little girl who’s about to die, or else trashing their new lands without giving the people chance to kneel to them. They are officially, at least, hoping the Do Miere Avron remember them and will recognize the Seanchan for who they are.

But, nah. The climax of this episode and season is Rand respecting his girlfriend’s career, so it’s clear the show’s priorities are wokeness and female empowerment, so the only takeaway we have of the Seanchan is that they put collars on women so we’re just going to stick them on Orc Ships and have them announce their arrival by crushing a little girl under a tidal wave.

What a load of garbage. See you next year in Wheel of Time Season 2:Tides of Darkness.

[local-queer-classicist]

I need more people to know that my little brother (6'1", 20-something, but still little in my heart) is the best fucking dude ever. Just an amazing little guy. He listens and empathizes with people and meets them where they’re at and accommodates people’s needs and he’s so nonjudgmental and he’s studying sustainable economic development to help make the world both greener and more equitable through the power of calculus or something and he’s by far the most accepting family member I have and he’s just such a good bean and I love him so much.

Storytime to support this characterization of him as “good bean”:

So I recently adopted a nickname (for trans reasons), and I let the family (sans dad because I’m a coward) know about it. I specified that I didn’t really expect any of them to use it, just wanted them to know that that was a nickname that might be in circulation among friends so they wouldn’t be confused if it came up with other people. It didn’t go great. My mom specifically hates the name I chose because it’s a “boy name” (no shit lol) among other reasons and has done nothing but suggest alternatives that she personally likes better (and express offense that I didn’t include her in the name selection process from the beginning because she knows some trans people do that and thus feels wronged that I didn’t), my sister isn’t really talking to me now (she literally just chose a name for her upcoming baby, so the timing is a bit unfortunate since the idea that I wouldn’t love the name my mother chose for me at birth is a bit touchy for her right now; I’m sure she’ll come around when she’s had time to process…probably), but my brother. My brother, everyone.

He texted me, privately, within minutes, to let me know how much he loves me and supports me and then sent me a screenshot of my new name in his phone. Just. Guys. I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

I know that that’s like bare-minimum behavior in more supportive environments, but it’s such a rarity around here. We didn’t grow up like that, and that’s why I love that that was his immediate response, because I recognize that he had to put in work on his own to blossom into someone who responds that way, and I love that he took the time to do that because he wants to be better than the values we were raised with and learning to listen and be kind and support people’s attempts to be happy was something that he saw as worth the effort to do. Does that make sense? I hope that made sense.

Idk I just really felt like gushing for a second about my brother. I just have so much faith in him as a person to succeed and put so, so much good back into the world and I love that for him. He was also kind of a menace back in the day, so this doubles as a story of successful character growth. You, too, could grow up to find that your gremlin siblings have become chad support systems. Be inspired or something idk.

[tombeane-blog]

THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES IS OVER!

(March 2023)

Men Won!

That's right, males of my specimen have won the battle of the sexes.  It's over.  Put a pin in it.  We guys won, you gals lost.  

(Full Disclosure: Although I was born biologically male at a very early age, it is only recently that I made it legally binding in the United States by openly declaring that from this place and time I hereby identify exclusively as male.  You may continue to call me - he/him, Mr. Majestic, that hunk over there, frijoles, sir, seer or sensei - just as you always have.)

For untold millennia, possibly even billennia, nature has endowed us guys with more power and strength than you gals, which allowed us to rule unchallenged throughout the natural world.  Well, all except for being eaten by that evil female Praying Mantis.

Take the mighty male lion.  Lord of the jungle and master of all he surveys.  He sits back, concentrating on diddley squat while the gal lions do absolutely everything - hunting, having babies, nursing and raising more lions - the whole megillah.  When a pack of female lions brings down a water buffalo, the male stretches, yawns, slowly saunters over, shakes his magnificent mane and roars, "Get The F Back Ladies!".  Then proceeds to dine alone.  Only after satisfying his hunger do the females get to eat the scraps.  This natural and equitable distribution of effort and reward has always worked flawlessly.  

There was only one small problem i.e., when the male lion lost his female pride to another male lion.

But forget that.  

Over hundreds of thousands of years the lion learned to walk on his hind legs and slowly evolved into us guys. To this day we still retain our advantage in strength and power - guaranteeing that our well deserved lordly privileges stay in place.

In fact, there are only two significant differences between us modern guys and today's un-evolved lions.

One:

Today's King Of The Jungle never learned to ferment beer.  A serious oversight on his part.

Two: *(This is Rated R. You must be 18 or older to read this next salacious bit of science. No cheating kids.  Skip over it.)

Let's compare a male lion lounging on the Serengeti surveying the passing herds with today's male-male guy lounging on the beach with a beer in his hand.  Although they both will have the same exact thought, i.e., "Wowza! look at the gorgeous haunch on that sweet looking young hottie over there.  I'd love to take a bite of that!"... 

...only the lion means this literally - I'm pretty sure. 

(Rated R section ends.  Under 18 can resume reading.)

All throughout hysterical time this precarious balance of nature has existed.  Only in the last coupla' hundred years have you gals decided to upset all this.   Your birthing and your rules about marriage before(you know) and your cooking all our food and washing our clothes and your bikinis and your common sense and all those other feminine supremacies just weren't good enough for you were they?  

Nope.  First it was voting, then owning things, wearing pants, driving cars and even forming a female rock band.  Talk about a slippery slope... 

And then in the 60's you must have thought you were all but victorious when you threw off the last of society's cultural mores and brazenly assumed histrionic male privileges.  

You fell right into our trap.

We fought.  We clawed.  We scratched back.  We reclaimed our territory inch by inch.  

You want proof?  Go to the the finest restaurants.  All the great chefs are men.  Who's designing all of Hillary's pantsuits and bikinis?  Armeni, Klein, Lauren, Dior.  What about shoes?  Jimmy Choo.  Who developed Mustang Sally's 1965 baby blue convertible you gals seduced us into buying for you?  Lee Iacocca.

And now.  The final hill has been conquered.

Men are better at literally, as well as figuratively, everything.  Men are setting new records in women's swimming, women's running and women's weightlifting.  How long do you think you can keep us out of female mud wrestling? 

The writing is on the wall gals.  Modern high school guys who can't get a partial baseball scholarship to the all male, College of Winnebago Repair in Bugscuffle, Tennessee will jigger their gender and become PAC 12 Player Of The Year on the Stanford softball team.

(OK Vern, I'll admit I have to give up watching women's gymnastics and figure skating but that is a small price to pay.)

You gals may fight back and enact legislation mandating some sort of Made In America type label.  Like defining a maximum percentage of X and Y Chromosomals we are allowed to field in order to retain the designation of a 'Women's Team'. 

But.... it is a losing battle and you know it. 

Congress, the President and even the Supreme Court can no longer even define what a women is. (Unless it depends on what the meaning of the word is, is.)

According to our government, universities, schools, movies and mainstream news, males can now do everything a female can do - menstruate, give birth, nurse, have sympathy for others, ask for directions when lost, flirtatiously evade speeding tickets - you name it.  

You want more proof that the XY chromosome now dominates what used to be for XXs only? 

"Makeup companies, feminine hygiene companies, and clothing companies have all concluded that men are better than women at selling their products."

"Dylan Mulvaney, transgender influencer, is the big winner in all this, thanks in part to his being Joe Biden’s favorite girl."

Drew Barrymore kneels before the better woman.

The Battle Is Over.  

Men are now better women than women.

[honeychildoz]

Asha, JingWei, and Lily. These 3 incredible pre-Queens were my greatest blessing this year. We shared cooking, crafting, and conversing this year on a very deep level. These guys set the menu for the semester in a very equitable way. They each suggested dishes that required focus and challenged them enough that they truly had to work for optimal results. Through the prep we all shared intimate truths about ourselves, our dreams, our plans, and hopes for our loved ones. Week after week each girl became more confident in their technical ability, bolder in their appetite for bigger flavors, and much more open emotionally. Before long we were a sacred circle. Lily has gained more confidence and has shown us the truth of her great intelligence and quick wit.💜 Jing Wei has shared her high standard for execution in everything she puts her hands to, and her fearlessness to face every challenge head on. 💛 Asha was always the most effortless team mate, but what rose to the surface was her empathy and care for her friends. She was protective and generous in everything we did. But the most stunning thing was how quickly she pushed the others in front of the spotlight for praise or reward. She is already a great leader and I have no doubt that her future involves leadership, success, and bridge building. 💙 These young Queens 👑taught me so very much. They have made me a much better listener. They have made me more patient. They have taught me to require a higher standard from children. They taught me to be flexible in teaching. Sometimes you need to scrap the plans and do something joyful. They taught me to be as open and vulnerable as I want others to be with me. They taught me to treasure skill building, as I got to entrust, instruct, and encourage them all to be stronger.💝💝💝 I'll never have a great day at school and not think of my Angels. I know you 3 have healthy, successful, exciting lives ahead of you. When you look back I hope you see I'll be praying cheering, and supporting you in everything. Thank you for your Awesome. My best loving wishes to you and your families. 🍯🍒💖 #misshoneysangels #lily #jingwei #asha #kpm #honeychildscreole #misshoney #tassieas https://www.instagram.com/p/CmqAziNLcBZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[pekuliar]

Class 1a (+ their Teachers) as Med Students/DRs

Just let me be a wanky med person 🅱️lease I swear this is very accurate and detailed !!!!!

Izuku - Got straight A’s in high school, has all the right passion/drive, but initially didn’t make the cut because he just didn’t have enough on his high school résumé. Great bedside manner, very smart, but can often overstep his boundaries as a student or let his nerves get the best of him.

Katsuki - GUNNER AF. Gifted Kid Syndrome, personified. Because of his attitude people think he’s just a super “gifted” slacker or perhaps has family connections, but really he wakes up at 5am and does like 1000+ Anki flash cards before ward rounds. Has picked fights with doctors who have diagnosed things too quickly. Impeccable clinical skills but ABYSMAL bedside manner. He’s often 100% right in what he says though, just…..tonally incorrect.

Shouto - His dad is a prolific lawyer and an abusive asshole. So to spite him (initially), Shouto went into med instead. Because hey, he’s received 100x more kindness from random paediatric ER doctors than from his own father, so why not? He’s a little blunt and not great at dealing with emotions, but so earnest and gentle that patients gravitate to him anyway. He can be a little flippant about the “chain of command”, but bc he’s usually right, so it’s difficult for doctors to ignore him. People expect someone so stern as him to gun for Surg, but Shouto has found his niche in Paediatrics!

MORE under the cut !!!!

Ochako - Got in on a scholarship. Her father was saved by a kind surgeon who argued against a consultant that tried to kick him out for not being able to pay the hospital bills. Since then, she’s wanted to do Med to advocate for marginalised patients and fight for more equitable access. Comes across meek and shy, but put her in front of a patient and she is INTIMIDATINGLY good. The few doctors that have tried to bully her are terrified.

Tenya - Comes from a Med family !!! Super Med af. You’d expect him to be hella wanky and arrogant but he’s always sharing his notes with everyone, and is the first one to confront the Med faculty about unfair exam schedules and stand up for his fellow students.

Eijiro - Ridiculously optimistic. Perhaps he’s not the best at pathology/pharmacology, but he’s VERY good at anatomy and has wanted to do Orthopaedics since forever! He’s always encouraging his friends and just radiates warmth. You wouldn’t expect it from his dudebro mannerisms, but he’s sensitive and attentive and really great at helping patients feel at ease. Probably has the 4 core Med ethics principles tattooed somewhere …….

Denki - Ok, so not the brightest…..but in a course full of extremely bright people, he’s still quite a smart guy. While not a “book-learner” in any capacity, he’s got impressive instincts, sharp deduction/pattern-recognition, and great social skills, so he’ll look like a goof but no one realises he’s gotten a full clinical history in half the time. Is pathologically anxious about dragging his team down, despite pulling his weight when he needs to quite nicely.

Tsuyu - Has the strangest most niche knowledge about the strangest most niche conditions/drug reactions that she’ll just spout at random times lol I just feel like she would. Not chatty by any means, and like Shouto can be a little too blunt, but she’s always looking out for patients and reassuring them in small, non-verbal ways.

Momo - Incredibly intelligent, hard-working, humble, and has great bedside manner. But for someone so well-balanced, you wouldn’t expect her to be so anxious on the wards. She’s too scared to even cannulate patients because she’s terrified of hurting patients — even though she was the FIRST to do a perfect cannula in their cannulation lessons. The mom friend, always reminding her friends to take their mental health seriously around exams!

Mina - Like Eijiro, what she lacks in “book smarts” she makes up for with infectious optimism and all-round warmth. She’s always the first to suggest group study sessions, and loves teaching things to the younger year levels! The first to jump in try new procedures, and her first cannulation was a BREEZE.

Aizawa - Chronically exhausted surgeon, has cancelled lessons before because of a particularly difficult night shift the previous night. Comes across dry and stern, and gets ANNOYED when his students say they “didn’t learn this disease because it wasn’t important in the exam”. The students think he’s a total Grinch until they see him with his patients - he’s got this quiet warmth and gentleness about him.

Present Mic - He runs a med podcast that covers important content in a fun way, and ALWAYS plugs it in his lectures. “Hello fellow kids” personified — his lecture slides are UNUSABLE bc they’re so PACKED with godawful memes that it’s impossible to use them for revision unless you were actually at the lecture annotating them. Like Denki, he comes across as a total goof, but in front of patients he’s a totally different person.

All Might - Once a prolific surgeon, admired by all. Due to a progressive neuromuscular condition, (maybe MS?) now he can’t work for long before his hands start shaking and he has terrible back pain. He wants to pass on as much knowledge as he can before he has to retire, and has taken the 1a kids under his wing. Jolly and always encouraging, but even his students can tell there’s an undercurrent of grief about him.

Will add more !!!!! What do y’all think?? Do add ur own HC’s that’ll be super fun !!!!