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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

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Creepypastas comforting the reader

except some of them arent particularly good at it + as per usual jeff ben and toby are written as platonic everyone else can be seen as either or writing a silly little thing before i tackle in on requests, falling into the same vibe as the "hugging/kissing creepypasta characters" post from last week since i do enjoy rating these lads on thing ehehehe obligatory "these style of posts go over my personal character limit but since this is writing for the admin he bends the rules a bit" anyways uhuh totally dont give me ideas for these eheheh winks

SLENDERMAN:

not much of a talker in general, and i think that remains true in scenario where you're upset/crying. but he does make it clear that hes here for you... just... in a general sense. you know? refuses to leave you alone unless you directly ask him that you need space; more so watches out of concern rather than his usual curiosity. i think he would make you a warm drink and let you vent to him. more of a logical approach than an emotional one; better at giving solutions rather than giving comfort.. though i like to think that his tentacles will pull you close if you want to lean into him, will let you cry into his shoulder with no judgement. 6/10 low score simply because sometimes one needs comfort in the moment instead of solutions, you know?

SPLENDORMAN:

i think hes the opposite of slenderman. hes all emotions first, logic later. if he already knows you comfortable with it, i think he would come in and scoop you up in a hug.. hell he might even cry with you, or do the equivalent of it (admin is still on the fence of whether or not he has eyes or not! torn between them being actual eyes or markings) will make you your favorite snacks and drinks, all the while letting you cry and vent to him. gets mad on your behalf if someone had done you wrong, does not make your feelings feel small or invalidated. if he could he would confront the person who treated you unfairly.... and in fact he might, who would ever believe the person that they came face to face with a ten foot tall monster? though... this can lead to him being a little quick to make choices that might have big impacts... 7/10 love this man need to write more for him and develop my hcs

EYELESS JACK:

you know now that i think about it, given how much i write for EJ, i swear ive done a similar prompt at some point. regardless of it i did and if my hcs are the same, im going to go ahead and drop my hcs. i think hes very similar to slenderman in terms that hes more of a solutions > emotion person.. though i do think hes more likely to join you in any shit talking if someone did you dirty... do i think he would target that person next when hes going to go 'hunting'? no... unless the person did something truly awful and unforgivable, then he would definitely consider it.. probably wont go through with a harvest, though.. but thats it whole other thing. more of a talker than slenderman, so at least he has that going for him. lets you sleep in his bed if youre venting to him in his cabin 7/10 one point higher than slenderman simply because he talks more n stuff

LAUGHING JACK:

im gonna be so real i think he can go either way if hes going to be good at comforting you. on one hand hes too silly and might not take it too seriously; or he might try to make you laugh.. which COULD work but other times makes it look like he doesnt care about your feelings. on the other hand i think he can give some solid adivce, but thats only based on the fact that i love it when unhinged hyper characters suddenly drop the most valuable info. shrugs. i mean if you need a distraction, i think lj is your man to go to ! he was literally made to entertain so i dont think its going to be too hard for him to take your mind elsewhere. i think he would offer to cook you something but i also think hed probably be banned from the kitchen because he cant cook for shit. has probably set water on fire somehow level shit. so instead you guys just sit together talking... mostly its him leading the conversation, though. doesnt leave you be until you at least give him a smile... 6.5/10 only because i dont know how to rate him here

MASKY/TIM:

oh not at all emotional. well no thats a lie but hes not very emotive. thats the more correct word. look if we're talking about masky, hes probably going to be really bad at comforting you unless your means to be comforted involves being watched... though i do think he would fall into the act of service hole.. does all the chores and such for you so you dont have to worry yourself about cleaning a pan thats been in the sink for two days now. tries his hand at cooking, but i dont think masky is the best cook.. TIM on the other hand.. but we'll get into that in a minute. probably ends in you guys ordering something but hey its the thought that counts. if someone made you upset you notice over the course of the next few weeks that person starts outright avoiding you and overall seems anxious. weird. probably unrelated! 7/10 only because im badly overworked irl and the idea of someone taking charge sounds like a dream

tim i think would be similar, but hes more expressive for you... will cook for you but if your favorite food happens to be really specific or something else, hes probably going to run out and get it. torn on whether or not he would tell you before he goes, or if he sticks to keeping it a surprise.. i think he would tell you just so it doesnt feel like hes abandoning you when youre down..! not much to be said here other than him being supportive 8/10 i would KILL for some white cheddar popcorn rn

HOODIE/BRIAN:

i think he would put you to bed. actually i think both of them would but to keep things clear im still going to divide this like masky/tims. i think hoodie is going to keep you in bed, even if youre not particularly tired. dont bother trying to fight him on it, hes only allowing you to get up for the bathroom. let him take care of things! very similar to masky, picks up on a lot of the chores. i think he can cook, though, definitely better than masky but i dont think hes like. top tier. likes making you little snacks, or food thats generally deemed as comforting (mac and cheese, cornbread, ect). doesnt talk (sign) much but will occasionally sign to you asking how you're feeling 7.5/10 love this man, so mad kid me used to sleep on hoodie

very similar, but an even better cook than hoodie so be prepared to eat good. communicates with you more than hoodie and makes small talk while cooking. i think he would keep the chat lighthearted and on a different topic rather than tackling your feelings, unless you express that you want to vent then hes all ears! not because he doesnt care more so because he doesnt want to seem prying or nosey and wants to give you the choice yourself. sometimes makes jokes about stuff in order to try to get you to smile. feels victorious when he succeeds 8/10 mad i slept on him too

TICCI TOBY:

i think he might actually be TOO strong and in your face when asking you what happened. only one who outwardly offers to krill someone if someone were to make you upset. but thats just because i think toby can occasionally get protective of you. i mean youre one of his best friends (only friends) and here you are upset! if you dont want him to do anything hes going to try to contain himself. he strikes me at the type to retreat to the roof and look up at the stars... i think he would offer to do that with you; but if youre too scared to climb then he can lay out a blanket for you so you guys can go sit on the grass! surprisingly a very good listener, though very emotionally driven and reacts a lot when you tell him the details of your day.. but its nice, i think, reassures you that hes is in fact listening.. 7/10 gives off brother vibes

JEFF THE KILLER:

ohhoho so this is an interesting one, because i like the idea of jeff still acting like an older brother every now and then even after everything. but he also has that attitude of "i dont care about anyone around me and im better than everyone".. more of an actions than words guy. he wont really say it.. you know? one of those "if he actually didnt care then he would bother giving you the time of day, much less break into your house at night with his arms full of your favorite snacks and drinks". good luck trying to vent to him though, i think its rare that he lets anyone vent to him since he also holds the "ew yucky feelings" thing ben has.. though once in a blue moon i think he would let you and give some decent advice... though every now and then that advice involves punching someone 6/10 is fair i think...

BEN DROWNED:

kind of reminds me of how younger siblings will give their older siblings know they like. kind of like the "my brother saw me crying and asked me what my favorite color is... he gave me things in that color" post/image going around that i cannot for the life of me find but i know it exists because it made me cry. i think its like that. except since hes in your phone he already knows what your interests are.. probably pulls up what your comforts and likes are in an attempt to cheer you up. i dont think he would bluntly speak with you about your feelings, but thats just because he thinks heart to hearts are yucky and cringe/lh. uses videos, art, stuff like that. ehehe silly phone ghost 7/10 because as simple as it is, if someone tossed my cc at me i would feel at least a little better for a moment and its the action itself you know?

PUPPETEER:

i thin hes similar to jeff in regard that he tries to play things off but deep down he does care, and that tends to show more through his actions... though i personally think if you were to actually cry then he might lose it a bit, because who DARE? i gotta admit, im still trying to figure out how i want to write pup and what hcs to give him, but i think.. this is an okay take.. might 'confront' anyone who made you upset, with or without your approval which might make some issues between the two of you.. more ready to let you vent to him though, might slip out some mean insults and words about whatever's got you upset regardless of its a person, chance, or object 7/10

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essektheylyss · 6 months

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I feel a bit uneasy because I feel like maybe the Hells were affirming Ashton’s self-flagellation. Like they get to be hurt and angry but sometimes it felt kinda like maybe it’s gonna make the self hatred worse in the long run.

But I can’t tell if that’s justified or my own projections.

It's certainly possible that it did affirm that, and I definitely agree that as a whole they weren't fighting it by any means, but FCG said it best: the Hells are messed up. They've left a lot of shit unaddressed beneath the surface in favor of smoothing over their interpersonal interactions, and most of them are really not in a state to be giving advice or considering how they're actually enabling each other. That seems like it may be changing now though, and I think FCG in particular did start to push back against this in some ways, but even he was understandably hurt by Ashton.

I wouldn't say I'm concerned about it though because I think this as a concept is actually... fairly baked into this genre and format. Every PC is the main character of their own story, and main characters, especially in this kind of world, tend to have plenty of damage to work through, which can clash in many ways. Obviously any story can explore how people who care about you can still be bad for you, but D&D especially ends up in that realm because of this.

At the same time though, this kind of issue doesn't necessarily need to be something that's addressed in conversation—the Nein didn't have to stage an intervention for Yasha after she let herself get beaten in the underground fight club for her to deal with the underlying issues herself.

And even when it doesn't involve just PCs this can come through; see Caleb's concerns about Essek, and their mutual potential for enabling each other's worst tendencies in terms of both self-interest and self-deprecation to the point of harm—and often both at the same time, if you look at the argument about Trent in Aeor. That was a situation where they did actually work through that somewhat directly, but even then it wasn't an explicit aspect of the conversation.

In general, the game itself tends to focus on themes of power and agency as a whole, which I think really lends itself to this kind of thing. It's very "with great power comes great responsibility," but that tends to also end up at the issue of like... not everyone handles power or responsibility well. So when you've got a bunch of chucklefucks in the same ten foot diameter hut or whatever, who are all wrestling with having both power and responsibility for the first time on top of a lot of other damage, they're probably gonna fuck it up before they can do better and those fuck ups are going to reverberate through the group. Which is honestly one of the things that makes it interesting!

That being said, this fallout has been a long time coming, and I think because of the Hells' unique levels of avoidance it's picking up a lot later than it did in previous campaigns which means the stakes are higher for figuring it out, but I'm really stoked to see where it goes, especially since Ashton at the very least has decided they can stick around for the time being.

#I would say sorry for the meandering interlude about dnd as a storytelling medium but that is what I've got rattling around up here so alas #today I bring you: analysis of format and medium. tomorrow? probably the same.#critical role #cr spoilers #ashton greymoore #cr meta #ig?#i mean tbf. already going better than scanlan's breaking point lmao

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praise-suns-and-chill · 2 months

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On another post a few comments, mine included, had a little chat about what Mashita's thought proccess could have been, during the Confession in the second game.

So I decided to write a little One Shot about it!

This includes Spoilers for Case 7 in Death Mark 2, as well as the DLC of Death Mark 1.

THIS?

"I'm not gonna be surprised by anything that comes out of his damn mouth."

Well.

Fuck.

He was really eating those words now, huh.

He could only stare with eyes ripped open as Yashiki explained, his words as trembling as his hands, his eyes avoiding everyone else.

In fear of judgement?

Probably.

Shame?

Definitely.

This was wrong.

This was wrong on every level.

He was never one to stick to rules but this?

MURDER???

Mashita couldn't even speak at first as Yashiki just continued explaining. No, there had to be something else, every second now he would mention that they did find that girl again alive, there had to be more, there had to be.

This was wrong.

But there wasn't.

There wasn't and he looked as guilty as ever. Having just confessed.

To murder.

"You must be kidding me."

Words uttered in pure disbelief.

This wasn’t happening.

There is no way.

"To think you'd kill someone..."

Actually, he didn't want to think about that. Not a single bit.

Yes, everyone had the potential to murder, he knew that better than most, but this was Yashiki. Compassionate to a stupid, suicidal degree Yashiki.

"Don't blame him for that! He was controlled by the Departed!"

Oh great, the brat was talking. Mashita glared at her out of reflex alone.

Why the fuck was she so defensive anyways? Nobody would react like that after their best friend just got killed, what kind of weirdo was this girl??

"Insanity or not, murder is still murder", he snapped back, before his eyes stared back at Yashiki.

He felt more like he was the one going insane, his mind completely elsewhere as old training just kicked in.

It was the only thing that made sense right now.

"Article 199, a person who kills another person is punished by the death penalty or life imprisonment or for a definite term of no less than five years."

He felt sick of even thinking of this as an option. He rattled down those words out of pure habit, as he had many times before, in the Academy back in the day and his job later.

"I'd slap the cuffs on you myself if I had them with me."

He should, but he wouldn't. Why was he saying that, he wouldn't, because Yashiki would never kill anyone.

God fucking damnit.

His heart was racing as fast as his mind, his entire body tense, ready to spring at the threat and yet violently rejecting the very notion that there was a threat to begin with.

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong, wrong, fuck!

But Yashiki?

Everyone else, maybe.

He'd believe Shou, not planned but in affect, too impulsive. Ai too, stronger than she looked, against a stalking fan maybe. Daimon? Doctor, there was always a chance of malpractice. Yasuoka? That old hag definitely had a skeleton in her closet somewhere, if only because she dug it up once because the bones had some weird powers.

The man who watched the only friends he had get attacked?

The man who watched his friends get controlled to attack him?

The man who watched half his friends get cursed into a coma and nearly die.

The man who was nearly killed himself by the same goddamn spirit.

The same man who after ALL THAT, still trembling in shock and trauma, barely aware of his own body, STILL refused to think about himself, just for fucking ONCE.

The same man who looked at a dead spider, the remains of that goddamn spirit and still decided to show compassion to it before ANYTHING else-!

...

Oh.

Of course.

And his body instantly relaxed, as did his mind.

It didn't make any sense, possession or not. He would never do it. So he didn't.

"...Let me just say one thing."

It wasn't like him to get distracted. He had nearly forgotten what case they were even working on.

"The law only applies if the victim is human."

#death mark 2 #death mark #shibito magire

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idkaguyorsomething · 6 months

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Two personal preferences for the Jojolands: it does not end on a downer note and that the author does not play Jodio's mental illness for horror.

definitely gonna agree with you on the second one, though slight disagreement on the first one. part nine could very well be the last jojo’s we’re ever gonna get, so it makes a lot of sense that people are gonna want it to end on a happy note. and traditionally, every part has ended with the characters at least reaching some level of satisfaction and personal fulfillment, but there has ALWAYS been casualties along the way, ranging from that one side character to the entire core cast minus a literal child. the happiest ending we got was in part four, which definitely had a more relaxed slice-of-life vibe to it than part nine, which already parallels part five, a story where literally half the cast gets killed off as they brutally slaughter all their enemies. having everyone in the main cast survive to the end seems unlikely, and tbh, i do enjoy the fact that in a lot of jojo stories, anyone can die. even if i love these characters with all my heart, it is an effective narrative choice to kill them off in order to raise the stakes. nearly every death in this series feels like an emotional gut punch without sidelining the actual agency of the character being killed (rip george jr, the least important joestar). depending on what kind of story araki wants to tell, a bittersweet ending could be more effective than an unconditionally happy one. but hey, if it’s his final outing in the world he created, ¡he might actually feel like being merciful to his characters for once! and if it’s not, well, i’ll look forward to all the fix fics everyone writes where everyone lives.

as for jodio’s mental illness, this one has me a bit worried. araki has made a lot of dubious writing decisions in the past on sensitive topics like this (overuse of sa, “curing” johnny’s disability, side characters that come off as dated ethnic caricatures) but he has made a consistent effort to include a lot of demographics that don’t show up in a lot of manga, and his writing of characters from said demographics has considerably improved over time. tracking the women in his stories, from erina to lisa lisa to trish to jolyne to yasuho, and how they’re treated tells a fascinating story in and of itself. johnny has a lot of emotional depth and character beyond his disability. this series honestly has more black characters than any other manga/anime i can think of (though i haven’t watched afro samurai yet). there are absolutely problematic elements here to critique and pick apart, but i kinda prefer this flawed approach to representation than the nonexistent state of it in other similar stories. but getting back on track, araki has written a lot of shit in the past, so he could definitely fumble the ball again here. however, i personally think there’s currently more setup in the story for jodio to become more of an antihero in line with giorno or johnny. he’s on good terms with at least two of his family members, an achievement hitherto unheard of in this series, and he’s depicted as more of a goofy teen who makes bad decisions somewhat in line with the criteria for antisocial personality disorder than an irredeemable monster. it’s far too early in the story to tell where this is headed, though, so overall we just have to cross our fingers and hope that araki goes for a more sensitive, nuanced portrayal of a protagonist with aspd instead of going all “lol he’s joDIO what did you expect”

#please please please this kid could honestly be one of my favorite protagonists ever if he’s written well #the first chapter did such a fantastic job of establishing jodio’s character and these later ones have been carrying that momentum #don’t fuck it up araki #jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojolands #the jojolands #jodio joestar #antisocial personality disorder #if anyone with antisocial personality disorder wants to comment on this i’d be super interested #hirohiko araki

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fruitzbat · 10 months

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There is this bizarre mischaracterization problem with Kingsley in the CR fandom that I think shows a certain level of contempt for the character himself — and honestly, I think it’s really revealing about a troubling hallmark of conditional support of nonbinary people in real life, which I find beyond hypocritical given…well, let’s get into it.

For starters, I'm not bothering with leaving a disclaimer about how not all fans do xyz or why I think that anyone should listen to me over anyone else. We’re adults here, we should know that things are nuanced by now. I also think talking about my own qualifications here is silly and masturbatory given that this is fandom and I'm very much doing it for free along with almost everyone else, so I'm not gonna waste the space.

Getting into the exceptions and such is well beyond the scope of this post, and I frankly don't think anything I say in this will convince anyone of anything — I just need to get it out there. If any of does change your mind, great! Icing on the cake.

*eyes glowing* anyway,

Given the admittedly considerable amount of work I do relating to his character, I wade through Kingsley's character tag a lot, and in many different places. On here, on Twitter, on AO3, his tag is full to the gills of bits of people writing stories in which he steals up to a certain member of the Nein and showers them with gifts and forehead kisses and...for lack of a better term, 'Mollyisms', and lays there enraptured while they talk about their relationship with Molly — who, obviously, is him. He's called "circus man" and is unbothered by it; it's testimony to the fact that this person and Kingsley have a history that transcends silly things like death.

Thus, the general depiction of Kingsley within the fandom is one that is not unlike Molly's, if not a 1:1 replica: a fun-loving, carefree libertine whose sun often rises at a certain other member of the Nein's forehead and sets are their toenails. He's curious about his past lives, but sees minimal distinction between them and himself.

And that's utter motherfucking hogwash.

The thing is, Kingsley's not an act II of Molly. He’s arguably a very different person from Molly, and the drift in Molly’s canon and fanon depiction is an essay on its own (not to mention the shift in perception in-universe, also brilliant and fascinating in its own right).

And I sincerely want us to think about that oversight in the same vein as if there were a considerable amount of Critters making content about, say, Beauregard Lionett falling in love with a man when she's explicitly a lesbian. Like, to me, it is that dire. And I will explain why that is momentarily: once I finish talking about who he actually is, and one of the principal culprits that I blame for this schism.

"But fruitzbat," some people might cry. "But fruitzbat, we have so little to go on. He's hardly shown himself on stream and he does, in the end, come from Molly!"

To that I would reply "skill issue," because Kingsley very much has distinguished himself from his siblings. Fandoms have extrapolated way more about a character with far less in the past. I didn't live through Superwholock on this website for anyone to tell me that they can't pull a fully-fledged character out of one episode of something. With all due respect, git gud.

Kingsley is a hustler and a cutthroat. He's driven, micro-managey — like, PAINFULLY Type-A, and interested in staying alive and making a name for himself; but in contradiction with this sense of self-preservation, he’s also ready to impulsively give himself up for a greater good and/or "make new mistakes", which can be read as altruistic at its best and unhealthy and self-deprecating at its worst (a trait which he definitely shares with Molly). In commenting on his new outfit, I’ve shitposted in the past that Kingsley is frum, but it's really not that far off. He doesn't like to leave things to chance, and also strongly believes in taking care of his own — he notably takes excellent care of the Nein Heroez’s crew. He doesn't suffer fools, he's snarky (too many examples to list them all, but have a few of my favorites), and also thoughtful and analytical and a skeptic. And most of all, he’s eager to learn and curious — not just about Molly and Lucien, but in general.

He jokes about being Lucien at one point, but makes it very clear that it's not him when people in his life make that slip-up. He's also been making the point that he’s not either of them as early as the campaign finale. And within the special, too, it’s pretty unambiguous. And then there’s Taliesin himself, also making it very clear that he’s a separate animal and on top of that, that he’s an absolute fucking badass.

And as mentioned, it's true that there's overlap with some of Molly's business — he's theatrical and loves fashion, for instance. But honestly, this character has far more in common with Lucien than he does with Molly. Lucien, who spoke multiple languages and lead a mercenary group into Aeor and back multiple times. Lucien, who even the mere prospect of him being resurrected was enough to reassemble the Tombtakers. If that’s not the makings of a Plank King, I’m not sure what would be.

And here's another thing: "Kingsley came from Molly" in and of itself is a misnomer. Based on both the stream and the addendum from the Lucien novel, Kingsley is mostly the reforged soul of Lucien — Molly's soul fragment was reintegrated into the rest of Lucien's. Kingsley is what was born from that fusion. When interceding on the failed Raise Dead spell, Caduceus said "put it back...whoever it was." There's just as much potential to say that it was Lucien's soul returned to that purple body by Melora as it was Molly's.

In all candor, I think it has a good deal to do with how many vocal Molly fans wanted Widomauk to be canon or somehow endgame.

The inherent tragedy of the dynamic between Caleb and Molly is that there is a constant specter of what could have been. Neither encountered each other when they were at a point to pursue their attraction, and Molly was dead before anything could come to pass. As a passive observer, I think that this what could have been has bled into the fanon interpretation of all kinds of purple tiefling content, mostly because there's so little to analyze otherwise. One only has to glance at the tags for the Lucien novel or the Molly origin comic to see what I mean. And I think that this has also significantly impacted the fanon depiction of Kingsley.

I find that this fandom in particular has a huge problem with sacrificing characterization in the name of fanon archetypes and tropes, but due to the distinct nature of Kingsley’s character this can veer into…I mean, pretty ugly territory.

People love the reincarnated lovers trope, and I see that applied here the most, to which I always want to remind people that Kingsley is probably more like a joined Trill. He has these past lives and memories, but just like Ezri isn’t quite Jadzia isn’t quite Kurzon Dax, Kingsley isn’t Molly isn’t Lucien. Ezri didn’t hop up and get busy with Worf, even when Jadzia had been his wife. Far from it, actually. Similarly, Jadzia had an entire exploratory episode dedicated to encountering Kurzon’s spouse and deciding that she (regretfully for lesbians everywhere) felt differently.

It’s true that it’s not completely baseless; I’m genuinely not saying that. It’s true that one of the first things King did was flirt with Caleb when he woke up. And then when he’d come more into his own, there was all that wild talk they had during the…

Oh wait, that’s right. They didn’t speak one on one even once during the reunion. So the argument could easily be made that in the chunk of the stream that showed us the most about who King was as a person, he didn’t touch Caleb with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. Meaning that at this point in time, the basis of the ship is predominately Caleb’s relationship to his elder siblings.

I don't have time and ultimately have no interest in unpacking that in terms of it being solid foundations for a romantic relationship — we all can read, baruch hashem — and will also assume that there’s content about that dynamic that explores that weirdness with all the complexity that it deserves. But my central point here is that I’m seeing vanishingly little of it, and far more of it being used in a way that denies Kingsley his own identity. The point isn't hating on a ship. Widoking in and of itself is fine, the point is that people aren't actually shipping Kingsley with Caleb. They're shipping him with someone wearing the skin of his dead older brother.

Which brings me to my next point...

I find this aspect to be incredible given the extraordinary way that this campaign explores trans identity and narrative. Plenty of other folks have written about the extent that campaign 2’s focus on identity as a theme has resulted In one of the most comprehensive studies of several different types of trans stories. Like, VETH?!?

BEAU?!?! Not to mention FJORD’S UNRELENTING T-BOY SWAG?!?!?!

And yet.

And, yes, it is that deep. Let me explain.

Molly and Lucien are canonically genderfluid. Kingsley hasn't come out as anything yet, so the jury is still out... though many people, myself included, headcanon that he's some flavor of not cis.

For me, this is because Kingsley’s narrative is arguably more a traditional trans one than Lucien or Molly's: being born with the expectation that he would be one thing, then coming to his family — who hold that expectation quite dearly — and asserting that he is someone and something else completely different from that. Lucien and Molly are trans characters, no doubt, but their stories are not about being transgender. And there is an intrinsic quality to King's that definitely is.

The notion of "trans narrative" is also something applied to someone like Nott/Veth, even in a world where transness is not stigmatized. So while transphobia is not a thing as we understand it in Exandria, that doesn't change that Kingsley “came out” and transitioned in a more recognizable way to us than Lucien or Molly ever had to — in the same light as Veth arguably struggling with her self-image in a way that many trans viewers find exceedingly familiar.

If we can apply the queer critical lens and think of Fjord being a trans guy deconstructing toxic ideas of masculinity, or of Beau being a trans girl dealing with transphobic parents that wanted a son, got one, and cast her aside, we can also use that same level of discernment when it comes to Kingsley. There's precedent.

I don’t mean to get personal here, but the flat out dismissal of Kingsley's identity as an individual and not as the sum of other parts reminds me so much of my own experience of having come out as non-binary and then telling people that I was going to start HRT. The support dried up almost immediately the minute I made it clear I wanted to switch pronouns again and pursue medical transition, though I still conceived of myself as effectively genderless.

So long as you’re fun and funky and trans in a way that isn’t obtrusive, it’s fine. Well, “fine” isn’t the right word, but people are so fucking terrified of you becoming one of “those” trans people and taking the scary hormones and changing your body and getting the surgeries. It's the cousin of that perennial TERF talking point of "why can't you just be a tomboy/effeminate gay guy". As if being a tomboy/fem guy is somehow easier, too!! But I digress. To a lot of folks, Kingsley can be whatever he wants..........so long as he doesn't reject Molly as a foundational part of him, if not the, and heaven help him if he diverges from the mold Molly left for him.

For this reason (and for other transgender reasons that I don't want to get into), that has made engaging with a lot of this faux-Kingsley content difficult. Because Kingsley came out! Kingsley has told everyone who he is and what he's about, and folks are ignoring that in favor of an interpretation that centers a different person's existence entirely. And with this coming from a group of fans that tends to trend towards being trans, too, that's quite the bitter pill.

Creatively, I firmly believe that people can do whatever they want forever. And everyone has the right to make content where their Barbies scissor. I, for one, also am 100% guilty of it in other contexts. That doesn't bother me.

What does bother me is a collective delusion where a significant chunk of the fandom, in missing their tragically dead non-binary character, effectively stuff a separate one that resembles him back into the closet without noticing the cruelty of doing so. In fact, relishing in it.

And while these people are fictional and aren't real and can't feel pain aside from what we inflict on them narratively, it gives me pause about the way this trend mirrors common transphobic behavior I have experienced as a non-binary person myself. Thus, I cannot possibly watch it happen and not feel compelled to say something about it.

In essence, Kingsley has told us time and time again who he is and what he's about. If we say as fans that we respect the narrative integrity of Campaign 2, I think it's important that we listen and honor that.

#critical role #kingsley tealeaf #cr2 #mighty nein #'remy are you procrastinating' AND IF I WAS #new tea leafing #meta analysis #remy yells #remy writes

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sevensoulmates · 2 months

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if the bi buck spec is true then tommy is literally the definition of a plot device meant for bucks development this season, which means he's probably done in the end of the season which makes sense why they've brought back a person who cameo'd in s2 to be a part of a characters arc in s7. i think by the end of the season buck will be confident in who he is thanks to his time with tommy and be open and comfortable with the idea of being with men meanwhile I think Eddie and Marisol will absolutely break up and why is going to be obvious to everyone but Eddie, setting us up for a season 8 that's going to tell the story they wanted to tell in S5 but the FOX network stopped them and that is the journey to Buddie getting together. This is going to be an angst filled season for sure, but by the end of it I fully expect we are fully on the road to Buddie. Hell the second Buck is kissed by a man, that's the moment Buddie is confirmed as the endgame because the only reason you even do this is because you fully intend to tell the story you've wanted to tell for multiple seasons and that is Buddie.

Good morning friend!

I'm really hoping the Buck/Tommy spec is true because you're absolutely right, he would absolutely be a temporary plot device for Buck's queer realization arc, and I'm 100% down for that. The GA (but honestly all viewers, even hardcore shippers) NEED something to happen on-screen that confirms queerness in one or both of Buck and Eddie. This is the very first step to signal to the audience that Buck's endgame person...just might be a man. And who do we know on this show who's a man who's perfect for Buck in literally every way? It will get people thinking, especially if Eddie is somehow peripherally involved in Buck's arc, even just as someone watching them.

I don't know what's gonna happen with that honestly, but if Buck is confirmed queer, I truly don't see how that won't have an effect on Eddie in some way. I don't know how, but if the writers play their cards right it could be a tandem queer realization (though maybe delayed in Eddie like you said cuz he's still gotta get over things with Marisol and on a more unconscious level, Shannon), but they really have set us up to come back full circle to season 5 if that's the case. Both Buck and Eddie need to make active choices about their relationships again.

Maybe this time, Eddie will be able to break up with Marisol knowing full well why his relationship with her won't work out. Maybe this time, Buck will be able to have a short-lived fling with Tommy, and be able to open his eyes to the fact that the love he actually wants is right in front of him (the calling back to Buck, Actually is getting my hopes SO HIGH and I'm trying my damndest not to get too caught up in it.)

I think season 7 could be the perfect transition season, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean in terms of setting us up for the story that wants and needs to be told in future seasons.

(again, I know this is all some serious spec built off some leaps of faith the fandom has taken with behind-the-scenes info) BUT if we get any of these things this season, I seriously believe we have a higher chance than ever of seeing canon buddie in season 8:

Queer Buck (whether it involves Tommy or someone else, etc.)

Eddie breaking up with Marisol by the end of the season (bonus points if it has anything to do with Buck/Buck's queerness, or happens prior to the wedding, or even at the wedding)

Queer Buck affecting Eddie in any way (even subtextually)

Any sort of big moment that signals a romantic shift in perspective toward the other one (could happen at literally any time)

It would also be amazing if they have any sort of moment at Chim's bachelor party or wedding (this is another popular spec, right? I've seen it going around) because those are both surrounded by themes of love and future commitment and could also be foreshadowing.

Season 7 honestly has the chance do something great and I'm okay with conflict getting in the way of that (Tommy, Natalia, Marisol, the ghost of Shannon, etc.) if it means they're setting up for buddie to actually happen in s8 or beyond.

#911 abc #buddie #again I realize this is all based on major speculation and we don't have anything concrete to go off of right now #but I'm telling you SOMETHING has shifted with this switch to abc #and if there was ever a perfect time to make big changes to any of the characters it's now #I believe in you abc and Tim #ask

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stormyoceans · 2 years

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hi!! did you ever do a follow-up post about how formally/informally vegaspete address each other in later scenes when pete is no longer captive? i found the initial post but i couldn’t find any other ones. if you haven’t, would you mind talking about it?? i need to know if either of them ever switches back to formal! 🥺 thank you!!!!

HELLO THERE!!!! i wasn’t really planning on writing a follow-up to that linguistic post, but i can definitely give you an update!!! (just like last time, im gonna remind everyone that im not a thai speaker, and that im still at a beginner stage of learning, so if anyone catches any mistakes please let me know!!!!)

so, like i said in my previous post, pronouns are a pretty easy way to recognize, at least in broad terms, in which type of register a character is speaking. as a quick reminder:

pom/khun: polite pronouns for i/you

guu/mueng: informal AND rude pronouns for i/you

up until episode 10, vegas used a polite but informal register to talk with pretty much everyone, including pete (which means he usually used pom for ‘i’ and the other person name for ‘you’, and also incorporated somewhat polite particles in his speech), while pete exclusively used a very formal and polite register with vegas due to vegas’ position as heir of the minor family (you can easily hear it in the way pete always calls him khun vegas, uses pom for ‘i’, and also uses the formal particle krap)

once pete is held captive, though, they BOTH drop to a very informal and rude register, using guu/mueng as pronouns and, if im not mistaken, no particles at all (i mean, there are some exceptions, but in general i don't think they use them), and im delighted to inform you that this does NOT change after pete gets free and that they never switch back to a polite register!!!!!!! knowing this, you can easily recognize the pronouns when they talk to each other: in episode 14, when vegas says ‘i love you, pete’, you can hear him say guu rak mueng, pete, and during the pool scene you can hear pete using guu all the time (‘i’m here’ = guu yu ni. ‘because i’m hungry’ = phraw guu hiu. ‘i’m your pet’ = guu bpen sat liiang khaawng meung [..i think ;;;;;; transliteration is hard. hearing as well actually, i wish iqiyi would give me thai subtitles too ;;;;;])

i feel like im just repeating myself from my previous post, but it’s really interesting that what initially started as a way to show a lack of respect was also something that brought the two of them on the same level: linguistically, they stopped being the heir of the minor family and a bodyguard a long time ago, and have been equals way before vegas recognized that pete is no longer his pet, but the most important person in his life. the two of them using an informal and rude register is now a sign of how close they have become and how much they’re comfortable just being themselves with each other

just as a quick comparison, when macau teases pete in the ending scene, you can see pete putting his mask back up again, not only by smiling – nervous and compliant like he used to be – but also by answering him with the formal particle krap: macau may be younger and vegas’ little brother, and they probably grew closer in that month pete took care of vegas, but pete definitely isn’t as comfortable with macau as he is with vegas. pete still sees macau as the young master of the minor family, which is actually why i love that both macau and vegas tell him 'don't be shy': it's their way of saying 'there's no need to feel uncomfortable, this is where you belong, with both of us, we're your family and you are safe here'

im gonna end this by saying that even if technically we didn't get to see vegas and pete interact in front of other people while they reprised their roles as heir and bodyguard, i think the writers still gave us a pretty good idea of how that would have gone: vegas talks to porsche about his feelings for pete pretty openly, so he wouldn't have had any qualms in using guu/mueng with pete in front of everyone, and while pete would have probably tried to go back to the formal and polite register that's expected from his position as bodyguard, i think he would have slipped up sooner or later, because his feelings for vegas are simply too strong to be controlled. the scene with vegas pointing his gun at korn is actually proof of this: pete does raise his gun on vegas, but he also speaks up to say 'vegas, don't' when it's very much not his place to do so and in such an informal manner (no khun, no particles) that leaves no doubt about where they stand with each other in front of the rest of the world

#hope this makes sense and that i didn't say anything stupid ;;;;;;#i always try to be very careful and research and listen to the scenes so many times but im still no thai speaker #i actually wanted to talk about vegas using english with pete too but this is already too long #anyway thank you for asking anon and sorry if it took me a bit to reply!!#vegaspete #m: ask

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threehuskiesinatrenchcoat · 1 year

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Oh my gosh, Graves knowing Alejandro likes him and using that to his advantage!!! I am!!! So fuckin!!!! On board!!!!!! I generally only write fluff despite loving to read angst and this genuinely makes me consider breaking that rule.

Imagine after the betrayal, Alejandro is slowly coming to terms with the fact that another lover has betrayed him (the trust issues are gonna skyrocket) and Graves keeps up the flirting just to get under his skin? Him mockingly calling Ale by the cute nickname he had for him? Trying to rile him up enough to make him spill secrets?

In a very dark version this could definitely go into the direction of '141 never finds Alejandro and Graves keeps and breaks him through manipulation and just general mind-fuckery'. Do with that what you will :D

Going back to Spanish, in the version where Graves got forced by Shepard to go along with the betrayal bc idk Shepard was threatening the shadows or something, Graves could maybe secretly inform Alejandro about it and stuff (we ignore that translators exist or maybe the situation doesn’t allow it). And Shepard would be none the wiser that Graves spilled everything to the "enemy".

Also no worries! I know life can be a lot, so no pressure to answer anything I send you immediately. Hope you enjoy the bird :)

okay but the _impact_ it's gonna have on him because he was so sure he's not going to make the same mistake again and here he is. 141 being a little shocked because they didn't even know and rudy feeling so bad for him and trying to talk to him and get some weight off of him and i feel like alejandro would just brush everyone off and wallow in this hurt and anger by himself. and he would definitely feel so guilty for compromising them. because, again, he was so sure that this time is going to be different and he was wrong and it's on him. and everything graves does after this would _definitely_ get to him on a personal level even when he tries to keep the professional cool. like we all saw what valeria's words did to him and that was after some time had passed, in these circumstances he'd definitely lose it

but also. i am so gonna think more about the dark version. this made me think of another idea purely for the sake of a little ooc darker more unhinged version of alejandro?? imagine like. alejandro that just goes along with whatever graves says. maybe 141 couldn't get him out in time and he just decides that they gave up on him for the sake of the mission. maybe graves' reasoning got to him and he tries to help and convince others but no one listens because rudy did once and valeria still did what she did and they're not taking that chance again. maybe he's just so done and tired and hurt after this that he goes along willingly. maybe all of the above in that exact order so it has a bigger impact. i like twisting good characters to the darker side okay. the things that would get them to abandon their principles even if it's out of character are fun to explore. and maybe i enjoy the thought of alejandro becoming graves' right hand man guard dog a little too much?

and the last idea is pretty cool actually! like, what if they're monitored really closely to make sure he will comply. he could disguise some hints as some friendly meaningless banter too in hopes that no one would bother to check. like he at least tried to do something so the whole thing wouldn't turn into a total disaster. and the rest is up to alejandro to get it right, keep his emotions in check and not get furious, and discuss it with 141 to form a plan that hopefully involves helping both sides

#alegraves #alejandro vargas #phillip graves

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seventeenlovesthree · 1 year

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Yeah so your dynamic shipping game? I know I say Takeru and Hikari a lot because I always want to know others perception of them.

Another one I am very curious about is Koushirou and Mimi. Because Tri just worked for them.

But if you mean non common ships I have been curious about Yamato and Mimi. I get the whole they look good together vibe especially in illustrations, but personality wise they don’t really mesh up well in my opinion. Maybe you’ll find something good out of it?

Anyways thank you for reading this. Even if you do one review I would appreciate it. Thank you!

Hello there! Thank you for sending me this, I still have all the other rarepairs in my queue and want to work on them, since I always enjoy to have some thought experiments here and there.

Since my stance on Takari hasn't really changed ever since writing my first analysis post, I hope it's okay if I'm not gonna repeat this one.

However, the other two (namely Koumi and Mimato) are definitely more interesting to write about, for very different reasons each:

Digimon Shipping Dynamic Game:

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Whether canon provides input on them or not:

Since I've already written a huge tumblr breaking analysis on what does and does not work about them, you can bet that canon provides a whole lot of input about them. I will try to keep this section as brief as possible regardless:

You have their initial set-up, which appears to be your typical "opposites/beauty and the nerd" tropes at first glance - and while they do fulfill their stereotypes to at least some degree at various parts of the series, they also frequently defy them. They're the same age and also classmates, making them one of the few characters who have known each other (very superficially) even before the events of Adventure - and they start off rather roughly. While both of them are portrayed as oddballs in their own ways (enjoying questionable food combinations, being very focused on the things they're interested in, etc.), they have very different priority systems. Basically, whenever these two are the focus in an episode (namely the infamous episode 10 of Adventure), a scene (namely their interactions in "Diablomon Strikes Back) or a plot-point (namely their interactions throughout the first four Tri movies), it's usually about them having to come to terms with their different approach systems:

Koushirou is the rational type, who focuses on solving a problem by going through the entire PDCA cycle, trying to figure out each and every puzzle piece and gather all information to come to a conclusion. Mimi's judgement is based more on emotions, feelings and instinct, she likes to skip the first three steps of the PDCA cycle and does what she thinks is best for everyone - and that's where these two tend to clash. While Koushirou absolutely can be a hands-on person who jumps into action when necessary, he has a hard time understanding Mimi's reasoning sometimes, especially when she demands him to take her/other people's feelings into account. They do have very different energy levels in that regard - which, on the other hand, is also what makes their DSB interactions so entertaining to watch, as she is just very happy to be back in Japan, wanting his attention (extroverted dominance), while he's absolutely done trying to save the world once again (introverted exhaustion).

While their fights can turn out to be rather exhausting whenever they're not able to communicate well and also whenever they cannot admit that the other may have had a point (especially in Tri), they do work best once they actually reconcile and combine their strengths; whether it's when he is leaving his laptop behind (once) to tear down a wall to save her, admitting that acting is better than thinking sometimes (episode 10), when she praises his skills and achievements up to the point of them even working on her online shop together (Tri + Kizuna/To Sora), or when he leaves his laptop at home once again after being told to do so by her, just to come to the conclusion that this helped him to actually think about what he wants to do in the future (Stageplay).

There is a reason why they're among the most popular ships in the Digimon fandom world-wide due to their interesting dynamics (see here and here). So much so that there was even an audio drama explicitly functioning as fanservice, making Koushirou write a love letter to someone and having Mimi be rather infuriated by the idea that it was for Hikari instead of herself. While instances like this (and DSB) formed the preferred fandom headcanon of Mimi having a crush on Koushirou, Tri canonized him having developed a crush on her instead - even though said crush was rather treated in a comic relief manner without serving a development trigger in either of their arcs, as the main focus had been, once again, them having very different view-points instead.

Long story short - there is A LOT to work with. Even though I have to say that, in my opinion, Tri did not really work for them. The recycled conflict between them (rational vs. emotional) could have been great if it had been intertwined in their respective arcs (self-isolation vs. selfishness), but was NEVER properly resolved. The crush never led to anything but fanservice (while also reducing Koushirou's character to that in a "they had to dumb him down so he couldn't figure out the plot immediately" way). I actually prefer their portrayal in the stageplay (as well as in Kizuna/To Sora), which is why I chose the screenshot above - but let me elaborate on that...

Whether I think why and how they’d work:

The "opposites attract trope", if done right, can be a very appealing one - and, as mentioned, it explains why these two are as popular as a romantic ship as they are. As mentioned above, I do prefer their portrayal in the stageplay as opposed to Tri; while their personalities were still very much on opposing ends, there was a lot more familiarity and closeness between them, which could have been the natural development after they had started to come to terms with their "differences" after episode 10 of Adventure, throughout 02 and up to this point. Mimi scolding Koushirou for relying on his laptop too much is met with him seeming rather helpless, exhausted by her attitude at first - however, instead of just acting obediently and leaving his laptop at home to please her, he uses that twice: Once by teasing her, pretending to have withdrawal symptoms and scaring her in the process, ACTUALLY joking around intentionally and playfully for once! Secondly, he actually talks about his own dreams, feeling inspired by her and indirectly thanking her for that (the crush does not seem to exist at this point btw). And that is a mutual point for them, as Mimi also confesses to Sora that, while she's currently not crushing on anyone, she also feels inspired by Koushirou to maybe do "something with computers" in the future (which, as we know, will actually happen by the time of Kizuna).

And that is what, as mentioned above, could be their greatest strength as a romantic couple. They're AWARE of their different energy levels and, after all these years, they've started to gain an understanding of the other's needs in terms of emotional and mental affection. At least they SHOULD BE. Instead, Tri implied that Koushirou suddenly started to get interested in fashion JUST for the sake of impressing Mimi - which is not what his character is about at all and misunderstood his entire arc of accepting himself the way he is. Having him bend over backwards to impress the person he fell in love with, hiding behind an app to tell him how to dress, would always result in him never opening up - sure, he's been able to stand his ground against her, but that only resulted in them shouting at each other in Tri, unable to really understand each other. And Tri COULD have used that to make Mimi comment on how it didn't matter what he wore as long as he felt comfortable with it. Because - again, they're both weird in their own ways and wouldn't be themselves if they changed for the sake of someone else. But that conclusion was never reached.

In an ideal world, I feel like they could just have naturally progressed from 02 to the Stageplay to Kizuna/To Sora; with Koushirou becoming more aware and considerate towards Mimi needing attention and affection and Mimi learning that there are times when Koushirou needs to be left to solve his riddles, with words of encouragement in between. The Kizuna promo art of her looking absolutely amazed at whatever he had managed to make out of her online shop while he beams at her with fondness and pride is how I could see them working out just fine. Sure, there would be moments of them clashing again - but they'd be able to deal with that without him turning into an obedient puppy or her turning into an enraged harpy. There can be a sense of protectiveness and gentleness between them, learning from and complementing each other without actively trying to CHANGE the other, enjoying each other's company as well as spending time apart, as long as they have something to gush over together (whether that's online shops, food, their friends - or, like in the reboot, the actual fact that Mimi's grandfather is the manufacturer of Koushirou's tablet. The potential of them actually having business-related rambles is just too good to pass on).

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship:

Alright, enough rambles - throughout all this time spent analyzing their romantic potential, I have actually grown more fond of them as a couple. Despite that, I still prefer them as platonic business friends, since I primarily ship each of them with other characters. Still, I love the idea of them growing more and more close and familiar through the years (which is basically canon at this point anyway), teasing and praising each other, making jokes, gossiping over their friends, etc. (Though I would actually like to see them in an OT3 with Taichi - because in my opinion, both Mimi and Taichi care deeply about Koushirou and he'd be such a wonderful bisexual disaster around them. Plus, I thoroughly despise certain fandom depictions of Michi cheating on Koushirou with each other, because that couldn't be further from their actual personalities.)

ALRIGHT, NEXT.

Digimon Shipping Dynamic Game:

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Whether canon provides input on them or not:

Depending on what you want to look at: There isn't much. While you referred to them as "non common ship", I do believe there is quite a fanbase for them out there. However, I'm inclined to agree that it is mainly based on two factors: Both of them being highly attractive characters and the potential they could have due to their personalities (and the tropes they represent).

Throughout Adventure 01 and 02, I actually cannot remember any significant interactions these two had with each other; Yamato starts off having a hard time approaching the others, he's not exactly closed off or aloof, but is mainly focused on taking care of Takeru. Him ACTIVELY bonding with others happens very rarely, so when he's not contemplating things (sometimes together with Jyou), or argues or fights with and alongside Taichi, he doesn't really have any capacities to interact with Mimi - who, in turn, is more likely to play around with Takeru or spend time with Sora or Jyou. At first glance, Yamato is the classic introvert to Mimi being an extrovert, which is not only displayed by their colour palettes being VERY different (warm shades of red and pink vs. cold shades of green and blue), but also by their energy levels. While they're both very outspoken and opinionated - they never talk to each other in either 01 and 02. In the novel, there are even several instances of their energy levels and approaches being that different that they actually clash with each other, actively fighting.

Thus, figuring out their dynamics is rather difficult - there are just minor instances (and characteristics) that COULD make them rather interesting; one of the most famous moments in 01 is the way Yamato tells Taichi off, demanding him to give them - and Mimi in particular - time and space to mourn the loss of the Digimon that have already died, implying that he's sympathizing with her. Yamato has definitely experienced loss in his life already after the divorce of his parents and still struggles with feeling inadequate as a brother to Takeru - while Mimi comes from one of the happiest, most peaceful families in the series. Her purity, her sense of wanting to achieve peace without sacrifices almost appears as a stark contrast to Yamato's "corruption" later on; when he demands Taichi to fight him, trying to solve things in a rather violent way, it's almost a shame that someone like Mimi is not able to stop him there and then (since deep down inside, he doesn't want to fight either). And that's where I assume fandom likes to step in using their personalities to form headcanons:

Mimi being a positive influence, a genuine force of sincerity to (literally) pull Yamato out of his (more negative) tendencies, helping him to be more honest with himself as well - almost in an actual "Beauty and the Beast" kind of way. Neither Tri or Kizuna really elaborated on their dynamics - but the former did like to imply that they are indeed opposing forces, twice; the situation depicted above shows the group coming together after Mimi had another fight with Koushirou. Meiko feels like a burden, since she was the reason Mimi and Koushirou clashed in the first place, as he tried to interrogate her in a moment of emotional vulnerability, while Mimi called him out for being insensitive. Yamato voices his concern towards Meiko, telling her to stop worrying them - and both Taichi and Sora step in, saying that Yamato was just genuinely worried about her, to which Mimi tries to call him a "Tsundere". He just deflects by telling her that she cannot speak proper Japanese and that she's just making things more complicated (because she refuses to take a step towards Koushirou at this point). The other instance is within the stageplay - where Yamato tells Mimi to stay away from his cooking, fearing that her extravagant tastes (bananas and fish) may ruin the dish...

Long story short - they don't appear to be very compatible as friends canonically. So, again, that's where headcanons have to step in.

Whether I think why and how they’d work:

As mentioned above, due to their contrasting set-ups, family backgrounds and way of attraction, there is an appeal that may make them quite popular in singular online spaces. Mimi is a natural people-magnet due to her openness and tendency to become the center of attention very quickly, she easily befriends everyone around her (even if some may find her controversial, as depicted in Tri) and tries to spread a positive spirit. Whereas Yamato, despite being a band leader (that is also very popular), is indeed more closed-off, with a very selective group of friends he is very committed to and protective of (maybe even possessive to some degree, as you can imagine he is not good at dealing with losses). From an outside view, they almost have that "idol-like vibe" that makes them very attractive - so it's no surprise fandom sees them as an intriguing and compelling combination to end up together. Due to them being as opinionated as they are, they may clash a lot - but similarly to Koumi, that COULD be also a strength, as it is important for characters like Yamato to ACTUALLY speak their mind without hiding behind a mask. Plus, Yamato needs someone he can truly be vulnerable around with, because he's a lot softer (and awkward) than his facade would make you believe at first glance. The question is - would he be able to let loose around Mimi like that? It's very hard to tell, because unlike with Koumi, we don't really know if she understands how he rolls. Sure, she can see that he has VERY Tsundere-like tendencies, tough shell, soft and caring on the inside - but up to this point, they're not close (or even comfortable) enough for him to not deny that rather aggressively (especially because Taichi and Sora were actually a lot quicker to pick that up - which is no surprise either, because they're canonically closer to him). So it feels more like they'd be prone to fight for dominance than being able to take a step towards each other (even more strongly than Koumi, because Mimato may take disagreement as a personal attack and can't even seem to bond over their passion for cooking together at this point in time).

Mimi, on the other hand, also needs someone who can keep up with her - people like Jyou and Koushirou, as we've seen, should be used to her habits already, but it is very difficult to tell whether Yamato would have the energy and patience to deal with her, giving her the assurance and attention she needs.

Long story short, the potential is there due to their personalities, but we never learn if and how they'd be able to interact on a closer level.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship:

Admittedly, they're a relationship I have pretty much no attachment to, simply due to the fact that canon never gave me a reason to believe that they'd think of each other as "close friends", let alone "romantic partners". As they're both Chosen Children, they would surely protect and fight for each other, no question - but everything beyond that never gave me positive vibes. Which is actually a shame, because they're both (potentially) good with Jyou and Takeru, Team Hope exists for a reason after all (and I even ship both Mimi and Yamato with Jyou, yet I couldn't imagine them being an actual OT3). Heck, they're also both (supposedly) very close to Sora, yet they never had a group moment together. Even in the reboot, they were mainly just arguing and never had a positively reaffirming moment together. So I must say, I rather think of them as acquaintances than anything else.

#my two cents #meta #long post #mimi tachikawa #koushiro izumi #yamato ishida #koushirou izumi #relationship analysis #shipping analysis #digimon

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butterflydm · 2 years

Text

wot reread: winter’s heart (prologue - chap 13)

spoilers through winter’s heart.

1. We start with our Black Ajah Hunters plotline. Seaine is worried about rats (spies of the Dark One) in the White Tower. I feel like it’s been a while since anyone talked about rats as spies of the Dark One. I wonder if there will be more of a focus on rats=shadow as we ramp up the Seanchan taking more of a role in things and thus maybe the ravens being associated more with the Seanchan.

2. Seaine is also trying to distract herself from the interrogation of Talene (Green Sitter & member of the Black Ajah) that is going on behind her. They are using something called the ‘Chair of Remorse’. Not sure if I want to know, but I will probably find out. I’m feeling for Seaine here, because her hunt has already definitely been taken out of her hands at this point. Instead, similarly named Saerin is now in charge.

3. When Talene agrees to their terms and forswears all the Oaths that bind her, the shock of removing her Oaths causes incredible amounts of pain. But it is done and she reswears to the Three Oaths and to a new Oath to obey the five of them here. And, at last, she admits to being Black Ajah. Even though Seanine already believed in the Black Ajah and was near-certain that Talene was a member, hearing her confirm it is still a blow. “Nightmares were awake and walking the Tower.”

4. When they talk about handing her over to Elaida, Talene laughs and tells that Elaida IS Black Ajah. Seaine says that makes no sense, since Elaida is the one who started her on this hunt. Pevara points out that Talene can say it if she believes it is true, even if she’s wrong. I like the discussion of how the Oaths work that we get here. Talene tells them that Elaida must be Black Ajah, because the Black Ajah knows every report that goes through Elaida’s hands, every message, every announcement, days before it is public. The group tries to decide what to do, as Talene has said that the Black Ajah has an idea already that Seaine is Up To Something. Ah, this plotline is so interesting and every time we dip into it, the web grows and gets more complicated. I feel like there’s a good chance we’ll get this plotline in some form (should the show go that far) since the White Tower is one of their main sets so they might as well use it even after our kiddos have left for other pastures.

5. Elayne PoV! Hello, dearest! Caemlyn is experiencing a violent ‘thunder snow’... yay, Bowl of the Winds? It’s been a few days since she put in her formal claim for the Lion Throne and she is going to update us on all the doings. Aww, Elayne wants to make Nynaeve her Aes Sedai advisor. She loves Nynaeve so much. Elayne has so many strong relationships with women that she trusts. Love that for her.

Nynaeve is making plans with Reanne on how to sneak the members out the Kin out of Seanchan controlled lands. Love her so much. 💖

Vandane is trying to work out who her sister’s killer (and Darkfriend among them) is.

Birgitte is recruiting for Elayne’s guard. Elayne has given her an estate and made her a Lady and also Captain-General of the Queen’s Guard.

6. “The Light send Thom was safe, that he and Mat and the others had escaped the Seanchan and were on their way to Caemlyn. Every day since leaving Ebou Dar she prayed for their safety.” Aww. Also, it sounds like Egwene did not share her dreams about Mat being “pale and in pain” with Elayne. Actually, now that I think on it... has Egwene EVER shared any of her prophetic dreams with anyone? She’s like the opposite of Min. Also, since they are still all parted from Mat, I’m gonna continue to keep track of when they mention him. Just for funzies. And because Mat’s separation from everyone else hurts my heart.

7. The qualities Elayne remembers her mother mentioning as key for a queen: a fine mind, a keen grasp of affairs, a brave heart, and people need to see you as a queen as well (so some level of showmanship). I wish she could share her political advice with Rand again. She really is straight-up the most SUITED for Rand of all three of his girlfriends and yet gets to spend the least amount of time with him. It’s so unfair.

8. “A queen could not show herself afraid, even when she was. Especially when she was.” See, this is exactly what Rand is TRYING to do in his own plotline but a vital part of why Elayne can do this and stay emotionally healthy is because she does have people around her that she trusts enough to be VULNERABLE in front of. And Rand doesn’t have that -- he specifically notes at the end of TPoD that he avoids grabbing onto saidin around Min because he doesn’t want her to see his dizzy spells. He hides his vulnerability as much from Min as he does everyone else, he just hides it under lust and protectiveness instead of coldness.

9. Birgitte (and Elayne) are hoping very much that Gawyn will return from Tar Valon to be Elayne’s First Prince of the Sword. Elayne has sent three messengers. Wow. It sure would be nice. If she had a general lying around. And not stuck in freaking Ebou Dar with the bloody Seanchan. It would be nice. Birgitte already has Too Many Jobs tbh and it would have been nice if they could have taken one off her shoulders.

10. Tired of the Windfinders. Not dealing with them. Moving on to Mazrim Taim coming for a visit. He brings an ~aura of menace with him and two asha’man. Everyone is on edge. Interesting note: Taim and his two companions are not wearing swords, even though sword-training was part of Rand’s requirements. We learn here that, in addition to taking down Rand’s banners, the Saldaean and Aiel troops are almost done withdrawing from the city. He also mentions that Rand has sent her a gift “from the south”. Elayne also notes that she feels like Taim is aware of her feelings for Rand & vice versa.

11. While she’s in the middle of dealing with Taim, Nadere of the Wise Ones has come to summon Elayne for her first-sister ceremony. Because this is Robert Jordan, Elayne must naturally undress in front of all these people. Oh, wow, I think this is the first time we learn that Actually Elayne Is Kinda Tall. She’s taller than literally all of the other women there (except for Nadere, the Aiel Wise One). How tall is she in comparison to Mat, in book canon? Mat and Aviendha are around the same height (a head shorter than Rand). Hmm. I will look for more height-clues.

12. We’re reminded that Elayne has seen Aviendha nude lots of times now, as Aviendha will often walk around their apartments without any clothes on. She meets Aviendha (also naked right now) in a room with over a dozen Wise Ones (they must have Traveled from Cairhien, I assume? We know they have the weave for it, because Sorilea showed it to Cadsuane. Ah, they learned it from Egwene “to repay a debt”). Ah, Aviendha is definitely taller than Elayne, as it’s noted that everyone except one of the Wise Ones in this room right now is taller than she is. So the heights are Elayne < Aviendha | Mat < Rand.

13. Elayne learns here that the first-sister ceremony involves a level of being bonded together with the One Power. First they need to answer questions about their first sisters. Their answers:

Best thing about her: Elayne says it’s Aviendha’s confidence. Aviendha says it’s Elayne’s bravery.

Worst thing about her: Elayne says it’s Aviendha’s violent streak; Aviendha says that Elayne flaunts her beauty and gets what she wants with it.

Most childish thing: Elayne says Aviendha refuses to learn to swim; Aviendha says Elayne gobbles sweets.

Biggest jealousy: Elayne is jealous that Aviendha has had sex with Rand; Aviendha is jealous that she knows Rand loves Elayne and she doesn’t know if he’ll ever love her.

They do the magical bit and they are now bonded as first-sisters and it’s similar-ish to a Warder bond but not quite. “Fainter but more magnificent.”

14. Ah. Back with Toveine and the Black Tower. Generally unpleasant to read about it, though not pointless -- it’s important for us to know the situation there and it hasn’t gotten repetitive yet. All Toveine wants out of life is the chance to murder Elaida for pulling her out of exile and sending her here. There are currently five hundred men here who can channel. Ah, Elayne and Birgitte are doing their inspection of the Black Tower. Toveine can see them, but doesn’t know who they are. She hides her face with her hood without thinking about it, due to the compulsion of the bond, and hates herself when she realizes what she’s done. She hears the name “Lady Elayne” used and thinks that she hopes Elayne avoids being captured and taken back to Elaida (she doesn’t want Elaida to get anything that would make her happy).

15. Between the level of mental control here in this bond, and Myrelle using the Warder bond to compel Lan into sleeping with her a couple of books ago (though she had to channel Spirit into the bond, iirc), bonding has become very disturbingly creepy at this point. There are two ‘clean’ types of bonds that we know of, bonds that don’t allow for compulsion: female channeler -> male channeler and female channeler -> female non-channeler. Or... hmm, does the “extra bit” chapter in the last book imply that the compulsion was something deliberately added to the bond when done with Aes Sedai, a choice on the part of the Asha’man? Either way, it makes for a disturbing arrangement, though it also points out that the normal Warder relationship can be fairly disturbing as well. I’m... uncertain of how deliberate that is, at this point, given how often slavery and servitude has been used as a narratively acceptable punishment. The other Aes Sedai bonded to Logain is now sleeping with him and is in ~thrills over how helpless she felt in his arms. Yeah, I liked Logain a lot better the last time we saw him, before he was at the Black Tower.

16. Toveine and Gabrelle (the other Aes Sedai bonded to Logain) have a chance to talk inside his house after he leaves to go do... things. It’s clear that he has acquired a position of leadership here due to name recognition and that he and Taim are very much at odds (already implied at the end of the last book). Gabrelle says they need to try to make sure that the fifty-one sisters here stay united, rather than splitting off into Ajah factions.

17. Rand is still in Cairhien, but he’s hopped over to the school (a mile away from the palace). We get an update on the steam engine/horseless carriage! Looking better! Lord Dobraine is here to report to Rand. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that the only reason Dobraine is here instead of Berelain is the super-sexist reason of Rand feeling like he was too attracted to her to function. Anyway, Rand gets the gossip from Dobraine -- people don’t know if he’s dead or kidnapped or gone mad. Also here is the Mistress of the school, who believes in practical and pragmatic things, so she doesn’t understand why Rand wants to fund all the dreamers, who build things like telescopes and hang-gliders. Rand wants to leave things behind that will survive through any new potential Breaking of the World that he might bring.

18. Flinn, Narishma, and Hopwil are still staying at the palace, Rand learns. He knows that they weren’t part of the attack on him but is uncertain how much he can trust them. Cadsuane is “in and out of the Sun Palace as if it were her own”.

19. Eternal sighs for the double-standard between how Min is treated and how Elayne & Aviendha are treated. We do get a brief glimpse of Original!Min here, not all dolled up for Rand. Or less dolled up, anyway.

20. When Rand does, accidentally, show his vulnerability in front of Min by feeling the dizziness, she laughs it off as him pretending to be weak so that he doesn’t have to carry all the books she wants to bring from the library here. So I understand why he doesn’t feel like he can be weak in front of her, despite her trying to tell him that he CAN cry, etc. in front of her, because when he does show a hint of weakness, she thinks he’s faking it. Rand also seems concerned that Min might... stab him? “A dangerous sign with any woman, especially one who carried knives”. I mean, I know it’s just supposed to be more sexist “lol Women, AmIRight?” nonsense, but... yeah.

21. We learn that Rand hopped around to several different cities to try to lay in a false trail about where he was going -- in Rhuidean, he let it be known that he was interested in Shara; in Tear, he asked about Cachin; etc. He tells her that he plans to cleanse saidin and she has... zero outward reaction to it? I don’t understand what’s supposed to be appealing about this relationship, can someone explain it to me? This is a huge deal for Rand and would be lifting a heavy burden that he’s been under for the majority of the series and Min reacts “as if he said they were taking an afternoon stroll”. I guess we’re supposed to think it’s nice she’s ~taking things in stride?

This prologue is 86 pages. The book is 766 pages. 11.2%. I think this is when the prologues start to feel very unwieldy (as I understand it, that’s because they were released as sort of preview novellas? but it’s annoying all the same) and I think I remember them getting worse. I think if TPoD had been trimmed down, Elayne’s section of the prologue (which is the largest chunk anyway) could have fit into that book easily.

22. The next six chapters are Perrin chapters. Perrin is about to enter a pointless side quest involving an enemy who shouldn’t still be around (Sevenna & the Shaido). The only really good thing that comes out of the side quest is showcasing Faile being more mature than she used to be, but this was already more effectively (and concisely!) shown at the start of ACoS when she was able to play spy under Colevaere. Things worth noting from these six chapters:

At least from this first chapter, we are apparently going all in on the “Actually, having slavers invade your country and rule over you makes life better for almost everyone!” argument in the Seanchan storyline. - legit quote: “life was little changed for most people, except for the better”. This idea was flirted with last book from Rand’s PoV but then heavily undercut by every single Seanchan PoV that we got (constant unrest back home) so I will... note how it is treated here as we go on.

Perrin can smell the cult vibes on Masema and his crew.

“As always of late when he thought of Rand, colors swirled in his head. And, as always, he ignored it.”

Masema has agreed to go with Perrin to Cairhien, with a hundred of his followers, but only the long way, via riding. We learn later in these chapters that he lied and is bringing thousands of his followers along.

When Perrin talks to the wolves about Faile being missing, they basically shrug, say tough break bro, best to mourn and then move on and eventually meet her again in the wolf dream.

While mostly grateful about it, Faile feels “almost insulted” that the Aiel who is in charge of herding her isn’t leering at her naked body. /menwritingwomen. There is also a lot of spanking.

Berelain does also tell Perrin that Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan. Perrin cares more about the fact that Faile has been using her Cha Faile as spies (dangerous for her to do, after all!) than the fact that Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan.

Cats in the Two Rivers have six toes and Perrin was surprised to learn that cats in other places have five.

While Masema refused to go through a Gateway to reach Rand, he’s chill doing it to go south to help save Faile. So, yeah, Perrin has failed to pick up the subtext that Masema actually probably wants nothing less in all the world than he wants to see Rand.

23. Elayne rides the streets of Caemlyn and thinks to herself that she will earn her people’s loyalty; and she wishes that Aviendha were with her but is able to find comfort in their first-sister bond (which is somewhat similar to a Warder bond). See this is the part of the bond that I find appealing - “like sensing an unseen person in the room” but not in a creepy way... “it was comforting”. Just the sense of not being alone but in a reassuring way.

24. Anyway, after centuries of it being ~so strange~ for there to be female guards and warriors, Elayne is finally changing things. Ridiculous that women being guards was considered so rare and odd, given the various things in this world’s history, but I’m glad Elayne is doing her part to change it.

25. We learn there are ten Aes Sedai that Elayne doesn’t know, staying at an inn called the Silver Swan. We learn that Birgitte’s memories of her past lives are fading from her -- she can only remember as far back as the founding of the White Tower now. She does remember that a sword has never done her any good, so she refuses to wear one.

26. Birgitte tries to tell Elayne that her adventuring days are done, now that she’s (almost) queen. She needs to delegate and not try to do everything herself. Two of Elayne’s rival claimants for the throne have been kidnapped, so now she needs to wait and see how their Houses respond to know who took them (as she suspects it was someone on one of their sides, trying to push the other one to support them). Elayne needing to do this politicking to become queen is very much main-quest at this point and not side quest, as she’s now working on getting the Andoran ducks in a row to help for the Last Battle (in addition to doing it for her own sake, of course).

27. Birgitte’s personality is so similar to Mat’s in a lot of these scenes. We’re also told that she spends her free time in much the same way - drinking and gambling and looking at people she thinks are pretty. Yet, “Elayne did not want to change her -- she admired the woman, liked her, considered her a friend” - interestingly, Birgitte is also locked into a fate-designed relationship (though in her case, we see very very little of her actual relationship with Gaidal) like we’re told that Mat is destined to end up in (plus has memories of past lives, for obvious reasons). She also gets frequently frustrated by how Elayne risks herself and throws herself into trouble.

28. I kinda feel like there are some character parallels here I want to tease out -- Birgitte <-> Mat <-> Min is one set of character connections. Rand, I feel like, is strongly paralleled with our other major leaders now (who are all women) -- Elaida and Egwene and also Tuon, who we are introduced to in this book. I would say that Egwene mirrors his ‘true’ personality (underneath the mask) and his genuine leadership potential, Elaida mirrors the effects of the taint and the paranoia and arrogance, and Tuon mirrors his Dragon Reborn mask.

...I can’t think of any major parallels for Perrin tho, tbh.

29. *sigh* After not being a huge part of the “lol the other sex is always wrong about everything” brigade most of the time, Elayne has joined it now, thinking “How did Rand always manage to do the wrong thing? Being male just was not excuse enough.” re: her ending up with the damane and sul’dam that he captured during his Ebou Dar campaign. It honestly feel like men and women in general like and trust each other LESS now than they did at the start of the book series.

30. Adelas’s killer has, Vandene and Elayne believe, been narrowed down to one of three women: Merilille, Sareitha, or Careane. From what Ispan revealed before she was killed by that same person, the Black Ajah didn’t know any more about the Kin than the White Tower as a whole did, which makes Vandene and Elayne feel safe in guessing that the Kin have no Darkfriends among them.

31. Nynaeve joins them - Vandene tries to get her to take over some teaching, so that she can focus on finding her sister’s killer, but Nynaeve just tells her to use the two novices to help her, since they’ve figured out as much as Vandene already. We learn that Nynaeve and Reanna have sent off eighteen of the members of the Kin into Seanchan-controlled territory (they hold Altara, Amadicia and Tarabon) in order to try to get some more of their hidden members out before they are discovered by the Seanchan patrols. Reanne is “a hundred years older” than any Aes Sedai in living memory has been, and is not the oldest of the Kin.

32. Reanne and Alise are trying to work on getting one of the sul’dam that Rand sent along to admit that she can learn to channel. Reanne and Alise say that the sul’dam feel like women who are on the verge of being able to channel but can’t do it themselves yet. They are certain that the sul’dam can already see the flows though. Ah, it ended up being a total of 29 sul’dam (leashed) and five damane -- so Rand did realize that the leashes could hold the sul’dam as well as the damane. Elayne’s plan is to show the sul’dam that they can channel and then send them back to the Seanchan to undermine their propaganda. “The knowledge that sul’dam themselves were able to channel would shake the Seanchan to their core, maybe even break them apart.” A message we have been told consistently ever since book 2, when we first learned it. But about getting the sul’dam to admit it to themselves - “it will take time to convince the Mistress of the Hounds that she is really a hound herself”.

33. The good news that Reanna has for them is that three of the five damane may be ready to be let out of their collars, and one of those three is from Seanchan. Two of the ones who are ready were taken during the invasion, but the third, Alivia, was collared when she was thirteen or fourteen and has been damane for four-hundred years (so twice as long as the Empire has existed in its ‘Consolidation’ form). Alivia says that she only said she wanted to stay collared at first because she was scared of being taken again by the Seanchan but that she hates the sul’dam. She’s also “considerably stronger” in the Power than even Nynaeve.

34. As they ponder whether or not they can trust Alivia enough to uncollar her, Lan mentions that if they refuse to release her now that she’s requesting it, they “might as well give her back to the Seanchan”. “Keep her collared when she wants to be free and you are no better than they are”. When Nynaeve says that the a’dam must be removed, Lan says, “Tai’shar Manetheren” and Nynaeve wells up with emotion.

35. Elayne deals with rulership issues, both good and bad, as she works on establishing her claim to the throne. Some deposits of alum have been found on her estates, which means she will likely be able to get some credit from the Caemlyn bankers and not need to pawn the rest of the crown jewels for money to keep her kingdom afloat while she works on becoming the official queen. Elayne finds out about Elaida’s proclamation saying that the Dragon Reborn may only be approached through the White Tower and finds it puzzling, as Elaida should know better than to make that kind of offer. She also finds out about Rand’s wing of the Sun Palace being destroyed by the One Power, with many people believing that his disappearance afterwards means that he’s gone to kneel at the White Tower.

36. Bizarrely, Elayne thinks that “a great deal of difficulties” could be solved by Rand being willing to kneel for Egwene.

a. huh?

b. when on earth would Rand have even had the opportunity?

c. HUH? No, seriously, where did this come from? “He would not do it” - literally has anyone even talked to him about this idea?

I do agree that he would be, like, “eh, no” but she’s talking like there was a long negotiation with Rand where he refused the idea but I’m 100% sure that absolutely no one has floated this notion for Rand at all and Elayne has no reason to believe that Rand is even aware that Egwene is the new Amyrlin Seat for the rebels because no one ever communicates with Rand. But it’s strange that Elayne can see how bad it would be for HER to submit herself (and Andor) to Rand’s authority and yet not see how it would weaken Rand’s authority if he submitted himself to Egwene and the rebel White Tower. She really has been drinking that ‘the White Tower is the ultimate Boss of All’ juice.

37. Finally, Elayne begins to set plans in motion to make her claim for the rulership of Cairhien, once she has settled Andor in her favor. After that, she takes her midday meal and is poisoned by it and set upon by three would-be murderers. Dyelin proves her loyalty by standing to defend Elayne (with her belt knife in hand). She is saved by one of the guard who she promotes to Captain of her Guard (it’s revealed to the reader in the next chapter that he’s a Darkfriend working under Lady Shiane and this was a set-up), and then Nynaeve helps take care of her afterward.

38. Now that she is back in a place with Wise Ones, Aviendha is firmly an apprentice again, though she does still stay in the palace because she is Elayne’s first-sister. Aviendha is also now in on the secret about Birgitte’s identity. Birgitte is also now able to successfully argue Elayne into having an honor guard with her at all times, since there was an assassination attempt and all. I am kinda sad here, hearing Elayne’s new female honor guard being described as her own ‘Maidens of the Spear’ given how Rand’s relationship with the Maidens is currently very broken and I don’t remember if it’s ever healed.

39. Elayne and Nynaeve go to TAR to talk to Egwene. Rand feels even more isolated and alone when I compare him against his counterparts in the other storylines. Elayne tells Egwene everything she knows about everything. Egwene also proclaims to them both that the Oath Rod is definitely what makes an Aes Sedai an Aes Sedai, so Siuan won her over on that argument. Shame. Nynaeve points out that the Kin prove that the Oath Rod potentially cuts their lives in half -- Aes Sedai rarely live past three hundred, but the Eldest of the Kin (an oil merchant in Tear) is nearly six-hundred years old. Egwene brooks no argument, though, but she does soften her decree slightly by saying that once a sister is ready to retire as Aes Sedai, she will be allowed to unbind her Oath and join the Kin instead (thus tying them to the Tower).

40. lol, Slayer randomly pops up in TAR to eavesdrop and then runs away, and everyone is startled by the appearance of a man who looks like he could be Rand’s uncle but is wearing Borderlander clothes.

41. We learn that at least some of the mystery Sisters in Caemlyn are part of that big Darkfriend circle that was once headed by Liandrin and then taken over by Moghedien. Oh, we do learn the fascinating news that part of the reason they’re here is because they have been fleeing Eldrith’s Warder, Kennit, who did NOT know that she was Black Ajah but is pretty certain of it now and is determined to track and kill her, no matter what the personal consequences to himself. I do find it very interesting that Eldrith chooses to mask the bond and then run away from him rather than either killing him or releasing the bond so that he can’t track her.

42. Rand has arrived in Caemlyn to pick up Nynaeve and Mat, while avoiding Elayne or Aviendha. He brought Min with him. Saidin is now causing a great deal of dizziness just by holding it, no longer simply when grabbing it or letting it go. That seems like a... fast change. It’s been less than a week. He notes that he doesn’t have to worry about Min noticing his dizziness, because she won’t.

43. Min is still glaring at Rand as if everything “were somehow his fault.” She lists out (some of) the ‘sacrifices’ that she has made ‘for him’:

abandoning her horse

curling her hair

giving up her life

This is the first time it’s been mentioned that those “dark ringlets” that she always has now are actually due to her curling her hair on purpose rather than her having naturally curly hair that has grown out.

44. Min does try to convince him to talk to Elayne and Aviendha here (and then sets up the love confession meeting a bit later) even though we know that she actually doesn’t want to ‘share’ him. Rand is certain that Elayne and Aviendha are more likely to hate him than love him and certainly wouldn’t be willing to share him. I was talking with @markantonys about how weird it is to think about how Min’s problems are mostly all her own fault -- she’s constantly unhappy with Rand and his choices but the only reason she’s in a relationship with him is because she chased him down and then relentlessly manipulated him into one (that is straight-up text; she thinks about her deliberate attempts to manipulate Rand into falling in love with her before they have sex in ACoS); she’s unhappy about all the changes she’s ‘had’ to make to herself ‘for him’ but none of them are things that Rand asked for, they’re all things Min did because SHE decided Rand would fall in love with her more easily if she changed everything about herself; and then there’s this: Min is obviously NOT POLY in the books. She is MISERABLE sharing Rand’s heart, yet she goes out of her way to make sure that Elayne and Aviendha are brought in on the relationship, even though I’m pretty sure she will continue to whine about needing to ‘share’ Rand in the future (which is kinda laughable given that she stays glued to his side and E&A barely get to see him). She is constantly making HERSELF miserable and then complaining about how her misery is all Rand’s fault. Rand believed that Elayne and Aviendha didn’t want him anymore; he wouldn’t have even thought to question Min keeping them out of the relationship. Now, obviously, I’d much rather have Elayne and Aviendha involved, because Elayne/Rand/Aviendha is much more appealing to me than Rand/Min at this point, but Min’s motivation seems to be based in Destiny Said So and her own deep insecurities about her relationship with Rand.

45. Min talks to the First Maid, Mistress Harfor, to find out where Nynaeve and Mat are, and Rand finds out that she has no idea who Mat is and certainly doesn’t believe anyone by that name is here in the palace, which is, of course, shocking news to him. Rand also almost gets an image here, with the colors, when he thinks about Mat. Min tells Mistress Harfor to take Rand to Nynaeve and then races off (to find Elayne). We also get a reference here to Min being Rand’s emotional support plushy, who helps regulate his moods by her presence. Rand worries some more about Mat and gets another swirl of colors and, he thinks, maybe a glimpse of Mat’s face.

46. I am not dealing with the Atha’an Miere and their horrendous philosophy of teaching. The only thing of note is that one of the apprentices Windfinders is ALSO miserable and basically begs Nynaeve to take her to become a novice just so she can escape how stifled she is among the Atha’an Miere because of how they overcompensate in order to avoid giving any appearance of favoritism. Eighteen pages that could have been two or three. Basically, I feel like this is all just to set up the fact that Nynaeve is miserable here so that we understand why she jumps at the chance to help Rand but they could have just... idk had her want to help because cleansing saidin is a universal good for the entire world.

47. “Talking to friends was one thing but being forward with her own husband still seemed quite another.” That is so weird to me. He is the person that you are actively having sex with, Nynaeve.

48. Rand finds out, here from Nynaeve, that Egwene is the Amyrlin Seat for the rebels, who acts like it’s so silly that he wasn’t already aware. Yeah, I didn’t think he already knew. Why on earth does everyone assume that Rand knows things when they know very well that they never tell him anything? This is also where we get the extemely out of character (for both characters) moment of Rand going “Oh, Mat must be with Egwene” and Nynaeve just straight-up never answering, and then they both drop the subject. Rand was worried about Mat not being in Caemlym, and Nynaeve was heartbroken that he’d been left behind in Ebou Dar, but both of them are just gonna... ignore that this conversation never got finished and go on to do other things. Out of character for both of them and clearly just the Author doing the bare minimum of essentially tricking Rand into thinking Mat doesn’t need any help right now because Mat has been Assigned Another Plot and we just have to ignore him. Nynaeve is also of the opinion that Rand should just go ahead and kneel to Egwene and I once again offer an baffled wtf. Just that it’s EVEN WEIRDER for Nynaeve to think this than for Elayne, given Nynaeve’s own history both with the Aes Sedai and having personally worried in the past about Aes Sedai trying to leash Rand for their own purposes. Also, Rand literally just found out that she’s the new Amrylin of the rebels, Nynaeve.

49. Anyway, Rand asks Nynaeve to hold onto the two ter’angreal while he ‘takes care’ of the asha’man and I sigh over his plot getting stretched out like this tbh. From what I remember, his sideplot about trying to take care of the traitor asha’man is going to end up treading over very familiar (repetitive) narrative ground. But Nynaeve says that she (and Lan) will go with him now, to help with the traitor asha’man, thus getting her out of all her obligations here (she doesn’t mention that part).

50. “I don’t tell him things he doesn’t need to know,” Min says to Elayne of her relationship with Rand. Yes, I’m very aware of the mountain of secrets that you keep from him. Elayne notes that Min and Aviendha are very much wary of each other. Elayne is the glue holding this entire polycule together by the tips of her fingers. We learn that they hashed everything out ‘off camera’ and intend to present Rand with a fait accompli. lol, Min is now ‘impressive’ with the ‘number of knives’ she carries on her person; she really is the knock-off version of Mat who is allowed to romance Rand because she has the Jordan-approved body parts (and a willingness to completely change herself For Her Man). When she showed up in Caemlyn in LoC, she just had a pair of knives and could only barely flourish them without cutting herself, but now she’s ‘impressive’. Sure, okay.

51. Elayne, Aviendha, and Min come into Nynaeve’s room where she, Lan, and Rand are. Elayne notes how beautiful Rand still is, IMMEDIATELY notices that he gets sick when he reaches for saidin, and Rand also immediately puts the Min - Aviendha/Elayne double standard into effect by telling Min that it’s time for the two of them to leave, though Elayne notes that he stares at both her and Aviendha like he’s “drinking them in” and that she’s pleased to realize that she is as happy about him looking at Aviendha that way as she is about him looking at her that way. Elayne IS the glue holding this polycule together.

52. Rand tells Elayne that he has to go because of the Asha’man traitors chasing him; he says that she can trust Narishma, Flinn, and Hopwil but no other Asha’man. Elayne mourns the loss of the boyishness that Rand used to have. She also notes that his “dark, reddish curls” hang down to his neck. He absolutely has Period/Fantasy Romance Hair at this point. Rand assumes that she wants to scold him over the sul’dam and damane, and apologizes for saddling her with them -- he thought she had all of the Aes Sedai that were with Egwene.

53. Rand mentions here, again, his belief that Mat is with Egwene and her rebels and, once again, none of Nynaeve, Elayne, Aviendha, or Lan correct him, despite all four of them knowing better. We don’t ever even get a thought from Nynaeve or Elayne as to WHY they don’t tell him! (because there isn’t actually a good reason; it’s literally only because His Plot Is In Ebou Dar). We were told, in this very book, that Elayne PRAYS DAILY for Mat’s safety, but all she thinks here is “oh, Rand will know the truth as soon as he talks to Egwene” (he’s literally just announced that he plans to leave as soon as possible)! Aviendha respects Mat as a ta’veren! Nynaeve was heartbroken over leaving him behind! (who knows what Lan thinks) And Rand has just told all of them that he believes Mat is with Egwene and none of them correct him!!!! Genuinely annoyed at the obvious Plot Strings forcing Mat to stay in Ebou Dar by the characters dismissing Mat being left behind with the Seanchan as ‘not important enough to mention to his best fucking friend’. In fact, it’s even kinda implied here that Nynaeve is letting Rand think this on purpose? (she gives ‘a wide-eyed innocent look’ to Elayne when Rand mentions it).

54. Anyway, we do get the love confession here, which I like, even if it’s annoyingly somewhat tainted by everyone brushing away Mat’s safety like he doesn’t matter. But I do like the love confession, still, and I love Nynaeve and Lan’s reaction to it, and I like that Elayne actually gets to spend the night with Rand, even if it’s incredibly annoying that he dips on her before she wakes up and never even has a private conversation with Aviendha at all. I like him leaving her a flower made with saidin, to match the flower that he tried to make for her in TSR. I also really like that we finally have a first time for Rand when he’s actually in his right mind and not grief-stricken, like he was when he was terrified that Aviendha had died or had just learned that his philosopher friend was dead.

55. The actual bonding ceremony is... mostly sweet, though given that I know Min stays glued to Rand’s side, it feels like another example of Elayne sacrificing in order to make this polycule work, while Min takes advantage of Elayne’s generosity. So. There’s that. But I like that we finally get Aviendha only using ‘half’ of Rand’s name to his actual face and both Elayne and Aviendha tell Rand that they would be willing to marry him. We also see Elayne worrying when she sees him doing things by hand that she might have expected him to use saidin for. She notices instantly all these things that Min has given no sign of noticing (or has laughed off) and asks him if he’s well (he says he is, of course).

56. Rand finally tells someone that he was bonded against his will by Alanna once he’s alone with Elayne, Min, and Aviendha. They are all very mad about it, but also realize that their options are limited, due to how the bond works. “We will share you, if you agree,” Elayne tells Rand, once again being the glue in this polycule and also being the person who understands what consent is. I’m glad that someone ASKED Rand (I think it was @essie007 who was wondering if anyone asked Rand at any point, and Our Girl Elayne does; though Rand still doesn’t really get any input on the details, just a yes or a no, so that part kinda sucks). She’s figured out how to make this whole bond work, even with Min (non-channeler) being included as a ‘bond-holder’ by studying how the first-sister bonding ceremony weaves worked and combining them with the Warder bonding weaves. Once bonded to Rand, they confirm that he’s in constant horrible pain so there’s that!

57. Sadly (maybe because it’s incredibly consensual, so it doesn’t hit Jordan’s kinks?) we fade to black much sooner in the Rand & Elayne scene than we did in the other love scenes. We don’t even get a kiss! We get more of Min’s reaction to Rand having sex with Elayne than we actually get of Rand and Elayne together!

58. Min, still not on board with the poly after all that: “all this talk about him marrying all three of them was very well for talk, but which one was he really going to marry?” Min still believes that only one of them can be Rand’s REAL partner, with the other two as people he bangs on the side. She really is the odd one out in the polycule, since both Aviendha and Elayne are on board with co-marrying Rand. lol, Min still tries to claim here that she rarely likes to talk about her viewings, which is SUCH a lie. Anyway, she babbles out to Aviendha that Elayne is going to get pregnant with twins from this night of sex with Rand, and Aviendha confirms that Elayne is absolutely on board with baby city. NEITHER of them are at all drunk at this point; they should both remain aware in the future that Elayne is pregnant with twins.

59. ...I don’t remember Min seeing Birgitte at Falme, though I suppose she could have. Anyway, Min, Birgitte, and Aviendha all go drinking together to blot out the feeling of Elayne and Rand having sex all night (and then most of the next day) long. Min immediately spills to Birgitte about them all bonding Rand because Rand is literally the ONLY person she is capable of keeping secrets from.

60. Elayne wakes to find Rand gone, along with Alivia, Nynaeve, Min, Lan, and a whole bunch of powerful ter’angreal. Yeah, so the chance for Elayne to actually do something about those ‘daily prayers’ to keep Mat safe is gone. And Rand goes ahead and takes the most vulnerable of his love interests right into two incredibly dangerous situations back to back, instead of leaving her in Caemlyn like he’s doing with Elayne and Aviendha (who can both channel).

61. Cadsuane is feeling very frustrated about many things, including that Lord Dobraine is loyal to his oaths to “the boy”. She is still holding Caraline and Darlin captive and has appropriated the three asha’man that Rand left behind in Cairhien as well (Eben Hopwil has been bonded by one of her minions). She’s also kidnapped one of the Windfinders (the one who Rand left behind in the Sun Palace after running across her unexpectedly). Cadsuane is also trying to figure out why five of Elaida’s Aes Sedai have now sworn to Rand. It’s a puzzle that she can’t work out. Cadsuane hasn’t been sleeping well since Rand left the Sun Palace after the attack. She pretty much CONSTANTLY thinks of him as ‘the boy’. We learn that after last night, all nineteen of the Aes Sedai prisoners have now sworn themselves to Rand, even without him present. Cadsuane basically views the entire world as what can or can’t be used as a tool to force Rand to behave as she wants him to behave.

62. Damar Flinn Healed one of the stilled sisters who was in the Aiel camps. Corele has bonded him, it seems, and now she gives him ‘permission’ about what he can and can’t do. And Narishma has been bonded by Merise. We do also learn that Alanna has gone into a faint and is unconscious (I believe this is due to the triple-bonding, which helps anchor this moment in time). And we learn that Dobraine has had Lord Darlin and Lady Caraline released and they have escaped on a riverboat -- Darlin is to be Rand’s steward in Tear. Ugh, gross, Merise makes Narishma quietly wait in the corner by snapping her fingers at him.

63. Forsaken meeting -- hmm, Demandred is actually noted here as one of the two people assigned to ‘watch’ Rand. Okay, okay. Yeah, noted. Osan’gar is the other one. Asan’gar is convinced that Egwene is completely locked down by the whole “headaches only I can help with” thing. But they are all worried about Rand’s plan to cleanse saidin, though we already knew that Dashiva (who heard about the plan) was a traitor/Darkfriend, so it’s not a surprise that they found out.

64. My feelings on Moridin in general: fun and intriguing and tension-filled in scenes with Rand; much less so in scenes with the other Forsaken, especially since he’s one of the characters who is in charge of the whole “evil women don’t get killed; they get enslaved” thing that Jordan is doing more and more as the series goes on. There’s a rat on Moridin’s shoulder so that we can see him use the True Power to destroy it. The order is out: once Rand starts using the Choedan Kal to try to cleanse saidin, they must go to try to capture him or, failing that, kill him as a last resort.

Mat mentioned by:

Elayne x3

Rand x8

Min x1

Mistress Harfor, First Maid x1

Nynaeve x1

Unnecessary scenes:

annoying Atha’an Miere nonsense: 1 (5 pages), 1 (11 pages)

relationship drama nonsense: 1 (4 pages)

Shaido nonsense: 5 (87 pages)

#wot #wot reread #wheel of time #winter's heart #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #avilayne #wot polycule #the wheel of time

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