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levmada · 4 months

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every—lesser known—canon fact about Levi Ackerman.

infamously over the years, there have been countless false rumors about Levi in particular out of the cast. many of them have become popular, even ubiquitous, and it's annoying!

and also disheartening when you find out it's not true....

and hurtful when you realize it was - sometimes - made up by trolls.

so i'm making this post<3

credit to @levisfavoriteacup for the idea!!

*disclaimer: i'm not perfect, so this may not be Everything™️ but I am confident that it's the majority of information available, and that it's trustworthy. :)

First the most populars. There is no evidence across interviews nor other content over the years that:

Levi is ugly, and is considered ugly in AOT.

Nope. See here: (tumblr link), or:

Isayama finished his first sketch of Levi mostly on a whim, but the moment he drew his face, he had a sense it would work well / he knew he had something good. Something told him: "the yaoi fangirls are going to like this one".

As time passed and his popularity grew, Isayama caught onto this and wanted to portray him more attractively (in multiple ways) to the viewer/reader.

But from the beginning, this was something of the goal. He is short because Isayama had in mind what young women/fangirls in Japan consider attractive: a man with a higher-pitch voice; has a small face; and who is "short but strong".

In the world of AOT, he (in a nutshell) is mostly considered plain or awkward, but combined with his reputation and style, he's very charming. "He cleans up nice." Overall, it is positive :) But more importantly, realistic I think.

He's also something of a celebrity. People who advertise their product as being used by him are more successful; when he's seen in a shop, this by itself is considered "advertising" and more people come in. Quote: ""the tea that the hero bought”".

He's definitely not a 2/10 at any rate😇.

—the 24th episode of Naoki Yoshida's Anime Plan, 2013 / Interview with Frau Magazine, 2013 | Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure

Levi’s type would be someone who’s "tough, feminine and sensual".

Levi's type "might" be tall people. But context matters, because in multiple translations "don't you think?" and "might be" are thrown around a lot. Isayama isn't known for his clarity. When asked, he practically said the question right back. —fan Q&A from a festival in Betsumaga, Aug.2014

What this quote might have come from is a statement by the author of an article Isayama was likely involved in. I can't say this is 100% canon, but in my opinion it's a little less canon than the Smartpass AUs; if those are sub-canon, then this is sub-sub-canon:

Levi's romantic type is someone who walks three steps behind him, and likes cleaning.

In the past, in Japanese culture, for a wife to walk three steps behind her husband implied highly traditional gender roles. What this is much more likely to mean is that Levi's romantic type is someone who will let him protect them, or will run away and survive even if it costs his life. (And they have to like cleaning.)

—the article is from 2013, and no longer exists. but the link was used as recently as 2021 as a source in this post by a reliable translator. I've found this quote also in varying qualities of translation across Japanese and English forums, so to the best of my knowledge, it's reliable.

Levi's cravat is a piece of his mother's dress + he was wearing her dress when Kenny found him.

This is a popular rumor that Isayama has never confirmed (i think it is true, tho.)

December 25th was chosen by his comrades because he doesn't know his actual birthday.

The guidebook only states that it is his birthday. I can't find any more context on this. —AOT Guidebook; p.256

His character profile:

—AOT Guidebook; p.78–79

His name is Hebrew, and means "attached" or to be "joined".

Isayama came up with Levi's name after watching American documentary "Jesus Camp". (It's about a summer camp-type program where evangelical Christian children are taught extreme beliefs. One of the children was named Levi.) Isayama heard it and thought it sounded cool. —Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | 2010 blogpost by Isayama

Levi is in his early 30s (in s3/RtS/volume 19). –Interview, Universal Studios Japan’s SNK THE REAL exhibition, 2016 | confirmation

If Kuchel was still alive, Levi would want to make sure she had an easy life. This means specifically filial piety, a concept exclusive to the East: he would fulfill his duties as a son for her. (tldr he's a mama's boy :3) —Bessatsu Magazine, 2019

Levi would have thin facial hair, but he prefers not to, so he shaves frequently. —January 2020 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 124)

He doesn't like coffee milk or coffee jelly. They're out of the question even.🤐 —July 2018 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 106)

He just gets depressed when he drinks coffee. Maybe he loves tea that much? He stopped calling Hange names like 'shitty glasses' since they became commander because he "seems" to respect their position that much. However, a Smartpass story delves deeper into this (and states as I suspected): [After Hange makes a joke] "Since becoming the commander succeeding Erwin, they’d toned down on their past speech and behaviour that had a touch of tomfoolery; Levi understanding that they were nevertheless trying to maintain the self “that was the case then”, also loses the will to curse at them." + "In the past, Hange had a Hange-type dream, and should have been progressing to that purpose. That lately, was it the weight of the office of commander, or was it due to the reality that is “all the world was our enemy”, their manner had changed considerably." —May 2017 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 92) | Goodnight. Sweet dreams, dear. Act II: Levi

If he and Kenny had fought one-on-one, Levi would've won. —December 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 87)

intermission: all about tea

His favorite "food" is black tea. No actual food.

He doesn't add sugar or milk to his tea because he considers it too expensive—which it is canonically. Despite this, he will share his tea with his comrades (his original squad as far as is seen).

Even though he's Captain, he'd rather drink it straight (the implications of which are he's a hardworking man, like that of a farmer. aka, this makes him seem humble).

If a time of peace ever came, Levi wants to open a black tea shop (he said in a dreamlike way, not so much based in reality).

He also knows a good amount of facts and history about it. He's a tea enthusiast!!

Levi receives pilfered tea in shipments monthly, thanks to Erwin.

—AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 2 | Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure | Bessatsu Magazine, Jan.2014 | September 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 84) | AU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman | The Case of the Corps Tea Party - File No. 09 Levi's Side (3/3) | sugar and milk in tea from the Japanese perspective

Levi, out of his original squad, found Petra cute/sweet in the general sense of the word "kawaii". Like Levi's romantic type however, this was sort of a non-answer to the question (of whether Levi thought she was cute). —2014 interview

After RtS, Levi seems to consider Hange and the 104th his family. —AU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman

He wears a cravat because Isayama based part of his design off Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. He looks "delicate" because of his size and weight, but he's so powerful because [in issues before the reveal of the Ackerman bloodline] of "invisible power" at work. —January 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 76)

The best way to describe the way he thinks is to compare him to the main character from the movie The Hurt Locker (2008). His character was born from Hiei from the manga 'Yuyu Hakusho', and Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. The former was the basis for his appearance (especially his eyes), and the latter was the basis for his personality. Firstly though, Isayama had an image of a small man being the strongest.

—Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) / Brutus Magazine (2014)

He is something of a protagonist (especially in s3p1). — Animedia, June 2018

His favorite tool (in general...?) is microfiber cloths (for dust I guess. Levi has no need for weapons :3) —July 2015 issue of Bessatsu Magazine

He will usually laugh/smile when he sees convenient cleaning goods (i.e., vacuum cleaners? feather dusters? ((cuz he's a shorty?❤️)) —Bessatsu Magazine, Dec. 2013

He does want to be taller sometimes. He gets eager to clean up after meals rather than cook at all. He can cook, though. —Bessatsu Magazine, Aug.2014 | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018

Levi mostly couldn't adapt to the changes that came about after the truth was discovered. Only he wears mostly the same uniform, cape, and blades.

After RtS, Levi personally retrieved Erwin's remains himself, for whom there was a special memorial service. After Eren (inadvertently) called him a "tiny old man" in season 3, Levi didn't care, but when he thought of it by himself later, he was hurt (unclear exactly why). Levi's father, most likely one of Kuchel's customers, is an insignificant man who's short. That's where Levi's height comes from. His face comes from his mother. At the start of season 4, Levi didn't change much compared to the 104th because he's turning into an "old man" who'd rather stick with his flip phone so to speak. He "doesn't break out into cold sweats". AKA he's always calm under pressure. He considers prostitution to be an ordinary job because of his childhood. Levi's vision is very sharp, way above average. He thought Eren's new look beginning season 4 was unclean/dirty (in more ways than one perhaps). —fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018

He has slight bouts of insomnia. He never snaps/explodes when he's angry. But he does get angry or grumpy a lot, in general. He doesn't sing. It's more likely he would dance. If he was a fan of Momoiro Clover Z (jpop girl group), his favorite would be Momoka. When/if he drinks, he has a high tolerance, but he can get a little drunk :) One thing he highly hates and fears is mold. He is the one who ordered Armin to dress as Historia during the uprising. His blood type is A. Blood types are much like horoscopes in Japanese culture, and Levi's is as such: kichōmen, or well-organized; he likes keeping things neat, but can be stubborn and stressed out easily.

Whether he eats enough or has a good diet? He is "a bit lax". Maybe he forgets to eat sometimes, or has a low appetite. When Levi bathes, he goes for a quick shower then soak in hot water, which takes about ten minutes. Like a bird :')) He on any given night gets about 2-3 hours of sleep. He thought Eren was the best at cleaning (in season 3 / uprising arc). Because of his childhood in the Underground, Levi has a preoccupation/obsession with cleaning (specifically to ward off disease). He also doesn't have any pajamas, mostly keeping day clothes on when he goes to sleep - which is in "his" chair. Levi cuts his own hair using clippers. (Something like:)

He's aware Oluo imitated him, and found it annoying. Levi's horoscope (in general) as a Capricorn: Humanity’s Strongest Soldier - Levi. He possesses warmth in the midst of a dispassionate nature, and he is capable of leadership without verbal expression – both of which are special qualities of a Capricorn. Capricorns tend to hold certain levels of authority, even if they must carry out somewhat unreasonable tactics while in such positions. But when such authority is backed up with actual abilities, a Capricorn can gain Levi’s type of confidence and also be put on a pedestal by those around them. However, Capricorns won’t be dependent on others, much less trust them easily. They don’t hold high expectations and thus never feel a sense of failure. Levi’s faults include the inability to express himself clearly. Even though he wants to encourage his companions, he always speaks in a roundabout way, and without Hanji’s translation it’s nearly impossible to understand Levi’s intended meaning. Even though he is dependable in most situations, when it comes to love/romance, he expresses himself clumsily/awkwardly. —FRaU Magazine, Aug.2014. | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018 | Levi: Close-up Report (Part One) | Translator *the horoscope wasn't written by Isayama, but was published alongside canon information, and it's also not factually wrong, so I'm including it.

The dark circles under Levi’s eyes are to convey the “self-destruction” he takes on to reach the “standard” of Humanity’s Strongest. —Interview on the topic of Levi, May 2015

His 'liege'—as Eren is to Mikasa, and Uri is to Kenny—is Erwin. He is afraid of making deep relationships because of the cruel world he lives in; he can't know when someone he cares for will die or how soon. That 'gap' left in Levi's heart by Kenny's death was filled by his squad (the 104th). If Levi hadn't joined the Survey Corps, he would've been a "very irresponsible person". Risky with his life perhaps? As a kid, Levi used to make himself stronger in order to receive praise from Kenny. When he abandoned him, he wondered what his strength was even for. He was able to find peace with Kenny after his death. In CH72, the reason Levi kicked the shit out of Eren and Jean is because of his argument with Erwin earlier.

He knows he's a slave to his own strength, aka the idea of being a hero. He realizes it when Kenny asked what he's a slave to in s3/ch69. —Answers Guidebook, Aug.2016

If he ever changed his appearance, the one thing Levi couldn't be able to give up is his undercut :') He would grow out the top and tie it up :3 —Oyama homecoming event Q&A in 2014 | 2 | 3

Levi knows how to use a gun, but he "places more trust" in knives. —Bessatsu Magazine, 2019

Levi tolerates saunas. But instead of enjoying himself he seems to see it as a test of endurance. (LOL) —Bessatsu Magazine, 2020

Levi has newspaper-level handwriting that he practices often. He's very conscious of it and being connected back to the Underground. —AU Smartpass TEXT: Levi’s Signature

Isayama had considered killing Levi around the time of the thunderspear explosion. (As always) Isayama deliberated with his editors whether or not it'd be meaningful if he died, and they decided it wouldn't be. —Kawakubo interview, 2021

Specially, Levi holds his swords in a reverse grip "his own way" since he wasn't officially trained. —Illustrate Note Magazine, 2017

Levi forcefully bathes Hange by knocking them unconscious. —AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1

Levi is 4 at the time that Kuchel dies. —What the director informed Kamiya Hiroshi of on set

His character song is called "Dark Side of the Moon", found on YouTube here. Translated lyrics here.

how to draw Levi:

—AOT Guidebook; p.229 | +Illustrate Note Magazine, 2017

#please share... this took days of time and effort #levi aot #snk levi #snk levi ackerman #levi ackerman #levi attack on titan #captain levi #rivaille heichou #levi heichou #captain levi ackerman #levi rivaille #rivaille ackerman #aot manga #snk #levi art #levi shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #levi.thoughts

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factual-fantasy · 8 months

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YOOO 26 ASKS?? :000

I'd like to think the fight still happens but its different. Maybe Seam tried to intervene but quickly collapsed of exhaustion? Or maybe he was conked out from the start and never saw it happen? Its all possible..

Its very possible to find other lost Grillby's and Goner Kids,, etc.. but for simplicity's sake I'll say that they haven't found them <XD

As for how they see each other, Jevil cares a lot about the others. Goner kid is kind'a low-key like his adopted daughter?? A little?? <XD Seam is his best friend of course- His relationship with Grillby is rough.. but he feels very sympathetic towards Grillby and doesn't think poorly of him. Spamton is also meant to be his good friend, second to Seam. His view of Asgore is laced with a liiiiitle bit of unease becuase of his whole royalty vibe. But Asgore has proven that he is 100% trustworthy so they pals :}} I haven't thought much about his relationship with River person.. I kind'a keep forgetting that she exists <XDD --

Seam is on good terms with basically everyone. Jevil is his best friend. Him and Grillby are a little rocky.. but just like Jevil, Seam is very sympathetic towards Grillby and has no hard feelings. Spamton is a good friend of Seams and so is River person I think. Asgore's royal vibe is off putting but overall he's a great guy and they have a good friendship. Goner kid is basically Seams niece XD

Grillby kind'a feels off about everyone- his feelings towards Jevil are pretty messed up at the moment.. and by extension he doesn't get along great with Seam.. Spamton is nice, but is endlessly supportive and grateful towards Jevil so any potential friendship between them is already strained.. Goner kid reminds him too much of his late daughter so he tends to avoid her.. Now River Person and Asgore? They're wonderful. He's very close with both of them and they are the only things keeping him sane right now- River Person is incredibly gentle and soft spoken. She's really sweet and relates to Grillby's pain. They usually have quiet chats away from the group and it really helps Grillby feel better. Same for Asgore. It started with that 1 hug. Having Asgore's support has really changed the game for Grillby. River Person and Asgore are true friends of his and he doesn't know where he'd be without them <:}}

Spamton is mostly chill with everyone. His close friends would be Jevil and Seam. And Goner kid would be fun to play/mess around with. She's a good little kid. He would also consider Asgore and River Person to be his friends, although he isn't as close with them as he is with Jevil. Grillby is a tough person to approach <XD --

Goner Kid is most connected to Jevil and Seam, with Asgore being a close 3rd. Jevil is kind'a taking the role of dad in a way. Having been the one that saved her and gave her a new name. Seam is the soft uncle and Asgore is dad #2 XDD Spamton is like a fun big brother and River Person kiiind'a has mom vibes?? She's really nice. She's not really sure about Grillby..

Asgore is like the groups body guard/emotional support goat. His personality is so soft and caring that everyone gravitated to him in some way. He built genuine relationships with everyone in the group and is a good friend. He's just the best I guess XDD

I haven't planned out that much for River person.. other than her being close with Grillby and Asgore I haven't planned too much. Maybe she gets along well with Seam? Someone with a gentle sing songy voice must be relaxing for Seam to listen to.

As for the empty AU's due to bad sans'? Personally? I really don't like all those crazy sans AU's. So they don't exist in mine. If there's an empty AU its not because of a sans-

@elegysonnet

<XD Poor Seam-

And yeah no- no romantic implications- I still see what you mean. Jevil caring for Seam so much and doing everything in his power to protect and provide for him. It very well could remind Grillby of his wife. When he had a rough day at the bar he would come home to a meal on the table and a caring wife to listen to him groan about his day.

And say Seam did collapse and Jevil was worried sick. Showing how much he cares about Seam. It might just make Grillby mad. He lost everyone that ever cared about him. And its all Jevil's "fault".. That thought would be enough to set anyone off-

Also thank you so much!! :DDD

I haven't thought much about exactly how King removed Seams eye. But he very well could have restrained him with the chains. Maybe then he gouged out his eye with the weird spade tongue stomach- thing?? That he has??

Awww can you imagine? The trauma that is associated with those chains. Seeing them and being reminded of that experience every single day.. and he cant get away from those memories, because no one can remove them.. 🥺🥺

Poor guy cant even scream without causing immense pain..

He has tried to help Seam. He's tried to break the chains, but for some reason he cant even scratch them. He's tried to heal Seam to bring his strength back.. But he cant. Seam's soul just straight up rejects/cant absorb his healing magic.

The best he can really do for Seam is protect him. Seam is basically defenseless because he cant use his magic without wiping out his energy..

And he feels horrible for Seam. And Jevil.. Hearing about how they were abused by a wicked King. It makes him sick. A king is meant to protect his people, not hurt them. He vows to protect and care for his new friends, and to hopefully find someone who can break these chains..

@minophilia

Ah Transformers: Prime. The show that I stopped watching when I was less than 10 episodes away from the finale <XD

@funkymonkeyzz

I hate to break it to ya, but I kiiind'a low-key despise Paani. :x I don't think I'll be drawing him anytime soon-

As for Tracker, He'd probably look just like Barnacles but less muscle, more fluff <XD

@boxofcreampuffs

My Spamton looked just like any other addison. But with glasses, and his hair could have been black by default perhaps.? I might have to draw him sometime :0

As for main character interactions. I've thought about the group witnessing Kris and the gang in a battle. In which they see Ralsei heal the others.. They promptly ambush the group and beg Ralsei to heal Seam and Spamton. Ralsei, being the absolute sweet heart that he is, agrees to help. But it doesn't really work out the way they'd hoped..

I also thought about Seam being collapsed in the snow somewhere while Jevil goes to search for food. While he's gone. Either a Frisk or the soul of kindness finds him.. 👀👀

In the Partial swap, I'm thinking that the only characters that switched places was Freddy with Bonnie, and Chica with Foxy. I'm going back on my idea to have Roxy switch places with Monty..

In the TRUE swap. Its Freddy - Bonnie, Chica - Foxy, Monty - Roxy, DJMM - DA, and Gregory - Vanessa.

Also thank you! :}}

Yes! :0

@wolfie-777

Absolute. utter. chaos. XDD No one would be sane-

In the Partial swap, with Gregory as the kid.. its Foxy. Although much like the classic AU, the band is kind'a split..

Bonnie is a grumpy recluse and so is Roxy. Monty and Foxy are pals though. They're also friends with DA and DJMM and keep regular contact. Foxy is the main one that always tries to keep the spirits up and keep the group together. But there's not much he can really do..

In the true swap, with Vanessa as the kid.. It would probably still be Foxy <XD

Its possible..? But I never really planned for him to meet anyone like that-

@tiredlilmiracle

I've never heard of it actually, Google says its a game? :0

I'm not sure what you mean.. You mean like, what do all their attacks look like?

If so, most of Jevils attacks are like the ones he has in the base game. Although my Jevil might prefer to use his scythe most of the time.

As for Seam I imagined a lot of sewing related attacks. Sewing needles with thread attached that connects to his soul being 1.

There's actually a comic here on Tumblr called "Paper Trail" that shows a Seam battle sequence! It was made by lynxgriffin and that battle scene might give you a good idea of what my Seams attacks could look like! I highly recommend the comic :00

If you mean how powerful? I don't really have a good measurement or character to compare them to.. But I do know that Jevil and Seam are equally matched. If they both fought each other at their strongest, neither would win. They would just exhaust themselves and collapse <XD

@mashmellowy

Nopenopenopenope sorry nuh uh nope nopenope-

@ocinstituterep

I think they share a pod because they're the highest authority on the ship. Captain and Lieutenant. Makes sense why'd they bunk in the same pod.

I can also see that. :0 Maybe after a rough mission or just a long day.. I can see Kwazii popping in to check and make sure the Captains alright 🥺

@djadecutie

I don't think the skelebros have any special immunity because Grillby is made of magical/monster fire. Maybe regular fire the bros bodies react differently to.? But If they were in Jevil's place, Grillbys hand would've chopped away at their health just as badly and as fast as it did Jevil's..

For different monsters having different depletion speeds? Its possible. It could be that most monsters are all effected the same except for a select few cases. I think it also depends on the monsters strength. Like-

If Grillby tried to burn an Asgore. It might not effect him as badly due to him having his own kind of fire magic. Plus he's really strong. Or if Grillby tried to burn another fire person, I imagine he can still hurt them.. but not as badly as he could if they were a different species. It's not just Grillby burning you with fire- it's Grillby using his soul/magic to try and hurt you on purpose.

If Grillby tried to burn Undyne or Papyrus? Well that would just be a slam dunk. They don't have any fire related powers or any physical attributes that could help them. So they just get burned. I hope this made sense-

Also thank you!! :DDD

He does, but its not much bigger than Freddy or Monty's.

I imagined that although Bonnie is bigger than the others, his torso is full of a lot more electronic components and parts. Which would make his actual stomach hatch space kind'a cramped.. If not smaller than Freddy's and Monty's.

@beryl-shade

He cant fly no. Nor was his speed really increased much I imagine. But he very well could be more flexible and move more freely than before :0

@milk-powrit (Post in question)

They're pretty stinkin tough. But Waluigi standing with an arrow through his ankle doesn't mean he's superman. Just means that he's probably high on adrenaline and more focused on helping the weird tiny green man then on the pain in his leg.

WAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!😭😭💗🍤💗

And honestly thats exactly how I feel. I'm so tired of the constant shipping everywhere that I just banned it from all my AUs and fanart <XD

And wow, I'm surprised by the number of people that have told me that XDD You guys just happen to be into all the stuff I'M into I'd say XD

@citrusfruitman

Personally I remember not liking it.. but watching Markiplier play it was fun :}

I've actually played a bit of hat in time! I even have three posts about it that I can recall! :00

Post one, two and three! :}

#my response #do not tag as ship #fnaf security breach #deltarune #undertale #tw descriptions of gore #tw gore #octonauts

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sgiandubh · 11 months

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If...

If you think there is no exit plan, you are probably very candid.

If you think they have no support network, you might have an agenda. Or are, again, very candid about how some things work, in that world.

If you think any random Glaswegian will readily tell you, a nice tourist, what you burn to know, you might have no idea of British/Scottish mentality.

It's been two weeks since I started to interact with you, although I feel like I've known a handful of you for a good while. Following and trying to make sense of someone's written rants does that.

You are everything I thought you would be. Kind, thoughtful people. I have met and talked, sometimes at length, to some of the most intelligent, trustworthy, warmhearted, sensible, sensitive and empathic women I've stumbled upon in a long time. You know who you are. I shared in all honesty. You shared in all honesty, I know it. It is all safe with me and I am grateful for the honor. Each one of the tiny gems is safely stocked and your DM words do not travel to other inboxes. I thank you and commend you. You are these two's best fans. Truly.

Know I read and appreciate all your reblogs and comments, even if it would take a very long time to answer them all.

I often wondered what I would do in the statistically not that unlikely (given current location) event of a sighting. Three possibilities exist: 1) nervousness, silly face and shaky hands are no pretty picture; 2) look like an imbecile, take no pic, howl in own's car and then brag about in excited DMs; 3) take a pic praying Freya not to drop the damn phone, then share in private only.

For the life of me, I have no idea why I feel so protective towards two complete strangers. But this is my stand and I am a very stubborn person. I will not budge. I don't give a flying duck about what you might think of me. I share what I want to share about me, and with whom I want to share only: some already know a lot, some almost nothing. And when I go public with something, I believe it in all good faith and to the best of my abilities to be 100% accurate.

I cannot be taunted, angered, coaxed, bribed, lured. Try me. You'll get a nice teflon wall smiling right back at you. I am not going anywhere and I will die on this hill, because I know in my mind and in my heart it is the right one. Not all those who wander are lost.

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genderkoolaid · 1 year

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conversion therapy = bad, harmful, no matter how friendly or cozy they make it seem its inherently abusive and traumatic and in no way beneficial, even when in comparison to physical beatings

terf conversion therapy for transmascs = actually super nice and loving and 100% a privilege, apparently! source: terfs said so and they seem like very trustworthy sources on what does and doesn't harm trans people

#m.#transandrophobia

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rwby-imagines-and-headcanons · 11 months

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Alrighty, how about some more fluffy nsfw HC’s for each of the ladies of team RWBY and there Male S/O going on a date to a nude beach

Never wrote about a nude beach, or even been to one. LET'S GO ANYWAYS WOOOOOO

----------

Team RWBY going to a Nude Beach with Male S/O

Ruby Rose

Ruby has heard stories from Qrow about nude beaches and thought it was such a funny idea. She always expressed a desire to go see one in person (much to the dismay of both Tai and Qrow, the former wanting to strangle the latter)

Yang promised to take her to her first nude beach, but you beat her to the punch. After dating for a few years, you both found an article about a new beach opening up in town and decided to go for it

When you arrived she was in awe at everything. It was so interesting to see nudity, which was normally such a taboo, be treated as common

You kinda had to stop her from staring at everyone like they were zoo animals

It took her a bit of time to get used to being naked herself though. She isn't used to not wearing clothes. The skimpiest thing she's worn in public was a sports bra and shorts

Having never seen Ruby naked yet in your relationship, it was refreshing to see her like this. Nice boobs, nice ass, she was a pretty girl!

To help get her mind of things, you suggest making sand castles. Her mind instantly focused on that and all insecurity went out the fucking window

It turned into a whole sandcastle war with you two. At times you forgot where you were, that's how intense it got

Eventually she relaxed so much that she was openly cuddling with you on the sand

She wasn't exactly trying to turn you on or anything, but there definitely was a little flirting going on

Once you got a bit too much sand in your orifices, you packed up and headed back

Ruby wouldn't stop talking about it on the walk home. You two were 100% doing this again

Weiss Schnee

Weiss genuinely thought nude beaches were just myths. They don't have them in Atlas, and anyone who talked about them weren't really the trustworthy type (Cough cough Yang)

So when you invited her to one she thought you were joking. It wasn't until you arrived that she realised it was 100% real

She basically has a heart attack once you start stripping, and you had to keep reminding her that it's a NUDE beach, this is expected

You notice she's very hesitant, so you offer to go home and just watch a movie or something. But Weiss declines, stating that she isn't gonna back down. She isn't scared of some nudity!

That claim is quickly challenged by her hesitant stripping. You offer to help her but that is more embarrassing for her, so she's fine doing it herself

It was not her intention, and you felt bad for getting turned on, but it pretty much was similar to a strip tease

You are eventually able to coax her into walking around with you

To make her feel comfortable you hold her hand and talk to her to keep her attention. It helps a lot and she soon eases into the atmosphere

As it goes along she is more comfortable with her body and is able to relax just a little. But still refuses to make eye contact with with anyone else on the beach

Occasionally you will catch her oogling you, making her blush when you call her out. She'll deny it, but you still notice her eyes slowly flickering up and down your body

You tried to make it a bit more romantic and kissed her passionately, and even got her so into it she layed a hand on your chest

The moment she heard a couple talking and laughing as they walked by, Weiss said NOPE and pulled back

The ride home was a bit awkward at first, but she eventually admitted that it was quite fun and felt freeing. It felt like she was rebeling against society, and rebeling is one of her favorite things

It won't be a regular thing, but every now and then she'll suggest a nice beach trip

Blake Belladonna

When you suggested going to a nude beach, you expected more of a push back on the idea

Blake instead was intrigued with little hesitation. The main thing she was worried about was if it was gonna be crowded, the nudity didn't bother her that much

Thankfully you guys went at an odd time during the week so there wasn't too many people

Blake got naked and took your clothes, folding them neatly and placing them in her bag

You've seen it in her pants all the time, but this truly confirmed she has the Bellabooty

We know Blake isn't the most social or active, so her perfect day is sitting on the beach and reading a book, feeling the sun on her skin

She helped you set up the towels and put sunscreen on. She also pulled some food out so you can chill and relax

If you want to go out and play or talk to the locals, she is happy to stay behind. She doesn't want to force you to sit if you don't want to. But hey, if you genuinely want to chill with her, you can tell she is visibly estatic

At one point you take a closer look at the book she's reading and can instantly tell it's smut. Never turning down an opportunity to make her flustered, you pointed out how obvious it was, causing her to nearly toss the book into the ocean (but it was a special edition, she can't ruin that!)

Before you leave, you do one last bit of teasing, and suggest fulfilling the fantasies she's read in her books the next time you come to the beach. On the drive home you realise she never turned down the offer

Yang Xiao Long

The moment the nude beach opened up, you two were already on Bumblebee driving there

Instead of getting changed when you got there, you decided to just show up naked. What are they gonna do, judge you? HYPOCRITES

You've seen Yang naked many a time and never get tired of it. Seeing her perky breasts bounce around was pure serotonin

Before having fun, you guys have some fun and apply some suntan lotion to each other. It got a bit too heated someone had to step in and stop you guys

The whole day you guys were active! And it was great because there was no clothes to sweat in

You guys spent a lot of time playing in the water and swimming. It felt similar to skinny dipping, but intead it was a whole party doing it. You loved to randomly splash water on her to get a shocked reaction. In return she would just tackle you into the water

Eventually you somehow both entered a Beach Volleyball game, and fucking dominated. I'm talking points ahead of the other teams, it was a slaughter. A sexy sexy slaughter

No, no one has any real idea how you got into the game with random strangers. No one really minded though so eh

The perfect end to your guys' day was sun tanning and people watching. There was just regular conversation between you two, but occasionally one of you would stop instantly and point out a hottie across the way

It was kinda frustrating getting sand in every nook and cranny, but you guys definitely are gonna make this a regular date spot during the Summer

----------

Thank you for requesting!

{Like my work? Consider tipping me on Ko-fi! Every little bit counts~}

#rwby #rwby imagines #rwby headcanons #rwby x reader #ruby rose #Weiss Schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long

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velnna · 11 months

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Hi! I know this might be a bit of an unconventional question and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t feel comfortable, but I remember you mentioned that you had top surgery a while back and I was wondering what your healing process was like with the type of incision you went for and if you got sensation back? I’m a couple years off being able to get top surgery myself and whilst I’ve been looking forward to it for years I’m still pretty nervous, especially with the healing process and the sensation and stuff. Again I understand if you don’t feel comfortable answering but I hope you have a great day regardless!

Heya! Not a problem, I don't mind sharing my experience on this :)

I'm a bit over 7 months post-op now, DI with grafts. The whole thing went super smoothly for me so I'd say read it as a best case scenario type of situation. It seems hard to predict how these things go since they depend on so many factors and people's bodies respond differently to things

I only had drains in place for the single inpatient day immediately after the surgery - they removed them after 24h because there was barely any fluid being drained and I got sent home with just the compression vest thingy. That first day was a bit rocky (anaesthesia really did a number on me lol) but by the second day I felt fine, painkillers kept like 90% of pain at bay, and I had pretty much full arm mobility (as in I could move my arms fine, just not use them for anything to do with weights for obvious reasons). Spent a week wailing about because despite not having surgery related pain the compression vest was uncomfortable to the point of straining my rib muscles, messing with my stomach and back, etc. Nothing serious just not fun either

Got that removed after a week tho, put on a lighter compression vest that felt like heaven and two weeks post-op I was cleared to remove it to shower, dress the incisions, etc, and that pretty much went on for 3 ish months before it was chill to just get rid of it altogether. Incisions healed well, grafts took nicely, no issues with movement and I'd say about 4 months in I was fine to work out etc.

In terms of scarring and sensation, there's also been a lot of evolution and I can tell it's still not 100% settled. If you're squeamish about scars and sensations, it might take a while to get used to it, but personally I didn't really struggle with that at all. In the first few months I had very little to no sensation in the area, but at this point it's sort of levelled out I think. Some areas are still numb but it's not something that actively bothers me, you kinda need to feel around and poke to really tell lol

I hope this helps or is interesting 😅 like I said, I get the sense that this varies wildly depending on the surgery and individual, so it's very anecdotal. You can definitely mentally prepare for whatever, but at the end of the day if you have a trustworthy surgeon and follow their instructions there isn't all that much to fear about the process itself

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konigsblog · 1 year

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You’ve opened the floodgates and I’m going to start using an emoji so you know when it’s me (bc I’m silly like that)

Animal hybrid 141+konig

Price is a snow leopard, why? Big fuzzy independent and overall he just seems like a cat guy (100% not because I am also a cat person)

Gaz is a jellyfish. He’s pretty, a little mysterious, and while he may be nice to look at he could absolutely obliterate you. I imagine him with maybe a few of the little tendrils on his claves and forearms. And he glows in the dark because it’s funny and I said so

Ghost is a trap door spider. Not technically an animal but I think it suits him. Also, him with multiple limbs and fangs??? Omnomnom

Soap is a hyena. I just know he cackles, I can sense it in my bones

And Konig is a polar bear. Why specifically a polar bear? …idk actually I just think it suits him. I could see him meandering around in the snow (he’d try to catch snowflakes on his tongue but doesn’t very often because of the mask)

🪤

this omg the way the protect and hiss or sting anyone for messing with youz you're their pretty little thing, stay with them in their nest :(:(:(;

being wrapped around prices thick arms, white fur coating his arms as you dusted the ice cold snow of his coat. ruffling his fur and scratching behind his ears had him howling and clawing at you, his nails tearing at your clothes, resorting in you wearing his larger clothes that dwarfed your figure.

or ghost wrapping his a few of his many arms around your body, watching as he'd crawl all over you. and if you're arachnophobic, he'd teach you to become less scared and trustworthy in him.

könig being a polar bear means that he's big and cuddley, laying your head against his ice white fit. running your hands allowing it as he growled in pleasure, your nails tickling his soft spots.

soap accidentally digging his fangs into you, forgetting his own strength. you whined and whimpered at the cut, his large pinkish tongue lapping and scraping again the wound, cleaning your blood off with his saliva.

gaz showing you his jellyfish form whilst you swam with him, his jelly-like arms wrapping around your figure, making you laugh and trying his best not to accidentally hurt or sting you, knowing that it could be fatal.

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capriciousleo · 2 years

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hello!! i just saw your blog like 5 seconds ago haha but im also bored so heres a hc for pantalone:

how many freaking coats the guy has

LIKE WHAT

how big is his closet lmao or does he have like a million of them??

imagine getting matching coats with pantalone though and it being a subtle hint to showcase to the other fatui and harbingers to back off because you’re his and it clearly shows when you’re dripping in his money and clothing :))

probably would also give really good fashion advice too bc damn this man is fancy

more things to consider:

him pulling you into his lap and then smothering you with his coat because its cold and ooo hes nice and warm and toasty

would treat you like royalty despite only using others because it benefits him but he nevers does that to you

Thanks for your ask, anon!!💛 Everyone who reads this, feel free to share your Pantalone hcs too!! I’d love to discuss them.

I think mister has many... many clothes, hence a huge wardrobe of a size of a separate room lmaooo. But tbh idk where he could live- his own place? People assume he has a mansion or something, which for some reason is hard for me to imagine?? But at the same time I really doubt he lives w the rest of the Harbingers... that’s if they even live in the same building. 🤔 I also hc his closet room defo has gold details in it- mans would take pure gold baths if he could.

NOW. I really do like thinking that Pantalone defo would wear their s/o in something that would signify that they belong to him and only him. And he would make sure others know it too. I’m 100% certain he’s possessive. Obsessive... not so much. So yes!! I do agree- sth matching or identifying would totally be on his s/o. Perhaps... it could be a jewelry piece? Hmmm idk I wonder.

For some reason, I feel like Pantalone gives great advices in general, not only when it comes to fashion. I think he’s wise and defo knows how the world around him works- man’s literally built himself on his own. Yes, his morals may be skewed, but... there’s something trustworthy in him. Or that’s me wearing pink shaded glasses and being infatuated *clears throat*. BUT I do feel he would lowk be a tsundere in beginning before he even noticed his s/o. I hc that it’s very difficult to grab his attention unless you are around or above him in social ladder. If you are not falling in that category, but he still notices you... count yourself lucky af.

I also think he’s very tall, around 195 cm, so it would be heaven to hug him *sobs*. Hoyoverse you better make my mans TALL. It would suit him perfectly.

Pantalone would get you out of selfish reasons at first, thinking how he could use you, but with time he would fall for you. And he would even forget his initial reason for getting you now that you two are together. He will provide for you, but, ofc, he will also expect things in... return.

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loupy-mongoose · 1 year

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Alright, I'm gonna say it because no one else is: I don't think Nicodemus is 100% trustworthy.

To all of you who might say "But he's super nice to Lav!", all that shows us is that he likes her. We don't know how he feels about everyone else.

And considering one of our protagonists worked alongside other scientists to create a Mewtwo (albeit unknowingly), there's still a possibility for some friction.

You aren't the only one; I just haven't responded to every ask about him. (Although the trusting ones have outweighed the untrusting ones so far.) I was thinking of doing a poll at some point if I saw enough of you show distrust. X3

It's very true; we've seen only the very first impressions so far. It would make sense for him to present himself amiably, especially to another of his kind. But to the others... Who knows? :3

#wellmrfunnyman #ask #branch

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butterflydm · 1 year

Text

wot reread: the gathering storm (chapter 26-33)

spoilers for the gathering storm

1. Genuinely so ridiculous that I’m meant to believe that Aviendha didn’t go talk to Rand after The Event of the last section. It’s not like the Wise Ones have forbidden it or anything! yep, @markantonys - Aviendha thinks here that she ~dismissed Rand’s pain~ last night as a nightmare and I just... this does not seem believable to me on any level and just sounds like an excuse not to have her in the scene.

2. Anyway, after a month of Min completely ignoring this situation and taking advantage of Aviendha's avoidance of Rand (because she is inherently a selfish and jealous person who should NOT be in any kind of poly-adjacent relationship*), she’s decided to talk to Aviendha. But even now, Min is here because of “me me ME” reasons and not actually any genuine concern about Aviendha -- she wants someone to complain about Rand to, because she feels like he doesn’t trust her anymore. Maybe you should try being trustworthy, Min.

*I will note here that there's nothing wrong with Min being monogamous! That is 100% not the issue. The issue is that she KNEW she was unhappy with the idea of sharing her boyfriend with other people and yet actively chased after and seduced someone that she KNEW already was going to be involved with two other women! She knew! And yet she CAUSED the situation that makes her miserable out of her belief that since her prophecies are inevitable, she might as well actively try to hurt herself using them. And that's just... I'm sorry, that's just a stupid choice for her to make and I feel zero pity over all her ~internal suffering~ over this situation that SHE CREATED for herself (and again, Mat does the exact same thing with Tuon but his situation is even more frustrating because at least Min was set up as this character who believes so deeply in her own infallibility that she traps herself into her own unhappiness -- Mat was NOT set up as that character but inexplicably becomes just like Min when ~the moment~ arrives). Min would, otoh, probably be very happy in a relationship with someone like Perrin, who would be eager to focus on her to the exclusion of everything else in the world.

3. Min says she was ~worried~ when Aviendha didn’t come talk to her when she first arrived here with the rest of the Aiel. lol, liar. You were relieved you didn’t have to share Rand yet. I read your PoVs earlier in the book! Anyway, Min soon reveals that her true worry was that Aviendha might challenge her for Rand (...has everyone forgotten the shared confession & bonding?), and when Aviendha is basically like ‘lol I would only fight someone if they actually have skill at fighting’ (and Elayne asked her to be nice to Min, so she’s doing her best, lol), Min gets offended and tries to show off her ~knife flourishing skills~ which just makes Aviendha even more dubious that she has any real skill at all. “Why was it that wetlanders always showed off such flourishes with their knives? Thom Merrillin had been prone to that as well. Didn’t Min understand that Aviendha could have slit the woman’s throat thrice over during the time it took to flash that knife like a street performer?” Like... it’s not a competition, but it’s clear that if there ever WAS any competition between Min & either of the other two girls, Min would get smoked in a heartbeat.

Maybe that’s why Min remains so insecure and jealous, even when she’s the one in Rand’s bed. She knows that she only ‘wins’ her precious private non-sharing time with Rand because the other two are staying away right now for personal reasons.

4. The conversation with Min does annoy/frustrate Aviendha to the point of stalking away from her latest punishment from the Wise Ones. She sees Rand, who actually raises a hand and clearly wants to speak with her (I guess the events of last night woke him out of his month-long apathy?), and Aviendha lets herself get ANGRY over how unfair the situation is. Min “gets what [she] wish[es]” and Aviendha only gets punishments even while the day when the man she loves dies is coming closer and closer. She confronts the Wise Ones, and is told that her unwillingness to accept the unfair punishments that they are giving her is the sign that she is ready for the final test of becoming a Wise One and going to Rhuidean. ...and of course, Aviendha leaves without saying goodbye to Rand. They exchanged a SINGLE WORD in A WHOLE MONTH. That is so frustrating. Why was Aviendha even in Rand’s plotline if she had zero impact on it?

5. Here’s my opinion on what should have happened with Aviendha (though, obviously, my guesses are entirely my own): there was zero indication before this book that Aviendha needed to be a Wise One to romance Rand? In fact, her romancing Rand as an apprentice was ENCOURAGED by the Wise Ones back in The Fires of Heaven. So, cut out all that nonsense about her not having enough honor to hang out with Rand. Aviendha should have gotten private/personal time with Rand. This also should have been a time when Aviendha and Min actually learned each other as people instead of avoiding each other for a month. And, big change: Aviendha should have been studying Callandor because she literally can touch magic objects (ter’angreal) and detect what sort of magic (weaves) they do! I will die on this hill, lol. Aviendha working past her cultural taboos about swords to touch Callandor to help Rand & save the world sounds like it would have been a more engaging struggle to read about than her enduring endless punishments from the Wise Ones, at least for me. And it would even fit into a similar theme -- Aviendha standing up to the others and saying “To save the world, it is worth me doing this thing that breaks our taboos” could also have been something to serve as a trigger for the Wise Ones to say “yes, you have proven that you will stand up for yourself as a Wise One should”. It's so frustrating that Aviendha has a Talent that was used really only one time in the entire series despite... obviously being very useful.

6. Alternatively: do Aviendha’s plotline in another location. Because having Aviendha in Rand’s plotline and yet not actually intersect it at all is just silly.

7. At least Mat IS still heading north, even if it’s at an annoyingly slow pace. Slaver princess has made it all the way back to Ebou Dar (a distance that took them two books to cover) and he’s still in bloody Altara! Mat whines about the Aes Sedai not letting him go to the village on his own. Yeah, they don’t trust you. For good reason. You can’t DO untrustworthy things and then still expect people to trust you. (my issues with pod!Mat from Crossroads onward really are pretty similar to my issues with Min - the constant whining about the consequences of their own actions). You sheltered, protected, and defended the woman who wants to enslave them. Of course they don’t trust you anymore!

8. One of Mat’s first thoughts when he’s talking to Thom about rescuing Moiraine is how Rand will react to seeing her alive. Aw. That’s sweet! Mat can occasionally still make me feel An Emotion that isn’t related to irritation. That’s nice. It’s nice to see that a tiny hint of pre-CoT Mat still survives in there. We get him thinking about Rand again a couple of pages later, fretting over his missing hand and worrying about him. He tries to convince himself that he’s glad to be well away from Rand, and this moment does capture, I think, that vibe of Mat loudly lying to himself in his own head. This moment is the first time that Mat has really felt like MAT is a long while. He defends Rand instinctively here when Thom tries to insult him, flaring up very protectively.

9. Mat thinks here that he’s not a hero, just a fool. And, at this point in the book series, I agree with him. He IS a fool now, and certainly no hero.

10. Thom’s speech here about the Wheel and people reminds me of what Moiraine said in the show to Logain: “The Wheel is not hope, and the Wheel does not care, the Wheel simply is. But as long as it turns, folk may hope, folk may care.” vs Moiraine’s - “The Wheel doesn’t want things. It’s people that want.”

11. And Thom joins the gang of going “lol Mat is married” and not caring about the kind of the person that he’s married to. I mean, Mat’s wife literally would put a collar around the neck of the woman that Thom is currently trying to rescue, but apparently that doesn’t matter at all to Thom. He doesn’t care that Tuon would strip Moiraine of her name, of her dignity, of her sense of self. Tuon’s quality as a person doesn’t matter at all, just that he gets to laugh at Mat for ~acting married~.

12. We also come back here to something that I find annoying: the implication that marriage just changes you as a person, all on its own, even in the absence of your spouse or any good qualities on their part! Wedding vows are a magic spell! I don’t think that the show will play the marriage that way (if we get there), because the show has already shown an awareness with Mat’s parents’ marriage that marriage doesn’t magically make irresponsible people responsible or cruel people kind. Marriage is a specific legal way of forming a relationship, but it’s the relationship itself that defines the marriage and the people in it. Mat showed plenty of responsibility BEFORE he ever Said The Words to Tuon (in fact, he Said The Words while he was in the middle of committing a crime of deep responsibility and saving people from slavery) and Thom should know that. Thom has witnessed some of Mat’s greatest acts of responsibility. He should know better than anyone (except Rand) that Mat has ALWAYS lied about not being a responsible person. This is not a new thing that has been brought about by the mystical influence of marriage vows.

12. Mat wants to know where Rand is! ...so that he knows where to avoid, of course, lol. Oh, Mat. It feels like it’s been a while since I said “Oh, Mat” in a fond way instead of an irritated way. “I feel like I’ve been traveling through a tunnel for months now, with no sight or sound of the outside world.” Yeah, abusive relationships can thrive when they’re able to take root at times when the person is isolated from their other meaningful relationships, and when they’re deeply vulnerable. And now Tuon’s hooks are deep into Mat, unfortunately. That's such a depressing sentence but it also shows a clear awareness of the type of relationship that Mat is in with Tuon so... idk. That's interesting.

13. Honestly, given that Mat has already let Tuon normalize slavery for Olver, I don’t see how hanging out with the Band can ‘corrupt’ him any worse than that.

14. Hinderstap itself is an interesting enough horror-eske town but it’s just annoying how much it further delays Mat getting back to the main storyline. It’s hard for me to be invested when I want Mat to interact with people that I already know and care about rather than complete randoms. I kinda feel like that’s all I really have to say about this whole section. I feel like I would have a lot more patience for this if it were coming directly after Winter’s Heart, as Mat was originally escaping Ebou Dar, but I’m just so annoyed with the side quest vibes of the ~Mat and Tuon Pointless Circus Journey~ that it bleeds over into just wanting him the FUCK out of Altara already.

I've spent a lot of time during this reread trying to figure out where exactly the hitch was that slowed everything down in the writing and I kinda have it narrowed down to Mat or Perrin. Egwene's timeline is flexible -- Jordan could have said it needed less than a month for her to gather supplies before Traveling directly to Tar Valon (Gawyn's timeline was wholly dependent on Egwene's). So, Egwene isn't the problem. Elayne's also could have been given earlier inciting incidents to wrap up sooner (she spends a lot of time just waiting for the other side to do something too), so she wasn't causing the slowdown. Rand was literally sitting around a mansion waiting for a whole month for the Seanchan to reply to his messages. Nynaeve is just attached to Rand's storyline at this point and not helming her own.

And as much as Perrin's storyline bored/frustrated me at times... his timeline is also flexible, like Egwene's is -- there was no specific need for Faile to spend two months captive. She was captive as long as she was because Perrin's rescue of her involved the Seanchan and his slaver BFF Tylee is the person who proves to Tuon that Trollocs really exist... and Tylee can't do that if Tuon isn't back in Ebou Dar.

We were waiting on the Seanchan domino to fall before anything else could happen. Mat and Tuon's storyline is the one that bogged everyone else down logistically, in CoT & KoD. Both Perrin and Rand, especially, have to wait until Tuon is on the cusp of returning to Ebou Dar before their plotlines can progress. The Mat and Tuon enemies-to-spouses speedrun novella is what made everything else slow down to a crawl during CoT/KoD. Looking at the logistics, that's what makes the most sense to me. Jordan DID realize that he needed to do his best to make Mat and Tuon believable in order for the endgame of the story to work, so he invested a lot of time into it. imo he failed. But he put everyone else on pause while he forced the square peg into the round hole so that at least they LOOKED like they fit together, for now. (it's just that his solution was to carve out pieces of Mat so that Tuon would fit -- snip away his independence here, trim off his objections to slavery there, shave away his feelings about nobles abusing their power, etc -- and that's why the end result felt like a failure to me, because CoT/KoD Mat didn't feel like MAT to me).

15. There is another good moment here when Mat is talking about how running away doesn’t actually help and he bitterly says that he wishes everything would go bother Rand (prompting another vision) and then admits to Thom that he doesn’t mean it and that he doesn’t believe that Rand likes all the horrible things either. (also, for all that the narrative keeps trying to tell us that the “three ta’veren boys” are the ones connected through the visions, Mat and Rand have a MUCH higher ratio of thinking of/having visions of each other than either of them does with Perrin; and Perrin is very good at quickly dismissing any thoughts of them without dwelling for paragraphs).

I’m honestly still puzzled at how Mat knows that the woman in Rand’s bed is Min. He’s been in the same city as her only twice in the entire book series (both very early on and not for a long period of time) and never got a proper introduction - one of those times was Baerlon and the other time was in Falme and they might not have ever seen each other at all that time, since we know Mat & co left before Rand ever woke up and Min was hovering very possessively over Rand during that time. It’s honestly not confirmed that Mat EVER saw her at all before he ‘recognized’ her in his visions of Rand having sex with her.

(this is not a Sanderson thing -- Mat was able to instantly recognize Min in his visions back in CoT/KoD as well).

I think I may have mentioned this before, but I suspect that in some original version of Lord of Chaos, Mat and Min’s paths actually crossed in Caemlyn rather than them missing each other by three days. But Mat being able to recognize Min instantly in his rainbow ta’veren visions feels off because Jordan was normally impressively good at keeping in mind what the characters actually knew about each other. Because even if Mat did see her in Falme, Min has changed her look up a lot! Her previously straight and super-short hair is now in ringlets that she curls daily (...which I have my suspicions is because Elayne has natural curls and Min is VERY competitive), and while she’s still wearing trousers, the TYPE has changed drastically. Back in EOTW, her clothing was simply described as “she wore a man’s shirt and trousers” but now her shirts are cut low to show cleavage and her breeches are so tight that she has trouble pulling them on and she wears boots so tall that it adds a pronounced sway to her walk. That’s drastically different than just “a man’s shirt and trousers”. She used to wear practical clothes and now she’s basically doing her own episode of Project Runway every day.

Here’s the quote from EotW where Rand tells Mat about Min:

After a while he found himself telling Mat about Min.

“A dagger with a ruby, eh?” Mat said. “I like that. I don’t know about the eye, though. Are you sure she wasn’t making it up? It seems to me she would know what it all means if she really is a soothsayer.”

“She didn’t say she’s a soothsayer,” Rand said. “I believe she does see things. Remember, Moiraine was talking to her when we finished our baths. And she knows who Moiraine is.”

And then the conversation moves on to Moiraine. The conversation was focused on Min’s abilities and not her looks.

Then in TGH:

“Gone.” Min’s face colored. “They’re all gone. Egwene and Nynaeve, and Mat, and Hurin, and Verin.”

That’s the only time that Min and Mat would have potentially actually met and Mat was, well, not exactly himself. Min did see the Horn of Valere, so she may have met Mat during that time. Once, briefly, lol.

Per TDR, Mat was so sick during the journey to Tar Valon that he’s unconscious for days at a time. And, of course, when he does finally wake up, he has those famous holes in his memory that he becomes desperate to fill. Mat and Min do not know each other! Potentially briefly when one of them was so sick that he lost almost all his memories of that time does not count as ‘knowing each other’. They know OF each other (because of Rand), but they do not know each other.

16. Definitely out of character for Joline to call Mat ‘Matrim’. She’s never done it before and she wouldn’t taint herself by calling him the same name that the slaver woman calls him anyway.

17. Mat does mention here that the worse things get and the more tragic his life is, the more he feels the urge to try to laugh it away. I feel like that ties back into Mat’s hysterical laughter at the end of Crossroads of Twilight when Tuon has made herself grand-captain-owner of the circus or whatever and he’s feeling well and truly trapped by her but... yeah. It’s just... frustrating. The entire Mat and Tuon ‘relationship’ rests on the foundation of Mat straight-up ignoring the majority of Tuon’s personality in order to focus on the tiny bits of her that aren’t a toxic horror show and force himself into loving those teeny-tiny non-trash parts of her, but it also feels like that text only ever glancingly acknowledges that this is what he’s doing? So it just all feels super weird that the narration tries really hard to ignore (in Mat PoV) that he’s married to a slaver (and not just by Mat! By the other characters too!) but in Tuon's PoV, it’s clear how deeply that part of her is foundational to her personality and her life choices. It’s jarring but in a way that doesn’t feel... intentional? I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. But I’m going to keep that “the worse things get for me personally, the more I laugh about it” note in mind as we continue with Mat.

18. imo, the main part where Sanderson falls down here in comparison to Jordan is not in Mat’s characterization (Mat’s character was thoroughly trashed in CoT & KoD already; frankly, there have been genuine moments in this section of TGS where I have actually Kinda Liked Mat Again, something that I was beginning to doubt would ever happen after CoT & KoD crushed my affection for him out of me) -- but in the absence in the text so far of Juilin, Amathera, Egeanin, etc. Jordan was... and I really do wish that he’d left more notes behind on the Seanchan, because I DESPERATELY wish that I knew what was going on in his brain... even as the Mat & Tuon storyline was... a horrific waste of potential... Jordan had the secondary characters basically doing the storyline that Tuon SHOULD have been doing. And that secondary storyline is something that we have lost here -- with Juilin and Amathera, with Egeanin and Doman, with Aludra, and with the two remaining ex-sul’dam. The Aes Sedai still exist here as part of Mat’s story, as well as Thom, Talmanes, and Olver, but the rest of the secondary characters have faded into being fully background characters, at least for now. And given that in CoT & KoD Jordan stripped all the anti-slavery sentiment out of Mat’s character and only let it exist in the secondary characters, that means that any anti-slavery sentiment is now entirely gone from Mat’s storyline. I feel like this was probably more an artifact of trying to focus on “the main story” rather than any other intentions, but I feel the loss of it.

19. Rand’s List (of Women he has gotten killed that reminds him Never Kill Women) is running through his head, featuring such hits as:

Moiraine, who ‘died’ entirely because Rand refuses to kill women

a woman who was literally trying to kill him

the woman who sold him to the White Tower for a crown

an actual Forsaken who was actively trying to force him to murder his girlfriend

20. Rand wonders here if Lanfear is alive again, the way that Ishamael is alive as Moridin, making Moiraine’s sacrifice mean nothing. “The list would remain, but he would never again be too weak to do what must be done”. *hums thoughtfully*

21. Rand’s paranoia is starting to touch even people who haven’t ever hidden things from him, like Dobraine (...hey, wait, if Dobraine is here, then who is running Cairhien right now? Wasn’t he in charge of Cairhien? yeah, it mentions here that he was recently Steward of Cairhien. I do not remember Dobraine being sent off to Arad Doman. Did that happen in KoD and my brain just skipped over it?). lol, Rand’s revisionist history here about “mostly” trusting Moiraine. You “mostly” did not trust her, bro. I was there. This is retroactive trust based on the fact that she ‘died’ for you.

22. lol, Cadsuane is trailing along behind Rand’s group, making sure to stay out of sight in order to Technically be following his threat to her. Rand is basically just like “yeah fine, as long as she doesn’t try to bother me, whatever”. He did take back the Choden Kal that she’d stolen from him. I’m assuming he took back anything else she might have stolen too.

23. Min gets to be added to Rand’s Fridged Ladies list even though she’s still alive! Why is that so funny to me? Also, sheesh, Rand, tell LTT to at least call her by her preferred name. Seriously, though, if nearly killing Min traumatized Rand (which I agree that it SHOULD have done) then... she absolutely should not still be in the same city as him and definitely not in the same bed. Rand not sending Min away to somewhere he deems ‘safe’ would be very very out of character (though this isn't new with Rand & Min). He NEARLY KILLED HER. He shouldn’t want her anywhere near him, in case he actually DOES kill her the next time. But Min has nowhere else to go and nothing to contribute, so she’ll probably stay in Rand’s storyline for now, despite it making zero sense.

The way that it’s justified in Rand’s plotline here is that he’s “stopped caring”. Not about Min, per se, just about whether or not Min dies because of his actions. Seems like a distinction without a difference, but okay, lol. “If she died, he would add her to the list and suffer for it.”

The thing is... okay, I see what Sanderson is trying to do here -- showing that Rand’s nihilism is reaching the breaking point by using Min as the “he’s willing to risk even Min’s death because he no longer sees escaping death as possible or even desirable” marker line but the problem is that Rand was ALREADY dragging Min into dangerous situations even before the event with Semirhage. Like, he was keeping Min in his bed while avoiding Aviendha. He took Min to the cleansing and to Far Madding to kill the traitors even while trying to limit how much danger would come to Elayne or Aviendha. He let Min ‘talk’ him into taking her to the meeting with ‘the Daughter of the Nine Moons’. So there’s already a precedent of Rand being willing to risk Min’s dying on his account, so the change is not as striking as it would be if he were thinking this about Elayne, Aviendha, or his dad, or literally ANY of the Two Rivers’ soldiers who came along with Perrin in LoC, all of whom he has been avoiding to try to protect them. This is basically the same thing that Jordan did with Rand and Min SEVERAL times, where Rand has ~hardened himself~ yet again but is always ~too weak and soft~ to send Min away. I think this exact scenario happens at least three or four times in the series, lol.

24. Now this conversation with Merise, where Rand is cold and quiet (and thinking deeply disturbing things about why get worked up about people annoying him if he can just ~snuff them out like a candle~ if they bother him too much) much more effectively conveys Rand’s shift in mindstate, imo. Rand is deeply right at that intersection of scary/sexy, where he projects being cold and ruthless yet is still... on the side of the good guys. But in a way that is somewhat worrisome. Sure, he’s definitely still planning to save the world... but how much of the world would he let burn in the name of ‘the ends justify the means’?

25. Oooh, Rand is carrying the sa’angreal as a way of distracting himself from wanting to reach out to the True Power again. He thinks here how the Dark One was originally rediscovered as a limitless source of power. Now that he’s used the True Power, it’s a temptation to use it again, so he’s using the additional temptation of near-limitless saidin at his fingertips to help trap him between the two so that he won’t use either of them. That’s clever -- it reminds me of how he played the evil of Shadar Logoth against the evil of the Dark One.

26. Rand thinking fiercely here about how he “would not be collared again” which mirrors Egwene thinking about it during her last dinner with Elaida when Elaida was dismissing the danger of the Seanchan. Mirrors! Foils! Why doesn’t the narrative ever let Rand directly identify with the people who share so much in common with him? (again, a frustration that dates back into the Jordan books)

27. Hmm, Rand misses Aviendha, and wishes she hadn’t avoided him during their shared month in Arad Doman, but thinks that it’s probably better that she left, so that Rand won’t. You know. Accidentally kill her or be the reason she gets killed. The exact thing that he’s given up on worrying about re: Min, in other words. “His enemies didn’t know of her yet.” (which is implied is the real reason that Rand didn’t try to bridge the gap between them when they were all together). But the only reason that your enemies know about Min is because you publicly parade her around as your mistress, so that kinda seems like it’s on you. Again it’s... that same weird dynamic comes up where Rand expresses his love for EVERYONE ELSE (Aviendha, Elayne, his father, literally all the Two Rivers’ soldiers) by trying to stay away from them, but he’s given up on trying to ‘protect’ Min and just figures he’ll ~add her to the list~ if he gets her killed/unintentionally kills her. Rand’s protectiveness hasn’t changed! This is exactly what he was doing before the Event with Semirhage! It’s not that he’s any colder when it comes to the people he cares about; it’s that he’s always been willing to risk Min’s life.

(again: I don’t even think that this attitude of his is healthy! I think he should be willing to let the people he cares about make their own choices about the risks they choose but! the contrast between how he treats the other people he loves vs Min is... just weird, especially since she’s much more vulnerable/helpless than either Aviendha or Elayne, or his father and the Two Rivers’ soldiers, for that matter. The most helpless one is also the one that he feels the least willpower to actually protect. It’s SUCH a strange dynamic. Like, if Min and Rand’s relationship had been outed due to no choice of their own, so Rand was just rolling with the consequences of that, that would be one thing, but he was literally parading her around in public and she was ~famous~ in Cairhien for being in his bed. like, the only reason that their relationship is public is because they chose to make it that way -- again, the obvious contrast is Min saying how it’s smart that Elayne tore down his banners, so that the Forsaken would be less likely to go after Elayne as Rand’s love, and Rand reluctantly agreeing with that logic. Elayne and Aviendha are to be protected from Rand’s enemies, but Min has practically been held out as bait - and, like, if that were a deliberate strategy, that would be one thing and potentially very clever as long as Min DID have a secret way of protecting herself (like Mat's medallion, for example, lol), but it’s clear in both Rand and Min’s thoughts that this is NOT a deliberate strategy so all it does is make it look like Rand subconsciously has already written off Min as dead and thus expendable -- I mean, now she’s even already on his list of Dead Ladies!)

28. (Rand does wonder here if “Min’s presence” had kept Aviendha away during their month together -- again, no thoughts about... you know. That big group Bonding? Apparently not. They all confessed their love to him at the same time and said they would share him, but Rand shows no memory of this event, lol)

29. While Rand is definitely having some very concerning moments here re: ruthless calculus of war and all that... he’s not wrong that Graendal needs to die by balefire in order to ensure that she won’t pop up again later to be a continuing issue. Ruthless!Rand makes some good points, is all I’m saying.

30. Ah, we get a nice reminder that Taringail was an awful person -- one of the few bits of ~fatherly advice~ that he gave Galad in Gawyn’s hearing was “never trust Aes Sedai” and “never trust pretty women” (and definitely never trust a woman who is both). It is a TRADITION for the Daughter-Heirs of Andor to be sent to the White Tower to get training, even if the vast majority of them never reach the level of Aes Sedai or even Accepted/Novice. This sounds like him trying to alienate Galad (and Gawyn as a bonus) from Morgase tbh, and to alienate him from the culture of Andor in general, which is a matriarchal monarchy that historically maintains friendly relations with Tar Valon.

31. ...I feel like the story/hints we’ve gotten about Taringail’s death is that Thom killed him because he was planning to assassinate Morgase in order to take the throne of Andor himself? Trying to sell all this to Galad does seem like he was grooming Galad to accept the idea of himself as Taringail’s heir rather than Elayne as Morgase’s heir. Can’t trust pretty women; can’t trust Aes Sedai... but the queen is a very pretty woman who trained in Tar Valon? Taringail was 100% trying to poison Galad against Morgase (and he failed to make Galad hate MORGASE but maybe planted seeds about mistrusting Aes Sedai in general, seeds that later blossomed into, well. Being a Whitecloak).

32. Ah, Gawyn is in the same trap here than he was back in the White Tower after Elayne, Egwene, & Nynaeve had disappeared -- growing increasingly frustrated because everyone refuses to give him any information. Honestly, you’d think that Siuan would see the signs here that she saw last time and throw him a bone, considering how poorly keeping him out of the loop went last time. He does compare Egwene’s rise to power here to his mother’s - a young woman proving that she had the political grit to win everyone’s respect. That's sweet.

33. Gawyn is SO STUBBORN (haha you'd almost think he was from the Two Rivers). Even now, he insists on believing that Rand is the cause of all his troubles, and he’s still trying to straddle the fence between two loyalties -- he came to ‘help’ Egwene but not Egwene’s forces (even though he does admit to himself now that they ARE her forces), just as he promised not to hurt Rand himself but not to help him avoid being hurt by others. Ah, Bryne brings the “who do you serve?” question back around to Gawyn, pointing out the flaws in his thinking -- are you still First Prince of the Sword if you’re nowhere near Andor and your sister, the (almost) Queen? What will you do if you ‘rescue’ Egwene and she refuses to quit the field of battle to come to Caemlyn with you? So, you know. He’s got a lot to think about.

34. For all that Cadsuane is complaining about the Domani here, they sound much more sensible than the people in Ebou Dar -- instead of constant duels that frequently end in scars or death, people just shout at each other for a while, and then come to terms and buy each other drinks. “Fights were common; bloodshed infrequent. Injuries were bad for business”. Cadsuane doesn’t understand the innkeeper who works here, though she appreciates him as one of her contacts, but honestly his relationship with his wife sounds really sweet -- he keeps the books for her business as a silk merchant and because of her popularity as a merchant, they’ve made enough money where he’s able to open a ‘hobby inn’, essentially, where he does all the serving and cleaning himself while she does the ‘big business’ for the family. Ah, he’s a good contact because one of his daughters went to the White Tower (Brown Ajah; works in the library... we don’t know her current status).

35. Ah, a purpose of this chapter is to show us that Rand’s ta’veren luck twisting is now predominately negative rather than being a balance of positive and negative. The bad is now happening without the good to balance it. We also get a reminder here that apparently no one on Rand’s side has been told that the change in weather was the Wondergirls and not the Dark One, as Cadsuane blames both the drought and the sudden change to cold winter on the Dark One. I guess that’s another thing that Nynaeve could have told Rand but never got around to doing.

36. “Min had resisted every attempt that Cadsuane had made at involving her.” Okay, that is a hilarious sentence. That’s so untrue! That is rewriting history! Min was fully willing to be Cadsuane’s mood ring for Rand, fully willing to spill out Rand’s trauma to Cadsuane -- Min is the whole reason that Cadsuane knows about “the times he had been beaten and caged by Aes Sedai”. Like, Jordan also didn’t own the fact that Min is textually a blabbermouth but... Min is a blabbermouth. She’s also literally the ONLY reason that Cadsuane was allowed to stick around Rand for this long -- which Cadsuane knows (because Min TOLD HER, lol). However, I will note that Rand letting Aviendha avoid him for that month does mean that Cadsuane doesn’t appear to have any notion that the two of them are also entangled. That relationship does seem to be fairly well protected.

37. Rand is overseeing the grain distribution himself, because he’s noticed that it’s more likely to actually get to the people who need it if there’s direct oversight from him personally (though he wishes that weren’t the case). Rand learns from one of his Asha’man sent to try to negotiate another face-to-face meeting with the DotNM that they keep getting balked, with the implication being that the DotNM will refuse to meet on neutral territory (insisting on meeting on her stolen ‘home’ turf). Rand suggests they offer Falme as a meeting location, for ~historical significance~ and says that the Seanchan have enough honor that they won’t attack. I feel like he keeps forgetting that the Seanchan do not see channelers as people. You don’t need to honor an oath that you made to a chair. That being said, Falme is an interesting location for... intimidation reasons. “This is where I summoned dead champions to drive you into the sea” basically. Ah, Naeff tries to point out to Rand what I said -- that the Seanchan don’t look at Rand & the Asha’man as people but as potential slaves. Hmm, they do mention collars here again, which might just be them assuming that the Seanchan have more of the a’dam that can be used on men.

38. Thank you, Damer Flinn! “Differences?” Flinn asked. “I don’t think I’d rightly call that a difference, my Lord. They want to enslave every one of us, maybe execute us. They think it’s a favor to do either!” Rand doesn’t like it either but (because of the Aelfinn’s words) he doesn’t believe he has a choice.

39. Rand manages to get out of Nynaeve what’s happened with Lan (that she took him to Saldaea to ride across the Borderlands to face the Blight). It’s so... baffling that he needed to work to get it out of her. Why does Nynaeve resist so strongly telling Rand literally any information at all, no matter how helpful or relevant it might be? She DOES tell him about Lan when he pushes her, at least, which might not have happened if Jordan were still writing, lol. Wow, did he ever hate people sharing information with Rand.

Things Nynaeve Never Told Rand:

I guess that she and Elayne are the ones who changed the weather (on Egwene’s orders/permission)

That Mat was left behind in Ebou Dar when the Seanchan invaded

That the sul’dam are channeling learners, with damane being sparkers (Min could also tell him this, if she ever felt like being helpful and telling him something he doesn’t already know)

Literally ALL things relevant to his ability to make plans! What it feels like (from Winter’s Heart through Knife of Dreams) is that Jordan wanted Nynaeve in Rand’s storyline but absolutely didn’t want Rand to have any knowledge from Egwene’s section of the plotline (to make it easier for them to have a big misunderstanding once the White Tower is whole, I can only assume, and also to make it harder for Rand to wage any battles against the Seanchan) so Jordan just... had Nynaeve straight-up keep major secrets from Rand for no reason.

And that’s likely also why Elayne only got one night with Rand before he bounced, and possibly (if there were notes about Aviendha and Rand not interacting in Arad Doman) why Aviendha avoids Rand. Because Jordan very much always had Rand starved for information, so that he could make mistakes based on not having enough information. This also might be part of why Mat was slow-walked across Altara in CoT & KoD -- because Jordan didn’t want any of his plot-relevant information to make it into Rand’s hands.

40. This conversation here, with Rand musing that Lan’s death at the Blight could serve him overall in the Last Battle, does a good job showing him as having become ruthless. Because, sure, not necessarily wrong tactically-speaking but, as a voice inside him also whispers, what a terrible way to treat a friend.

41. It grates on Rand what a fragile position he may end up leaving the world after the Last Battle -- even with a hopeful peace with the Seanchan and food for Arad Doman, things would remain very uncertain here. He wants to do what he can to buffer the world from another Breaking. But there are too many problems and only one him (another reason that it’s so baffling that Jordan had him spend a month chilling and waiting on the Seanchan to reply to his messages, post-cleansing. There is SO MUCH for him to do. Honestly, it’s such a relief to see Rand actually Doing Things again, let me tell you). But that is the reason that he wants to find the Council of Merchants to appoint a king here rather than doing it himself -- because his authority will die when he dies. Rand is again, very aware here of the Seanchan as a potential threat, assuming that they would immediately move in to scoop up Arad Doman if it were left vulnerable post-Last Battle, even if a peace were theoretically in place. I’m keeping an eye out to see if this belief ever changes.

42. Okay, part of this conversation between Nynaeve and Rand is very good, but her throwing “do you even know where Mat is?” in his face when she... purposefully kept Mat’s location a secret from him is... just a baffling addition. But I like how it shows us that despite Rand THINKING about how he is hardened and cold, he is actually clearly a simmering volcano of potential violence at this point, because it doesn’t take much for him to start yelling at Nynaeve and threatening to exile her as he exiled Cadsuane. Rand’s perception of himself doesn’t match his behavior.

43. Rand & Egwene both time-jumped a month into the future in their narration but Perrin & Mat haven’t, so we get hints into Perrin and Mat’s future plotlines here in Rand’s rainbow ta’veren vision, seeing Perrin talking with Galad (dressed as a Whitecloak) and Mat riding into Caemlyn with Thom (I guess that explains why Mat is still slow-crawling across Altara while slaver girl is already in Ebou Dar -- Tuon joined the time-skip with Rand & Egwene). “They both needed to be with him for the Last Battle.” STABBING the narrative with shearing scissors. I do wonder if this conversation with Nynaeve would have gone differently if it were in private? Rand explicitly has thought in the past about how he needs to pretend that the Two Rivers and everyone from the Two Rivers are unimportant to him, and they are in front of Domani nobles right now. I don’t imagine he wants them (any of whom could be Darkfriends) to think that he cares at all about Mat, Perrin, or the Two Rivers. That being said, Rand’s passively suicidal streak is also becoming worryingly active, and his temper is on a very short leash.

44. Nynaeve does Investigative Work and uncovers the actual person who killed the messenger from “the king” (actually Graendal), capturing him and bringing him to Rand. Rand was in bed with Min before Nynaeve woke them up. You know, the person that he almost killed with his own hands only a handful of nights ago. But it’s okay! If he kills her by accident, he’ll just add her to the list (again). No big deal! And that Min apparently has ZERO trauma from being STRANGLED by the man that she loves/maybe trusts is another big illustration of her being a plot device and not a character. The plushie that you need to cuddle to get to sleep isn’t allowed to have nightmares of her own. She still has BRUISES on her neck from when Rand NEARLY KILLED her and she has absolutely zero issue sharing a bed with him? Min is immune to trauma! How lucky! Min silently follows him into the room in a thin robe, to be a Sexy Set Decoration.

45. lol, Min is in this entire scene and doesn’t say a word the whole time. She’s literally just there for decorative purposes. I mean, I laugh about it because it’s so frustrating (their entire relationship) but... their relationship really does add so little to the story. And it’s frustrating Because I think there actually could have been something interesting in the Seer and Prophecy Child interacting, but because it’s A Romance, it’s watered down to the point of absurdity.

46. The other sad thing about Rand and Min’s ‘relationship’ is how it can distract from the actual point of the scene -- it’s heartbreaking how much Rand is completely treating Nynaeve like an outsider at this point! Yet it’s undercut by Min Sexy Lamping all over the scene. Every so often, Nynaeve has to note how Min is silently moving to a new pose, lol. Min has NOTHING TO DO HERE and simply should not have been in the scene. This scene, which is fairly tragic and intense otherwise, does not need Sexy Set Decoration, any more than we needed Min sexily swaying her way across a battlefield of corpses in Knife of Dreams.

47. Min falls asleep and thus achieves her final form: she is now LITERALLY a burden that Rand hauls around, leaving him less able to protect himself, instead of just being that metaphorically. Narrative poetry. I can’t believe she was literally in that scene just to be a pretty piece of set decoration, lol wow.

48. Anyway, Nynaeve Heals Graendal’s Compulsion on the assassin’s mind, but the Compulsion was layered so deeply and so thoroughly in his mind that there’s nothing really left anymore after all the Compulsion is gone. Nynaeve notes how Rand speaks of how he has seen this dozens of times, and she wonders if Lews Therin is the one dominating Rand’s mind right now, and how much she’s actually dealing with Rand. Though there is little of the person still left, Rand is able to get a location out of him -- Natrin’s Barrow.

49. During her conversation with Rand, Nynaeve realizes that he has completely extinguished any ounce of hope for himself or any future for himself. In order to make it to the Last Battle, Rand’s decided he can’t afford to hold anything back, that he has to use himself up to the last drop (oh that is Frodo in Mordor vibes). Now, how much of that is Lews Therin’s death wish bleeding through? How much of that is the crushing trauma after trauma that Rand has suffered? It’s a painful conversation to listen to (and, again, mildly undercut by Min the Sexy Set Dressing, lol -- but that makes me... hmm. Rand has essentially written both himself AND MIN off as dead, it seems, as Min is now officially on his list of Dead Ladies alongside Ilyena. Aviendha and Elayne (and Nynaeve, as he mentions here, as being allowed to still dream of the future when Rand cannot), he has not written off as dead, and so he accepts separation from them as part of that -- they are the living and he, and Min, are the dead. huh. I am going to consider that angle as a potential way to explain Rand’s otherwise very out-of-character behavior around Min. This is a very new idea for me, but I’ll poke at it and see what I think. Is it possible that Rand as been thinking of Min as his living dead girl for longer than just the Event with Semirhage?).

Side note: talking about how Rand appears to have written Min off as already dead actually reminds me of something in Origins that I disagreed with! The author of that book noted that one of Tuon’s names is associated with death & Persephone (Kore being another name for Persephone) and had basically a surface-level read of “well, Mat kidnaps her and takes her to a ‘hell’ (tavern)” so that’s the reference related to the name and... imo MAT is actually a much better version of Persephone in this story. A core part of the Persephone story is about being torn between two worlds -- the living world and the underworld -- Mat is tricked into his marriage vows (he has no reason to believe that merely stating his future prophecy will lock him into it) like Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds without knowing what it meant for her future, trapping him halfway into the Seanchan culture, just as Persephone is trapped. Mat is the character who stands between two worlds who comes from one of the worlds and marries into the second, not Tuon, who is firmly the RULER of the world that she exists in (like Hades is the ruler of hell). And the arrival of the Seanchan in Ebou Dar, when Mat is first ‘trapped’ away from his other friends (the living world), also coincides with the ‘change in seasons’ because that’s when the Bowl was used by Elayne and Nynaeve -- Mat’s ‘kidnapping’ via the Ebou Dar invasion literally heralds the coming of winter. MAT is Persephone. Not Tuon.

Now, if Tuon had actually undergone character growth in CoT & KoD, then she COULD have (also) been Persephone. That would have been a much more interesting story imo, if both Tuon and Mat were bridging two worlds through marriage and felt torn between the new world that their spouse had introduced to them and the old one that they'd been born into. But it's clearly only Mat who is standing in two worlds, not Tuon. She firmly has both her feet in Seanchan territory.

#wot reread #the gathering storm #wot #wheel of time #the wheel of time #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #aviendha #mat cauthon #rand al'thor

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