#Coplins

[andthenthenothingcame]

It is the warders who are the driving force behind their movement but they are on a knife's edge. As each returns from scouting they look more and more troubled.

They've yet to locate anyone - anyone at all.

Stern-faced Avraeh is the one they speak with most and even then the words are sparse, cut crisp and clean like spears. She hasn't let go of the child on her chest since they've arrived, lashing out at anyone who tries to share her burden.

On the third day Davian rushes back in excitement, babbling on about finding a village.

An abandoned village, it seems. Newly abandoned. Cinda pokes her head in some of the doors, peers suspiciously into clean windows. It's like a dream. Abandoned, but it smelled so new. Like it was made just for them.

[fohatic]

art by Miza Coplin

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 44 - The Breaking Storm

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Trolloc icon) In which you can tell this dynamic isn't changing anytime soon.

PERSPECTIVE: Perrin awakes in the inn, Faile next to him. She immediately tells him that he needs to stay in bed for at least 2 more days to regain his strength. He can tell that something is up, and she finally gives in and tells him Loial and Gaul left this morning, headed west. Perrin guesses they're headed for the Waygate, to lock it permanently, and stumbles out of bed. He hides the effort it takes to stay upright, and she chases him to the top of the stairs, where he stumbles, grabs her, and they both fall all the way down the stairs in a heap.

They hear some yelling about Trollocs outside, which makes Perrin want to get going more. Faile asks for both their horses to be saddled: they can put on a show for the village, since he's a general and a leader and as much a symbol as the wolf head banner. Perrin realizes he wouldn't make it two miles in the saddle, and agrees grudgingly.(1)

It was only one Trolloc, but Bain and Chiad bring word that five hundred are headed this way. Perrin asks why nobody's told the villagers to get out of the way, they're all gathered around where the one Trolloc was, and Ihvon tells him nobody wants to leave when they can watch Aes Sedai.

Perrin locates Bran, and tells him what's coming. Bran, as Mayor, tells everyone to get to their places. They've clearly been drilling. Perrin wonders what the Aes Sedai are up to, and Faile says they mean for him to be a leader. Perrin still wonders why, even as all the villagers treat him like one.(2)

The Trollocs break through out of the Westwood, and there's some battle, the humans win, there's grand cheering, and Bran says Perrin's led them to a great victory. Perrin says he didn't do anything but sit on his horse, Bran did the work! Bran listens no more than anyone else has.(3)

Perrin says the Myrddraal had to know they'd fail, this charge wasn't nearly as big as it could've been. Tomas says this may have been a test, perhaps seeing if Perrin's army would break at the sight of a charge, or to see how quickly they'd react. Regardless, the next attack won't come quickly.

As Perrin is mentally preparing to chase after Loial and Gaul anyway, there's a commotion from the south of the village. He growls, fearing Trollocs again, and rides to see what's up.

=====

(1) I could still do without the way the women "manage" the men in these books. It's hard to find the line between RJ purposely lampshading gender roles, and RJ accidentally telling us more than he intended to about the way he views gender roles. (2) Sweetie, it's because you're the only one who's been able to lead them in this crisis. They were all too stubbornly individualistic until you showed up. Just roll with it. (3) Everyone ignoring Perrin's protests that he didn't DO anything is really reminiscent of Rand at the beginning of book 2, insisting he wasn't a Lord of anything. Perrin is a symbol, and ta'veren. That's a powerful cocktail for a man who exhibits strength of character as well as strength of arm.

[pixie-mage]

Hello i know this might be random but if you remember greaser sans or vinny do you remember posting the story you wrote for them anywhere? I cant seem to find it!

Oh my goodness what a blast from the past…

Truthfully I can’t remember posting anything publicly from Spice of Life (the name I coined for the insane universe that ended up being built as a spin-off from the Ginger and Vinny storyline). At the time of writing the original fic, I was still talking fairly regularly with Rodsee (Vinny’s creator), so there’s a chance I shared it somewhere…but at some point the story I was writing felt like a separate thing from Vinny at all, and posting anything involving Rodsee’s character felt a bit like stealing/copying, especially considering that the way I ended up writing him didn’t match with the original character’s intent and personality much at all. ^^;

(Basically my creativity got carried away, and it felt in poor taste to post something using a name that belonged to an old friend.)

I ended up swapping out Vinny for a character named Artie when writing more of the story in my own time, but even then, many of the core story beats for Ginger were created with the help of a few friends back then, Rodsee included. I don’t know if I’d be okay with posting them publicly now since it doesn’t all belong to me…but who knows? Maybe one day I’ll rework the story, make it entirely my own, and share it. But until then it won’t be making its way to Tumblr or Ao3, even though I’m sure the Google docs made their rounds through my friends group past and present over the years hah.

Sorry if that’s a disappointing answer! I just don’t want to disrespect someone I used to be friends with, and since we haven’t talked in a few years (not for a bad reason, just drifted to different fandoms) I don’t feel comfortable enough assuming they’d be chill with me sharing it without their permission. I’m glad you’re still enjoying the characters anyway!

Ginger will always be an old favorite of mine…I’ve got a soft spot for her, I really do 💕

[offender42085]

Post 1403

David M Kalac, Washington inmate 352173, born 1983, incarceration intake May 2017 at age 34, sentenced to 82 years, scheduled release date not published

Murder, Domestic Violence, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Stolen Property to-wit the stolen Motor Vehicle

In May 2017, a Kitsap County (Washington) Superior Court Judge sentenced David Kalac to 82 years in prison after a jury convicted him in the prior month of first-degree murder for strangling and posting gruesome photos of his ex-girlfriend to the Internet.

Before the Judge announced Kalac’s sentence, she urged him to better himself while in prison.

“There’s consequences, and you have to suffer that consequence,” Dalton told Kalac, who nodded as she spoke to him. “I hope you choose life.”

Just before hearing his sentence for what has been called the “4chan murder,” named after the website where Kalac posted the photos, Kalac apologized.

“The only thing I can say is, I am sorry and I will never forgive myself,” Kalac said during the emotional hearing, where Coplin’s loved ones wore purple in her honor and wept as they described their grief to Dalton.

At trial, Kalac did not deny he killed Coplin but argued that he was in the throes of severe alcoholism and remembered neither the lead up to Coplin’s death nor his actions immediately afterward.

His attorneys argued that he was incapable of premeditation and should have been convicted of second-degree murder or a lesser crime, such as first-degree manslaughter.

Jurors convicted Kalac on the aggravators as well. This allowed the Judge to sentence him in excess of the maximum sentence for which he would have been eligible, 41 years. The Judge effectively doubled that sentence.

Kalac’s lead attorney argued that doubling the sentence was “tantamount” to a sentence for killing two people and asked the Judge to impose a sentence of 45 years.

5a

[toastandjamie]

Been thinking about Mat Cauthon again, not an abnormal occurrence, but here’s an essay about him.

I have to cut this up because of the word limit, so here’s part 1

Part 1: How To Traumatize Your Comedic Relief

So like, Mat’s paranoia and trust issues stem entirely from the events of the first book regarding the Shadar Logoth dagger. But like- I wanna talk meta about Mat’s story and the concepts of loss of innocence, the evils of man, and fear of being powerless and how that relates to his character arc and relationships in the story. So let’s put aside the lore explanation of “evil dagger doing evil dagger things”

So when we first meet not just Mat, but all three Ta’veren boys there’s this element of childlike innocence to them. Despite the fact that all three are eighteen at the start of the series, Emmonds Field is so isolated, safe and peaceful that the boys are actively noted as being exceptionally naive to the outside world. They’re practically toddlers being left alone in a grocery store when they get separated from the actual experienced adults. This is a feature not a bug mind you, when it comes to having protagonists to introduce a world to an audience with. Not to mention that sets up all of the Emmonds Fields kids(this is specifically barring Nynaeve) to have a “Loss of Innocence” character arc, and they all do, but what’s interesting is how each character handles this loss and how long it takes for them to accept this reality. Mat is actually the first of them to really experience the effects of this loss of innocence, due to previously mentioned dagger problems, but let’s ignore the curse and talk about what exactly happened in Shadar Logoth that shook Mat’s worldview so badly. Mat does not start the story as the cynical and sarcastic character we all know and love, he’s introduced to us as being genuinely kindhearted and trusting, like I know it’s easy to forget given EVERYTHING Mat does in the later books, but of the three Ta’veren boys he’s the one who trusts Morraine the most in the beginning. He doesn’t question her motives nor does he seem to have any innate hostility towards her being Aes Sedai like Rand does(though his hostility stems from a place of jealousy and protectiveness of Egwene rather than genuine prejudice). The same goes for Thom as well, Mat doesn’t know anything about this person but he trusts these seemingly well intentioned adults intrinsically. The only person Mat seems to even have the slightest hesitation about is Lan and that’s solely because he’s aloof and doesn’t show much emotion, something that Mat finds extremely off-putting as the type of person who always has Big Feelings, and takes a lot of self esteem in his ability to make others laugh. This makes sense, because at this point they’ve not encountered any darkfriends(that they knew of) so currently the only Evil they encountered has been literal shadowspawn monsters. The Emmonds Field kids have never met a person who had genuinely bad intentions, I’ll-tempered like Cenn Buie, or a bit disreputable like the Coplins and Congars but even these people were at their cores Good People. So why WOULD they distrust these people who say they have their best interests at heart. That’s when we get to Shadar Logoth, and Mat as the ADHD icon he is, immediately gets bored and wants to explore the abandoned city. Rand and Perrin, as the two more mature ones both rightfully call this a bad idea since they were told NOT to go exploring by themselves, but Mat only heard “Trolloks can’t come in here so it’s safe” and nothing else so he decides to go anyways. Rand and Perrin tag along mostly to make sure Mat doesn’t get hurt. And who do they meet except the most suspicious man ever who lures them into his white van- I mean treasure room with the promise of candy-I mean treasure. These boys have never heard of stranger danger in there lives and automatically trust this random man who lurks in alleyways. And wouldn’t you know it, but this guy was not trustworthy at all and tries to kill them resulting in the group getting separated.

Here’s the thing, this is the first time in Mat’s life that he’s ever experienced true man made evil. This wasn’t the dark ones doing, Mordreth was just a guy who had genuinely malicious intentions and took advantage of Mat and his friends. This alone is enough to make him cautious but then throughout their entire road trip to Camlyn they are constantly ambushed by dark friends, in fact after Whitebridge they don’t get any direct encounters with Shadowspawn, they see a few myrrdraal hunting them but they avoid them pretty easily, it’s the People that consistently hurt them; and they are EVERYWHERE. Darkfriends are practically popping up at every street corner and they could be literally anyone. Mat tells Rand at one point that he feels like everyone is out to get them and Rand assures him that not everyone is a darkfriend, but at the same time, I can SEE why Mat would come to that conclusion. I mean is it really paranoia if they actually are out to get you? It wasn’t even just darkfriends, which makes it’s objectively worse, throughout their road-trip May and Rand are constantly met with people who are selfish, greedy, rude and sometimes even outright cruel and a lot of them weren’t darkfriends. They interact with Whitecloaks who are supposed to be righteous and good but are just bullies in shiny armor and carrying around swords. They interact with merchants on the road who take active pleasure in nearly taking out Rand’s eye with whip because the two of them walked a little too close to a cart. An innkeeper who purposefully locked them in a small storage closet so that he could rob them in the middle of the night. Rand remains optimistic but by the time they reach Camlyn Mat had become completely pessimistic and despondent. He didn’t trust anyone, he believed wholeheartedly that everyone wanted to hurt him, everyone except of course Rand.

[the-hills-of-tanchico]

The Congars—and the Coplins; the two families were so intermarried no one really knew where one family let off and the other began—were known from Watch Hill to Deven Ride, and maybe as far as Taren Ferry, as complainers and troublemakers. (TEotW, ch. 1)

AS FAR AS TAREN FERRY??

WHAT CELEBRITY

I AM IN AWE

[le-trash-prince]

had to return the foraging book i was reading to the library, so i checked out a different one in the meantime and wow……. it’s not useful for beginners at all lmfao “Strawberries: everyone knows what a strawberry looks like” “blackberries: I don’t need to tell you how to identify a blackberry” my dude how are people supposed to identify the plant when it’s not fruiting

and then there’s the intro that’s like “there’s so much in your backyard that you can just eat” (zero warning about toxic species)

shfjfjf makes me grateful for the book i did start out with (Foraging Texas by Knight and Coplin) for having really detailed information along with illustrated guides to plant parts along with maps of where certain plants can be found

[mantislyblaca]

Hattie M. Carstens was a beloved activist who served a variety of social causes in Detroit until her death in 1915. This school, designed by the firm Malcomson & Higginbotham, opened on Coplin Street and East Vernor Highway a year later and named in her honor.

The three-story school has an F-shaped floor plan, the result of additions in 1919 and 1921. This made it fairly large for an elementary school, with 29 standard classrooms in addition to a library, kindergarten and four large specialty rooms. The building is also rather unusual among Detroit schools for its raised, fenestrated basement level, which is sunken half a level below. The front façade faces southwest onto Coplin Avenue, and the school sits in the middle of an entire 5-acre city block, just north of Vernor Highway.

The school is considered an outstanding example of the Arts and Crafts style that was popular in the early 1900s. This can best be seen in Carstens' decorative brick detail and tile and terra cotta that is focused around the central entrance and between floors. Malcomson & Higginbotham designed a handful of other schools in this style during this time period - Nichols School (1910), Breitmeyer School (1915) and Harms School (1917). Nichols and Harms are still in use; Breitmeyer was demolished in 2010. But the 1920s saw a shift in the design of educational buildings in the city, with a firm shift toward the Collegiate Gothic found at the great educational institutions of England. This makes schools of this style rare in Detroit.

An addition in 1919 added six homerooms, a gymnasium and an auditorium, and another addition two years later tacked on another nine classrooms.

The Herbert M. Rich School, named after a secretary of the Detroit Tuberculosis Society, was built in 1927 on the grounds of Carstens. That building was demolished at some point; it was a four-room bungalow-type structure with a dormitory.

In 1957, Carstens was converted into a unit for girls enrolled in the special education program, and opened the following year. Several basement classrooms were added in the late 1950s or early '60s.

The school continued serving the east side for the next half century. However, the Fox Creek neighborhood saw considerable decline and disinvestment during that time. Nevertheless, Carstens remained a high-performing school. staff went above and beyond to help their students. As Detroit URBEX wrote, "After several students were hospitalized with severe lead poisoning, Carstens began an outreach program educating families in the neighborhood about the dangers of lead paint in older houses. When teachers found out that many students were going hungry during weekends, they made extra meals for them to take home. A New York Times article noted 'to have more money for instruction, teachers sit with students at lunch, saving the school from having to hire lunchroom aides. Teachers hold jacket and shoe drives for children who have no winter coats and come to school in slippers. At Thanksgiving every child goes home with a frozen turkey donated by a local businessman. Twice a year a bus carrying a portable dentist’s office arrives, and a clinic is set up at the school so children can get their teeth checked.'”

However, as Detroit's population continued to decline, so did Carstens' enrollment, with the school losing more than half of its population between 1998 and 2007. In March of 2010, the district proposed closing Carstens Elementary, citing the loss of students and the $3 million in repairs the aging building needed. Parents fought to keep Carstens open and helped win it a temporary reprieve - but that stay of closure lasted only a year.

In 2011, Carstens was closed and merged with nearby Remus Robinson Middle School, making Carstens one of a staggering 195 public schools closed in the city between 2000 and 2015. Three years later, Carstens was among 57 closed Detroit Public Schools (DPS) properties given to the City of Detroit in exchange for forgiving millions of dollars in DPS' unpaid electrical bills. Sadly, the building has not faired well since closure, with major roof failure causing significant water damage throughout.

The City released a report in 2021 that offered potential developers insight into the structural integrity and floor plans of more than 60 vacant schools - 39 owned by the City and two dozen still owned by the school district. The effort was not only to take inventory of the dozens of vacant schools dotting the city, but also to incentivize redevelopment of the structures by reducing the upfront costs through the assessments provided. Given the roof failures and decade of decline, the City estimated that a renovation of Carstens would cost around $16.2 million, depending on use.

Carstens is located in Detroit's Fox Creek neighborhood, one that has seen more than its share of challenges and demolitions. The school is surrounded by vacant fields - and is home to one of the largest concentrations of vacant land and City-owned properties. Given the costs and challenges of redeveloping a school that's been vacant for more than a decade, this makes finding a savior for Carstens, no matter how beautiful the building is, sadly unlikely.

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[jaqobis]

help i didn't remember rand punched ewal coplin in the nose for making fun of his eye color...i know the wisdom that scolded him wasn't nynaeve, she would've high-fived him

every time i read thom's intro i remember there were people who complained he was too mean in the show. like, for the problems the show has, Making Thom Too Mean is not one, if anything he's nicer to the boys than he was in the book

scream i always forget that trollocs and fades talk in the books

first sighting of rand's tendency towards hysterical/bitter/bleak laughter! i did not realize it started this early

rand's desperate reassurances to himself and tam that they'd just be fine if they can make it to the village kill me, god.

series theme alert!! all the stories are real, and they're absolutely horrific

the absolute crushingness of rand reassuring himself he just needs to get tam to the village and everything will be okay, only for nynaeve to have to tell him there's nothing she can do 😭

there are so many awful things that happen later that i forgot how miserable winternight is, which really says a lot about all the awful things that happen in this series lksdjfskl

[librarycards]

Five books I like: Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Fat Girl Dances with Rocks by Susan Stinson, The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman, & Galore by Michael Crummey

another fat girl dances with rocks fan!! i only knew me and my one friend who had read it, but man, it's so fucking good. okay, recs:

Amanda Coplin, The Orchardist

Zeyn Joukhadar, The Thirty Names of Night

Pat Murphy, The Wild Girls

Keneth M. Cadow, Gather

Tananarive Due, The Black Rose

[iviarellereads]

The Shadow Rising, Chapter 45 - The Tinker's Sword

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Sunburst icon) In which another vision comes true.

PERSPECTIVE: Perrin finds the disturbance is some Coplins and Congars with Cenn Buie, claiming Trollocs tried to attack this end of the village, too, and "your lot" up at the wood aren't the only heroes this day.

Perrin quickly realizes that they weren't shooting at Trollocs, but at Tinkers, and Perrin calls them in, saying nobody will try to hurt them anymore. The villagers protest, particularly Cenn Buie and Daise Congar. Tinkers are known to steal everything that isn't nailed down, and children. Perrin says they won't turn ANYONE away for the Trollocs to catch, and both Cenn and Daise argue at the other, now in favour of Perrin's offer.

Raen tries to maintain that the Way of the Leaf is the right way, but loses his train of thought. Ila explains the Trollocs came in the night. Perrin tries to think how many Trollocs must be in the 2Rs already to cause all this havoc. He thinks he needs to get underway now, before Faile finds him.

However, every time Perrin turns around trying to get out of the village and after Loial and Gaul, someone else shows up. Person after person comes to Perrin for help with problems they seem to think only he can solve, despite that his most common answer is "what do you think needs doing?" and then telling them to do what they already know to do.

Perrin starts to get very confused and frustrated at seeing his people following someone this way, especially himself. They've always been very independent. He also realizes it's midday and he never even had breakfast.

He goes back to the inn, where Marin half-forces him into a chair and bustles off to get some food. Natti Cauthon is there watching her daughters, though both are old enough to braid their hair, mostly because they're sitting on either side of Aram all but feeding him. Aram keeps staring at the spears and polearms in the makeshift armory on the wall, and Perrin thinks it must be a terrible thing for a Tuatha'an to have to see.

Faile comes along and says she's been enjoying baking bread, and might like to do it again someday. It takes Perrin a minute to remember she's grown up with servants and expects to have them again after they settle down. Perrin says he's worried that nobody seems to want to think for themselves, and it feels wrong from the people he's known to be so independent his whole life. Faile says people want to believe in something bigger than themselves, and want to follow a strong leader.(1)

Aram interrupts to ask who owns the weapons on the wall, and Perrin says they belong to anyone who wants to wield them. Marin brings Perrin's food and he digs in with gusto, and nearly chokes when Aram asks if he can use a sword he's just picked up.

Ila appears at the head of the stairs, and wails that Aram must not, he must put down the sword, the Way of the Leaf! Aram says they killed his mother, and if he'd had a sword, he could have saved her. Perrin asks Ila to leave Aram alone. Any man has a right to defend himself, to defend his kin. Ila says Perrin has become a wolf in his heart, and now she's lost her daughter and all her grandchildren, the last because of him. Aram collapses, weeping, despairing that he could have saved his mother.(2)

Perrin touches Aram's shoulder, and tells him to find Tam al'Thor, to say that Perrin asks him to teach Aram the sword. He's sad, the Way of the Leaf is a fine belief, but it can't last where there's violence, and he doesn't know of a place without that. As Aram leaves, all the women in the room glare and frown at Perrin like he's done something wrong.(3)

Bran sticks his head in to say there are riders, probably Whitecloaks. He gets back on his horse and rides out to meet them, Faile on her horse by his side. Dain begins by addressing Luc as if he's the leader, then sights Perrin and convulses, and Perrin thinks Dain must hold a personal hatred for him for some reason.(4)

Bran steps forward (after waiting for a nod from Perrin, despite that he's the mayor) and says Emond's Field isn't exactly closed to the Children, but they have decided to defend themselves. The people start cheering that they can defend themselves without Whitecloaks, and "The Two Rivers and Perrin Goldeneyes!" which morphs into a cheer for just "Goldeneyes!" which Dain reacts to strongly, to say the least.

Byar steps forward, to say one of their villages was all but wiped out by Trollocs last night. Bornhald confirms that Taren Ferry was attacked, and Luc is puzzled, and asks if Ordeith was at Taren Ferry when it happened. It seems clear that he was.

Dain didn't come to talk of Ordeith, he came to arrest Perrin as a Darkfriend. Byar stares at him in disbelief, but the Whitecloaks prepare their weapons. He continues that Perrin betrayed his father to the Tar Valon witches and Darkfriends who murdered a thousand of the Children with the One Power. Perrin says he betrayed no one, and those who used the One Power in battle are called the Seanchan. Dain says it's all lies. Bran calls out that nobody will be arresting Perrin, not until they produce proof that the Emond's Fielders will believe, and none will ever believe Perrin is a Darkfriend.

Things are escalating quickly. Even Byar can see it, and tries to tug at Dain's arm, but he won't or can't back down now that he has Perrin in his sights. Perrin asks if Bornhald is willing to hold off on his arrest until the Trolloc threat is contained. They may not even make it back to Watch Hill, with all the farms burning and Trollocs still likely in the area. If they stay, he'll know exactly where Perrin is until it's over.

Faile rounds on Perrin, saying he absolutely cannot do this. Bran asks only if he's sure, and he is. Bran offers additional terms: they will arrest no one, they will make no trouble, go into no house uninvited, and he doesn't want the slightest hint of a Dragon's Fang on a door.

Bornhald takes another minute, but agrees. Luc says an enemy's blade goes in quicker when it's close, and Faile agrees. Perrin says he had to do this, anything's better than fighting each other and doing the Trollocs' work for them.

The Whitecloaks start to ride into town, Bornhald and Byar glaring at him with pure hatred, and the rest regarding him with cold, hard eyes as they pass. He knows he had to do it... but it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let the young men follow him around, the way they've been trying to all day. And he isn't going to be able to sleep without guards on his door. Guards, like some kind of lord. At least Faile will be happy.(4)

=====

(1) HMMMM not so comfy sitting with this as a conclusion given it's what I think the narrative supports. I'd rather if RJ had leaned more toward, people are confused and scared and need reassurance even in the obvious things they've done every day for years. (2) So, one of Min's visions finally comes to call: a Tuatha'an with a sword near Perrin. Also, note the direct callbacks to the Aiel's history in the glass columns. The Tuatha'an broke off before anyone started wielding arms, but this is a great compare-and-contrast, because here, Aram has some outside support by way of Perrin saying that yes, it's okay to want to defend yourself. (3) Has he? Do you agree that this is okay? Encouraging a young man to give up everything he's ever known, to become anathema to his whole community and family? I can't say anything here about how I feel, because I can't separate my reaction to this from my knowledge of where it ends up leading, so I always love to see unspoiled thoughts on it. (4) Will she, really?

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Wheel of Time! Chapter 5: Winternight

Welcome back to the reread that has caused both my tablet and my fire cube to glitch out in horrible, frustrating ways for no apparent reason! There are many spoilers going forward (like the fact that this will cause me to snap), so if you don't want that sort of thing, run.

In the Two Rivers that often included three or four generations under one roof, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and nephews. Tam and Rand were considered out of the ordinary as much for being two men living alone as for farming in the Westwood.

Makes you wonder what did happen to Tam's family. Presumably there were some deaths (maybe that's why he left the region in the first place; trying to get away from grief), but you'd think he'd have some cousins or something that would merit a mention. Or maybe the al'Thors were incredibly inbred and used to be a Congar/Coplin tier clan until they all died.

“I’ll start some stew for supper. And as long as we’re here, we might as well get caught up on a few chores.”

Already it's the worst Bel Tine ever, but don't worry Rand, it will get worse.

A broad oaken table was the main feature of the room other than the fireplace, a table long enough to seat a dozen or more, though there had seldom been so many around it since Rand’s mother died.

Because of course it's up to women to coordinate social events, even if they're outlanders who don't have the decades of social networking that their husbands do.

I skipped over a whole bunch of chores, btw. It's good scene setting but there's not much else to say about it.

...The Travels of Jain Farstrider sat on the table...

Hi Jain! For the first few books, your own title sounded like something rather old and well-established, The Travels of Marco Polo not as seen by his contemporaries but by the people of the 1500s. Now we know it's actually a very recent tome, not much older than Rand, which means that he's lucky to have a copy at all. Maybe Tam bought it in Illian.

There's actually a lot of domesticity stuff I'm skimming over. It helps set the calm mood that is about to be so violently shattered.

When Tam came back, Rand stared in surprise. A thick belt slanted around Tam’s waist, and from the belt hung a sword, with a bronze heron on the black scabbard and another on the long hilt. The only men Rand had ever seen wearing swords were the merchants’ guards. And Lan, of course. That his father might own one had never even occurred to him.

Of course even before that we get the mounting dread as Tam locks and bars the doors and starts rearranging the furniture.

Rand doesn't recognize the significance of the heron, which is a little odd. You'd think the sign of the blademaster would be exactly the sort of thing that stories would harp on about endlessly, like how Rand never shuts up about his man crush Lan.

“I got it a long time ago,” Tam said, “a long way from here. And I paid entirely too much; two coppers is too much for one of these. Your mother didn’t approve, but she was always wiser than I. I was young then, and it seemed worth the price at the time. She always wanted me to get rid of it, and more than once I’ve thought she was right, that I should just give it away.”

And this right here is virtually all the info we get about what might have happened in the Tam prequel that Jordan wanted to do. Two coppers doesn't seem like anything other than a complete steal for such a valuable blade, but something about Tam's statement makes me wonder if there's a lot more going on than just spending two coppers.

He had always vaguely supposed his father must have gone outside—his mother had been an outlander...

Shame that in all your years you never asked your dad about how he met your mother. Usually we get some kind of nod about how "Father never spoke of Mother" in these kinds of stories but Jordan's never actually said that and Tam seems quite open and supportive so it's just odd, like his lack of any relatives in the area. I will now endeavor to never think of these incongruities again because they don't really matter, they're just the kind of thing that you look back on make you go, "Oh yeah, these guys are fictional and not real people".

Then the Trollocs show up!

Rand felt the beginnings of an odd sort of relief. Whoever this was, it was not the black-cloaked rider.

Welp, Rand's gone into shock. Thankfully he snaps out of it and...

The creature roared, part scream of pain, part animal snarl, as boiling water splashed over its face.

Even in the first book the Trollocs are getting punked. This is only a distraction before Tam actually takes it down, but still.

Shadows, he told himself. Only shadows.

Yes Rand, the Shadow has finally come for you. Save this feeling that it's a completely inconsequential copy of what's real and true; it'll help you later. (Sadly, he will not.)

“They’re coming in the back!” The words came out in a croak, but at least they came out. He had not been sure they would. “I’m outside! Run, father!”

He starts and ends on good notes, but when you're being hunted by the forces of darkness you never give away your position even a little.

In mid-stride Tam whirled, not running toward Rand, but at an angle away from him. “Run, lad!” he shouted, gesturing with the sword as if to someone ahead of him. “Hide!”

After Rand gives away his position AGAIN, Tam bravely covers for him. You shoulda spent less time on meditation and more on emergency situations. What kind of novel by a semi-libertarian type is this that our heroes who live out in the woods besides a minimalist democratic government aren't crazy preppers whose irresponsibly placed bear traps have already killed fifteen government agentsShadowspawn?

Suddenly a hand closed over his mouth from behind, and an iron grip seized his wrist. Frantically he clawed over his shoulder with his free hand for some hold on the attacker. “Don’t break my neck, lad,” came Tam’s hoarse whisper.

Coulda whispered quicker. Geez, Rand probably pissed himself.

They kill for the pleasure of killing, so I’ve been told.

Don't sound too different from real people, do they Tam?

But that’s the end of my knowledge, except that they cannot be trusted unless they’re afraid of you, and then not far.

Is it just me, or is this rather an odd piece of trivia to know? Most good people aren't going to need to know this. Maybe Kari *had been* a Darkfriend back before she settled down and knew these things from experience?

No, of course not. But it's funny to imagine and since we don't get a prequel anymore we're all welcome to come up with the stupidest headcanons imaginable.

If he had to do it against a Trolloc he was surely just as likely to run instead, or freeze stiff so he could not move at all until the Trolloc swung one of those odd swords and. . . . Stop it! It’s not helping anything!

Realism doesn't hurt, Rand. It's good to acknowledge that battles are scary and that since you're not trained you're not likely to make a positive difference.

Creeping from tree to tree, he tried to make a plan, but by the time he reached the edge of the woods he had made and discarded ten. Everything depended on whether or not the Trollocs were still there.

Jordan, being a military man, is smart enough to know that plans don't really last in conflict, and this spreads to Rand. He also is again aware of his limitations and knows that if the house has Trollocs in it his only smart choice is to run back.

It was the light that decided him. The barn was dark. Anything could be waiting inside, and he would have no way of knowing until it was too late. At least he would be able to see what was inside the house.

Of course, you'll be quite visible as well, especially if there's anything in the barn watching. Can't blame you for not thinking everything through though - and luckily, nothing is in the barn, so that's all going to work out.

Four twisted bodies made a tangle in the remnants of the furnishings. Trollocs.

Tam did pretty fucking well to only be semi-mortally wounded while taking out four and distracting all the rest, especially for someone who claims to have had no experience with Shadowspawn, which are quite distinct from human opponents in several ways.

“Others go away. Narg stay. Narg smart.”

In a book filled with early installment weirdness, Narg really takes the cake, huh? He's also incredibly popular, though much like another incredibly popular non-human in this series I don't really get it. He's a fun but to me very forgettable meme. (NOTE TO SELF: Put in more of these hot takes in the hopes of getting angry replies to boost viewership.)

Did Jordan intend for there to be more distinct Trolloc characters over the course of the series and just never got around to it, or had to abandon them as the plans changed? Was this just laying the groundwork for Shaidar Haran? The world will never know.

Desperately he brought his sword up. The monstrous body crashed into him, slamming him against the wall. Breath left his lungs in one gasp. He fought for air as they fell to the floor together, the Trolloc on top. Frantically he struggled beneath the crushing weight, trying to avoid thick hands groping for him, and snapping jaws.

Rand's first fight. Like so many of his physical confrontations, this one ends ignominiously. His most "epic" fight is in a Sanderson book and besides that one I feel like most of his battles have high prices, ambiguous outcomes, or other weirdnesses that stop him from being Gilgamesh and keep him more at a Samwell Tarly kind of level when it comes to combat. You'd think the dude would have clued in sooner that his focus wasn't meant to be on the material world, but he is just a sheepherder I guess.

He was sure he was forgetting any number of things they would need, but Tam was waiting, and the Trollocs were coming back. He gathered what he could think of on the run.

He actually does pretty well. In a crisis, Rand tends to have a pretty clear head when he's not succumbing to madness. Anyway, he heads into the barn (it's empty and the wagon is wrecked) and promptly breaks down the wagon to at least have something to carry Tam in.

When the shaft fell free, he looked at the sword blade in wonder. Even the best-sharpened axe would have dulled chopping through that hard, aged wood, but the sword looked as brightly sharp as ever.

Every fantasy series needs to have magical blades that don't need sharpening no matter how often they're used. Jordan was probably one of the first to state that it all happened because the wizards and witches forging the blades were manipulating them at the atomic level. Even this is a cliche in the modern era though.

That thought was like a beacon as he pulled on his coat and bent to tend Tam’s wound. They would be safe once they reached the village, and Nynaeve would cure Tam. He just had to get him there.

I'm starting to wonder if any of these chapters will end without irony at this rate. Rand does *not* have the gift of Foretelling, that much is for sure.

Anyway, tune in next time for Rand's desperate trek across the Westwood. I'm sure it's just a travelogue chapter and that absolutely no life-changing revelations will be had.

[skywarpie]

For the ask meme! - What are some seemingly childish things you like?  - What’s your favorite book? Or just one you’ve read a few times?  - What’s your favorite flower? 

Uh I really enjoy bluey. I found it the morning after my aunt died and it was very comforting so I always associate it with calmness.

I don't really have as much time as I used to to re-read books but I do enjoy The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. I also typically stick with historical fiction as a whole.

I don't know anything about flowers 😅 I've never been drawn to them enough to learn which is which

[rockislandadultreads]

NoveList Combo: Haunting Literary Fiction

Did you know NoveList is a database you can access with your library card to find reading recommendations? Find your next favorite read with this fantastic readers tool! Check it out on our website here.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.

Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can - will she?

This is the first volume in the "Todd Family" series.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

You belong to the earth, and the earth is hard.

At the turn of the twentieth century, in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, a solitary orchardist named Talmadge carefully tends the grove of fruit trees he has cultivated for nearly half a century. A gentle, solitary man, he finds solace and purpose in the sweetness of the apples, apricots, and plums he grows, and in the quiet, beating heart of the land--the valley of yellow grass bordering a deep canyon that has been his home since he was nine years old. Everything he is and has known is tied to this patch of earth. It is where his widowed mother is buried, taken by illness when he was just thirteen, and where his only companion, his beloved teenaged sister Elsbeth, mysteriously disappeared. It is where the horse wranglers--native men, mostly Nez Perce--pass through each spring with their wild herds, setting up camp in the flowering meadows between the trees.

One day, while in town to sell his fruit at the market, two girls, barefoot and dirty, steal some apples. Later, they appear on his homestead, cautious yet curious about the man who gave them no chase. Feral, scared, and very pregnant, Jane and her sister Della take up on Talmadage's land and indulge in his deep reservoir of compassion. Yet just as the girls begin to trust him, brutal men with guns arrive in the orchard, and the shattering tragedy that follows sets Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect them, putting himself between the girls and the world, but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace"—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside.

Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

[newtras]

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