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phoenix-downer · 6 years ago

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Hello! I was curious about why you ship Rokunami. I don't think it's a bad ship or anything! It's actually kind of cute, but I feel like the game didn't give them enough time to develop any kind of relationship besides trust in a time of need and confusion. Is there a reason why you see them work very well and/or even better than perhaps Roxas and Xion? I always love to read your analysis on everything and I would like to know a bit more about this! Hope you have a great day (and stay aweosme)!

Good question!

I ship Rokunami because of the potential I see and the chemistry they have in their scenes together.

Do I think they’ve had a romance for the ages and are deeply and madly in love? No, but I do think the potential for a good romance is there! Their relationship is at its very beginning stages and I enjoy it for what it is and what it could be, and here’s why:

1) They are kindred spirits in a very difficult situation. They’re both Nobodies who are fated to return to their Others, and they can understand each other like no one else can. It’s a bad situation all around, but Naminé makes it clear to Roxas that he is not alone in his ordeal. She disobeys Diz to reach out to him and tell him the truth, which leads us into…

2) Naminé was willing to tell him the truth. Remember how in Days Roxas says the person who tells him the truth would be who he trusts? Well, Naminé is that person. His other friends either couldn’t tell him the truth or wouldn’t tell him, and finally along comes someone who will, and she earns his trust because of it.

3) They make a promise to meet again. Despite their fates to return to their Others, Naminé believes they will meet again and tells Roxas that this isn’t the end. At the end of KH2 their promise is fulfilled and they see each other again. Most Nobodies are destined to fade away, but they live on in their Others and until they are (hopefully) rescued in KH3, they can be together as long as Sora and Kairi are (which… yeah, we know how well that’s gone lately, but the point still stands).

4) They can see themselves as how they remember each other. Being able to see someone’s true self is a repeated motif throughout the series (Kairi with Sora’s Heartless form, Kairi and Sora with Riku’s Ansem form, Roxas and Axel with X*on’s real self, etc.) and a sign that two people share a strong bond, strong enough to see beyond deceptive outward appearances and into the heart. Roxas and Naminé are able to see each other’s true selves even after they return to Sora and Kairi, a sign that the bond they share is truly special. Roxas words it like this:

I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you.

Not only do they remember each other’s true selves; instead of Roxas seeing himself based on his own memories, Roxas sees himself the way Naminé remembers him, and Naminé sees herself the way Roxas remembers her. This hints at the beautiful mutuality of their relationship - they sustain not themselves but each other. It’s normally impossible for a Nobody to continue on existing independently once they rejoin with their Other (as we’ve seen with Axel/Lea, they simply merge into one person), but Roxas and Naminé’s continued existence may very well be because they can remember each other other as they truly are.

In other words, they see each other’s hearts; they see each other as unique people with unique identities instead of accepting the narrative that they’re destined to become Sora and Kairi. And indeed, Naminé marvels at this and realizes that her earlier assessment was wrong - to her surprise, they didn’t fade away into darkness. Roxas affirms this and points out they got to meet their true selves, and Naminé is happy that they can be together again.

5) They’re each other’s second loves. This is more in the realm of personal interpretation, but I really like the idea that they find love again in each other. They’re both hurting from the loss of their first loves - X*on for Roxas, though I’m aware not everyone interprets their relationship that way, and Sora for Naminé, though this was one-sided on Naminé’s end and it was only by changing Sora’s memories that she was able to temporarily redirect Sora’s feelings for Kairi towards herself - and find solace and a second chance at love in each other.

Sora and Kairi already have the childhood friends/first loves thing going on so it’s nice to see a different kind of couple also potentially represented in the series. Because let’s be real, how many people end up with their first loves? Sora and Kairi are the fairytale storybook romance, the once-in-a-lifetime, death-can’t-keep-us-apart, bound-by-true-love soulmates, and while I love that to pieces, I also love Roxas and Naminé’s quieter, more subdued affection for each other. They’re like the couple you meet in real life who have been through some hardships along the way but have found love again in each other and they don’t have to proclaim it from the streets, it just sort of radiates off them and speaks for itself.

6) The chemistry. Also subjective, but man if I didn’t pick up on it in their scenes together. Roxas really seems like he’s flirting with her in their scene together in the Old Mansion, and then again at the end of KH2 when they meet again, and then when he smiles at her at the very end through Sora… yep, lots of smiling.

All this to say…

They don’t have an epic romance (yet). They may never have an epic romance, and that’s okay. They’re like those two people who just really click together because they have a lot in common. There’s chemistry and mutual attraction, and they want to get to know each other more. So they decide to go on a few dates and take things slow and see how things unfold from there. That’s the vibe I get from them. They’re strikingly real to me because of that, and while I love Sora and Kairi’s fairytale romance, I also love Roxas and Naminé’s very down-to-earth bond.

But what about Rok*shi? (starred out so it hopefully won’t show up in the tags)

I hesitate to even go there at all because I know shipping is a touchy subject and I don’t want this to turn into shipping discourse. I’ve also seen people tear down other ships and characters to prop up their favorite ships and characters, and I refuse to do that. My philosophy is that if a ship is good, it will stand on its own merits - no need to trash other ships.

The whole situation has also been made more complicated by how X*on was introduced after Naminé, but within the timeline of the story itself, knew Roxas before she did. The way canon has handled things has only exacerbated an already touchy situation with the fandom and I don’t really want to get into that right now.

Honestly, my preference for Rokunami just comes down to personal tastes, really, same with how people who prefer Rok*shi do for their own reasons. And those are perfectly good reasons! Roxas does spend a lot of time with X*on and I can see the potential there! But I can also see the potential with Rokunami, and I can’t deny that I like what I see :) Again, it really just boils down to personal preferences.

On a more general note, I always try to keep in mind that at the end of the day, shipping is supposed to be a fun thing that brings people joy. And if shipping Rok*shi is what brings you joy, awesome! If shipping Rokunami is what brings you joy, awesome! I will be the last person to tell you not to ship something.

Hope that answers your question, thanks for the ask! :)

#kingdom hearts #rokunami #namixas #roxas #naminé #answer #anasten27

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neuxue · 8 years ago

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Wheel of Time liveblogging: The Gathering Storm ch 19

In which Tuon deals with a disgruntled monarch, decapitated fairytales, and difficult decisions

Chapter 19: Gambits

Chaos. The entire world was chaos.

Well you are not wrong, but also that’s not exactly news.

We’re with Tuon, it seems. Which means we’re also back in Ebou Dar. And while it may not be fair to blame fictional cities for their plotlines, Ebou Dar and Malden can piss off and fuck each other in the ear with a balefire cannon at this point for all I care.

Anyway. Hi Tuon, I hope you’re enjoying Ebou Dar, make sure not to get stuck there.

The Seanchan have brought order – or at least, their form of order – to Ebou Dar. Yay?

Karede!

She thinks of him as ‘faithful Karede’. Aww.

She had been dodging assassinations since she could walk, and she had survived them all. She anticipated them. In a way, she thrived because of them. How were you to know that you were powerful unless assassins were sent to kill you?

That says rather a lot about Tuon, or perhaps explains a lot about her. That’s a harsh way to grow up, and one that could easily break a person, but she views it not only as normal but as something that has advantages – something useful. She also sees it as part and parcel of her role and her duty, and thus embraces it.

This is her worldview. She doesn’t see in this something that should or could be changed, or something she would rather live without. She just takes it as fact, and fits herself to her place – as Seanchan society and culture has taught her to do.

Like the others of the Blood, she wore ashes on her cheeks to mourn the loss of the Empress. Tuon had little affection for her mother, but affection was not needed for an empress. She provided order and stability.

This is again so indicative of who she is and where she comes from. For her, and for Seanchan the way it exists – or maybe existed, before Semirhage happened – this is truth. Her kind of power is one that provides order and stability, and one that means assassins will be sent after her. One that demands she shape herself entirely to her role, but does not require affection. Benevolence, maybe – or at least, Tuon seems to take that view – but not affection.

Her whole relationship to emotion in general and her emotions in particular is interesting. It’s not that she’s purely stoic, exactly, but rather that he has incredible self-control and an ability to detach herself-as-Tuon from herself-as-Empress when she deems it necessary. She seems to feel and analyse simultaneously, assessing what she feels from a more ‘neutral’ perspective and determining what to do about it.

She sat down, wearing a pleated gown of the deepest sea blue, a white cape fluttering behind her.

That is an excellent aesthetic. A+ fashion choices, Tuon.

Yuril joins the club of badass secretaries. Congratulations. Here’s your honourary paperweight.

Here I am, Tuon thought, surrounded by my might, damane on one side and the Deathwatch Guard on the other. And yet I feel no safer than I did with Matrim. How odd, that she should have felt safe with him.

Given his propensity for playing with pyrotechnics, that is odd. But then I suppose his knife skills and his army and his database full of memory.mp4 files make up for it.

The war in Seanchan would not end quickly; but when it did, the victor would undoubtedly raise him- or herself to the Crystal Throne as well. And then there would be two leaders of the Seanchan Empire, divided by an ocean, united in desire to conquer one another. Neither could allow the other to live.

There’s always another battle. It seems close to impossible for this to be resolved before Tarmon Gai’don, so instead it sets itself up as another conflict that could easily carry over into the start of the next Age.

Maybe the rest of the world will change enough to render this irrelevant, or maybe a lasting peace will be brokered, but it seems unlikely.

Of course, they could just decide to become separate nations, but that would be too easy. Maybe Tuon will send ships across the ocean to re-conquer that continent, and then hundreds or thousands of years later, a new Corenne will come back, and we’ll start all over.

Selucia is Tuon’s new Truthspeaker, mostly because she has the glowing commendation of not being one of the Forsaken.

She also keeps all her old duties alongside the new ones, which makes this one of those promotions that’s ostensibly an honour but actually is just shitloads of work.

Whether or not she really was Forsaken, Anath had met with the Dragon Reborn, imitating Tuon. And had then tried to kill him.

And now everything is even more fucked than it already ways. Thanks for that, Semirhage. Also, good to know where we are in the timeline.

Beslan’s dressing like the Seanchan now, and he performs the correct obeisance to Tuon. So things have changed since the night Mat and the others fled, it seems. Harder to hold onto righteous indignation and rebellion when you’re the monarch of a conquered country rather than its heir. It’s always easier to be angry when you’re not the one faced with the hard decisions. Or rather, it’s a different kind of anger.

Beslan rose, though he kept his gaze averted. He was a fine actor.

And he probably is acting – because at this point it’s either that or die. He’s now in the position his mother was; he may still hate the Seanchan, but he doesn’t have much in the way of options right now. The best he can do, from his perspective, is to make whatever accommodations he must in order to retain enough power to maybe be able to at least do something for his people. Otherwise the Seanchan could just get rid of him and raise someone more amenable.

So Tuon is still Daughter of the Nine Moons? Has she not been officialy…Empress-ed yet, then?

She could almost have believed he was just being submissive before the woman who would soon become Empress. But she knew too much of his temperament, through both spies and hearsay.

Yeah, he’s still trying to fight them.Or find a way to fight them. That might prove…difficult.

Selucia gets right to the point, and Tuon steps in to let Beslan know that she knows everything. Oops.

Then, surprisingly, he rose to his feet and stared her directly in the eyes. She wouldn’t have thought the soft-spoken youth had it in him. “I will not allow my people to—”

“I would still my tongue if I were you,” Tuon interrupted.

Credit to Beslan. And really, it’s not so different from some of the things Mat has said to Tuon. It’s just that they’re in different positions, and Mat was able to talk to Tuon, rather than just to the Daughter of the Nine Moons, and he holds a place in the Fortellings she’s received. Here, now, Beslan cannot challenge her; her interpretation of her role does not permit it. She isn’t just Tuon now, and she isn’t alone, and he isn’t Mat.

“Seanchan is in upheaval,” Tuon said, regarding him. He appeared shocked at the words. “Oh, did you think I would ignore it, Beslan? I am not content to stare at the stars while my empire collapses around me. The truth must be acknowledged.”

That’s an interesting statement from her. From where she stands, it is true. In her thoughts, she is not one to favour denial. She tries to assess things as they are, and face the unvarnished truth. But that doesn’t mean she’s immune to denial. Take her refusal to believe that Shadowspawn exist. Or take her insistence that her choice to not learn to channel makes her different from damane. The ‘it is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities’ argument would hold a lot more water if she weren’t willing to then channel the exact same power through a damane. As it is, upon learning that she, like all sul’dam could learn to channel, she latched immediately onto an explanation that would allow her to preserve her worldview.

People aren’t good at having their worldview challenged. We don’t like it. So she can acknowledge the truth here, and she can even believe wholeheartedly that she always faces and acknowledges the truth, and still fall prey to these traps. She self-analyses more than many, but she still has blind spots – and sometimes very large ones. She can achieve a certain level of detachment, but it’s nearly impossible for her to detach herself from her entire nation and culture – because without that, what is she? And so she isn’t able to look at the Seanchan’s place in the world from a truly unbiased perspective, and acknowledge that there may need to be compromises and changes.

(The same applies to some extent to those conquered; many of them still want to fight the Seanchan off, which at this point is…not going to happen. The Seanchan are here, and that’s unlikely to change, and so other things must change instead).

“You must know I have no thirst for power,” Beslan said. “The freedom of my people is all I desire.”

Ah, Beslan. It’s admirable and brave and it’s probably true, but it’s also probably hopeless.

“You are misguided, and that means you can change, should you receive the proper knowledge.”

It’s so frustrating to watch Tuon say these kinds of things, because SAME GOES FOR YOU, TUON.

But it’s a good kind of frustration, because it’s so very perfect for a character in her situation. She represents and embodies and is wholly suffused by Seanchan society and values and worldview, and to deny that would be to lose that entire sense of order and identity. It’s not a question of power, even; it’s a question fundamental to the existence of her entire world and her entire self. So you get this hypocrisy that doesn’t realise it’s hypocrisy. She genuinely doesn’t see the contradictions here, doesn’t see that these exact words could apply to her as well.

He looked at her, confused. Lower your eyes, fool. Don’t make me have you strapped for insolence!

Don’t make me. As if she couldn’t simply choose not to. Except, from her perspective, she couldn’t. It doesn’t even occur to her; strapping is the punishment for insolence, and so if he is insolent he will be strapped and it will be his fault. She is bound by these strict rules of order just as they are, even as she is the one enforcing them. So non-Seanchan see her as a tyrant and she sees herself as a necessary piece of a functional society. And it would appear that she is necessary to the functioning of Seanchan society, which says something about Seanchan society.

She sees the laws and social codes of Seanchan as hard-and-fast truths. He should lower his eyes not because the law says so, but because in an absolute sense, that is what he is supposed to do. She believes this is order, and thus that it applies to everyone in every situation, regardless of who they are and where they come from. This is the ultimate truth and the ultimate state of order, and the laws of her country are thus more than simple laws; they are entirely above reproach or examination. They simply are.

Which is, you know, terrifying.

All the kingdoms on this side of the ocean would need to bow before the Crystal Throne, eventually. Each marath’damane would be leashed, each king or queen would swear the oaths.

And she sees this as absolutely inevitable and absolutely necessary. Because, again, this is how things are. This is the truth. This is order. This isn’t her way of thinking versus their way of thinking, or a simple matter of cultural differences: it’s The Truth against ‘misguided’ views and chaos.

Which, again, is horrifying. But this is a part of why I like having Tuon’s POV, because it raises these kinds of moral questions. Tuon stands for and represents a culture that is rather…hard to defend, but she also does so in what she genuinely believes to be the best interest of her people, but that doesn’t change things for the people living under this rule. So what does that make her? She’s lived her whole life surrounded by – indoctrinated by – these values and she believes them to be absolute truth, and they form a major part of her sense of self. So does that excuse her? If so, to what extent and for how long, once she is exposed to something different – if not itself without flaws?

And I like the way the narrative handles this, because it seems to leave it very open for the reader to come to their own conclusions – or not to, if they so choose. She’s presented very honestly, in both her virtues and her flaws. She’s given a viewpoint, and the reader is able to see her both as Tuon and as the Daughter of the Nine Moons, depending on the situation. Her virtues are shown clearly, and her motivations are made known, but the narrative also makes no attempt to hide or soften the harsher aspects of who and what she is – for instance, she trains damane; she isn’t let off the hook for that particular practice. The reader gets a full and fair picture of her, and is then left to figure out what to do with that.

“[Tylin’s] death is…unexplained,” he said. The implication was obvious. “I do not know if Suroth caused her to be killed,” Tuon said, softening her voice. “She claims that she did not. But the matter is being investigated. If it turns out that Suroth was behind the death, you and Altara will have an apology from the throne itself.”

Given the significance apologies hold in Seanchan culture, that’s no small promise. Yet again, Tuon is being far more open and honest than someone in Beslan’s position would expect. She wants the best for Altara, and believes that’s what she’s doing, and she also holds fairness and justice in high regard.

“The throne belongs to you. This is the ignorance of which I spoke. You must lead your people. They must have a king. I have neither time nor desire to do your duty for you.”

It’s such a fascinating conflict because…they agree on this point. Tuon doesn’t want to sit and micromanage Altara. Beslan wants to lead his people. They just have vastly different interpretations of what that looks like. Tuon’s not actively seeking to subjugate unwilling people and force a cruel set of regulations on them, because the way she sees it, that’s not what she’s doing. She’s bringing them order and peace, under their own ruler, who is then able to do his duty. Everyone in their place, everything running smoothly, what could possibly be wrong with that?

“You assume that the Seanchan dominance of your homeland will mean your people lack freedom. That is false. They will be more free, more protected, and more powerful when they accept our rule.”

Well, except for those who will be collared or otherwise enslaved. And those who live in constant awareness that Listeners are everywhere and that they must remain in their rightful place or else face severe consequences. But sure. Whatever you say.

“With the might of the empire, you will be able to hold your borders and patrol your lands outside of Ebou Dar. You speak of your people? Well, I have ordered something prepared for you.” She nodded to the side, where a willowy-limbed da’covale stepped forward with a leather satchel.

“Inside,” Tuon said, “you will find numbers gathered by my scouts and guard forces. You can see directly the reports of crimes during our occupation here. You will have reports and manifests, comparing how the people were before the Return and after it.”

Yay, propaganda! It may even be true. But part of good propaganda is presenting only the pieces of the truth that support your message.

Though Tuon, of course, has no intentions towards deceit, here. She believes her own propaganda, and doesn’t even see it as propaganda. Crime rates are lower, and therefore things are better under Seanchan rule. Which, for some people, is probably true. People who would be neither nobility nor Blood nor da’covale under anyone’s rule will continue living their lives, and some may find it easier and more peaceful under the Seanchan, because the alternative at the moment, in most of the world, is chaos. But there is a cost to be paid for that peace and security.

Also, there are other factors to consider. The chaos encompassing most of the world isn’t solely because they’re not occupied by the Seanchan. To say ‘this is how people were before the Return, and this is how they are after it’ implies that the Return is the sole cause of any changes, and while it is certainly a factor, it’s hardly the only one, what with the approaching apocalypse.

“The Empire is a resource to you, Beslan. A powerful ally. I will not insult you by offering you thrones you do not want. I will entice you by promising stability, food, and protection for your people. All for the simple price of your loyalty.”

And the freedom of a not insignificant portion of your people, and the humanity of any women who can channel, and the lives of any men who can. Make sure to read the fine print before you sign.

The thing is, she can promise food and stability and protection. But, like anything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. She just doesn’t see it that way, because the sacrifices that order requires aren’t sacrifices, as she sees them.

Beslan is given the generous choice of martyrdom or capitulation.

Which actually, if you take survival instinct out of it, could be a difficult choice for a truly altruistic ruler. Do you surrender and hope that, by retaining at least some power and position, you can find a way to mitigate the harm that would otherwise be done, and maybe hold out long enough to find a way to continue resisting? Or do you die as a symbol, to inspire your people to rebel in your footsteps, and to give them an example of courage and refusal to surrender, and a name to rally around?

“You will step forward and reign as your people need you to do. I promise you that I will not direct the affairs of your people. I will demand resources and men for my armies, as is proper, and your word cannot countermand my own. Aside from that, your power in Altara will be absolute. No Blood will have the right to command, harm, or imprison your people without your permission.”

So I have a question, Tuon. Do women who can channel count as ‘people’ or as ‘resources’ in that scenario?

Yet again, though, from where she’s standing and her culture, she’s being incredibly fair and generous. I really enjoy this.

Also it still grates on me that the Seanchan say ‘men’ to refer to soldiers and recruits for their armies, when those armies apparently don’t discriminate by gender. It’s a little thing, perhaps, but it makes the concept feel inconsistent.

“I will accept and review a list of noble families you feel should be raised to the low Blood, and I will raise no fewer than twenty of them. Altara will become the permanent seat of the Empress on this side of the ocean. As such, it will be the most powerful kingdom here. You may choose.”

As such, your power in Altara may be absolute, but it will be power following the structure of Seanchan society, which will be imposed upon you in the name of courtesy and acceptance. As such, you will have freedom, so long as it’s freedom we would approve of. As such, you will not have freedom or true autonomy at all.

“But understand this. if you decide to join us, you will give me your heart, and not just your words. I will not allow you to ignore your oaths.”

There it is. You will surrender your own choices and will and decisions, and be subject to those imposed upon you by the culture you must now adopt, if you wish to keep your life.

It’s a contradiction, but she doesn’t see it that way. It would be different if she did; it’s a little easier to accept things like this so long as they are openly and honestly acknowledged. But as far as she’s concerned, there isn’t anything to acknowledge, because as far as she’s concerned, everything she has said is true.

“A rebellion would mean only suffering, starvation and obscurity. These are not times to be alone, Beslan.”

She’s right in that last part, certainly. These are not times for division, they are times for unity and alliance, even when it is perhaps uncomfortable. There are no easy choices. There may not even be any good choices, in some cases.

Poor Beslan.

“I, Beslan of House Mitsobar, pledge my fealty and service to the Daughter of the Nine Moon and through her to the Seanchan Empire, now and for all time, save that she chooses to release me of her own will. My lands and throne are hers, and I yield them to her hand. So I do swear before the Light.”

What other choice does he have, really? It probably is the best thing he can do at this point.

And it’s almost word-for-word the same as the oath that, for instance, Alliandre swore to Perrin. It’s interesting how different situations cast the same actions in different lights. Beslan swearing to Tuon. Alliandre swearing to Perrin. The Aes Sedai swearing to Rand. Theodrin and Faolain swearing to Egwene. Egwene demanding fealty of the Salidar council. The gai’shain of Malden swearing fealty to Faile.

Behind Beslan, Captain-General Galgan stepped forward, addressing the King. “That is not the proper way to—”

Tuon silenced him with a gesture. “We demand that these people adopt our ways, General,” she said. “It is fitting that we accept some of theirs.” Not too many of those ways, of course. But she could thank her long conversations with Mistress Anan for allowing her to understand this.

Except she hasn’t understood it, not completely. She understands the importance of compromise in theory, and is therefore willing to accept small things. Little things that don’t actually matter, because they don’t matter. Beslan has sworn fealty to her, and so who cares what specific words he uses, so long as he keeps to his oath?

And that is a valuable thing to learn – that certain things may be different on the surface but the same in essence. Those things, those differences, she is willing to accept. That’s a valuable thing.

But she’s not willing to accept greater changes, or even accept that it may be necessary to compromise on larger things. Things that she sees as integral to the maintenance of order and the functioning of society as she knows it. That’s a similar lesson, but not actually the same one, and it’s one she hasn’t learned yet.

Understandably, because it’s not an easy one. But still.

These people were odd. But she would have to understand them in order to rule them

Yes. And to her credit, she genuinely believes this and she genuinely tries to act upon it. She does seek that understanding, and she wants not just to rule but to rule well and fairly.

She just tries to understand them through her own understanding of the world, and it acts as a filter. Everyone does this, to some extent or another. She’s a really interesting example of how intention alone isn’t enough to guarantee success. And again, the reader is left relatively free there in determining how much of a role those intentions play in how Tuon is judged or regarded.

“Are you certain you’re not ta’veren, my Lady?” he asked. “Because I certainly wasn’t expecting to do that when I walked in here.”

No, she is actually just good at her job, for better or for worse.

Selucia more or less says that, via sign language that isn’t capitalised. Clearly this is because when she’s serving her function as Truthspeaker, it would be weird to speak in the same font as the Father of Lies. There can be no other explanation.

“King Beslan, you may withdraw or remain. It is your right to attend any public conferences I have in your kingdom, and you need no permission or invitation to attend.”

She really does value integrity. It may be a vastly different interpretation than many are accustomed to, but she holds herself to very careful and very high standards, and she is careful about things like this. She knows Beslan probably doesn’t know the exact details of the role she’s placed him in, and she is both gracious and straightforward here in clarifying an aspect of that while also according him the respect she believes he deserves.

And Galgan present’s Rand’s banner, along with his renewed request for a meeting. “Seriously, I’ve been trying to book time on your calendar for a month now and you’re always out of office can we at least skype or something this is getting ridiculous.” Welcome to politics, work, and/or adulthood, in which no two people are ever free at the same time. It’s a law of the universe.

“This morning when I arose,” Tuon said, “I saw a pattern like three towers in the sky and a hawk, high in the air, passing between them.”

Hmm. She thinks it indicates upcoming difficult choices – which is kind of like saying that a hurricane indicates upcoming winds – but I’m trying to figure out if there’s something else these particular symbols could represent. Towers and hawks we have in abundance, but this particular combination isn’t ringing any bells. I suppose it could just be random, but…

How did these people live, not knowing the omens?

This right after she dismissed the notion of ta’veren as one of this land’s many ‘superstitions’. I really like this, though – it’s not subtle, but it comes across as very accurate. If you’ll excuse me talking about myself for a minute, I’ve lived in a few different countries and spent a lot of time in others, or in international environments, and this sort of thing happens with an almost laughable frequency. And sometimes it is this obvious, but no one realises until either someone has a sudden flash of insight or a third party points it out. And even then there would usually be a period of both sides attempting to explain why they do thing X, and why X makes sense, when the answer is usually more along the lines of ‘because it’s deeply ingrained in this culture’ than anything else.

Cultural norms are strange things, is what I’m saying, especially when you’re first confronted with some that you never even consciously registered until encountering their absence or opposite accepted as completely normal somewhere else.

(That said, if you make tea in a microwave I will fight you).

Anyway.

Galgan doesn’t think meeting Rand is a great idea. Honestly, at this particular point in time, I’m not sure Tuon meeting Rand is a great idea.

“does the Empire not have other concerns at this time?”

It reminds me of what Egwene said – that the Tower actually can’t focus on the Dragon Reborn until it sorts out some of its own shit. Different situations, though. Basically, everyone who’s focused on the Dragon Reborn needs to step back a bit and make their own beds first. And everyone who’s avoiding any thoughts of the Dragon Reborn needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

Damn it, Word, stop repaginating my 3400 page document.

“He must bow beore the Crystal Throne before the Last Battle can begin.”

There are just so many ways of interpreting that, and all I am certain of is that the correct interpretation will not be the obvious one.

Given how this sort of thing usually plays out in prophecies and other fantasy semantic shenanigans, I’d guess it’ll end up with Rand bowing to Tuon as a sign of respect, but not as a concession.

Tuon’s less focused on wording and more focused on ensuring that Galgan won’t kill her in her sleep. Not yet, anyway.

“Aside from setbacks in Arad Doman”

I’m 92% sure ‘setbacks’ is Rodel Ituralde’s code name.

“The other concern has been the large number of marath’damane concentrated in the place known as Tar Valon. I believe the Highest Daughter has heard of the great weapon they used to destroy a large patch of land north of Ebou Dar.”

Shit. Well, here we go.

“This wondrous ability they have to transport instantly from one place to another”

Damn it.

“I believe that a strike at the very heart of our enemy’s lands would not only be possible, but highly advantageous.”

And there, you might encounter a…setback. By the name of Egwene al’Vere. Elaida also thought a strike at the very heart of the rebels would be possible and highly advantageous.

Come to think of it, she thought the same of a strike at Rand.

This will undoubtedly end well for everyone, is my point here.

True, those marath’damane who had travelled with Matrim had said that they would not take part in wars. Indeed, marath’damane who had once been Aes Sedai had – so far – proven useless as weapons. But could there be some way to twist their supposed vows?

Says she who just wondered how the people of these lands could possibly set some oaths above others. Says she who holds vows and oaths as sacrosanct.

But vows and oaths only apply to humans with agency and autonomy, so I suppose that neatly eliminates any cognitive dissonance this thought might otherwise have caused. How convenient.

Bloodknives? Cool name, and apparently they’re some sort of suicidal super-soldiers. That sounds like good news for everyone involved…

“The Dragon Reborn will not react well to this raid,” Tuon said to Galgan.

No, and also the Amyrlin Seat will not react well to this raid and, just a friendly piece of advice, you might want to start concerning yourselves with that.

��Is he not connected to these marath’damane?”

“By some reports,” Galgan said. “Others say he is opposed to them. Still others say they are his pawns. Our poor intelligence in this area lowers my eyes, Highest Daughter.”

Nah, your intelligence is fine. The correct answer is ‘all of the above, but not exactly’.

“Perhaps the raid will enrage him – but it will also weaken him, which will place you in a better position for negotiating with him.”

Looking at the wreckage formerly known as Dumai’s Wells, I would caution that ‘enraged and weakened’ is…not exactly a combination that puts Rand in a negotiating mood.

Undoubtedly, this was the difficult decision of the omen. But her choice seemed very obvious.

While you’re busy learning about these lands, Tuon, I suggest you look into this genre as well, or really just fiction in general, because ‘undoubtedly’ combined with an interpretation of something like an omen or a prophecy is as good as saying ‘so the opposite of what I say is correct’.

No one objects to the plan.

No one in this room, anyway. Egwene al’Vere strongly objects to this plan. They just don’t know it yet.

Tylee!

“She is one of my finest officers.”

This delights me. Pretty much everything about Tylee delights me.

“It is obvious that you are tired, warrior,” Selucia Voiced.

Warrior. I love it. Also poor Tylee. At least she survived that attack…also you know that post that goes around sometimes? The one that says ‘sometimes you just need to see your favourite character(s) breathing hard and covered in blood’? I don’t know that Tylee qualifies as a favourite, exactly, but she’s a favourite minor character and the general…uh…aesthetic…of that definitely applies. Characters exhausted or at the end of their endurance and pressing through it even though you can see the effort it costs them. It’s a thing.

“If it pleases the Highest Daughter,” Tylee said, voice betraying exhaustion. She nodded to her man, and he opened his sack, dumping things onto the floor. The heads of several animals. A boar, a wolf, and…a hawk? Tuon felt a chill. That hawk’s head was as large as a person’s. Perhaps larger. But they were not…right.

Oh shit. Time to be confronted with those imaginary children’s tales. That must be…fun. Especially given what that implies about all the other things Tuon and the Seanchan have discounted as mere superstition.

“I presume that the Highest Daughter knows of my military venture against the Aiel,” Tylee said

…oh. Not the Shaido. The Aiel.

This isn’t going to end, is it? Two groups, widely viewed as invaders, with sparks being fanned between them. Too much has happened already for this conflict to simply fade.

The Aiel following Rand, unsure of whether they will ever return to the Three-fold Land. The Seanchan, returning to lands they claim as their own, determined to remain. The Aiel, the nation most loyal to Rand. The Seanchan, who believe they will command his obedience. The Aiel, invaders who adapt, and the Seanchan, invaders who demand that all adapt to them. It’s such a lovely set of contrasts amongst the two most ‘foreign’ cultures, and there’s almost a sense of future tragedy being set in motion here, as they are drawn into inevitable conflict, these two peoples who have never met, but are not given the chance to meet peacefully.

“I believe them to be what some on this side of the ocean speak of as Trollocs. I believe them to be coming here.”

Chaos.

Well we all saw that coming.

Tuon felt she should be shocked. But, oddly, she wasn’t. So Matrim was not mistaken about this, she signed covertly to Selucia. And she had assumed Trollocs to be nothing more than superstition. She glanced at the heads again. Revolting.

Selucia seemed troubled. Are there other things he said that we discounted, I wonder?

So she picks up on the implications of this pretty quickly, at least. It isn’t just Trollocs. It’s a blow to their whole worldview and understanding of how things work. Which is something of a recurring theme especially in the Seanchan-based chapters – this idea of how a person’s background shapes their worldview and what happens when that is shaken or challenged. It isn’t strictly limited to the Seanchan – the whole world is in a state of flux and has been for more or less the entire series, and characters and nations are having to fight to hold onto or claim their identities and worldviews and selves.

I like that Selucia can question this, though. She’s well-chosen as a Truthspeaker, it would seem, in that she is able to face and speak difficult truths. Such as the idea that they discounted important information, and that they were mistaken to do so. That they might need to rethink some pretty major things.

I should very much like to have him back. She froze; she hadn’t meant to admit so much. She found her own emotions curious, however.

I like this thing she does, where she analyses her own emotions from a place of near-detachment. It’s weirdly relatable.

Selucia finally tells everyone to calm the fuck down and stop shouting, and they listen, because Selucia is that kind of presence.

“But this only makes it more urgent that we subdue the Dragon Reborn.”

Words like ‘subdue’ just…don’t tend to work very well on Rand. Nor do boxes, just in case you were getting any ideas.

“If it pleases the Highest Daughter,” Tylee said, bowing.

“You are allowed to speak.”

“These last few weeks, I have seen many things that have given me thought,” Tylee said. “Even before my troops were attacked, I was worried. The wisdom and grace of the Highest Daughter undoubtedly let her see further than one such as I, but I believe that our conquests so far in this land have been easy compared to what might come. If I may be so bold…I believe that the Dragon Reborn and those associated with him may make better allies than enemies.”

YES. I LOVE HER.

I also love that she is willing to say this, to the Daughter of the Nine Moons. It’s a dangerously bold statement, even phrased as diplomatically as this, and there’s no way she doesn’t know that. She is very aware of her place, and whom she is talking to, and of how close her suggestion comes to something that could be interpreted as criticism of the Highest Daughter. And she says it anyway. Unasked – she isn’t responding to a direct question with a reluctantly honest opinion, but is actually taking the initiative and speaking up, just barely in turn. Because it’s that important, and because she believes it that strongly.

It is also almost word for word what Tuon said to Beslan about the Seanchan. That they would be better allies than enemies. It’s a beautiful form of turnabout, and I love how that’s been something of a theme in this chapter. How everything is doubled and reflected, in such a way that the parallels and contrasts are obvious to the reader but entirely unnoticed by the characters.

It was a bold statement. […] Many of the low Blood would be so in awe at meeting one of the Empress’s household, much less the Highest Daughter, that they would not dare speak. Yet this woman offered suggestions? In direct opposition to Tuon’s published will?

Indeed she does. Because Tylee is fucking awesome. She’s exhausted and probably terrified, but she will say this because it needs to be said. And she’s right. This is a time when they all have to put other conflicts aside and make difficult alliances sometimes, in order to fight a much greater enemy.

“A difficult decision is not always a decision where both sides are equally matched, Tuon,” Selucia said suddenly. “Perhaps, in this case, a difficult decision is one that is right, but requires an implication of fault as well.”

Selucia is also badass, and yet again able to speak hard truths. That’s her mandate, of course, but she’s also able to see those hard truths in the first place.

To Tuon’s credit, she for her part is able to then listen to those statements, and take them into account when thinking things through, rather than getting angry or trying to deny them.

And yet, meeting with the Dragon Reborn, in person? She did need to contact him, and had planned to. But would it not be better to go to him in strength, his armies defeated, the White Tower torn down?

No. No, it very much would not be better to do that. For anyone. ‘Anyone’ here including ‘literally the entire world and all future generations’.

She needed him brought to the Crystal Throne under very controlled circumstances, with the understanding that he was to submit to her authority.

Yeah, that’s what Elaida thought, too. Why don’t you ask her how well it worked out for her?

Thankfully, she decides against that particular course of action.

“avoid confrontation with the Dragon Reborn. And reply to his request for a meeting. The Daughter of the Nine Moons will meet with him.”

Take two.

Order must be brought to the world. If she had to do that by lowering her eyes slightly and meeting with the Dragon Reborn, then so be it.

It’s another laudable quality of hers, that she is willing to set aside some of her pride for the sake of doing what needs to be done.

It’s just the interpretation of ‘what needs to be done’ or ‘what is right’ that sometimes causes…problems. What a surprise.

Oddly, she felt herself wishing – once again – that Matrim were still with her. […] Stay well, you curious man, she thought, glancing back at the balcony, northward. Do not dig yourself into trouble deeper than you can climb to freedom. You are Prince of the Ravens now. Remember to act appropriately.

Ha.

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#what a well-done chapter #Wheel of Time #neuxue liveblogs WoT #The Gathering Storm

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