September 23rd, 2025

Posted by Molly Templeton

News Predator: Badlands

Predator: Badlands Director Teases Deeper Alien Ties but Says There’s No Xenomorph

The xenomorph is busy elsewhere, I guess.

By

Published on September 23, 2025

Screenshot: 20th Century Studios

Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in Predator: Badlands

Screenshot: 20th Century Studios

The trailers for director Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands have been teasing a very strong connection to the Alien movies in the form of Elle Fanning’s character Thia, a synthetic made by the morally questionable (to put it mildly) Weyland-Yutani corporation. Her presence—and references to the Nostromo, among other details—was enough to make people ask if this film is actually, not-so-secretly, an Alien vs. Predator flick. There’s certainly a Predator: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s Dek, an outcast who sets out on a dangerous hunt.

But there is no alien—not in the xenomorph sense, anyway. (There are many alien things on the deadly planet where Dek and Thia meet.) Trachtenberg confirmed as much to Empire in a recent interview, in which he came right out and said, “There’s no Xenomorph in this movie.” He continued:

But to me, that makes it more exciting. We’re not involving [the Alien franchise] just to smush the action figures together. There are great, organic story reasons for Weyland-Yutani to be in this film.

Of course there is! They make synths! And other technologically advanced and highly dangerous things! But, you know, perhaps there’s more to it than that.

After the success of Prey, it might have seemed natural for Trachtenberg to make a sequel. But he felt the better option was to do something new: His immediate follow-up was the animated Predator: Killer of Killers, and now the upcoming Badlands. “With sequels, people sometimes get so caught up going, ‘This could happen next,’ they never stop to think, ‘Should it happen next?’” he told Empire. “Prey was special because it was this big idea that hadn’t existed before. I wanted the next thing to be that, too.”

The next big idea—directed by Trachtenberg and written by Trachtenberg and Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison—arrives in theaters November 7th.[end-mark]

The post Predator: Badlands Director Teases Deeper Alien Ties but Says There’s No Xenomorph appeared first on Reactor.

Posted by Lute

In the last year, AO3 has seen a rise in “art commission” spambot comments. The bots leaving these comments pretend to be artists who want to make comics or illustrations for a fan’s fic. After convincing their targets to contact them off AO3, they scam their targets into paying for that art. Fans have reported that after sending payment, they either received AI-generated art or nothing at all.

AO3 has been working on various methods that we hope will reduce the spam. However, these scammers are persistent and creative about circumventing our protections.

To avoid falling victim to one of these scams, the Policy & Abuse committee recommends:

  1. Do not commission art from someone who solicits you by commenting on your work on AO3. Commercial activity is prohibited on AO3. If someone is encouraging behavior that violates our Terms of Service, it’s a good idea to be cautious. They likely do not have your best interests in mind.
  2. Do not provide your email or social media contact information to a commenter who asks for it, even if they say they’d just like to discuss your work further. Scammers try to get you to talk to them privately, because it is often easier to deceive or manipulate people in a one-on-one conversation.

Example of this type of scam

An example AO3 comment exchange with a spambot.

Elizabethbrown123: Wow, this fic was amazing! The way you describe things is so vivid and really brought the characters to life. Your work moved me to tears.
cool_username_42069: Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. <3
Elizabethbrown123: You’re welcome! I’m so glad you responded. Do you use Discord or Twitter, or could you tell me your email so we can chat more? I’ve got some ideas I’d love to share with you, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

This is just one example of how a scammer tries to lure the work creator onto a different platform where they can pressure the creator into commissioning art. These scammers use AI to generate realistic-sounding comments. The comments often contain generic praise or statements that could apply to any work, but sometimes they are extremely lengthy and/or specific. If the creator is suspicious and asks why the scammer wants to move the conversation off-site, they will typically claim that they aren’t a scammer and/or that they can explain things better in private.

However, unlike a regular user, a scammer will always do at least one of two things:

  1. They will ask you to commission art from them, or
  2. They will share their contact information and/or ask for your information (such as an email address or username on a site that supports private messaging, like Instagram or Discord)

If you suspect that you’ve received a spam comment on your work, don’t reply and especially do not provide them with your contact information. Just report the comment to Policy & Abuse so that we can take care of it.

What to do if you encounter this scam

If you receive a scam comment from a guest, you can press the “Spam” button on the comment. This helps train our automated spam-checker to better detect this type of behavior.

If you encounter a scammer that has a registered account, or if you encounter a guest posting scam comments on someone else’s work, please report them to the Policy & Abuse committee. To do so:

  1. Select the “Thread” button on the scammer’s comment. This will take you to the specific comment page.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Policy Questions & Abuse Reports.
  3. In the “Brief summary of Terms of Service violation” field, enter “Spambot”.
  4. In the “Description of the content you are reporting” field, enter “This is a spambot, their username is USERNAME.”

Reporting in this fashion helps us auto-sort your report so that it can be handled as soon as a Policy & Abuse volunteer is available. To help us address reports about these types of bots as fast as possible, please only submit one report per account, and don’t include multiple accounts in the same report.

If you encounter a scam commenter on someone else’s work, you can let the work creator know the commenter is likely a bot and link them to this news post.

We also encourage you to share this post on social media and help spread the word about how to protect yourself from scammers and reduce spam on AO3.

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)

WHY

posted by [personal profile] james_davis_nicoll at 12:12pm on 23/09/2025
would my Framework charge if plugged into one outlet but not another? I tested the outlet from which it did not charge and it works for other devices.
yourlibrarian: Buffy's life sucks (BUF-LehSuck-eyesthatslay)
posted by [personal profile] yourlibrarian in [community profile] tv_talk at 11:08am on 23/09/2025 under ,
It’s pretty obvious these days that for many if not most shows, the 3 month break between seasons rarely applies. What are your preferred length of breaks between seasons? Are breaks between seasons too long these days?

Poll #33651 Season Breaks
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

Do you find breaks between seasons to be too long (in general)?

View Answers

Yes
2 (40.0%)

No
1 (20.0%)

Depends on the show
2 (40.0%)

Depends on another factor I'll mention in comments
0 (0.0%)

Which comes closest to how long of a break do you prefer between seasons?

View Answers

3 months
1 (20.0%)

6 months
3 (60.0%)

9 months
1 (20.0%)

1 year
0 (0.0%)

18 months
0 (0.0%)

2 years or more
0 (0.0%)

What factors might affect how long of a break you find suitable?

View Answers

How many episodes each season has
3 (60.0%)

If it's the first season versus a show that has many seasons
1 (20.0%)

The genre of the show
1 (20.0%)

If the show relies on big cliffhangers at the end of seasons
3 (60.0%)

If the actors are very in demand and you'd prefer any wait to a cancellation
1 (20.0%)

If you're only somewhat into the show
2 (40.0%)

If the plot is complex and you don't want to have to keep rewatching before a new season starts
2 (40.0%)

If a long wait means you lose track of its return
4 (80.0%)

If a long wait means it gets supplanted by other shows you watch
1 (20.0%)

Something else mentioned in comments
0 (0.0%)

Posted by Zach Weinersmith



Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Enjoy the forthcoming SMBC compilation on periclinal chimeras.


Today's News:

Posted by Ellyn Lapointe

A ground-level view of a cotton field in Texas suffering from sever drought with a house in the background

Climate change could leave 74% of the world’s drought-prone regions at high risk of severe and prolonged droughts by the end of the century, new research suggests.

Posted by Stefan Raets

Books The Wheel of Time

Reading The Wheel of Time: The Future Isn’t Certain in The Gathering Storm (Part 3)

We’re checking in with Aviendha and Galad this week, as well as revisiting Rand’s struggle with his duty.

By

Published on September 23, 2025

1
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<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Stefan Raets</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/reading-the-wheel-of-time-the-future-isnt-certain-in-the-gathering-storm-part-3/">https://reactormag.com/reading-the-wheel-of-time-the-future-isnt-certain-in-the-gathering-storm-part-3/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=824724">https://reactormag.com/?p=824724</a></p><post-hero class="wp-block-post-hero js-post-hero post-hero post-hero-horizontal"> <div class="container container-desktop"> <div class="flex flex-col mx-auto post-hero-container"> <div class="post-hero-content"> <div class="post-hero-tags font-aktiv text-xs tracking-[0.5px] font-medium uppercase"> <span class="mr-3"> <i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i> <a href="https://reactormag.com/articles/books/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag Books 0"> Books </a> </span> <span class="mr-3"> <i class="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full mr-[5px] bg-blue"></i> <a href="https://reactormag.com/tag/the-wheel-of-time/" class="inline-block link-no-animation" aria-label="Link to term or tag The Wheel of Time 1"> The Wheel of Time </a> </span> </div> <h2 class="post-hero-title text-h1">Reading The Wheel of Time: The Future Isn&#8217;t Certain in <i>The Gathering Storm</i> (Part 3)</h2> <div class="prose post-hero-description prose--post-hero">We&#8217;re checking in with Aviendha and Galad this week, as well as revisiting Rand&#8217;s struggle with his duty.</div> <div class="post-hero-wrapper"> <div class="post-hero-inner"> <p class="post-hero-author text-xs font-aktiv uppercase font-medium [&amp;_a]:link-hover">By <a href="https://reactormag.com/author/kjbarrett/" title="Posts by Sylas K Barrett" class="author url fn" rel="author">Sylas K Barrett</a></p> <span class="post-hero-symbol relative top-[-2px] hidden tablet:block">|</span> <p class="text-xs uppercase post-hero-publish font-aktiv"> Published on 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clip-path="url(#clip0_1051_121783)"> <path d="M2.67871 17.4143C2.12871 17.4143 1.65771 17.2183 1.26571 16.8263C0.873713 16.4343 0.678046 15.9636 0.678713 15.4143C0.678713 14.8643 0.874713 14.3933 1.26671 14.0013C1.65871 13.6093 2.12938 13.4136 2.67871 13.4143C3.22871 13.4143 3.69971 13.6103 4.09171 14.0023C4.48371 14.3943 4.67938 14.865 4.67871 15.4143C4.67871 15.9643 4.48271 16.4353 4.09071 16.8273C3.69871 17.2193 3.22805 17.415 2.67871 17.4143ZM14.6787 17.4143C14.6787 15.481 14.312 13.6683 13.5787 11.9763C12.8454 10.2843 11.841 8.80097 10.5657 7.52631C9.29171 6.25164 7.80871 5.24764 6.11671 4.51431C4.42471 3.78097 2.61205 3.41431 0.678713 3.41431V0.414307C3.02871 0.414307 5.23705 0.860306 7.30371 1.75231C9.37038 2.64431 11.1704 3.85664 12.7037 5.38931C14.237 6.92264 15.4497 8.72264 16.3417 10.7893C17.2337 12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 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12.856 17.6794 15.0643 17.6787 17.4143H14.6787ZM8.67871 17.4143C8.67871 15.1976 7.89971 13.31 6.34171 11.7513C4.78371 10.1926 2.89605 9.41364 0.678713 9.41431V6.41431C2.21205 6.41431 3.64538 6.70197 4.97871 7.27731C6.31205 7.85264 7.47471 8.63597 8.46671 9.62731C9.45805 10.6186 10.2414 11.781 10.8167 13.1143C11.392 14.4476 11.6794 15.881 11.6787 17.4143H8.67871Z" fill="currentColor" fill-opacity="0.2" /> </g> <defs> <clippath id="clip0_1051_121783"> <rect width="17" height="17" fill="white" transform="translate(0.678711 0.414307)" /> </clippath> </defs> </svg> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-hero-media "> <figure class="w-full h-auto post-hero-image"> <img decoding="async" width="740" height="407" src="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ReadingWOT_TGSbook12-740x407.png" class="w-full object-cover" alt="Reading The Wheel of Time on Tor.com: The Gathering Storm" srcset="https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ReadingWOT_TGSbook12-740x407.png 740w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ReadingWOT_TGSbook12-768x422.png 768w, https://reactormag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ReadingWOT_TGSbook12.png 951w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </post-hero> <div class="wp-block-more-from-category"> <div> </div> </div> <p>Hello and welcome back to Reading The Wheel of Time. Last week I said we would be covering chapters three and four, but since chapter four is just a quick check in with Gawyn, so I’ll be including Rand’s part of chapter five in this week’s read. A little Aviendha, a sprinkle of Galad, and then we’re back with Rand again. Let’s get started!</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> <p>Aviendha has joined some True Blood and Maiden scouts to observe a group of Domani refugees. She reflects to herself how strange wetlanders are; the Domani don’t notice the Aiel watching them, and seem to have no scouts and little ability to care for and defend themselves, which is anathema to an Aiel. Aviendha is surprised to find that she has sympathy for these people, something she has picked up from her time with Elayne.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Elayne would not watch these refugees for signs of danger or hidden soldiers. Elayne would feel a responsibility to them, even if they were not of her own people. She would find a way to send food, perhaps use her troops to secure a safe area for them to homestead—and in doing so, acquire a piece of this country for herself.</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Aviendha is struggling to figure out what honor she can have in her new life. She knew exactly how to find it in being a Maiden, something she had always known she would be, and once believed she would die as, after serving her clan and sept every day of her life. She is determined to find that same sense of honor and surety in her new life, but has yet to figure out how. The Wise Ones are very different than the Maidens, and Aviendha appears to have made some kind of misstep in their eyes, offering her no teaching and punishing her for some transgression Aviendha has made but cannot seem to figure out. Until she can, she will never become a Wise One herself, which means never gaining enough honor to be able to lay a bridal wreath at Rand’s feet.</p> <p>Rejoining the rest of their small advance party, Rhuarc makes his report to Amys, Bair, Melaine, and Nadere. Rhuarc mentions that the clans are uncertain what the <em>car’a’carn</em> wishes of them; his orders are clear, but his intentions confusing. After Rhuarc leaves, Aviendha is told off by the Wise Ones for going with the scouting parties.</p> <p>As the Aiel move off, Aviendha is questioned by Amys about her interpretation of Rand al’Thor’s orders and Rhuarc’s expression of concern. Questioned more directly about Rand, Aviendha admits that she has learned from Elayne that there is more than one way to be strong. She worries that Rand has not yet learned that. She tells Amys about Min’s vision of the three women Rand will love and of Aviendha’s children by him. She admits, however, that while the viewing implies marriage, it does not guarantee it.</p> <p>Realizing that the future isn’t certain brings Aviendha comfort. She is also comforted when Amys brings up the topic of punishment, as this means that Aviendha will still have time to discover what she has done wrong and correct it. However, she is appalled when the punishment she is given is to sort and count a bag of mixed beans. This is useless work, almost as if the Wise Ones were calling her <em>da’tsang</em>. In shock, she mutters to herself, wondering what it is she did, but Amys doesn’t reply, because having to be told what she did would of course only bring Aviendha more shame. She is more determined than ever to figure out what she did.</p> <p>Gawyn and his Younglings have been sent by Elaida to harry the rebel army. It is a pointless exercise, and Gawyn has only managed to keep his Younglings hidden because he knows his former mentor so well. Gawyn is beginning to feel as though he is destined to fight against every man who was once a mentor to him. He thought he was over the deaths of Hammar and Coulin, his Warder teachers, but now, facing his first and most influential teacher, he is feeling uncertain about his choices and his place.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>[Egwene] had chosen a side. Hammar had chosen a side. Gareth Bryne had, apparently, chosen a side. But Gawyn continue to want to be on both sides. The division was ripping him apart.</p></blockquote></figure> <p>The other Younglings are content to accept that the Wheel weaves as it wills, and to accept that they should not question Aes Sedai; they think of themselves as behaving like Warders despite the fact that they have not yet been bonded. Gawyn, on the other hand, has long suspected that Elaida is trying to get the Younglings out of the way, with the current situation quickly cementing that suspicion into certainty. </p> <p>He turns his men back towards Dorlan, hoping that maybe the Aes Sedai will have a suggestion about what to do next.</p> <p>In Arad Doman, Rand crosses Bashere’s camp, trailed as usual by a group of Aes Sedai and his guard of Aiel Maidens. One of the Aes Sedai with him is Elza Penfell, who was part of the group who beat him and kept him in the box when he was a prisoner, and who has now sworn allegiance to him. The other is Corele Hovian, one of Cadsuane’s followers. Despite the fact that she has not sworn to him, Rand is almost tempted to trust her since she was part of the effort to save his life when he was wounded by Fain’s dagger.  </p> <p>They reach the roped-off area used for Traveling, where a group of Sea Folk are arriving. Harine is taken aback when Rand immediately tells her that he has questions for her. He starts by asking about the ships that were promised, and is upset that it has been weeks with no sign of them. Harine reminds him that even the swiftest ships take time to cross such a great distance, and that they have to pass through Seanchan-controlled waters. She suggests that he is unused to dealing with the realities of shipping and war because of his ability to use gateways, and is visibly shocked when Rand suggests that the Sea Folk are deliberately lagging because they dislike the agreement between themselves and Rand.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Harine looked as if she’d been slapped. “Surely,” she said, “the Coramoor does not imply that we would not keep to our Bargain.”<br><br>The Sea Folk were stubborn and prideful, Wavemistresses more than most. They were like an entire race of Aes Sedai. He hesitated. <em>I should not insult her so, not because I am frustrated about other things.</em> “No,” he finally said. “No, I do not imply that. Tell me, Harine, were you punished much for your part in our agreement?”</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Harine, clearly influenced by Rand’s <em>ta’veren</em> power to say things she would rather not, admits that she was hung upside down by her ankles and strapped. Rand is surprised at the harshness of the punishment, but she answers that it could have been worse—she wasn’t stripped of her position as Wavemistress.</p> <p>Rand forces himself to tell her that he is glad she is back, and that he is impressed with her levelheadedness. He tells her he wants to ask her a delicate question, and inquires about what the Sea Folk do with men who can channel. When she is reluctant to speak of it, he offers to answer one question of her choosing in return. She accepts, and admits that men who can channel are given a choice either to step from the bow of the ship with a stone tied to their legs, or to be dropped off on a barren island with no food or water.</p> <p>Rand tells her that the practice must stop, now that <em>saidin</em> has been cleansed. Harine tells him that it is a difficult thing to accept, saying she believes that Rand believes it to be true.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Rand gritted his teeth, forcing down another burst of anger, his hand forming a fist. He had cleansed the taint! He, Rand al’Thor, had performed a deed the likes of which had not been seen since the Age of Legends. And how was it treated? With suspicion and doubt. Most assumed that he was going mad, and therefore seeing a “cleansing” that had not really happened.</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Rand thinks of a time when male channelers were as respected as their female counterparts, and how desperately he needs men who can touch the one power. He realizes, suddenly, that he’s thinking about the age of male channelers, and about one channeler, Jorlen Corbesan, in particular, as if it was something he experienced instead of a memory of Lews Therin.</p> <p>Rand feels despair in the thought that he is losing himself to Lews Therin, but at the same time he can’t make himself want to be rid of Lews Therin, not when the man knows a way to seal the Bore, even if imperfectly.</p> <p>He realizes that he’s muttering out loud to himself and returns to the matter at hand. Harine decides to wait to ask a question of him, once she has had time to think about it.</p> <p>Rand asks Elza what she thinks about the cleansing of <em>saidin</em>, and she gives a very non-committal, Aes Sedai answer. Corele has felt <em>saidin</em> through Damer and affirms that it is cleansed, but Elza points out how it took decades after the breaking for people to believe that all male channelers really were doomed to go insane, and it will probably take even longer for people to overcome their deeply ingrained distrust of <em>saidin</em>.</p> <p>Rand thinks about men continuing to be killed or gentled even though there is no longer any need, about how he has bound most nations to himself but knows that tight cords can snap violently.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>What would happen when he died? Wars and devastation to match the Breaking? He hadn’t been able to help that last time, for his madness and grief at Ilyena’s death had consumed him. Could he prevent something similar this time? Did he have a choice?</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Rand looks at the soldiers and the common people going about their daily tasks in the camp and envies them. He whispers as much to himself, and Flinn is surprised. Flinn thinks that the Pattern itself probably bends to Rand’s will if he wants it to. Rand explains that each of the ordinary people in the camp could leave if they wished, simply ride away and leave the battle to others.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>“I’ve known a few Saldaeans in my day, my Lord,” Flinn said. “Forgive me, but I have doubts that any one of them would do that.”<br><br>“But they <em>could</em>,” Rand said. “It’s possible. For all their laws and oaths, they are free. Me, I <em>seem</em> as if I can do as I wish, but I am tied so tightly the bonds cut my flesh. My power and influence are meaningless against fate. My freedom is all just an illusion, Flinn. And so I envy them. Sometimes.”</p></blockquote></figure> <p>A scout arrives to warn of Aiel on the hilltop, and doesn’t seem to understand that if he was able to spot the Aiel, that was intentional on the new arrivals’ part. Rand sends the scout to inform Bashere that they are going to meet with Rhuarc and Bael. It is time to secure Arad Doman.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Or maybe it was time to destroy it. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell the difference.</p></blockquote></figure> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> <p>There is something very worrying about Rand’s attitude in <em>The Gathering Storm</em>, even in comparison to how he was in the previous few books. I wouldn’t quite go so far as to call it nihilistic, since he still believes in the world and that it’s worth saving, but it does feel like he’s tending in a nihilistic direction. We’re seeing a bitterness growing in him, alongside (or perhaps sprouting from) the hardness he has so deliberately and carefully cultivated. It’s more than just pain at the burden he has to bear, and it has a nasty quality to it that I can’t quite put my finger on but definitely did not feel from Rand before, even when he was being unreasonable.</p> <p>In the past, characters have often interpreted Rand as being arrogant and self-important when really he was actually scared or desperate, and covering that attitude with a mask of hardness and control. But he has been cultivating that hardness inside as well as out, so much so that in this chapter that he is actually a little regretful that he can’t summon up an attitude of kindness towards Harine. And he is arrogant.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>Once, Rand might have been surprised at how quickly he was obeyed, but no longer. It was right for the soldiers to obey. Rand was a king, though he didn’t wear the Crown of Swords at the moment.</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Rand doesn’t just think of himself as being owed deference but actually as being owed pure obedience. The above quote is a milder example than, say, his angry impatience with Darlin asking for orders, or his anger towards the Sea Folk for the limitations of how fast their ships can travel through Seanchan-infested waters. We have seen other examples in other chapters, and previous books, of how frustrated Rand becomes when people don’t immediately do what he orders exactly as he has ordered.</p> <p>Carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders has started to give him a martyr complex, I think. That’s not even entirely wrong: He is a martyr, designated so by the weaving of the Wheel and probably the will of the Creator himself. But he has moved from feeling the burden of all he needs to accomplish and being understandably annoyed by the petty squabbling of nobles and nations who won’t acknowledge the nearness of the Last Battle to believing that he alone has the answers to every problem, and that the best thing for the fate of the world would be unquestioning obedience.</p> <p>He is still forced to consult people, occasionally, but mostly, Rand is dictating everything that everyone around him does. And what limitations he does have—being forced to be polite to Cadsuane and occasionally rely on her council, answering to his responsibilities towards the Aiel and the Sea Folk—are a hindrance that he’d cut away if he could.</p> <p>One can hardly blame Rand for feeling like his burden is unfair and heavier than those of other people. However, he has let that pain cut him off from being connected to other people; it might even been as responsible for his lack of emotional connection to humanity as the hardness he has cultivated. And that seems to be a very dangerous place for a man who is meant to save mankind to be. If he loses his love and care and empathy for humanity, why would he continue to fight and sacrifice so much on its behalf?</p> <p>I would also question Rand’s assertion that only he is trapped by destiny and that others could turn aside if they wanted and he cannot. It&#8217;s probably somewhat true for some people; we have been told by the likes of Loial and Moiraine that those with great power and great destinies have less freedom than those without. However, even though Rand might be the most influential thread in the Pattern, every life is woven into it by the Wheel, and every life is constrained by how much the person’s own desires can affect their place in the Pattern. A farmer can move to the city, but he can’t become a king, etc. If we measured it out, perhaps Rand would be more constrained than most people, but what’s important about this fact is not whether it is strictly true but how focused Rand is on defining himself by the idea. Duty is a heavy burden, but fate, I think, is a heavier one.</p> <p>Because Rand’s destiny is a difficult and painful one, I think he sees every aspect of it as inevitable, but that is not necessarily true. Flinn is hitting on this when he responds to Rand’s assertion that any of the camp followers or soldiers have the freedom to quit and ride away and leave the responsibility for the fight to others. Rand misses Flinn’s point, but what the old soldier turned Asha’man is hitting on is the fact that the Saldaeans won’t abandon their duty. Whether that is because they choose not to or because the Pattern won’t allow them to becomes functionally irrelevant. It’s a matter for philosophers, maybe, but it doesn’t change the lives of those who are dedicated to doing their duty.</p> <p>If it’s irrelevant for the Saldaeans, then it is also irrelevant for Rand. Sure, when he first started to realize that he was probably the Dragon Reborn, Rand spent a little bit of time avoiding recognizing that truth, and sometimes he would rail against the consequences of that identity (like when the little girl was killed during the attack on the Stone of Tear, way back in <em>The Shadow Rising</em>) but he has never really tried to shirk his duty to the world or to escape the fate destiny gave him. He could have run away into the wilds, or gotten on a boat and sailed away from the continent, or tried to kill himself. Heck, he could have decided he didn’t want to fight and turned himself over to the Dark One. We don’t know if the Pattern would have allowed that or not. We don’t know if the Wheel would have spun obstacles into his way to stop him from succeeding in fleeing from his destiny, because Rand, even this hardened, exhausted version of Rand, isn’t the kind of person who would do that.</p> <p>Is that because the Pattern made him that way, perhaps through the threads of fate that led to him being raised by Tam al’Thor? Or is that just his nature? In the latter case, can we say it came from nowhere? From his soul’s previous experiences in other turnings of the Wheel? From the Creator himself?</p> <p>Again, it is an interesting question to ask from a philosophical point of view, but functionally, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is, for Rand, for his generals, for the least camp follower. For everyone.</p> <p>That, after all, is what Moiraine says in the memory Rand recalls near the end of the section.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left"><blockquote><p>It does not matter whether we choose or are chosen. What must be, must be.</p></blockquote></figure> <p>Moiraine took strength from that idea, but for Rand, it is more of a burden or a test he must bear up under.</p> <p>Perhaps spending time with Aviendha again will help Rand reframe his struggle with his fate. She knows what it feels like to be trapped by the Wheel, and by what others expect of her. As an Aiel woman born with the spark, Aviendha’s culture dictated what she must do with her life. If she could have followed her own desires, she would have remained a maiden for the rest of her life. She can understand what that feels like better than Elayne (who knows the burden of duty but also wants it and has been prepared for it all her life) or Min (whose visions are a restrictive burden but whose life outside of them is relatively free from responsibility).</p> <p>Aviendha also learned that she was fated to love Rand before she actually felt that emotion, and tried to run from it because it seemed to be a betrayal of Elayne and therefore a great dishonor to Aviendha herself. At one point we saw her literally running from him in her dreams. Even now Aviendha is struggling to understand who she is and what honor there is in her new life and new role. She would be able to relate to Rand, once a shepherd, now a king and the de facto leader of the world; the struggle to understand oneself in a new context is something she could empathize with, and perhaps make him feel less alone.</p> <p>She even tells Amys how she once thought there was only one way to be strong, and that she learned from Elayne that she was wrong. She knows that Rand hasn’t learned this yet, and even states that she thinks he mistakes hardness for strength.</p> <p>However, there is another aspect to all of this that is just as important as the knowledge that Rand is becoming hard and un-empathetic and unreachable, which is that it hasn’t happened yet.</p> <p>It occurred to me while I was coming up with ways that Rand could try to escape his fate that there’s always balefire as an option. Even the Pattern gives way to balefire. Rand got Aviendha and Mat back after Rahvin killed them (and Asmodean). So if he really wanted his own way…</p> <p>I’m not saying it’s a good idea, I’m just saying that it’s possible, and the fact that Rand hasn’t even considered that balefire could be used as a get-out-of-the-Pattern-free card shows that he isn’t actually totally gone yet. There is still some hope there, some belief in the fight that he is fighting.</p> <p>Even more evocative of the good and caring person that is still inside Rand is his concern for the future of the world after Tarmon Gai’don. I don’t think anyone could fault him for washing his hands of everything that comes after the Last Battle. Keeping the Dark One from destroying creation is enough responsibility for anyone; if he succeeded in that task, it would be more than fair for Rand to leave the rest of the future up to someone else.</p> <p>But Rand is driven by the desire to leave something good behind when he dies. It’s why he’s started his schools for inventors, and why he worries in this chapter over whether the nations will fall into chaos and war against each other after he dies. Rand still cares about people, that much is clear. That care, like his love for Min, and Elayne, and Aviendha, is going to be the thing that allows the Rand they knew, that we knew, to come back.</p> <p>All this also makes me think about how Cadsuane is going about teaching Rand the wrong way. She is forcing him to be polite to her, which is fine, but while it’s probably good for Rand to have some people in his life who will stand up to him and demand he act respectfully, Rand having manners, or even thinking that manners are important, isn’t really his problem. His problem is feeling like he has all the responsibility and no choices, and as long as Cadsuane is calling him boy and treating him like an ignorant country lout, Rand is just going to dig his heels in more, both because he believes being immovable is part of being hard (and therefore strong) and also because of that natural Two Rivers stubbornness. He might even act as Cadsuane wants, but he won’t learn anything emotionally, and that is where the truly important lesson lies.</p> <p>But we’ll talk more about Cadsuane next week when we finish off chapter five with her section. In the meantime, there is another young man who is dealing with responsibility and being tossed around by fate, and that is Gawyn Trakand.</p> <p>I really felt for Gawyn in his section. Galad is the brother who suffers from “do what is right no matter the cost” disease, but Gawyn is in many ways struggling with the same problem. When the fighting broke out in the White Tower, Gawyn did what he thought was right in defending the sitting Amyrlin, which was Elaida. There was no way he could have known what exactly was happening amongst the Aes Sedai or the complexities of Tower Law and the election of Amyrlins in order to understand what was really happening, so it makes sense that he and his Younglings fought on the side of Elaida, who as far as they could tell would have appeared to be the legitimate Amyrlin. Some of the Warders they defeated, like Hammar and Coulin, might have sided against Elaida because they understood what was happening more completely than the Younglings did, or they might have followed the lead of their Aes Sedai. I don’t believe we are told who either of the men were bonded to, though we do know that Gawyn killed  Hammar when the latter attempted to free Suian from prison.</p> <p>So it does make sense that Gawyn fought on the side he did, just as it makes sense that he is now questioning if he ended up on the right side. I was initially surprised to see that he is still waffling; he has suspected for a while that Elaida was trying to get the Younglings killed, and now, of course, he can see that they are being sent on a useless errand (also likely to get them killed) to keep them out of her way. When you add the fact that Egwene has chosen the side of the rebels, it’s hard to see what it is, exactly, that Gawyn is still wavering about.</p> <p>True, Gawyn believes that Rand murdered his mother, but he has no real reason as far as I can recall for him to believe that the rebels have sided with Rand. Even if Gawyn has heard the rumors about Aes Sedai being sworn to Rand (he was at Dumai’s wells, of course, but did not witness Rand compelling both prisoner and ally Aes Sedai to swear obedience), that doesn’t really put one side more in league with the Dragon Reborn than the other.</p> <p>But there is still the question of “the right thing to do.” As far as Gawyn knows, Elaida became the Amyrlin Seat legally. He is the son of a queen after all, and meant to be First Prince of the Sword to Elayne, so he has a strong sense of what it means to be loyal to one’s leader. Perhaps that ingrained sense of loyalty to a throne, or a seat, makes him want Elaida’s side to be the right side. Of course, since he has killed mentors and friends in defense of Elaida’s position, it would be particularly painful to then reverse his choice and to recognize that he was wrong to do as he did. That he was potentially wrong to kill those men.</p> <p>Gawyn’s plight fits the strong theme of duty and fate that has been present so far in <em>The Gathering Storm</em>. We see him wonder if he is destined to fight against every man who has ever mentored him, just as Rand and Aviendha wonder about their own destinies. We also see that what he really needs to do is make a choice and commit to it. I imagine that his love of Egwene will eventually make the difference. His loyalty to Elayne could also lead him back to Caemlyn, but I think he feels too much responsibility towards the Younglings to abandon them. Not yet, anyway.</p> <p>Aviendha, on the other hand, has made her commitment. In her section we learn that she is ashamed of her reticence in giving up the spears and taking up the mantle of a Wise One, and also that she is comfortable now in the clothes and trappings of her new life but isn’t sure how best to gain honor in her new life, and how best to serve her clan and her sept. Since she is still an apprentice, this is especially difficult; her duty at the moment is mostly to obey and learn. I think she will become a Wise One soon, once she figures out what she has done wrong and why she is being punished so frequently.</p> <p>Somehow, I doubt that Aviendha has actually committed a terrible sin without knowing it. It’s not impossible, of course, but she does note several times in her section that her questioning seems almost like a test. When Amys is asking her what she thinks of Rhuarc&#8217;s comments and then how she evaluates Rand, Aviendha is certain that Amys must already have her own evaluation of the circumstances and can’t possible be needing Aviendha’s observations or advice. To me, it seemed much more like Amys was testing Aviendha to see if she ready to be a Wise One, to be someone who leads the clan with wisdom and can make important decisions and pass down judgment.</p> <p>She particularly notes how important Aviendha’s time with Elayne was for her, and what Aviendha learned most from Elayne was how to see things from different perspectives and how to be an effective leader. Elayne knows how to lay down the law but also how to care for her people; she can be strict when necessary but also provide guidance to bring out the best in those who serve her.</p> <p>I’m not sure how the punishments relate to Aviendha being tested for readiness to be made a full Wise One, but it would make sense if there were some kind of trial or physical test the apprentices had to go through, just as there is a physical test for Aes Sedai to obtain the shawl. Maybe a clue lies in the fact that Aviendha can’t figure out what the tests are for. Maybe her job is to reason out one last lesson.</p> <p>We’ll have to wait a while to find out, but I’m looking forward to seeing some decisions and discoveries being made by Aviendha and by Gawyn. I’m also desperate to see where Rand’s character arc is going, and what can be done to finally teach him that hardness is not the same thing as strength, and that he can still find beauty in the world even with all the burdens and pain he is carrying.</p> <p>I hope he can, anyway. I found that last line of his section particularly troubling. In earlier books, I would have taken it as just another expression of Rand’s pain in experiencing the death and chaos that comes with the changes he brings and the time he was born into. But now, I wonder if he isn’t actually pretty close to not being able to tell the difference between protecting something and destroying it.</p> <p>It’s a chilling thought.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> <p>We’ll finish up chapter five next week, as Cadsuane and Merise interrogate Semirhage, and then spend some time with Ituralde before returning to the White Tower and Egwene’s fight to save it in chapter 6.[end-mark]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://reactormag.com/reading-the-wheel-of-time-the-future-isnt-certain-in-the-gathering-storm-part-3/">Reading The Wheel of Time: The Future Isn&#8217;t Certain in &lt;i&gt;The Gathering Storm&lt;/i&gt; (Part 3)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reactormag.com">Reactor</a>.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/reading-the-wheel-of-time-the-future-isnt-certain-in-the-gathering-storm-part-3/">https://reactormag.com/reading-the-wheel-of-time-the-future-isnt-certain-in-the-gathering-storm-part-3/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://reactormag.com/?p=824724">https://reactormag.com/?p=824724</a></p>
runpunkrun: spock holding a furry alien in his arms (actually a dog in an alien suit) (spock says fml)
Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series
Characters/Pairings: James T. Kirk's nipples
Rating: Not rated, but G+ for fondant nipples
Creator Link: [tumblr.com profile] jb612 & [tumblr.com profile] violetnebula19
Theme: Food & Cooking, (Not Really) Character Death

Summary: A birthday cake.

Reccer's Notes: Our founder [personal profile] jerakeen once lamented that we hadn't ever had a fancake recced on the comm. Now that we've had The Untamed cupcakes, it reminded me I've had this rec sitting in my drafts for literal years, so: Please enjoy this beautifully rendered cake of James T. Kirk's nipple window as seen on TV in the episode Amok Time, 1967.

Fanwork Link: Star Trek Amok Time Cake

Posted by Sarah

Books reading recommendations

Adventures in Tourism: Five SFF Stories About Travel

Oh, the joys (and perils) of visiting unfamiliar places and times…

By

Published on September 23, 2025

Photo by Andrew Neel [via Unsplash]

Photo of maps in a large pile

Photo by Andrew Neel [via Unsplash]

The world exhibiting as it does a marvellous diversity of cultures, the question arises of how best to appreciate them. Unimpeachable experts1 assure us that the answer is “in person.” Pictures in magazines and dense text in hefty tomes are fine, but neither can replace reality.

Perhaps examples of the wonders awaiting travellers are in order. Here are the first five that came to mind.

“Coming Attraction” by Fritz Leiber (1950)

Cover of The Best of Fritz Leiber

World War III failed to destroy either the United States or their Russian rivals. The nuclear exchange only inflamed the rivalry. Both sides spare no effort preparing for the next, quite possibly final, nuclear war. Thus, Englishman Wysten Turner’s purpose for visiting what remains of New York: trading American grain for British electronics that will no doubt find their way into the proposed American moon base.

Carefree hot-rodders provide Turner with an unexpected meet-cute, as he pulls an American woman out of the path of a fish-hook-festooned car. Although her name is as much a mystery as her face—no decent American woman would appear in public without her mask—Turner is enchanted. Too bad for poor Turner, who might have been better off remaining in England.

There’s nothing horrific under the mask; just a perfectly normal, if unadorned, face. This isn’t one of those atomic mutant stories. It’s more of a romance… just not for Turner.

“Nobody’s Home” by Joanna Russ (1972)

Cover of Women of Wonder

The Kamarovs revel in utopia. Every need is a whim away, whether food, global travel or delightfully convoluted romantic lives. Even better, every member of the family is a well-adjusted genius. The Kamarovs are the sort of people with whom one might want to share utopia. Just ask the Kamarovs!

Enter the stranger. Leslie is hard-working and diligent, but she isn’t as pretty, clever, or as delightfully witty as the Kamarovs. Is there a place in the Kamarov orbit for someone so relentless ordinary as Leslie… or are there limits to the Kamarov inventiveness?

It’s a bit unclear how many people like Leslie share this world with the Eloi at its center, as under usual circumstances, the Kamarovs would never sully their consciousness acknowledging someone like Leslie.

Seven American Nights by Gene Wolfe (1978)

Cover of The Island of Doctor Death by Gene Wolfe

Hassan Kerbelai quests after news of young Nadan Jaffarzadeh, who vanished during a trip to America. Of Nadan himself, no sign can be found. However, Hassan is in possession of Nadan’s journals, which document his experiences in the America of tomorrow. Perhaps these will provide a clue…

Although much reduced from its golden age, backward America is not quite so impoverished as tales would have it. Or at least, the polluted wreck of a once-great nation still offers delights to wealthy visitors. But as Nadan belatedly realizes, it also offers dreadful revelation.

It’s not entirely clear what Nadan discovered. What is obvious is that Nadan could teach a masterclass in stubbornly refusing to correlate all of the information at hand, because the conclusion would be unpleasant.

Pillars of Salt by Barbara Paul (1979)

Cover of Pillars of Salt by Barbara Paul

Mid-21st-century America never invented physical time travel. They have something even better. They can project their minds as passive observers into the bodies of people in the past. This allows the travellers to experience the wonders of the past without any risk of changing history or suffering personal injury. Or so they believed.

Angie Patterson witnesses Queen Elizabeth’s brush with death due to smallpox. To Angie’s surprise, Elizabeth dies… then is resurrected thanks to some as yet mysterious consequence of hosting out-of-time visitors. The past is not immune to future tampering! And as Angie will discover, the future is not immune to the past.

The book doesn’t detail the full range of regulation applied to time travel. Judging by the manner in which it is used—for everything from sex education to entertainment—whatever controls these people have in place are not nearly enough…even ignoring Angie’s discoveries about causality and body-hopping.

“The Feast of Saint Janis” by Michael Swanwick (1980)

Cover of The Best of Michael Swanwick

Post-collapse America2 may be impoverished, but its medical schools are still the finest on the planet. New Africa is wealthy and powerful, but in this one field, they lag behind the US. New Africa can offer advanced technological services if the US agrees to train African medical students. It’s Wolfgang Hans Mbikana’s task to convince uncooperative American officials to agree.

Life isn’t all negotiations with pricky Americans. Wolf is drawn into the orbit of Maggie Horowitz, Janis Joplin impersonator. Or rather, he is careful guided. Maggie represents a truth about America that the American government very much wants New Africa to understand.


People have been telling stories about the joys of visiting unfamiliar, far-off lands throughout all of written history. The above is a very small sample. No doubt you have your favourites—don’t everyone mention Xenophon’s Anabasis!—which you are invited to mention in comments below.[end-mark]

  1. Destination Ontario. ↩
  2. Yes, a lot of these tales are set in the US. This is because the stories were written by Americans for a primarily American audience. CBC Radio’s Nightfall radio show (no relation to the Asimov) featured as one of its recurring themes visits by Canadians to various dreadful destinations within Canada, which to the Toronto writers behind the show appeared to be defined as “anywhere outside the GTA.” Which frankly I find astonishing, as it suggests Torontonians are aware there’s a Canada outside the GTA. ↩

The post Adventures in Tourism: Five SFF Stories About Travel appeared first on Reactor.

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