#big Moiraine vibes

[trollocks-in-my-bollocks]

Look at Mylène and her 5 warders slaying

[sadhorsegirl]

rewatching black sails rn and trying to determine if there really are strong parallels between flint and moiraine or if the illness has finally overtaken me

[jaqobis]

i will say, among other reasons this moiraine plot is a strange choice, it's not...like there isn't preexisting material for her and lan having friction? they're at odds about how to treat rand as early as tgh and that continues till the aiel waste storyline iirc. lan struggling with her methods now that they've found the dragon could've been fodder for conflict

[butterflydm]

2x8 - now with some minor book spoilers

the vibe of Moiraine being Rand's herald, essentially, in these moments rather than up on the tower with the others. That vibed hard for me. Loved that. And Moiraine and Lan's moment of opening the bond up again was so beautiful.

Loved that Rand stood up under the force of the shield (he was making progress on that last episode).

I loved that Nynaeve's contributions were actually (almost) entirely unrelated to any big flashy uses of the One Power, which she hated everyone focusing on at the start of the season because she only wanted to look out for Egwene. She helped Elayne by being a Wisdom!

I think I was right that Mat pretended back in 2x6 that he didn't know Rand was 'dead' because he was deliberately getting Rand to talk about it so that he could reassure him, because Mat knows exactly why Perrin is baffled to hear that Rand is here and reassures him that Rand's alive.

Mat got to prove that he is such a good person here. He was clever, he was kind... and he still kinda fucked up on the tower, but it's okay, because everyone fucks up sometimes. They did the stabbing in a really great way that makes it obvious why Rand will obviously not hold it against him, because Mat was trying to stab Ishy. But Mat fighting with the Heroes! Mat BEING one of the Heroes!

And Mat did NOT touch the dagger, which feels like confirmation that we're not bringing the main cast back to the White Tower next season.

I am so glad we got our Rand-Elayne meet-cute. She got to tend his wound but it was his big unhealing wound! We got our 'bird with a broken wing' moment. I hope we get to see him make her a flower out of feathers <3

Egwene protecting Rand until Moiraine was able to unshield him was lovely. Just... the support that everyone was giving each other. There was so much love between all of them. I'm sure that some people will be upset that Rand didn't get to solo Ishamael, but I'm a found family girl first and foremost, so I love that the people he loves most were there to help him so that he could do what he needed to do. And he did just straight-up murder Turak.

the show was actually really ruthless with the Seanchan body count in a way that makes me... very hopeful about upcoming storylines.

Also, Dain calling Perrin "Two Rivers" and fighting next to him and then seeing Perrin kill his dad... is the show gonna make me ship Perrin/Dain? Is that what you're doing?

(Hopper broke my heart. I was sure it would happen, but I was still heartbroken)

...Elayne is gonna have so many questions. SO MANY questions.

Aviendha looking up and seeing our babies up there! And the dragon! People of the Dragon! <3 <3 <3 <3

Oh, and Lanfear being a key player in the plan because she was planning to kill Ishy, dump the rest of the Forsaken in the ocean, and then have her happily ever after with 'Lews Therin' only to get thwarted because Ishamael saw her betrayal coming: classic Forsaken. I am fascinated by the idea that Lanfear is now under orders NOT to bother Rand because she can't be trusted around him.

[markantonys]

i wanted to do a little mulling over of my opinions on book vs. show versions of characters! so far, for me personally, there is no one who is notably worse-written in the show and many who are notably better-written. however, note that i'm judging based on "how good of a character is the show version to me & how good of a character is the book version to me?" and i am NOT judging based on "how similar to the book version is the show version?" (for example, to me min is a better character in the show specifically BECAUSE she's nothing like her book version)

characters i so far like equally and/or find equally well-written in the show as in the books: rand, elayne, egwene, nynaeve, moiraine*, verin, loial

characters i so far like more and/or find better-written in the show compared to the books: mat**, perrin, min, lan, lanfear, ishamael, liandrin, alanna, logain, dain bornhald

digging their vibes so far but haven't seen enough of their show versions yet to judge the true meat of their characters since they don't become big characters until TSR/season 3: siuan, aviendha

*i considered placing moiraine in the second category since the show's obviously given her much more prominence compared to the books, but i don't have that same feeling of "wow, what a marked improvement on the book version!" as i do for the others in the second category, and so i decided to call her Just As Good. (and to be honest i wasn't very invested in her in the books and am also not very invested in her in the show, so both versions are on equal footing in that regard lmao)

**mat is an interesting case because, as long as we're looking at only the first 9 books before he gets completely character-assassinated, he is already my 3rd or 4th favorite character! but i love book!mat mostly for being my silly little guy; he doesn't Emotionally Move Me for the most part (bar a couple specific moments like him freeing the windfinders in WH). show!mat, however, is still my silly little guy AND ALSO Emotionally Moves Me to a deep degree, and so i have to mark him down as being better in the show (to me).

[staledirt87]

There's always a character I dislike in high fantasy books. Mistborn? Vin, ironically enough. Stormlight Archive? Don't really vibe with Shallan. Kingkiller Chronicles? Kvothe's love interest, starts with a D I forgot her name (been waiting so long for the third book I forgot a lot).

Wheel of Time, though, is one of the first book series I actually like all of the main cast, and with how big it is, that's really hard to do. Rand? Adore him, he's going through so much and everyone either wants to kill him, use him, or both. Perrin? I love his character and also he can talk to wolves sooo. Mat? Didn't like him at first but we never got his perspective until half way through the third book where I fell in love with him, and he was dying/mentally unwell the previous books. Moiraine? Girlboss, probably a lesbian with her relationship with the Amyrlin so far. Lan? I love myself a sacrifial "emotionless" body guard. Egwene? Probably my least favorite, but I still like her a lot. Nynaeve? Used to not like her, but then I realized she's just like me fr and I opened my mind to her presence. Elayne? Love the princess aura. Gawyn? Shares a name with my fav knight and also a wet dog.

[agardenandlibrary]

The Shadow Rising: chapters 23-26

okay, some stuff happens.

They make it to Rhuidean and Rand+Mat immediately are like - hey, I gotta go into your sacred city and I’m not leaving my boyfriend behind. The Aiel Wise Ones are like - Well, you might as well; the whole world is changing. Aviendha and Moiraine also go into the city. Avi needs to do the Aiel equivalent of the Accepted test, and Moiraine's just nosy.

Egwene gets set up w/ the Wise Ones and we learn more neat Aiel stuff!

Rand+ Mat go in together. Mat finds another Doorway like the one in Tear and goes in, determined to ask the right questions this time. So he goes through the doorway to Faerie and does not realize that the Unseelie world has different rules. But he gets 3 boons: his memory holes filled, a way to be free from the influence of the Power, and a way out and back to Rhuidean.

RAND, MEANWHILE he goes on the same vision quest all Aiel chieftains must go on. He lives the brief moments in life of certain people, tracing the history of the Aiell all the way back to the breaking of the world 3,000 years ago.

This was very cool. Not least because we got to see the pre-Breaking world.

(Sidenote: did that one lady really say "hey, I found a way for men and women to channel from the same Source”, only for that source to be the Dark One? Ironclad ovaries, ma'am.)

We find out the Aiel served the Aes Sedai - for what reason or in what capacity, still unsure. After the Breaking, the Aiel wandered, charged with staying alive and keeping the various angreals safe. I get the feeling that staying alive is the more important of those tasks.

Over time, the Aiel fractured. The Tuatha'an and their Way of the Leaf are one branch. The Jenn Aiel and Aiel are other branches. All that remains of the Jenn Aiel is Rhuidean and this trip down Aiel memory lane. This was scrumptious. No wonder the Aiel are so squirrelly about the Tuatha’an. Big church-split vibes. 

Anyway - Rand gets out and finds Mat hanging from the world tree/Avendesora. Alright Odin, I see you, calm down. Mat also received a spear w/ Ravens on it with an inscription about thought and memory, plus a silver fox medallion. Yes, I think it's funny to call it a silver fox medallion, I will not be taking notes at this time.

Rand and Mat are like "well. Let's, uh. GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE." and they leave as dawn arrives....

[thewholedamnboulangerie]

hello friends it’s going incurably critically insane o’clock ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

THE FULL INTRO IS BACK OH WE LOVEEEEEE TO SEE IT

…Laia Costa is SO early in the cast credits WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN

moiraine and lanfear………. powerful homoeroticism I really enjoyed it. I realise that this is not a very original statement but it’s the only one I have sufficient brainpower for rn

THE IMPLICIT POLY AOL VIBES IM GOING TO EAT MY ENTIRE ARM

THE BRAID???? HOLY FUCK RENNA NEEDS TO SUFFER TIMES ONE BILLION

GODDDDDDDD ISHAMAEL SETTING UP MAT TO KILL RAND IS SENDING ME FULLY AROUND THE TWIST

ohhhhh I knew it was coming but “you have always been my better” still made me literally cry 😭😭😭

ANSBCNSNSNDNFNFNGN THEY REALLY SAID WE ARE GOING TO HEIST THE HORN OF VALERE AND WE ARE GOING TO DO IT ENTIRELY OFFSCREEN. like okay I don’t like it but if we can’t have 10 episodes I do have to respect the sheer audacity of that Narrative Choice. though also: WHOMST was the lady from Cairhien. and of even greater importance: was she played by Laia Costa???????

(I assume it was ~Selene~ but like. we are in Laia Costa tunnel vision modus fuckin operandi)

oh Loial my BELOVED 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

wait whatttttt no turok duel OR darkfriend reveal for Ingtar?????? bro we are speedrunning this city

“they were best friends” listen we know two out of the three were fucking so if we’re describing all three in the same way I will not be held responsible for the conclusions I draw tyvm

SIX OF THEM

SIX OF THEM

HEL FUCKING LO

ITS TIME FOR MORE FORSAKEN BABEYYYYY GOD I CANNOT WAITTTTTTTT TO SEE THE REST OF MY EVIL BLORBOS

(admittedly I’m only far enough through the books to have encountered Graendal a grand total of once thus far and also I don’t actually give much of a fuck about Sammael yet but oooooooh my god when Asmodean and Moghedien show up it WILL be over for me bitches)

wait omfg is Lanfear staging this entire drama as a distraction so she can release all the remaining forsaken while ishy and rand are too busy fighting each other to stop her oh fuck meeeeee I’m gonna go in ZANE

THE PHYSICAL RUSH OF ADRENALINE I FELT SEEING MAT MAKE A BLADED QUARTERSTAFF OUT OF THE DAGGER WHILE THE S1 TWO RIVERS MUSIC PLAYED MY GODDDDDDDD

IM JUST CONSTANTLY SCREAMING NOW FR

MAT IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THE HORN… HRRRRRRRRR

no sign of rand for a hot second 👀

HOLY FUCK EGWENEEEEEEEEE

HE’S GOT SHIT HAIR BUT HE’S ALIVE AJSNCNSNSNDNFNDJDNFNFNDJNDNDN

MAT WITH THE HORN THIS IS NOT A FUCKING DRILL

“…Two Rivers???” SPECTACULAR

NOOOOOOOOOO NONONONONO I KNEW IT WAS COMING BUT THIS IS STILL THE ABSOLUTE WORST

OH GOD OhH FUCK I RECOGNISE THE START OF THAT SCORE IM ABOUT TO GO FUCKING FERAL

MAT LEADING THE CHARGE WITH THE MANETHEREN BATTLE CRY OOOOOOOOOH GOD THATS MY FUCKING BOYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I SPY BIRGITTE!!!!! AHHHHHHH SHEEEEEEEEEE

UNO!! FUCK YES

nynaeve saying that egwene needs elayne not her… oh my god are we getting a full main babies towertop avengers assemble moment im gonna fucking evaporate

ALSO WE HAVENT SEEN MOIRAINE IN A HOT SECOND………. HMMMMMMM!!

I KNEW WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN OOOOOOOH I FUCKING KNEW IT AND I AM STILL. LOSING MY MINDDDDDDD

THE CRADLING. THE CRADLING. THERE IS A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL LEVEL OF HOMOEROTICISM HAPPENING HERE ON EVERY LEVEL

EGWENE’S BATTLE MUSIC OH MY GOD MY GIRL YESSSSSS GO NUCLEAR MY LOVE

SCREAMING AT THIS AVENGERS ASSEMBLE COMBINATION FATED SOULMATES FIRST MEETING CROSSOVER EVENT BUT WHERE THE FUCK IS AVIENDHA GET MY GIRL IN HERE!!!!!!!

SHRIEKINGGGGGGGG AT THE (almost) ENTIRE CREW BEING RIGHT BEHIND RAND IN HIS BIG MOMENT

OH GOD OH MY GOD ITS HER SHES FUCKING HERE

AHSBCBFB OKAY I HAD IT BACKWARDS BUT FUCKING SCREAM???????? THATS HERRRRRR THATS MY CREEPY PATHETIC BABYGIRL HOLY SHITTTTTTTTT

“All five of them” uh huh. uh huh. uh huh. any- any of them in particular??? perchance??? huh moggy???

AND CLOSING WITH A NEW VARIANT ON MAT’S THEME OHHHHHHH AND IF I SOBBBBBBB

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 14: The Stag and Lion

My reread continues! If you don't know the drill by now, let me clue you in: this is going to be chock full of spoilers for the whole damn Wheel of Time series and if you're not into those vibes you should find somewhere else to be! Not trying to be mean, just trying to help you help yourself. Those of you who do like spoilers are going to have to fend for yourselves though. I'm busy with the noobs.

Anyway, this chapter's icon is the Dragon's Fang again, reflecting the dream that Rand has this chapter courtesy of Ishamael. Pretty straightforward symbolism at this point.

Also, since it's not remotely relevant, I've decided that the Stag is the sign of some local nobility, either current or back from the pre-Andor days, and that's why it's mentioned alongside the nation's heraldic sign. Headcanons are fun!

With the winter we just had . . . well, as soon as it cleared enough for them to get down out of the mountains we were inundated—yes, that’s the word—inundated by men from the mines and smelters, all telling the most horrible tales. Wolves, and worse.

Have the Shadowspawn been spreading out beyond the Two Rivers? It might just be tall tales getting taller in the telling - that happens a lot in this story - but I wonder if maybe a few of these miners saw Trollocs coming out the wrong Waygates and trying to orient themselves. Maybe it was accident - I don't remember how well-marked the way to Manetheren was - or perhaps it was just a deliberate detour to escape Machin Shin.

“Oh, never you worry about them, Mistress Alys. They’re up to their usual tricks. Claim there’s an Aes Sedai in the town.” 

Considering how easy it is to recognize an Aes Sedai once you know the signs, it says nothing good about the Brown or Yellow Ajahs that a town like Baerlon, which isn't insignificant even if it is kinda the ass end of nowhere, could even make a plausible target for the tactic that Fitch describes.

A dozen tall, copper bathtubs sat in a circle on the tiled floor, which sloped down slightly to a drain in the center of the big stone-walled room. A thick towel, neatly folded, and a large cake of yellow soap sat on a stool behind each tub, and big black iron cauldrons of water stood heating over fires along one wall. On the opposite wall logs blazing in a deep fireplace added to the general warmth.

I have to say, based on the general wealth level of Baerlon and the lack of discomfort everyone has in disrobing in front of a total stranger, I'm a little surprised that there isn't just one large tub, like Moiraine and Lan share in the TV show. Lots of baths takes effort and resources and this is just one inn of no particular account on the edge of civilization.

“The Two Rivers,” Mat said, pronouncing each separate word distinctly. “It’s the Two Rivers. As for trouble, why—” “What do you mean, too?” Rand asked. “Is there some kind of trouble here?” Perrin, enjoying his soak, murmured, “Good! Good!” Thom raised himself back up a little, and opened his eyes.

Poor Thom, trying to relax and suddenly remembering he's the adult in a room with:

Samwise Gamgee trying to explain tubers

The main protagonist, who is always flailing into political shrewdness by dumb luck

And third guy, who has done almost nothing at this point to make Thom or even the reader think that he might be smarter than a dog with a head injury

Strange things in the mountains. I heard the other day there were Trollocs up in Saldaea.

Luckily for existence, Ara manages to out-stupid the boys by commenting that he heard rumors that the sun was going to set that evening. Mat could have told him everything about Trollocs in graphic detail and Ara wouldn't have been smart enough to repeat the story to anyone. That said, it's still for the best that Thom cuts him off.

“You just don’t tell them as well as Thom,” Rand cut him off hastily, and Perrin hopped in. “You keep adding in things, trying to make it better, and they never do.”

Oh thank goodness, Perrin can think on his feet. Guess I'll have to stop giving him shit for awhile now that Mat's officially established himself as the stupidest member of the party.

And if the Children of the Light heard Trollocs were after you, they’d be burning to get their hands on you. To them, it would be as much as naming you Darkfriend.

And this right here is what makes the Whitecloaks unquestionably the bad guys. When being pursued by the forces of darkness is proof positive that you are part of their ranks, there's nothing left but the witch hunt. It's really unfortunate, because whatever their opinions on channelers, the Whitecloaks are absolutely correct that Darkfriends have infiltrated every level of society (including their own!) and that they're a dangerous threat. They just go about the issue in the worst ways possible.

Just you put it in the front of your mind that we want no more attention than mice in a field. Concentrate on that. Moiraine wants to get you all to Tar Valon alive, and I will do it if it can be done, but if you bring any harm to her. . . .

This is exactly why Lan didn't want Egwene and probably didn't want to be dragging three boys around when they could have been focusing on one. He's worried that he and Moiraine are finally in too deep and while he welcomes that possibility for himself, he's much too attached to her (platonically) to be comfortable with the prospect of a bunch of idiot farmers bringing her down.

Naturally, Rand - the only one who hasn't been a target of his ire thus far - is the closest to being personally responsible for Moiraine's downfall out of anyone in the party.

When they left the bath chamber, Moiraine was standing at the end of the hall with a slender girl not much taller than herself. At least, Rand thought it was a girl, though her dark hair was cut short and she wore a man’s shirt and trousers. Moiraine said something, and the girl looked at the men sharply, then nodded to Moiraine and hurried away.

Can you just imagine an angry rant about how clothing isn't actually so gendered that pants would be universally masculine across 10,000 years of history so that I don't have to type it? You wanna do gender reversals, Jordan? Do a world where only women wear pants and dudes are rocking skirts. Call them kilts if you must, but come on. There's nothing intrinsically gendered about generic categories of clothing!

Also, hi Min. Lovely to see you.

He opened his mouth to apologize, but Egwene stiffened and turned her back before he could get a word out. Staring sullenly at her back, he swallowed what he had been going to say. All right, then. If she wants to be like that, there’s nothing I can do.

Bro she doesn't know an apology is coming and just doesn't want to hear your next rant.

“It isn’t what I would have laid before you a year ago, of course. Not nearly. The winter. Yes. The winter. My cellars are emptying out, and the market is all but bare. And who can blame the farm folk? Who? There’s certainly no telling when they’ll harvest another crop. No telling at all. It’s the wolves get the mutton and beef that should go on people’s tables, and. . . .”

The food crisis in Baerlon is a lot more severe than it is in the Two Rivers because of the huge population influx. Most farmers wouldn't be expecting their winter crops to be ready for harvest until the end of May (mid-Saven by the local calendar, two months off either way), if agriculture here is anything like North America and Europe. Frankly, it's a miracle that Baerlon didn't descend into a larger anarchy once summer came around.

“I suspect him no more than anyone else,” Lan replied. “But then, until we reach Tar Valon, I suspect everyone. There, I’ll suspect only half.”

Only a little overcautious, since a good third of Moiraine's sisters are evil.

“There, the news is better. No odd happenings, no strangers around who might be Myrddraal, certainly no Trollocs. And the Whitecloaks are busy trying to make trouble for Governor Adan because he won’t cooperate with them. They will not even notice us unless we advertise ourselves.”

A) Bad news, Rand will be advertising you, and

Also A) Jordan is hitting a lot of A names here in Baerlon. Moiraine and Lan go by Alys and Andra. The guard they talked to coming into town was Avin. The bath attendant was Ara. Now the governor is Adan! Eight a's in five names with a total of twenty letters.

S) Later he will pick a different letter to use fifteen million times and it will be the cause of much weeping and gnashing of teeth.

With the crowding at the inn there were only three rooms to be had, one for Moiraine and Egwene, and two to take the men. Rand found himself sharing with Lan and Thom, on the fourth floor at the back, close up under the overhanging eaves, with a single small window that overlooked the stableyard.

Considering that Lan and Thom both just dissed the boys for the trouble they'll be getting into, I'm surprised Mat and Perrin were allowed to have their own room. Maybe they were initially going to split one adult each but then Lan and Thom got in an argument about who deserved to have two boys and neither would back down from only rooming with the one least likely to give either a headache.

The stone hallway was dim and shadowy, and empty except for Rand. He could not tell where the light came from, what little there was of it; the gray walls were bare of candles or lamps, nothing at all to account for the faint glow that seemed to just be there. The air was still and dank, and somewhere in the distance water dripped with a steady, hollow plonk.

I'm going to say that this is a dreamshard and not T'A'R proper, since it is filled with implausibilities and impossibilities that don't really match how the World of Dreams renders the waking world.

One wall opened in a series of arches onto a gray stone balcony, and beyond that was a sky such as he had never seen. Striated clouds in blacks and grays, reds and oranges, streamed by as if storm winds drove them, weaving and interweaving endlessly. No one could ever have seen a sky like that; it could not exist.

Case in point. Yet... I will admit, this probably not an entirely alien sight in the Blight.

“Once more we meet face-to-face,” the man said and, just for an instant, his mouth and eyes became openings into endless caverns of flame.

Ishy's so excited he can't even keep his glamor going.

“You seem thirsty,” the man by the fire said. “Drink.” On the table was a goblet, shining gold and ornamented with rubies and amethysts. It had not been there before. He wished he could stop jumping. It was only a dream. His mouth felt like dust.

Is it poison? Something worse? It's hard to guess what the gambit here might actually have been, because even Jordan didn't know the rules at this point and he closed off most of the options once he did.

“Are you the one?” Ba’alzamon said suddenly. “You cannot hide it from me forever. You cannot even hide yourself from me, not on the highest mountain or in the deepest cave. I know you down to the smallest hair.”

It's an impressive contradiction. I know you intimately and I cannot recognize you. It's almost as if most reincarnations are complete reinventions of the person with only a few themes to follow them through the turning of the Wheel, Ish. It's almost like you can't possibly grow tired from incarnating because that's not something that even requires energy on your part. But please, keep pretending your extremist variant of nihilism is logically coherent.

“Are you expecting glory?” Ba’alzamon said. “Power? Did they tell you the Eye of the World would serve you? What glory or power is there for a puppet? The strings that move you have been centuries weaving. Your father was chosen by the White Tower, like a stallion roped and led to his business. Your mother was no more than a brood mare to their plans. And those plans lead to your death.”

Title drop! Ish is desperately trying to advertise the Blight's premier vacation destination, a green oasis in the midst of hell, a resort so exclusive you can only visit once, so book your reservation today, before the world ends! Not even stone cold nihilism can win against the love of money.

It's great reading this with hindsight because it shows how utterly and completely full of shit Ishamael is. He guesses that this is what happened, because it's what he would do, but the White Tower had nothing to do with Rand's conception, except that one Aes Sedai gave a Foretelling to his mother and let her do what she would with it. Her getting pregnant was the farthest thing from anyone's minds at the time, let alone with an Aiel clan chief.

The Amyrlin Seat will use you until you are consumed, just as Davian was used, and Yurian Stonebow, and Guaire Amalasan, and Raolin Darksbane. Just as Logain is being used.

And yet, it's possible that this is mostly true. Logain isn't being used by Siuan - she's trying to stabilize Ghealdan, not tear it apart, and she's not interested in False Dragons - but Guaire may well have been a project of Bonwhin Meraighdin, the Red Amyrlin who rose to power the year he declared himself. The others we don't know enough about, but Siuan and Moiraine react just oddly enough to Rand's accusation later that I think Ish is providing more truth than he had been.

“Fool, I have never been bound!”

I'd say that being free for 120 years out of 3,500, a mere 3% of the total, is still hella bound, Ishy. Still though, his own bragging is hella impressive. I strongly suspect that the Second Covenant was an era that was only a step or two down from the Age of Legends, and he wrecked that. Afterward, he ensured that the Seanchan would rise up and reinvent chattel slavery, which is hella evil on his part.

“Then go to the Aes Sedai. Go to the White Tower and tell them. Tell the Amyrlin Seat of this . . . dream.”

A smart play. I don't think Moiraine would have liked hearing about this dream, and Siuan less, but the truth is they still would have supported Rand to any degree short of his joining the Shadow. But Ish plants the doubt, and Moiraine's words last chapter give Rand little reason to think he'd survive this conversation.

With a snort he lay back. Were the dreams really bad enough for him to ask the help of an Aes Sedai? On the other hand, could anything he did now get him in any deeper? He had left the Two Rivers, come away with an Aes Sedai. But there had not been any choice, of course. So did he have any choice but to trust her? An Aes Sedai? It was as bad as the dreams, thinking about it.

See what I mean? Moiraine didn't just sink a ferry, she burned a bridge, and life is going to be a lot more unpleasant for everyone these next five books as a result. Let's see how that goes next time in "Strangers and Friends"!

[superfluouskeys]

May Madness

May-hem? Whatever. Anyway.

I have been freed from the clutches of law school for the summer and I have many personal goals and projects I would like to work on, so I thought I would shout about them here!

Writing Goals:

scorched earth (7/11-12ish) -- Prisoner-verse (OC-focused) -- still surprisingly on-track with the original outline I made! I was hoping to get this done over winter break, but I ended up working literally the whole time and then being super burned out. I've kept the structure of this story deliberately simple, so I think I might be able to finish it within the month!

ghost of you (2/4) -- Wheel of Time (Moiraine/Lan) -- part 3 is legit almost done but I need to get back into the Mood and the Vibes you know LOL. and I think it absolutely needs a part 4 to be paced the way I want it. next chapter very soon; 4th chapter idk but shouldn't take too much longer!

original thing (registered trademark, available by scrounging around on my blog for an untagged mess of nothingness) -- since I completely failed at making any progress on this last month due to school nonsense, hoping to make another big push next month! (not that I WON'T work on it before then, just that the above have priority!) completely insane goal would be to push for an extremely messy completed first draft by the end of the summer. but that would be insane. right. right,.., , ,,

still thinking about ways to share this as I work on it for those who are interested, as I am too insane to keep quiet about it forever! I have some other ideas, and there's always the chance I'll spontaneously become insane about something else, but the above are my priorities for now!

If this is all you care about feel free to stop reading here LOL the other goals are more personal ones!

Fitness Goals:

I've been unhappy with my level of fitness for a long time now (made especially bad by my situation during the pandemic) and while I've been able to make some major improvements even with the stresses of grad school, I think I can do a lot better with a little extra time on my hands!

In a few days, I'm planning to start the Insanity workout program (I have my workout class for the next two days lol), which is a two-month HIIT-based program with fit tests every two-ish weeks, so I'll probably post my results here since this is basically the only social media I use and it's nice to keep track LOL. I've also started doing a 20-30 minute brisk walk on an incline in the evening, and while I'm currently just aiming for my daily 10k steps, I'm hoping to push that up to a 15k minimum soon. As I acclimate to the Insanity workouts, I'll also try working in some other activities in the afternoon in the hopes of fostering an overall more active lifestyle. I'm also making changes to my diet, but I'm being very chill about this so I don't become miserable and insane LOL. My main goals are weight loss and building core strength.

Korean Learning Goals:

For the last few months I've been in the frustrating position of an advanced beginner, meaning there are a lot of learning materials that are either way too easy or too hard for me. So, since I have some time, I'd like to put in the hours and push for a major improvement--I want to try to get myself to a low intermediate level of proficiency. I think this will open up a LOT of learning materials for me, and hopefully allow me to hold simple conversations without feeling like I'm dying. There's a lot I need to tackle, but for now I think my main goals are building vocabulary, improving reading speed, and massively increasing my output. I'm aiming pretty high--I'm hoping for about 25 hours/week of active studying/practicing, along with other passive/fun input. I'll be working my way through the first 6 textbooks/workbooks from Talk to Me in Korean (I theoretically know most of the material through level 3 but can't use it on command), and just generally trying to write and speak a lot. I've also been using HelloTalk sporadically to make little journal entry-type posts, so I'll be doing that more frequently, and also trying to track my progress and how I'm feeling at the end of each week.

I tend to aim high when I set goals for myself because I find doing this means I'll definitely accomplish at least some of what I set out to do, and I personally don't really mind not reaching goals as long as I feel I've made noticeable progress. I also think it probably says something that while I was thinking about these goals I legitimately had the thought, "oh, and priority number four, relax and have fun and stuff" lol like okay girl. But I have high hopes, and I think having these goals will actually help me enjoy and get the most out of this downtime! Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for listening to my rambles! 💪🥰

[hxans]

Two Ta'veren in the room, and Tuon can't be convinced to give up damane, that's some bullshit right there.

The whole Seanchan slavery thing has always been a big issue for me. I really hate how the a'dam seem to have nothing to counter them, no way for someone wearing them to effectively resist or get free of them, and by all accounts the wearers get Compelled into accepting their lot in life, and we're supposed to go, oh nbd.*

And then Mat! Last two books he's been a mix of Mr. Wife Guy and accepting his fate to save Moiraine and fight alongside Rand in The Last Battle, and now this book he's all, to hell with my fate and Rand and TLB, my wife is my only concern. It's like he and Perrin had a personality swap, because now Perrin's stepping up to do his duty and has squared away stuff with his wife...

And I do feel there has been a massive amount of flattening of characters? A lot of name-dropping but very little feel of, like, them being fully realised people and not either set dressing or just saying a line or two that maybe advances the plot.

I don't mean to make so many negative reaction posts but I am just not vibing with canon rn.

*I have developed a new headcanon that if a damane gets her hands on a Power-Wrought weapon, she can cut the a'dam off, though it may hurt like hell to do so (obv one who hasn't been broken would be one to try). Alternatively, Elayne's copies of Mat's medallion that prevent channeling at and by the person touching it can negate the a'dam.

[evilphrog]

Assigning sexualities to wheel of time characters:

Egwene: technically straight, but if she ended up in a situation where sleeping with a girl made the most sense, she would go along with it. Afterwards, she would still identify as straight, but would fully admit to enjoying the experience. The girl she slept with would be ruined for all other women, because Egwene is amazing at everything she does.

Perrin: everyone assumes he is straight, including himself, but he's actually harboring complex unresolved feelings for Mat that he doesn't care to examine. Felt very confused inside when he met the traveler guy, but he assumed it was just his Big Moral Dilemna.

Mat: follows the Harkness rule. Anyone of any gender or species is fair game, as long as they can give meaningful consent. He says it's because he's open-minded, but actually he is so desperate for love that he has zero standards. Would probably fuck a trolloc if it told him it was proud of him. Some of his weird dreams involve him and the eyeless and interesting uses for that many teeth. When he wakes up from those he sincerely hopes it wasn't a shared dream.

Rand: bisexual and polyamorous. Doesn't draw hard lines between romantic love and platonic love, and isn't aware that others do. He does not feel jealousy over anyone he loves wanting to sleep with other people, unless they stop wanting to sleep with him also. Pretty sure if he saw Egwene and Perrin's budding romance he would tell her what a good idea it is to be there for him in his time of need, and offer to help in any way he could. His ideal life is living in a big farmhouse with Perrin, Mat, and Egwene and their twelve children.

Moiraine: asexual and aromantic, but tells people she is a lesbian to fit in. Has totally slept with men and women, and it did nothing for her. Deep down, she is convinced everyone else feels the exact same way and is just pretending like she is. This is true despite her being emotionally linked to Lan.

Lan: exclusively attracted to women who can and do beat him up. Gives off major Dom energy, but is strictly a sub. Any sexual encounter with him involves flogging at a minimum, blood play preferred.

Nynaeve: demisexual, but had never felt attraction even once in her life until she had her sword at Lan's throat. She is still not aware that's what she's feeling, and thinks she must just find him annoying.

Thom: not sure if he has a gender preference, but he's got total white knight syndrome. He sees a hot mess and immediately thinks "but I can fix them." He is self-aware enough to know this leads him into trouble, but not self-aware enough to stop. Mat is his ultimate kryptonite, because he projects "please save me" vibes to everyone in a 200 mile radius.

[damn-oh-dread]

Assorted Chapter 16 - 24 thoughts

GALAD IS A WHITECLOAK NOW!?!?!? I really like Galad as a character. Crazy that he does the right thing no matter what and decided that that included joining the white cloaks.🤡 Very interested to see if he ends up protecting his sister and her friends therefore kind of supporting the Aes Sedai, an organization he is now theologically against, or if he hands them in, betraying the trust of his family which also seems like a big thing for him. Which side of right will win out inside of himself?

Gawyn * rolls eyes * I liked him at the beginning but ever since the Tower coup incident I do not like him at all. He’s so annoying! And the way he thinks he’s right about everything? No thank you. He and Egwene better not end up together or I will commit a crime. He does not deserve Egwene.

I’m really liking how this book has given us a lot of different perspectives! It’s refreshing to see what other characters are up to!

Elayne, Thom is basically your step-dad. Please, I am begging you.

Finally, the Black Ajah are going to be scary and not just a totally useless group of 12 people! I’m excited to actually be afraid of them. Absolutely loving Moghedien!

Glad to get the confirmation that Gaebril is indeed Rahvin.

The mind control/compulsion weave is super unnerving from the perspective of someone under the compulsion. The fact Morgase has months and months of fake memories is terrifying!

I would read an entire book about Morgase though ngl.

LINI!!!! I need Lini and Nynaeve to meet so bad. When she said, when you get to my age all sayings are old sayings, I lost it. I would die for Lini.

MORGASE WAS GONNA MARRY THOM SSFDDFSGSDGGDS

Wildly invested in this Morgase-Gareth-Siuan side plot.

I kind of want Morgase and Gareth to meet up before Gareth and Siuan just because I very badly want to see their exes reunion.

Ngl I have no idea what is going on with Padan Fain anymore. I was so sure he was going to be set up as a foil or some kind of parallel to Mat but he seems to be obsessed with Perrin now? Not sure why, but I’m loving his batshit insane vibe.

Something something Moiriane and her relationship to time. Her being like “I have no time” a couple of chapters ago to now being like your right your right we have time.

The Aiel honour system giving positive points to being Aes Sedai and negative points for being Cairhenin making Moiraine cancel out. Amazing.

Everytime Rand is forced to make a big choice I take psychic damage. Baby no... 🥺😢

I want to know more about Aiel Flower symbolism actually. What kinds of plants grow in the waste?

MAGIC SWORD MAGIC SWORD MAGIC SWORD I LOVE MAGIC SWORDS. The Cairhein sun motif just goes so hard. There better be a cool thematic thing that happens with this sword otherwise what is the point??? Also where is this sword from cause like I really doubt that Laman was a blademaster, man does not give me those vibes. SO HYPED FOR THIS MAGIC SWORD WITH A SORDID BACKSTORY!!!!

Just realized Mats thing has a raven on it. Does that have something to do with the Seanchan maybe? Like maybe the Seeker people with the raven tattoos? Or I guess it could just be cursed by the dark one or something. Mat would become un-possed just to go and immediately pick up another cursed object.

RAND BABY NO

What is up with that other doorway terangreal? WHY DOES MOIRAINE CARE ABOUT IT? I just need to know.

Nynaeve as the carnival book-keeper is everything I did not know I needed from life. Every second of screentime Nynaeve gets, I love her more. OF COURSE she says she's the book-keeper.

Everyone reading into everything Rand does as the madness. Me frantically pointing at mat: "is anyone gonna look at that???"

For real though, I don't think Rand is mad at all yet. The little bits and pieces of information we get from his past as Lews Therin are definitely starting him in that direction for sure but all of his choices have been well thought out and logical so far. A lot of characters are saying he's become colder and/or harder since starting on this journey that has now been almost an entire year and are quick to blame this change on the madness. But really all of his choices and decisions are of someone trying to gain trust and respect from those around them and doing what needs to be done. Like sorry Egwene but Rand has not become harder because of the madness. He has become harder because that's what he has needed to become to survive and gain followers.

[geek-and-destroy]

Wheel of Time - First impressions

This is post 1 in The Wheel of Time Read - see the previous post. Warning - this is a slightly long one since I'm covering 11 chapters, sorry. Subsequent posts will be shorter. Edit: The next post is here.

Over the course of yesterday, I read 10 chapters of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, which is Book 1 in the fourteen-book long (holy shit) Wheel of Time series. But before I talk about what I thought about the book so far, I suppose I need to tell you what my preconceived notions were going into this.

I was aware of the existence of these books as a major work of fantasy. I know that Robert Jordan died before completing the last book, (or was it the last two?) which was/were completed by Brandon Sanderson. I know that the series is fourteen books long and started in the early 90s, ended in the mid-2010s. That's all I know, plus what I've learned about the world through the prologue and the first ten chapters, much of which is my speculation.

This post talks about my first impressions of the prologue (Dragonmount) and chapters one through ten (Leavetaking). Chapter summaries can be found here (I'm not putting links to the individual chapters, I don't want to venture too far into the wiki).

Let's get on with it, shall we?

The prologue gave me chills, man. That description of Dragon King Dude (whose name I forget) going apeshit with magic and maybe possibly putting the 'wheel' into the destruction part of its cycle? Quite eloquently done, I must say. The interaction with Dark Side Dude (whose name I also forget) was quite interesting. What I got from it is that at some point during the Wheel of Time cycle, Dragon Dude was a quintessential Good King, pure of heart, blessed by the gods, yada yada, who may or may not have the ability to turn into a literal dragon was fighting a war with Black Robes Guy and the Dark Lord Shai'tan. At some point, Dragon Dude was resorted to using his big power (please be literal dragon morphing) and lost control. The losing control was probably unintentional, orchestrated by Black Robes Guy, perhaps. Which is why he is referred to with disdain in the later chapters. Black Robes Guy is giving me major Saruman vibes too, if Saruman were openly serving the Dark Lord, that is. I suppose we'll get more clarity around this prologue as we go ahead in the series.

The first five or so chapters are nice and comfortable. Introducing the (I assume) main characters one by one as well as the quaint Shire-like locale of Emond's Field in the Two Rivers. We first meet Rand Al'Thor. As a fantasy protagonist, he seems fairly by-the-numbers, which isn't always a bad thing. He's got a good dynamic with his friends Mat and Perrin, and a tongue-tying crush on local girl Egwene (please don't be damsel'd, I like you so far). But his relationship with his father is probably my favourite so far, in that it is actually healthy! Say whaaaat? Unthinkable. I do like the small-time village politics and the views towards those of other nearby villages.

And I did like that he wasn't killed off by the Trollocs, though he was grievously injured. Jordan got the best of both worlds here - character growth in a crisis situation involving the death of a parent, and dodging a fantasy trope pitfall. Plus, this way, we don't have to have Rand moping around over Tam's death until he's forced to come to terms with it. Sad boi hours are postponed, I say, postponed!

Speaking of Trollocs, their attack on the Al'Thor farm was very well done, writing-wise. Felt genuine panic both times Rand saw them even though I knew he was going to survive. I was less sure about Tam - who I imagine as Jakob from Sex Education and you can't change my mind. The un-surety (is that a word?) added some extra tension when Moiraine tried to heal him.

And what can I say about Moiraine Sedai? I have a soft spot for powerful-mentor-type characters. Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Professor X, Master Oogway, you know the type. I can't wait for her to show her combat prowess onscreen rather than offscreen, although she does have mad healing skillz. The dynamic between this world's wizard guild and the commoners is very interesting, and realistic too. Reclusive, influential magicians would absolutely have crazy vilifying superstitions around them. Her sidekick Lan seems like a walking trope at this point, though he got a teensy bit less stone-cold when he did talk. Just a pinch.

And that speech. Look, I'm not fully invested in this world yet. Gimme a few more chapters, let em get out of the Shire. But wow that speech Moiraine gives to the people of Emond's Field is rousing. I feel like this is what Robert Jordan specializes in: rousing prose filled with grand worldbuilding. It was similar in the last parts of the prologue, it peeked its head a bit in the descriptions of the road around Emond's Field, and this speech was amazing.

As for criticism, I really only have foreboding at this moment. Please don't mess up. It is quite derivative of Tolkein, but what isn't honestly? The gender ratio is better by far, with at least two powerful female characters who are actually characters, plus Moiraine mentioned 'her sisters at Tar Valon' at one point. There was also Mistress Luhhan who wanted to beat the shit out of some Trollocs, quite badass. And I think it has passed the Bechdel Test, with a conversation between Moiraine and Egwene about whether anyone else saw her sneaking away.

So I'll happily brand Wheel of Time as Lord of the Rings, Now With Upgraded Women! (yes, that's reductive, I know) I'm enjoying it a lot so far. Introduction Arc, fin, the adventure begins now!

Until next time, Reader! I'll take fewer chapters next time, I promise.

[butterflydm]

wot 2x8 - what was meant to be

Wow. I loved that but I am still processing. Bear with me.

First. First of all -- that shot WAS Elayne and Rand meeting. Called it.

LOVED the way that Mat's Min viewing played out, because it illustrates that what Min sees isn't a copy of what happens but shows the vibes of what happens. So that's good. Thanks for being all over Rand after you accidentally yeeting an evil dagger at him, Mat. Thank you for that. I thank you from my heart.

Mat's storyline here was... I loved it. Not sure I can explain why without MASSIVE end of series spoilers. Transcendent was kinda how I felt watching it. Mat is a Hero of the Horn.

I wonder if Mat's memories are gonna stick with him in the new season.

I loved how we went full-on with the "together we are a shield wall" theme, because that was set up in the very start of the season. They are stronger together, stronger by each other's sides. Absolutely. Love it.

Egwene killed Renna. Don't hate it. Actually kinda love it. I am here for it. Don't hate Seta dying either.

Did Suroth die? That would be interesting in terms of what the show might be doing in the future.

I absolutely called it on Rand just murdering Turak with the One Power.

Mat wounded Rand with the dagger and Elayne healed him. Just... thinking about how the three of them are connected by that.

Aviendha recognizing Rand as the Car'a'carn, apparently because of the big honking dragon. I will take that, lol.

Has Moiraine genuinely like in her soul convinced herself that anyone who stands against Rand is a darkfriend? Because that's kinda the only way I see her being able to attack those ships like that. They were shielding Rand therefore probably working with Ishamael and thus darkfriends. It's a logical train of thought but... ruthless. I said last episode that Moiraine was all in on Rand, but she is all in on Rand.

I do wish we'd gotten some time after the battle but, otoh, what an ending, right?

And... Ishamael let out all the others. Oops! Welcome to the current Age, Moghedien.

Any other thoughts I have require massive spoilers, I think. And a rewatch.

Wow.

[lunamond]

So I just watched episode 7 of the wheel of time and have MANY thoughts. So I decided to do some voidshouting.

The following Rambling shouldn’t contain any major spoilers for the show except for some very small lore/prophecy stuff (most of which has been touched on in the Bonus content)

Sofar, I really enjoy the show and liked or at the very least understood most of their adaptional changes.

However this most recent episode made me realise what just didn’t work for me about the dragon mystery.

First of all I actually really liked the idea of making it a big mystery. It is a great hook for newcomers, allows them to foreground Moiraine (by far the most interesting character during EotW) and gives them the space to explore all our potential dragons on a more equal footing.

But as we got closer to the reveal the more unsure I was about it.

While I liked the idea of Rand having suspected it for a while and now slowly coming to the realisation that he is the dragon as he begins putting all the hints together, the scenes leading up to this moment as played out in the show really frustrated me. It ultimately became a big twist moment without much build-up.

And of course there was a bunch of build-up for there to be A dragon reveal, but I'm not sure it was enough for THIS dragon reveal.

A lot of this basically comes down to the small series of moments that Rand flashes to as he and the audience realise that he is the dragon. So we see the Blood Snow with his mother and Tam, we see how he knocked down the door and that he chanelled in the Ways to protect Egwene... but we never really saw any of this... like... how would a non-bookreader have guessed that it's Rand without any Metaknowledge.

(Meaning without things like: he is the tall white boi, main character vibes, the books were written in the 90s, etc)

Like they could have given us some subtle hints of weaves during the door scene, or during the Ways when we at first believe Egwene yeeted the Trolloc we could have seen hints of the black Taint/Corruption, etc. giving show watchers a heads up that something was weird about these moments.

Any number of small hints could have given fuel to theories and been super rewarding for attentive watchers. Instead they literally kept the majority of the evidence from the audience. They didn't hid it or obscure it, they just didn’t show it...

But the most frustrating thing is none of what they showed during the reveal is definitiv proof that Rand is the dragon. They didn’t tell us yet that the dragon was reborn on the slopes of Dragonmount. Without the Bonus material show watchers don’t even know that the mountain Rand was born on and later recognised is named Dragonmount.

(Which would have been easy to slip in at any point)

Meaning even though the scene is constructed as a "Oh shit! He is the dragon" moment the information provided only showes us he can channel.

So... after this long rant I can go back to enjoying the show, because I truly do. I actually loved so much about this episode (meeting Min, Laneave, Moiraine giving her approval, Min's visons, sneaky Padan Fain, Min and Rand interacting, also did I already mention Min)