#randfear

[halcyon-autumn]

[asha-mage]

Something else I think people are overlooking about the Randfear dynamic this season is that Lanfear has a well established history of lying to manipulate Rand through pretty much their entire relationship.

The deliberate juxtaposition of the scene where Lanfear is talking to Rand at the inn vs her torturing Egwene in the cell is a excellent highlight of how she still is not trustworthy, even though she's nominally on his side. We see Rand drawing away from her and her clearly blaming Egwene for that but backing off anything more harsh then a mild insult....then hard cut to her absolutely beating the shit out of Egwene and using Egwene's psychological trauma's to torment her- venting a rage that has no other outlet.

Lanfear is trying to isolate and manipulate Rand and it is working, not because he's stupid or anything, but because he's increasingly emotionally vulnerable and she is several centuries and magnitudes of power his superior. But just like in season two where she plays the cool in control older woman to his face then lets loose her rage when she has the shield of deniability (the scene after the party she threatens him in his dream to 'never leave her again'), she is carefully hiding the parts of herself she knows will scare him off or make it harder to control him- and venting them at targets and in ways that show her casual cruelty and disregard for life.

[hikarielizabethbloom]

wedding rehearsal

[amemoryofwot]

[wafflelovingbatgirl]

“You love power more than you love me” Shush. Creator forbid a woman have ambitions.

[alorastormrider]

[demigoddessqueens]

POV you are Egwene and going through it

[beautiful-destroyers]

Headcanons about Lanfear/Mierin I've piled up over the years

includes spoilers for the books

Most of these are extremely self indulgent and are definitely not canon, I'm scared to share any of these on my twitter cause I don't want someone trying to shame or "um akshually" me, also I have like 2 followers here, so I get to scream into the void hopefully without being noticed that much, but anyways...

1. Lanfear has borderline personality disorder

2. Mierin was born to da'shain aiel parents

this is the self indulgent one and I feel like is actually 100% canon despite Robert never confirming it. Her favourite person: clearly Lews/Rand. Her rejection sensitivity. Rand rejects her multiple times throughout the books and her reactions are always visceral, from anguish to splitting on him in TFoH AND s3ep8. Needing to be in control and have power over her life and the people around her which probably stems from trauma. BPD is a traumagenic disorder, I have other headcanons relating to this one I'll get into.

And her burning self loathing, I think she tries really hard to convince herself she deserves more and that she deserved Lews/Rand more than Ilyena did, but I think, or rather what I've read and seen in her tone is that she doesn't truly believe that which is why she strives to be in control so much. I think a lot of things in her life were out of her control, the bore being the big one. Which is why I find it so gutteral that she's the only forsaken to have chosen her own name, but later has it stripped away and has another name forced upon her. Then having her soul trapped and the torture and likely sexual abuse she experiences at Moridin's hands as Cyndane.

3. Lanfear is asian

LOOK...I just had some thoughts and this randomly came upon me while I was skimming through the shadow rising, where Coumin, an aiel ancestor of Rand makes a remark about not being taken to train as an aes sedai because he lacked the spark and it sent me into a spiral thinking about aiel aes sedai and aiel forsaken, which inevitably led me to the source of my hyperfixation so of course I had to make it about her in some way, and well aiel Mierin kinda happened. Which is honestly really tragic when I get really deep into the implications of it.

My line of thought was that she was born to aiel parents and at a young age taken by the aes sedai (basically kidnapped) because she had the spark, and they could definitely tell she was going to be one of the strongest channelers of saidar. Aes sedai being aes sedai would not let such an opportunity go.

Also, Randfear implications (yes I will make it about them too) it would be kind of nice for them to relate to being Aiel and not knowing it and hating aes sedai for what they did to them. I have a whole story written out in my head. One day, one glorious day, I will write it out on ao3.

By that I mean I imagine her as having eastern asian features, from the moment she was described as black haired and black-eyed with pale skin, the pieces fell into place. But now, I'm so in love with Natasha's portrayal of Lanfear both in looks and personality, I started kind of mashing book and show Lanfear into one, cause I'm still way too attached to my asian Lanfear headcanon, so I do draw mostly Natasha but with epicanthic folds

4. Mierin's name means "the seas"

Again, I had this thought while skimming through the books, where the sea folk or in the old tongue, atha'an miere, were mentioned, there's not much to it other than "miere" and Mierin sounded very similar. So i dug through the wiki and found "miere" (the sea) + "in" (plural suffix) so I would guess miere + in = mierin (the seas), Look I'm no language expert.

5. Rand has Lanfear's cour'souvra after the last battle

And these would be the spoilers, I'm halfway through my wot reread, but I'm 99% sure Moridin still has Lanfear's cour'souvra by the time TLB rolls around. So naturally, when Rand wakes in Moridin's body, he'd notice he has a certain... someone, or rather her soul hanging around his neck. I have a whole randfear fic planned out about them meeting again, and going off on silly adventures, she won't leave him cause he still has her soul and her ruined broken heart with him and he won't let her go free just yet. Also bending canon rules by having Lanfear have her original body back by ejecting herself out of tel'aran'rhiod Birgitte style which means some...bonding happens, it's still a work in progress and very self indulgent (why am I even sharing this when no one but me would want that)

6. Elan was in love with both Lews and Mierin

I think he and Mierin might've even been together or shared a closer bond after Lews breaks up with her. An old hc I have is that Elan might've been a professor to a younger (like 50) Lews and Mierin.

I headcanon them as close something more than friends and I think Elan was the first person in Mierin's life to truly care about her and understand her. Of course, this is inspired by season 2 of the show, they had no business being so adorable. Which makes what Moridin does to her later on so much worse...

7. During her time as a young student of the One Power, Mierin had to teach children about their power, one of whom was Lillen aka Moghedien

Lmao ok I had this thought today while I was doing some uni work, I was thinking about the ages of the forsaken and remembered that Moghedien is said to be the youngest among them. An image of a young adult Mierin teaching little Lillen how to embrace saidar poppped into my head, I've been thinking about it the whole day.

Mierin clocks that Lillen has a talent in Tel'aran'rhiod and immediately takes a liking to her. Which is hilarious cause it's canon that Moghedien is stronger than her in TAR, imagine the child you tutored out matches you in a realm you were once the top dog in.

The chosen really would be unstoppable if they were more like a found family.

8. Lanfear is pansexual

Nothing more to it other than I think she would fall in love with the dragon regardless of their gender identity. And come on, I need her to be a girl kisser as a certified girl kisser myself.

That's it for now. Thank you for reading my silly thoughts and headcanons about this fictional woman who I've loved dearly for years.

[lanfear-is-my-darkmistress]

After seeing episode 4 of Season 3 I need someone to write a Randfear fic where he accidently sends himself back 3,000 years ago in the Age of Legends not in the body of Lews Therin but as himself but with him still being the reincarnation of Lews Therin and meets Mierin.

[essie007]

Imagine having a dream that you make out with an ex and then your girlfriend dumps you about it.

[asha-mage]

As I am decidedly not heterosexual I've only ever been able to examine the Lanfear stuff through a detached lens of narrative and analytic interest (though the magic thing about Robert Jordan is that basically his entire world and plot can stand up to that scrutiny), but heterosexual men have assured me repeatedly over the years that Lanfear's 'Selene' act in TGH a) would have worked on them and b) did represent a level of appeal that's Rand's ensuing Stupid(TM) re: Lanfear makes a lot of sense.

With that in mind I find it hilarious how the show has updated Lanfear's manipulation attempt, not to appeal to Rand but the audience, and what that says about the way what is attractive in women has shifted in the twenty odd years since TGH came out.

Basically, mysterious intelligent beautiful maidens who are eternally grateful to their rescuer are OUT and worldly confidant financially superior older women who wield their power over you in only benevolent and/or fun ways are IN.

[hikarielizabethbloom]

Rand and Lanfear is an abusive relationship. Yes

Lanfear is manipulating Rand. Yes, and she is doing an amazing job! Go girl!

I hope Rand is tricking her. Yes. Please. That would be awesome.

Why can't people see how this is problematic. Oh, believe me, I see this. I just don't care 🤷‍♀️ I find the role reversal refreshing and compelling. And... the two of them look incredibly hot together.

I get that the relationship might not be for everyone's flavor, but please. I don't need or want another useless shipwar.

[vincentsleftear]

“Selene” is so CLEARLY evil it’s actually mind blowing. Each time she opens her mouth it’s just red flag after red flag. And here’s Rand, too blinded by her beauty to notice….honestly, period.

[usernamesuggestionsarefunny]

Yeah I am not liking Rand cheating on Egwene idc about all the metas making excuses for him, yes it is a dream but I think it has been established that Rand knows that they are "real" magical dreams or whatever. The metas have good points regarding other stuff, for example how isolated Rand is and the fact Lanfear is an abuser (To both Egwene and Rand in different ways), but nothing justifies the blatant cheating. One thing is having no control over Lanfear being in his dreams which I 100% do NOT blame him for, but actively initiating a kiss is something else entirely and YES I would think the same with the genders reversed. Egwene doesn't deserve that.

I blame the writers though. I don't think Rand should be writen as a cheater nor do I think it makes sense for his character. Now all the general audience will inevitably associate his future poly relationship to

* THAT *

[hahnspoetry]

losing my mind over the way lanfear’s holding rand…

i need her to hold me like this

[baltears]

they <3