#New Spring spoilers

[moiraineology]

This was one of my favourite passages in the book. I would put it in the same category as "I'd let a thousand innocents die (...)" in terms of kinda ratioing Moiraine's likeability. She's talking to someone whose husband and son recently died. The woman is having a lot of trouble reckoning with it, and just needs to talk about it, but Mo is so focused on her mission that she just doesn't have the time and energy to really listen. And she busts out this preformed response that seems like the right thing to say, but it just comes across as callous and insincere. And she notices that it's not received well, and she feels badly about that. I think she's embarrassed about her youth and inexperience, for sure, but I also think she's kind of unreliable as a narrator. She knows she wasn't kind here, but she doesn't really pinpoint exactly where it went wrong. She just chalks it up to her not being Aes Sedai enough. I don't really have a point here. I just love when RJ lets Moiraine be really unlikeable, impatient, and inconsiderate, in spite of being a person who cares deeply about the world and the people she loves. I like it when she fucks up. I think a lot of people fuck up in exactly this way, where it's more thoughtlessness and self-consciousness rather than outright malice, and this passage just makes her really, really human.

[the-last-punbender]

"and that's when you knew?"

Moiraine, internally: "no, I knew when he and I murdered another Aes Sedai."

[battlestarbones]

I just finished New Spring and I am verklempt about my little 20-something Moiraine and Lan!! And I am NOT ready to reenter the main storyline with LoC given how TFoH ended!!

[cosmiclove-heavenstruck]

TORI SPRING: SOLITAIRE

"I think you should know that I make up a lot of stuff in my head and then get sad about it." Tori Spring, played by Jenny Walser

[7x10mickey]

NICK & CHARLIE || HEARTSTOPPER - 3x05

[sanguchito-farm]

Save me Sam_Winter.png

[bittwitchy]

some new sad girl guy spring dialogue for sebby!

also bonus bc its summer 13 now and i already gave him a bouquet

[angelnicknelson]

new clips of nick and charlie in heartstopper season 3 [x]

[wibblyowzah]

Moiraine laughed and hugged Siuan. She could not help it. She truly had come home. They had come home.

—New Spring, Robert Jordan

[moiraineology]

Hi ❤️ I was wondering, how did you like New Spring if you've finished reading it?

Personally I think it was a great choice to read it even before getting into the Eye of the World and I enjoyed all the details about Moiraine, Siuan and Lan's backgrounds/relationships. It made reading EotW even a little easier to me. The only complain I have is that it was too short 🥲

BTW do you have any favorite parts that you'd like to see as flashbacks on the show?! I would love to get a scene of Moiraine and Lan meeting for the first time or their first bonding!

Oh no! I am so, so sorry for not replying sooner. I really didn't mean to leave you hanging. I was excited to receive this question, and then neglected to respond for...two weeks? Oh boy. I apologize.

I did truly love New Spring. Ripped through it in a couple of days over my reading break (a highlight!). I actually totally agree with you re: reading order. I'm not particularly stringent about that in any case, but I say, if you most ardently adore enjoy a character, just dive in and read everything ever directly written about them :D

It has now been a while since I read it, but I think that most of all I appreciated these very flawed, smart, and funny characters it brought to life. I've mentioned this before in a post, but I'll say it again as many times as possible: I love (love! LOVE) Mo's social ineptitude. Or at least that she treats most social interactions like a dramatic performance, where she has to put on a certain face based on her training and her upbringing. I find the part of the book where she learns about power structures in the Blue Ajah, and the fact that she picks up on this complicated dance of deference and authority that someone (Eadyth?) must then explain verbally, to be incredibly moving. Who among us hasn't felt the temperature of an intricate web of social relations, not natural but cultural (or maybe a combination of the two, where difference is felt and ostracized accordingly, sometimes in a very insidious and subtle way) and been utterly confused, and wished that someone would just explain what the fuck is going on between people? All of this says a lot about her background: culture, class, and also her particular brand of neurosis. I find it very endearing and more relatable than I care to admit (outside of this space). Yeah, also I think she's autistic. I'm nd as all hell and I think so, so it must be true.

Also, I love that we get mean Mo. Impatient Mo. Stubborn, obstinate, and immature Mo. She really did grow up with Lan. I think that's gorgeous. These two are actually kids when they meet, and then it's just them for 20 years on the road, and they learn to be PEOPLE, and to not communicate, and to fulfil the roles that are required of them/all that their duty really entails/how to navigate the politics of their world. Just the two of them. I would kill for flashbacks to times after they initially bonded, and how they were able to grow so close after a rather sticky beginning. I think the answer lies in the empathy that is inherent in a bond. Lan sees Mo as a stubborn child, but when he finally feels the fear and doubt and uncertainty she struggles with every day... a child doesn't normally feel those things. She struggles with the weight of the responsibility that has suddenly been thrust upon her, a responsibility that, to her great credit, she approaches bravely and willingly. Mo, too, can't stand Lan at first (I personally think she is jealous of his gravitas and his calm: we know she wants to be that way, but can't yet. Not until she grows up a little more), but she will soon meet the man who has been raised from birth to be the king of a nation that no longer exists. And what that does to a person. And exactly why Lan must be the way that he is (and how much she can learn from him). Also, I actually cried laughing and just gleefully clapped and giggled when Mo was pranking Lan and her inner voice was just...so conniving and sneaky and clever. "He would meet the wasps in perfect health." I genuinely think it's the funniest line ever written (perhaps that says more about my dumb sense of humour than RJ's comedic ability, but to his credit, he is really fucking funny sometimes).

And I can't end my little rant without talking about Siuan. I so appreciated the chance to get to know this character, who is introduced so beautifully to us in the show at the height of her power. As someone who is more than a little bossy, strategic, and clever, and who is very accustomed to being in control of a room. I love seeing what that looks like in a young person. She has the confidence, personality, and work ethic, but not yet the experience to be an effective leader. However, she leads Moiraine. And Moiraine likes it and she lets her. Again, relatable. More than I care to admit outside of this space. I also am fascinated by the cultural and class differences between the two women. The qualities they share (curiosity, drive, ambition, and so, so much integrity) are almost outweighed by those differences (Siuan is measured where Mo is impulsive, Siuan is frugal where Mo spends lavishly, Siuan is irreverent and unconstrained by the expectations of her rank, while Mo is and has always been bound by them). It's cool to see how they change one another. And the ways in which they remain unchanged into adulthood. Right up until we meet them together in the show. Also I think it's really fucking cute that Moiraine wanted to sugar momma Siuan so bad that she tried to buy her a horse. Who?? among us?? hasn't lived that fantasy?? No? Just me? (I would love to sugar momma my baby girl, if only I had the means).

Will you tell me what you thought about it, too? I would love to hear all of your thoughts. What would you like to see explored in the show?

Thank you so much for your thoughtful asks. I love answering them, even when I take too long.

[themoonfortress]

Lmao I recently read EoTW after becoming a fan of the Series and also read New Spring first, so reading that part really sent me off too 😂 and also them mentioning Elaida hating rats and how Moiraine and Siuan actually pulled that prank as a retaliation on her all those years ago made that part of the book so much funnier!! So many Easter eggs! XD

Just got to Caemlyn in my EOTW reread and I’m thinking about how Rand suggests to Basel Gill that he could go to Elaida about the Darkfriends, and I’m *cackling* at the idea of Moiraine getting to Caemlyn only to find Rand with Elaida of all people.

Elaida, who is able to sense Rand is important but doesn’t know exactly what his deal is at this point, suddenly being *very* invested in lording it over Moiraine that Moiraine’s little pet came to *her.* Moiraine gritting her teeth to try and be nice to Elaida despite wanting to slap her because she needs her to get to Rand. Rand just totally clueless to the fact he chose the absolute worst Aes Sedai for Moiraine to have to deal with. Like the one sister with whom she has decades-long animosity.

[nervouspearl]

"You are a cool one, Aes Sedai," Lan said flatly.

"As cool as I must be," she told him.

[zebracorn-chan]

Like Purple Guy, he always comes back!

[whchwitch]

The usual suspects.

[lakeofsilverpike]

@onaperduamedee

#The wheel of time#wot show spoilers#wot season 2 spoilers#wot s2 spoilers#wheel of time s2 spoilers#Wheel of time season 2 spoilers#Meta#Wot meta#Oh wow thank you so much for these tags#They are truly beautiful#I confess one of the reasons I make gifsets is to get insightful tags#Yes I trick people into giving me meta with gifsets I am a monster#I didn't see at all the self-disgust angle but I am fascinated by the idea#As you say especially in the way it relates to Siuan who had to hide who she was as a child#Both wore masks to survive

Your tags just made me think more about this. Because I did not exactly mean self-disgust, but I do think that is right. I initially more meant disgust at the mask that Moiraine once wore to survive. New Spring gives us more context for this than the show has at this point, but to rule in Cairhien means committing murder, torturing people, and propagating a class structure that oppresses poor people.

I imagine as a child and young woman, Moiraine put on a show of agreeing with these ideas, at least enough to survive and make it out of the Sun Palace and to the White Tower. And I think seeing herself in that dress with that smile is a reminder of how she pretended to agree with those ideas for her own benefit (even if as a child, that benefit was only surviving, I think there is still guilt there).

I think Moiraine has prided herself on living a life of serving others, serving all. This is the antithesis of what her family did with power. They used power for their own benefit. She has used her power to help people, has sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of the world. I think that self-sacrifice is an important part of how she has come to see herself. And now that sacrifice means stepping back into the role of a Cairhienin noble, using her class privilege, being cruel. And maybe there is self-disgust at the things she is realizing she will have to do to see the Last Battle won, how much of herself (the good person she is, the values she has held in contradistinction to the values of her family) she will have to give up for that.

We see in New Spring Moiraine utterly terrified of being made to rule Cairhien. We see her certain she has cruelty in her and could use it if she must. For her whole life she has made herself the antithesis of her family, ran from Cairhien because it would mean being something that she hates, something that she believes is wrong. But now she is realizing that she will be forced to do things she hates to win the Last Battle. And so maybe there is self-disgust there. Not just at the childhood mask she wore, the memories of what it means to act like a Damodred, but at herself now for embracing that, because she must, because she has no choice but to be the person she ran from becoming.

The class element of the mask Moiraine wears in Cairhien is especially interesting in the context of Siuan. Whatever ideas Moiraine arrived at the White Tower with, undoubtedly falling in love with someone who comes from a very poor family will have altered the way Moiraine sees the world. By now you all know how interesting I find this, but truly it feels like such an important character note about both Moiraine and Siuan that they have a relationship with someone from such a different background. The books are full of so much cultural chauvinism from characters from every region. And so, we can read the world of randland in this way much like our own, as having a significant amount of xenophobia and prejudice.

Moiraine at some point in her seventy-year relationship with Siuan in the show timeline or nearly thirty-year relationship in the book timeline, has undoubtedly thought deeply about class and her own privilege. And I imagine that the idea of walking around Cairhien and pretending to look down on the people in the foregate is a specific kind of uncomfortable for Moiraine in this context.

And it is interesting to compare this, as you do, to Siuan and the masks she had to wear. I'll be honest, there are so many ways that channeling reads like the thinnest of metaphors for being queer, and I find it hard not to interpret Siuan's story in that way. Siuan comes from a place where channeling will get you killed, but her family completely accepts her. She comes from a family who loves her so deeply, a father who makes certain she knows there is nothing wrong with her for channeling. And so, though she has to leave, it is so much easier to connect with the good things about her culture because she had a place where she was both a member of her culture and a channeler - and that place was with her parent.

I think this makes it easier to reclaim being Tairen, and sharing this culture with Moiraine becomes a way to solidify Siuan's identity, and Moiraine is able to validate this for her. Siuan is able once again to be loved as a channeler and as a member of her culture. Again, hard not to read this as coming from a culture that doesn't accept you as a queer person, but you are able to bring your partner into your traditions and that helps you feel a part of both worlds. My headcanon that Moiraine was very invested in helping Siuan hold on to these pieces of her identity, that Moiraine knows how important this is to Siuan, and that the fuck hut was a gift from Moiraine to Siuan when she became Amyrlin and holding on to being Siuan Sanche felt so much more difficult.

I don't think Cairhien holds the same positive feelings for Moiraine, and I think she prefers that it not be fundamental to her identity. Moiraine isn't from a warm family or a warm community like Siuan is. Moiraine grew up in the Sun Court watching her family harm people. And so, I think Moiraine's journey is different. I think she comes to find an identity that does feel right, away from Cairhien, as an Aes Sedai, serving the world. And I think Siuan shares her culture with Moiraine, teaches her to fish, how to make nets, has a traditional Tairen marriage ceremony. Invites Moiraine to share this culture that Siuan loves, that she holds onto out of love.

Going back to Cairhien is uncomfortable for Moiraine because, unlike Siuan, who still would feel like she fits into Tairen culture (at least small village Tairen culture), Moiraine never felt like she fit in the Sun Court. Or if she did, the idea of that meant she was an awful person, and so she was grateful to fit elsewhere, grateful to reject the ideas that the Damodreds represent.

And so, to bring this back to where we started, and try to reign it in, I think you are right, that Moiraine is deeply disgusted to step back into the role of Lady Damodred. I think she ran not because Laman fell, but because she has a value system fundamentally at odds with her family's. And now she is having to walk around Cairhien pretending to uphold a lot of beliefs and values she finds morally reprehensible. And I imagine that would be hard on a good day. But it's probably especially hard right now, so far from Siuan and Lan, and feeling at her lowest.

"I'm surprised you remember where your chamber is. How long has it been?"

[lemongogo]