#avendesora

[simonjadis]

Latra Sedai raises the pillars of Rhuidean on Wheel of Time Season 3, Episode 4: 'The Road to the Spear'

[sugarcube-stillabookworm]

so do we think that any of the jenn aiel the "true" aiel who kept both of their oaths and managed to cross the spine of the world and travel the Waste still remembered the Song of Growing. do we think they sang it together when they planted the chora sapling in the barren ground in rhuidean and that helped it take root and grow into a massive lifeful tree, avendesora, so deep into the desert

[emma-dennehy-presents]

Im really really liking Season 3 of WoT Prime but Im getting very worried about Mat's Ashandarei and if the Finn are going to be a part of the show

[necarion]

It's pretty clear from the start of the Wheel of Time that Jordan hadn't figured out how long everybody lived yet. Aes Sedai could clearly live a long time, but it seems like he'd thought of it on the order of "about a century" rather than "up to 300 years". Picking Siuan as Amyrlin at 40 is insane if she's going to hold the job for 200+ years, but makes more sense if she might keep it for 60.

It also makes the Age of Legends unusually fucked up. If the "Servants of All" could live upwards of 600 years! and the common folk only got to a normal healthy long-life (good medical care, etc) of around 100 or so. They become this multi-generation ruling magical class, and no amounts of discipline would keep that from becoming a fantastically massive political issue.

However, we also have (a) the metaphor of the Expulsion from Eden to draw from, where they "ate of the tree of knowledge" and introduced death into the world and (b) knowledge that ter'angreal allowed normal people to use certain weaves on a regular basis. So if you have:

It isn't use of the One Power, but presence of it flowing through a body that prevents (and reverses aging)

A large number of standing flows throughout the cities

Really good magical healing

and you could imagine that non-channelers could also have extremely long lives of multiple centuries. Further, the disparity would be much reduced between channelers of different abilities, too, if everybody was exposed to the same level of background One Power. Only the very strongest channelers might live longer, and maybe not by a whole lot.

But I can do one better. We already have a thing called the Tree of Life that gives feelings of peace and contentment, that lined all the streets of cities in the Age of Legends.

What if Avendesora/Chora trees have the effect they do by releasing a standing flow of the One Power that provides the minor healing / de-aging effect of the one power, for everyone?

[iviarellereads]

The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 48 - Following the Craft

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Avendesora leaf icon) In which sometimes your special interest is your ta'veren power.

PERSPECTIVE: Egg and Nyn have been seasick the whole trip. Egg wears the snake ring and the stone ring on a cord around her neck, wanting both to be close. She's had more dreams, some vague like just the Seanchan existing, but others include:(1)

A Whitecloak putting Master Luhhan in the middle of a huge, toothed trap for bait

Perrin with a falcon on his shoulder

Perrin choosing between his axe and a blacksmith's hammer

Mat dicing with the Dark One and shouting, "I am coming!"—and she thinks he's shouting that to her

Rand sneaking through darkness toward Callandor, followed by six men and five women, including a man with eyes of flame who wanted Rand desperately

Rand in a dry, dusty chamber with small creatures settling on to his skin

Rand confronting a horde of Seanchan

Rand confronting her and she has a Seanchan woman with her

The ship docks, and she could almost kiss the sturdy dock. The Stone of Tear, the great fortress, is visible even from here. Elayne comes up behind her and says it was woven with the Power, long ago, a lost art.

Egg isn't eager to ride, fearing the motion of a horse might be too close to the corkscrew motion of the ship that made her so sick, but they have little choice. Egg wonders aloud how they're going to find the people they seek, and Elayne suggests a thief-taker, like Hurin.(2) Egg says alright then, they find a room at an inn and ask the innkeeper to find them a thief-taker. Nyn says no, not an inn, Liandrin will be watching them all after leaving all those clues,(3) but she'll know what she's looking for when she sees it.

As they search, Egg sees that many of the people are wearing wooden platform shoes, to keep their feet out of the ever-present mud. She's wondering what kind of shop would sell those, when Nyn finds what she sought: a local Wisdom, or equivalent.

They knock, and the woman, Mother Guenna, asks which of them needs her. Nyn says she needs something for her stomach, and MG invites them in. Nyn takes the tea she makes, and they start testing each other's knowledge of herblore. Eventually, there's a camaraderie among the whole group, and MG says she's enjoying their company, most people ask for something to soothe troubled dreams lately. Her given name is Ailhuin, and they must come visit her again if they're staying in Tear. Nyn asks if instead they could rent a room from her.

Ailhuin says if she lets them stay, there'll be no talk of paying, but first they have to tell her why they're in Tear. Nyn says some people stole something from them, all those who could otherwise have come were killed, and they seek justice. After a little more discussion, Ailhuin says they'll stay, and she knows a thief-taker, the most dangerous man she knows in fact, and he's happy to work for those of any social class, for what they can afford.

After Ailhuin goes to fetch this Juilin Sandar, Egg tells Nyn she's learning to manipulate as well as Moiraine.(4) El slaps her, saying she goes too far. None of them likes what they're doing, but it has to be done. Egg rubs her cheek and thinks it does have to be done, but she still doesn't have to like it.

=====

(1) A lot of them are phrased as questions, and it's worth reviewing that paragraph and asking yourself the questions Egg's asking. I won't say that all the dreams in the series are clear setup/reminders of ongoing arcs and things we haven't seen lately or anything, some never come up again, or are so vaguely described that the fandom can't agree on a solid interpretation. But, RJ doesn't repeat these motifs for no reason, and he doesn't have characters ask themselves questions for nothing. (2) So we said goodbye to Hurin… but we're bringing back another character in damn near the same slot in the party. Sure. This feels more and more like a D&D campaign where someone got busy and had to leave. (3) Ah, but did she and the others leave those clues, or was it Lanfear? I suppose either way, someone will be watching for them. (4) I wouldn't go so far as Elayne does here and slap her, but Egg's chafing at Nynaeve no longer being her superior but still acting like it IS going a bit far.

[matgpt]

Loial wants to know what your favorite tree is.

Black yew. It’s the best thing for Two Rivers longbows.

[mothbaaalls]

ive been watching youtube videos about severe weather events and this one channel (weatherbox studios) made a video about severe weather themed christmas cookies . this comment was too good not to poast

[derangedbutfun]

Finally - the Avendesora leaf!

[jon-sedai]

Something I realized while thinking about Rand, Rhuidean, and the Car’a’carn prophecy that states “only a remnant of a remnant shall he save” is that Rand, the Aiel, and Avendesora all remnants of a remnant:

Avendesora is the last surviving chora tree, born from the branches the Da’shain Aiel (and later the Jenn Aiel) carried to a place of safety. It represents hope and peace preserved through long periods of suffering.

The current Aiel are remnants too, survivors of the splintering of the Da’shain Aiel. They now carry the seeds of Rhuidean, and Avendesora, forward. But prophecy says they must be culled once more for hope to endure. They are the seeds of what will be, just as the remaining few Chora branches became Avendesora.

And Rand himself is a remnant of a remnant. His ancestors destroyed themselves to carry peace forward, and Rand must open himself to destruction, too. He is the Dragon that unites the world, not just the Aiel. His journey through Rhuidean is the perfect mirror of his greater purpose: to carry the seed of hope amidst war and ruin. That’s why he is creator and destroyer.

What was is, and will be once more. The wheel turns, and the seeds endure. From endings come new beginnings….Jordan cooked here.

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

May 20th

~*~

1. Hi! I'm looking for a fic where baby a-yuan and lan zhan travel back in time to during the sunshot campaign, and lan zhan tells everyone that a-yuan is his son, thank you! @suwuiko

FOUND? Lan Yuan’s War by BurningTea (G, 196k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Dad lwj, Sunshot Campaign, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Rumours, CQL Verse, Mental Health Issues, Sick LWJ)

~*~

2. hi hi, hope you're doing well~ I'm looking for this one fic where the burial mounds area is like a veil of a separate, more dangerous, realm and there are monsters that are starting to break through the realm. Since the monsters are seen more often there have also been sightings of black-robed, red ribbon wearing people who are able to fight them more efficiently. It all comes to a head when there's a discussion conference and wwx shows up after either being asked to help or eavesdropping and helping ojt anyways, but theres lots of monster fighting and its v cool. wwx, wei yuan, song lan and/or xxc (?) and all the wens live there because of this insane thing that wwx rigged up that sustains this shield within by using rhe stygian tiger seal. The fic kind of ends with the core reveal and wwx pushing himself so much that lwj does a golden core transfer and gives his own core to wwx.

FOUND! 💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Universe Alteration, the yiling patriarch survives, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catharsis, Slow Burn, Drama, Getting Together, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Melancholy, Love, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Love Confessions, Eventual Smut, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Switching, Grief/Mourning, fucking while pining, Implied/Referenced Torture, Self-Harm, golden core transfer, Playing fast and loose with worldbuilding, Battle Scenes, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, implied / Referenced suicide attempt, Sect Leader WWX, YLLZ WWX, Yílíng Wèi Sect)

~*~

3. thank you so much for this blog!!! you have helped me find so many great reads! for your next fic finder, can you help me find a story i’ve searched for but cant find. its modern, no cultivation. Lan Zhan is part of big publishing company. believe Wei Ying is living with Wen Ning - dont remember how LZ/WY get together but at some point LZ discovers that WY has created a beautiful gaming world and happy ending LZ’s company publishes it as hugely successful game. hope this is enough info!

FOUND! 🧡 Where’s Your Emergency? by trippednfell (M, 64k, WangXian, 911 Dispatcher WWX, Single dad LWJ, Kid fic, Modern AU, D&D Games, Angst with a happy ending)

~*~

4. FF request please!

All I remember is wangxian had confessed and WWX was texting JC who didn’t really want to know but asked anyway and WWX responded with “cri cri, kith, more cri and kith kith kith” and JC was all “why did I even ask?!”

It was cute and multi chapter, I think? I wanna read it again so bad. Plz! 🙏

~*~

5. Hi! Please help me find a fic I've been looking after for ages!

It starts with Qin Su using the body sacrifice spell to bring Jiang Yanli into her body. Later on, Jiang Yanli tricks Xue Yang into using the same spell to resurrect Wei wuxian. I also think that Wei wuxian eventually manages to change his face back into his old one but uses a fake Xue Yang face when trying to uncover the plots of the Jin sect @avendesora-sedai

FOUND? the problem with authority by isabilightwood (M, 139k, WangXian, QingLi, Canon Divergence, Sacrifice Summon, slightly dark!JYL, wq lives because i said so, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chronic Pain, Mild Sexual Content, Top/Bottom Versatile | Switch WangXian, manipulative relationship (background xiyao))

~*~

6. hii!! I just wanted to thank you for all that you do for fanfic readers, we really very appreciate you!

I have been looking for a fanfic on AO3 for months and I have a feeling it may have been deleted but on the off chance it wasn't and I'm just a terrible finder, I was hoping you can help me? it was around a 20k one shot of wei ying in a modern universe with no magic and he is dealing with guilt for having caused a car accident that injured jc and yanli. he left them to live alone recovering from a leg injury and he met wen qing who was working at a supermarket. she wanted him to care for his injury when he was not doing so. there was a scene where he was taking care of plants in his apartment and deciding to meet the jiangs again. sorry it's so long but I wanted to read it again!

FOUND? #6 is a fic by ribena called "take yourself home" , I have a pdf. DM me if you would like it! @/the-marathon-continues-nip

~*~

7. 🥺🙏 would you happen to know a wangxian fic where lwj is the moon god and wwx is the death god and they were together but 'broke up' before the start of the fic.  

the fic's main plot follows 3 mortals who are sent to the heavenly realm to somehow solve the problem of why wangxian broke up and it turned out toq be a huge misunderstanding in the end. lots of mystery and worldbuilding around thr heavenly realm, with most of thr mdzs as deities of different types. a side of mpreg in the final chapters with mo xuanyu as wangxian's spiritual energy baby.  

also: mo xuanyu was the name formed from the characters of each mortals name. @pogopogopogo

FOUND? The Gods of Love by 0_Heta_0 (M, 73k, WangXian, background XuanLi, Greek Gods, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Homophobia, POV Outsider)

~*~

8. Hi! I'm searching for a fic I really liked but haven't marked anywhere and now I can't find it😭 I don't remember the title nor author buy it had a very unique plot I remember quite well. Here are a few key points I remember:

Wangxian are married and I'm almost sure it was Royalty AU

Wwx lost pieces of his soul and Lan Zhan is trying to find them in other people

It was mpreg and Wangxian had Sizhui and Jingyi

It was sorta morally gray lwj, since he is sacrificing people in hopes that one of them will being Wei Ying's consciousness back

Wei Ying is not dead but he is dull and I think he bearly spoke

Everyone is still alive

There was some sort of archery competition when a character (I think it was Mo Xuanyu but I'm not so sure) that lwj suspected to have a connection with Wei Ying shows up and he crashes against a tree and Wei Ying feels his pain

Then Wei Ying started appearing in this characters mirror and spoke to him angerly because to gain that characters trust lwj had to kinda flirt and show fake affection to that character and wwx sees it through the mirror and is very angry

Then after sacrificing that character Wei Ying's consciousness is back and he refuses to talk to Lan Wangji, he also isn't aware of how long he was gone for because he only remembers that Sizhui was 3 and that he had still pregnant with Jingyi but in fact 16 years has passed

This fic was not finished from what I remember and I think it was also a part of a series. Please help me find it, thank youuu! <3 @misiasb

~*~

9. Hiiii for the next find finder can you help me with this story (it was on AO3 ) I’ve been searching a couple days now and I cannot find it :c

where wwx and lwj are already in a relationship it’s posible for it to be post canon. another sect sends a group of female cultivators to train I think it was under lwj but the leader of that group is really bold and it’s trying to get lwj’s affection (obviously not working) so they finally go to hunt something and wwx has to finish the threat cause lwj gets hurt or I think he rescues one of the girls and she takes the opportunity to steal a kiss. At some point in the story it was explained that the sect the girls come from has homophonic views and didn’t help in a case because of it.

FOUND? Just As Much by Gemiblu (E, 23k, WangXian, Jealousy, Boys In Love, Homophobia, demonic cultivation bondage, Power Bottom WWX, Cockblocking, Semi-Public Sex, Crying During Sex, Intimacy, New World, Female Characters, Casual Intimacy, mentions of non-canon character death, description of violent acts, post marriage, Explicit Sexual Content, Kissing, Affection, supportive married couple, Pet Names, YLLZ WWX)

~*~

10. hi im looking for a fic i can’t seem to find, but basically it was a misunderstanding trope with wwx entering the body of a female cultivator instead of mo, and the cultivation world thinking they’re engaged and lan zhan still falling for her. if i remember right the summary had a mention of wwx wearing zidian? thank you!

FOUND? By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 31k, WangXian, Mix of CQL and MDZS, Identity Porn, WWX has an atypical relationship with gender)

~*~

11. Hi! I did find the post! Sorry for the trouble. I don’t use Tumblr a lot! There was a fic recommended but unfortunately that is not the one I was looking for.

I think WWX gave up the Tiger Seal and they were escorting him somewhere after that. The seal suddenly apparently and hide itself in WWX robes. LWJ saw it but didn’t say anything. Then later on the road it comes out and WWX was surprised bc he gave it up in the Jin.

The tiger seal was kinda like a cat. @saint-ly-sins

NOT FOUND? Turn a little faster by apathyinreverie (T, 42k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Humor, Pining LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Yin Iron, POV LWJ, time travel outsider pov, WWX Leaves the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Falling In Love, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, BAMF WWX, Crack Treated Seriously) There is the one where the Yin Iron is hiding in Wei Yings clothing while he goes around in the past thinking everything is a hallucination.

~*~

12. Hello again!! You guys are wonderful and I was hoping you could help me find a fic I lost. I checked your relevant comp post and still can’t find it.

It was emperor!lwj, and he was married off to wwx as his empress, but cared not for the marriage (not even bothering to glance under wwx’s veil), and didn’t come to him on their wedding night. Wwx is sent off to a deserted, disrepaired palace (the cold palace, maybe?) essentially to be forgotten, and to make the best of a bad situation, wwx+some of the wens (who are ostensibly his staff) begin to farm and actually become a self-sustaining household. Lwj spots wwx one day and is immediately smitten but wwx makes him GROVEL, including doing menial labor on the farm. Wwx wants to remain cold towards lwj for the rejection, but of course eventually thaws and falls for him. I think lan xichen may have been scheming with jgy in this one but I can’t remember for certain. Any other fics where wwx truly makes lwj grovel and not just forgives him for whatever slight that you know of would also be appreciated!

Thank you so much!!!!

FOUND? 我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 84k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan)

~*~

13. Hello! I am simply terrible at remembering to bookmark fics. I was trying to find the fic where lwj and wwx go back in time at the events of night less city after lwj stabs wwx with his sword by accident? I had thought it was We Can See a New Start, but that’s clearly not it. I can’t narrow down the tags enough to find it, so I’m turning to yall. Thank youu

FOUND! Regrets by antebunny (G, 38k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Canon Divergence, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Explicit Descriptions of Love, and other squishy feelings, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

14. For days I've been trying to find this fic. I'm not sure with the details like if wei wuxian is a farmer here or older (i think he is a farmer though) but what I remember is lan wangji making advances to wei wuxian while sleeping (wei wuxian here is known as a heavy sleeper ) but at some point wei wuxian got awake during those and from then on anticipate what lan wangji gonna do, so he knows what lan wangji is doing and there's a number of that that happens. Also, lan wangji is running out of time because he was about to go to the main central or the palace to take an imperial exam (? I'm not sure if that's the term) anyway, he was going with lan sizhui to take that exam. I'm not sure if he goes on the day of the exam but I vaguely remember that he confess his feelings to wei wuxian before or on that day. Then they did the everyday. ヾ(＠゜▽゜＠）ノ

(I seen this post, can I have this? Anyone?) @lanwuxian0725

~*~

15. Hellooo, I'm looking for a modern au where wwx has amnesia and doesn't remember being in a relationship or possibly even married to lwj, so they tell him they're roommates and remove all hints from their shared appartment. I remember wwx wondering why his room seems to have no personality (because it's the guest room) and him figuring it out when he goes snooping in lwj's room (which is of course their shared bedroom). I think lxc was involved in hiding the "evidence". Please, hivemind, send help! @wingsofbadass

FOUND! Hi I'm the one who was looking for the amnesia au, #15 on the 20.05. Fic Finder. Through an incredible group effort that involved someone remembering the pfp attached to the threadfic, someone recognizing whose pfp it was, and me combing through my discord history, we have figured out that it was a thread by yeehawmeowqing who has since deactivated and has asked to remain a memory.

not super helpful, but I am almost positive that I've read 15 and now I can't find it anywhere so it's possible it's been deleted? or hidden in a collection? if anyone keeps track of those things, that might be somewhere to look.

~*~

16. Hello - I am looking for a fic where wwx was helping in a fisherman village. He ends up getting very close with a family there. Also he sent a few kids from that village to Jinlintai to learn cultivation and JL kept complaining that those hooligans were destroying koi tower. WWX end up marrying lwj at the village @hid9884

FOUND! Linger by the Door (I’ve Always Been Yours) by piecrust (T, 78k, wangxian, slow burn, canon compliant)

~*~

17. Hello, I'm looking for a fanfiction, A/B/O world, Wuxian is an omega whose Mrs. Yu arranged a marriage with the alpha, Lan Wangji. At the same time, Yangli was supposed to marry Zixuan. I remember that it was a story from Yanli's point of view, who is bitter that Zixuan doesn't love her and didn't make her equal in the relationship, while Wangji made Wuxian equal in the relationship, which was not common. The Wangxians weren't in love before the marriage, but they respected each other and eventually fell in love. I know that equality in alpha-omega relationships was important in this story. @cityofhappiness

FOUND? 🔒 Alliance AU by Ilona22 (E, 23k, WangXian, JYL/OC, Arranged Marriage, A/B/O Dynamics, PWP, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Intersex Omegas, Not JC Friendly, Matchmaking, canon Jiang family dynamics, Family time, Night Hunts, Mention of male omega pregnancy, Intrigue at Jinlintai, Mentions of Prostitution, War, Conflict between characters) with part 5 being the one I think they're after

~*~

18. Hello! Please help me find a fic where Wei Wuxian wakes up in Mo Xuanyu's body but as time passes his looks change into his old body. I'm like 85% sure it was from a third person viewpoint and the junior ducklings reaction was also written. I read this fic about 2 years ago I think and for some reason didn't bookmark it! Please help me find it I will forever appreciate and love you if you did<333 @aryadaiki

But the one I'm searching for was shorter than this it's mostly just reactions of everyone around him

Im sorry it's neither of those (⁠╯⁠︵⁠╰⁠,⁠) it's very gradual and no one noticed until he's completely transformed in his old body

NOT FOUND! Saw My Life in a Stranger’s Face by timetoboldlygo (T, 27k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Married Life, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, wwx’s face changes post-canon to look like his original face, Slight Panic Attack, because lwj doesn’t recognize his husband, the mortifying ordeal of not knowing your own body, the terrifying inevitability of change, taller!wwx theory)

NOT FOUND! Is Your Old Body Considered a Halloween Costume? by The_peregrine_falcon (G, 3k, WangXian, WWX's original body, Fluff, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon)

NOT FOUND! Transcend by covalentbonds (Not Rated, 7k, WIP, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff and Humor, Smut, YLLZ WWX is prettiest fight me)

~*~

19. Hi, I’m looking for a fic where wwx has been wondering the world by himself. I believe little apple was with him, but him and lwj were sharing a bed together in an inn and wwx was anxious about it because he didn’t think lwj liked him back. I’m so sorry if this description is bad 😭

FOUND? all I find is you by daltoneering (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Fluff, Confessions, There Was Only One Bed, First Time, finding home in unexpected places, Braid LWJ, Wound Tending)

~*~

20. Help me find this fanfic. When Wei Wuxian fell off the mountain (it think the one in night less city) instead of succumbing to his own death, he was saved by baoshan sanren and was it with lan yi or lan an? He suffered from amnesia and forgot his son with Lan Wangji. He lived with Baoshan Sanren, together with Song Lan, Xingchen and the blind girl. @lu-wanji

FOUND? Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, Canon Divergence, war changes people, no pinning, LWJ learns how to speak, WWX is not oblivious, Established Relationship, wangxian are married and have a son, Mpreg, Good Uncle LQR, a little grey LWJ, a bit of JC bashing from LWJ, BAMF JYL, 16 years of yearning, Canon-Typical Violence, LSZ is LWJ & WWX’s Child, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Canonical Character Death - WWX, Canon Rewrite, Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

~*~

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

so many things to love about that episode but special shoutouts to:

Josha getting to flex his fucking range oh my GOD

Aviendha being so so awkward when Rand wakes her up (hmmm i wonder what she could have seen in all those alternate lives????)

Lan crying cause he thinks Moiraine is dead!!

AVENDESORA

That shot of the moon immediately after the end of the columns sequence and lanfear backstory speaking of which

THE BORE SCENE OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the Lanfear-murdering-Moiraine alternate lives flashes

the Aviendha vs. Lan fight at the beginning!!!!! Her last dance with the spears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RAND QUEER ANCESTOR!!!!!!

EVERYTHING with the wise ones!!!! Bair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

everything every single thing this is the best episode in the entire show by a long shot holy shit

moiraine advancing her pilfering. she's no longer just refusing to give angreal back to the tower, now she's stealing the most powerful sa'angreal in the world. leveling up her game!

The only thing that could have possibly improved it for me would be to have an ogier in that last past life scene singing with the aiel, but the entire episode was so perfectly paced and shot that honestly I'm fine without it. I cried twice!!!! What a masterpiece.

[chloristoflora]

Spoilers for WoT S03E04 "The Road to the Spear" + Book Spoilers

Okay, I can say that this episode is the best WoT episode until now. In any case, it's now my favorite.

Where do I start? I LOVE that this episode had such focus on Rhuidean. I LOVE that although there was attention for Moiraine, most of the episode was about Rand.

The arrival at Chaendaer is already set up well: Couladin is exactly what I wanted him to be, Aviendha is being reprimanded and her spear is taken from her. Rand and Moiraine go into Rhuidean and after some Avendesora and Avendoraldera history we get the glass columns.

I got a little distracted when I discovered that Josha Stradowski plays each of his ancestors, but I'd say that's a good choice. Other actors would distract the audience from Rand's story. And almost every one made me feel emotions, especially Lewin (the pain!). The last two ancestors were not named (or was it Charn?), but I especially liked Mierin and the Sharom. I love how much they kept it book-accurate.

About Moiraine's trip to Rhuidean: I liked the rings and the way of filming which made us experience the turnings of the Wheel. That was very cool. In so many different worlds Moiraine's end is by Lanfear and that's a good piece of foreshadowing.

The only problem I had while watching is definitely a consequence of reading the books: I couldn't stop missing Mat. I just feel like they replaced Mat with Moiraine in a way and it didn't totally fit: for example all the weapons Moiraine has to give up when entering Rhuidean, that's a Mat scene and I don't get why Moiraine would have so many weapons? It just doesn't fit her character. Also, when I saw Avendesora, I kept looking for a noose...

[highladyluck]

Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 4 (kind-of-a) Liveblog

FUCK THAT ORB SPECIFICALLY

I think they nailed it.

This is not precisely a liveblog because I'm writing up my thoughts immediately after, but whatever.

My spouse was like 'how are they going to compensate for us having spent less time with the Aiel than in the books, and knowing them less well?' and I think they did a lot to show the stakes of oaths and swords for the Aiel both right before the pillars and during them. I'd be curious to know how it went for non-book-readers!

Some of the mishmash of influences for the Aiel that RJ drew on was aurally and visually referenced in a way it hasn't been previously; the Wise Ones and the 3 silver rings are very aggressively Dune references, but the new stuff includes visual references to Travellers/Roma, Irish accents, and Jewish kippah-esque headcoverings. (Also, as my Jewish spouse said, 'the moving to the desert and then doing war crimes'.) That's only half the stuff that RJ used to make the Aiel, but we kind of already got the Bedouin & Native American influences, and I know there's probably more I'm forgetting. But it's great to see the references spelled out in a new medium.

I also appreciated that the visions were a little more personally emotionally devastating, and tbh given the very late-series developments re: the pillars, I actually think it's ok that Rand got shown stuff from after the founding of Rhuidean, even though it's not strictly canonical. Seeing the immediate aftermath of his birth served an important story purpose and I like that it caused Rand emotional damange. :) It always bugged me in the books that Rand kinda cheats his way through the glass columns since he doesn't have the same cultural upbringing as the Aiel; the trial doesn't test the same qualities or go as hard for him. He's on easy mode. The vision of his parents + the hobbit-y 3 besties addition evoking Mat and Perrin seems specifically designed to increase the psychic damage, which is juicier to watch and makes it more fair.

It made sense that they used Latra as a stand-in for every named Aes Sedai- I forget if that's canonical or not but it makes sense to condense those roles.

I hate how hot the Aiel version of Rand who gets the Sakarnen is. I don't want to think Rand is hot. But that haircut and uniform is really working for me. (Also I love that he's got a boyfriend/husband and did you see their rings??? They looked kind of like the show's Great Serpent rings!)

I love to see the Sharom explode. :D Fuck that orb specifically. Give it the fire exits they never deigned to build in!

I also love how it's really ambiguous whether Mierin actually intended to let the Dark One wreak havoc or not (as it should be!) I lean towards yes, she exploded everything on purpose to serve the DO/herself, but that's my pre-show opinion. She got her Aiel servant out with some pretty portentous words about being with loved ones, and Lanfear likes to say she's strategic about violence (although Lanfear's idea of being strategic or her idea of appropriate violence might not be, uh, baseline.) The big event being supposed to happen the next day is ambiguous- she could have made sure he wasn't inside and then triggered it, or it could have been an accident, either thing is supported. And even the portentous words about being with loved ones could just be her pining after LTT, and that's where all the weight comes from. So I think you can view it either way, and if you come down on a specific side it's because you have a previous opinion/bias one way or the other. Which I think is the right tack for the show to take!

The tattoo materialization was really cool. Honestly, the visuals were very very cool. The pillars were about what I imagined, and I LOVED the silver rings- they were exactly what I imagined and the suspensions were so visually arresting. I wish we'd seen more of the weird semi-AoL-ness of the city, but I'll settle for the Romanesque statue and Avendesora surrounded by like, fancy parking bollards. We already front-loaded the visual modernity of the AoL so it's less necessary to do it in Rhuidean. (That said, I did enjoy the very modern setting where Latra handed over Sakarnen- it looks like the outer edges of a modernist art museum.)

The show did some really effective 'speaking in unison' moments this episode- both the banishing of the dead and the Hirschhorn parking garage oath sounded great, evoked a religious mood, and were genuinely moving.

I also liked that the Laman backstory was shared between Moiraine and Rand- the books never really tugged too hard on the familial connections between all these characters so I'm happy to see Rand reacting to it. It's also funny that Moiraine is the one to steal a cultural artifact from the Aiel* this time, rather than Rand, and that Moiraine gets to get fireman-carried out of the Waste in lieu of Mat. (*To be fair, it did originally belong to the Aes Sedai, so she's not pulling a full British Museum, but my spouse is right that the Aes Sedai are basically the British Museum.)

Again, I think they nailed it and it was a very compelling episode. I hope it wins an award- I'm going to have to make sure I'm a voting member of Worldcon in time to nominate it for the 2025 TV episode Hugo. (2024 nominations are happening soon, or have just happened, I think.)

[markantonys]

relationship: rand/mat rating: T length: 864, complete summary: Rand wrapped his arms around his drawn-up knees, memories of his ancestors crowding his mind. One in particular. The one who had been entrusted with the sapling of Avendesora by Latra Posae Decume. The one who—

Rand glanced sideways at Mat and hastily looked back out at the city, feeling himself blush.

[faircastle]

anyway, they took 10,000 cuttings of the avendesora setting out on their wagons and now there's only one left and i'm fine about this and what it says about the cost of war and how it runs along the lines of the aiel and the tuatha'an and their harvest songs and the darkness.

[iviarellereads]

The Great Hunt, Chapter 36 - Among the Elders

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Avendesora leaf icon) In which something's extremely suspicious here.

PERSPECTIVE: Rand. Loial gets more anxious with every step. When they enter a building to see the Elders, Rand suggests Loial stay outside and read, instead of coming in. Despite the hungry glances of every woman nearby, Loial agrees this is the best course of action.

The Ogier elders say they haven't let anyone travel the Ways in over a hundred years, and bring in Trayal, an Ogier of middle years, who was one of the last they saw go into the Ways. Verin examines him, and confirms that he's empty, there's no soul, no life in him, despite that he can move around.(1) They all confirm that they know the risks, but they must retrieve the Horn at any cost.

The Eldest remarks that they have a young Ogier among them, and he's far from home. After some discussion of the boys being ta'veren and weaving people into the Pattern around them, Rand promises that when all the weaving they're into is over, he'll see Loial safely home. The Eldest agrees to let them use the Waygate.(2)

They retrieve Loial, who is relieved to be able to go with them, and go on to it. Rand feels the return of saidin, now that he's realized what it is, when they cross back out of the stedding. They all ready up in front of the gate, but as soon as it starts opening, after Verin picks the leaf-key, Rand can see the Black Wind behind it, and shouts to close it.

There's some discussion of other stedding, other Waygates they could try, but Verin suspects they'd always find Machin Shin waiting. Hurin suggests the Portal Stones. Verin says they'd never find one, but Rand reluctantly speaks up to say that he could lead them back through the one at Kinslayer's Dagger. It's the only way to get there fast enough to save Mat.

The Eldest cuts in to say she wasn't aware anyone knew the working of Portal Stones, but if they have the knowledge to use them, there's one nearby. Verin remarks that the Pattern provides what's useful, and asks her to take them to it.(3)

=====

(1) Well, that puts some things into perspective. Remember when it seemed like this was just a young-adult Tolkien knockoff? (2) He's not of their Stedding, but it's sweet that they're so concerned about his wellbeing. (3) Nice save, Pattern. In some ways this could feel drawn out, but when you know there are another 12 books ahead, and who knows what characters might become important again down the road for a future plotline, it's harder to say this is pointless faffing about back and forth across the region.