#black ajah reader

[lovers-paradise]

Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams//Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me – Lanfear/F!Reader

A/N: Fic 5/6 for @thepotatoislost . For the request: Hi! Could you please do either or both Liandrin and/or Lanfear x reader where they comfort the reader about the reader’s scars? Or the reader gets hurt while protecting them so Liandrin or/and Lanfear take care of them and their injuries? If not that’s okay.

“She could not have hurt me...”    Lanfear’s voice is soft as she pulls you to your feet from the floor. Your last channeling had been rough, almost brutal, but knowing the woman was gone was enough. You take her hand, push up and try to hide the wince at the tug of your still burning skin.     “She cut you, killed... you... did she not?”    “Once...”    “Once is enough Selene.”    The name comes unbidden and you can feel her flinch, your hand closing over hers.    “Lanfear... beloved... I am alright. With you.”    She nods, once, leads you away to home, the place you both hide, lets you wash and clean yourself then moves to kneel, soft fingers skimming over burning skin, soothing the fire within with a touch so light you can hardly feel it.  Peace washes over you and you move to cup her face in soft hands, pulling her up to a gentle kiss.    “We’ll be okay, Lanfear...”

[ahsokazworld]

So my other obsession of the month is wheel of time and I saw episode 7 and boy o BOY do I have major thoughts and I need to get them out.

Siuan?? What the hell? Following LONG ass post is in defence of Siuan because the general consensus there is right now about Siuan just doesn't rhyme for me.

ONE thing all of Siuan actions did, it brought out SO MUCH .

Liandrin drew out 1 dark friend (Moiraines nephew) and he consequently got locked away (or killed).

One Forsaken showed herself to an entire city, no more hiding or denying (at least not from the Aes Sedai because there were like 14(!) there)

Siuan clearly has doubts about Verin and Verin acted exactly as expected (now I think Verin has a lot more going on but hey 🤷🏼‍♀️)

When Siuan shields Rand, she pushes Moiraine to say all of her intentions with Rand and their decades build plans in front off Rand as if he is not there. Which Moiraine does to protect Rand from Siuan.

Siuan asks Rand if he has channelled carefully and deliberately (not verbatim but this is the general idea), which he hasn't. She scolds him for it and says that he hasn't learned much in 6 months, which is absolutely true.

Which leads to:

Moiraine is shielded (something I do not think Lan figured out on his own) and subsequently released of said shield by Rand when she tells Rand that she trusts him. When last season Moiraine very clearly showed that she doesn't. Rand needed to hear that from Moiraine. It pushed Rand to actually use the one power very DELIBERATELY and CAREFULLY otherwise, Moiraine dead. Now who again scolded Rand about that I wonder hmmm 🤔

Which brings me to the following and perhaps most important point:

Rand now 100% trusts Moiraine, he believes Moiraine does want to protect and guide him to save the world, which previously he didnt. He was confused about what was going on and felt like a toy being played from all sides. Siuan put Moiraine in an impossible situation and Moiraine chose Rand, the dragon reborn because she knows that is the right thing to do. Rand needed to be shown Moiriane will give everything to save the world including turning away from Siuan and being made to do something she does not want (closing the gate).

It is VITAL that he does because Moiraine will be the only one capable of providing Rand the protection and guidance that he needs to save the world. He only does at the end of this episode, which is nearly at the end of this season. They already lost too much time. Drastic extreme measures are unfortunately required because Siuan was right, Moiraines way wasn't working.

At the end of this episode due to Siuans actions, he doesn't trust any Aes Sedai, which is good because you know Black Ajah and doesnt trust the Forsaken, but he very clearly does trust Moiraine, and that WILL set him on the right path.

If I can trust book readers, Siuan is a very powerful channeler. However, like Egwene, it's her intelligence that is actually her greatest power. She is a crazy smart woman and nowhere near as impulsive, brash and stubborn as Moiraine, aka Pufferfish.

Something that stuck by me is that Siuan said "you have given everything, Im going to row beside you now". Siuan knows Moiraine will absolutely not let her. Moiraine is like Nyneave in that way. She would rather die than let anyone she loves do that.

Siuan has given up a lot this episode and put power back with Moiraine, leaving herself incredibly vulnerable, having lost her one true ally, Moiraine. Going back to a tower filled with enemies, she's f*cked, and she knows it, but she needs Moiraine focused on her mission, not on Siuans' potential downfall. Because that will definitely be a distraction for Moiraine.

There is no way in hell a Master chess player like Siuan would move her pawns so early and openly like she seems to be doing in this episode. That is not Siuan. Everyone in WOT world, though, needs to believe that she is (including Moiraine).

[suckerforcate]

Lover to Lover

Chapter 1: The Arches

Pairing: Liandrin Sedai x Reader , Alanna Sedai x Reader (platonic)

Word Count: about 3300

Warning: character death, rape, vomiting, choking, bleeding

Summary: You're a novice in the tower and are ready to go through the Arches. You face your biggest fears, past, present and future and have a talk with Liandrin afterwards. Chapter 2

A/n: So, yet another Liandrin fanfic, I'm just absolutely in love with her!! Obviously, she isn't part of the Black Ajah here. Next, I'll probably write a Moiraine fanfic again, which is already in the making. Hope you like it <3

■----------------------------------------■

Alanna stepped forward and helped you take of your dress and your shoes. You stood in front of them in nothing more than your chemise. Before Alanna stepped away with your clothes she leaned a little closer.

"You can do this, don't doubt your ability." You smiled at her weakly and turned around to look at the Arches again. Your hands were trembling, and your heart was racing. There was no doubt about it: you were scared even before you had to face your greatest fears. This is going to be such a disaster, you thought.

"Whatever awaits you, you must face it with nothing but your wits. Not even the one power will be available to you inside the Arches." Sheriam Sedai softly spoke, and you looked at her over your shoulder. All three of them looked like they were just as scared as you, which didn't really lift your spirits.

You saw them close their eyes, concentrate and start to channel. Your eyes found their way back to the Arches.

"The way back will come but once." Sheriam Sedai said behind you and you saw their weaves flow around you and activate the Arches. The ornaments started to glow blue, and it looked like a blurry mirror had replaced the empty air of the first Arch.

You looked over at Alanna, who nodded reassuringly and slowly walked through the Arch. The first thing that you saw was darkness, presumably the ground that you had just fallen onto face first.

Slowly you stood up and knocked the dirt off your clothes. You weren't wearing the white chemise anymore. In its place was a dress in sage green with a white apron tied over it. You recognised the clothes immediately. You had worn them only once, when they had been freshly bought and never again after that day.

You started to panic, you had an idea what you would have to experience again. And you definitely didn't want to. You looked around you, immediately recognising the forest you were in. It was the forest just by the village you had grown up in. It wasn't particularly big but beautiful to walk through, with a little clearing to sit in the grass.

You and your sister had loved exploring the forest when you were little. Looking at all the different plants and flowers, learning what they could do, what they could heal. Observing the birds and animals.

"Faile! Where are you?" You started to scream for your sister, hopeful that it wasn't too late yet. That, with your knowledge, you could still save her. Like a maniac you started to run through the woods and screamed her name again and again. You couldn't find her and secretly thought that maybe you had been wrong about the day. About what was going to happen.

You weren't. Just as you wanted to leave the forest you heard a scream, high-pitched and most definitely from your sister. Your heartbeat increased immediately, and you turned to the direction of the sound. Another scream, and your name. You started running rather uncoordinated and nearly tripped over a stone.

The screams became louder and suddenly you saw her. She lay on the ground between leafs and wood, a hooded man bent over her. His hand was on her throat and Faile was gasping, she obviously couldn't breathe. Her dress was shoved up, and the man moved between her legs. Faile tried to kick him away, but the man held her down. You felt sick, like you had to throw up. Turning away, you tried to tell yourself it wasn't real. But it looked real, it felt real, it was real.

"Don't touch my sister." You shouted, and the man's head shot around, he stopped moving though his hand still strangled Faile. You approached him and tried to get him off of your sister, but he just shoved you away. You felt grown up, but that day in the forest you had just been nine years old. Small and easy to shove away for a grown man. You fell backwards into the mud, tears streaming over your face. A streak of blood flowed down your arm where you had cut yourself on a stone.

Your sister was turning pale, she didn't gasp as much anymore, and you knew what was happening. You had seen it before. Her whole body was trembling, though not for much longer. You screamed for her, for your mother, for your father, hoping they'd hear you. But no one came.

"The way back will come but once." Sheriam Sedai's voice faintly echoed through the woods and you shot around. A few feet behind you an Arch appeared. It was a little translucent and looked like it could disappear any second. The edges glowed blue just like they had in the tower, when the Aes Sedai had activated it. With a panicked look back at your dying sister you stumbled over wood and mud through the Arch and fell onto the stone ground, crying.

Not a second later you felt cold water fall on you. Looking up a little, you saw Leane Sedai through tears. A big stone jug in hand and looking down at you, she spoke.

"You are washed clean of your sins and the sins committed against you. You come to us pure in heart and soul." Leane stepped away, a sob escaped you, and you whispered your sisters name into the cold. She was dead, and dead she would stay. Forever.

Alanna was at your side and helped you stand up. Her eyes conveyed pure sadness and understanding, but her mouth spoke something else.

"You're brave, you have to go on. Through the next Arch." You stared at her, like you had forgotten there even were more Arches. Slowly you looked behind you and saw the other two. Could you really do this again? Tow more times?

"Was it real? Could I have changed something?" You whispered to her, voice still thin and quivering. She gently shook her head.

"No one knows." She let go of your arm and stepped back to her sisters again. You turned to face the second Arch as it started glowing just like the first had done and Sheriam spoke.

"The way back will come but once." The second Arch was ready, and you bravely stepped through it against all your instincts.

For a moment all you saw was light and suddenly, like it hit you right in the face, you knew where you were. You were standing at your sisters grave. Although it was not closed and decorated with flowers like usually, it was open.

Carefully, hesitantly you took a look inside. There wad nothing but dirt. No corpse, that was good. Wasn't it? But why was it open then? You turned and looked around you, there was no one. No one on the whole graveyard. So you started walking in the direction of home. Of your parents, of presumed safety.

You left the graveyard and walked up the little hill that separated the graveyard from the village. It was just a little trail in the grass that people had used for decades. On top of the hill you had a good view of the village, it looked just like always. Just like the last time you had been there. Nothing seemed to have changed at all.

Last time you had sent a message home, your parents had told you everything was fine. Everyone was well. Your brother's apprenticeship with the baker was going well, and he liked the job. Your grandma hadn't gotten any sicker. The village was just like you had left it. Though that last message had been three months ago. A lot could happen in three months, you knew that.

You slowly started walking down the hill towards the village. Half way there you spotted someone. No, not just someone. Your grandmother. She was walking slowly, head down and heavily leaning on a walking stick. You wanted to shout, let her know you were there. But the words got stuck in your throat as you realised who followed her. Six people, one of them your little brother, carrying a wooden board. It was filled with flowers that were overlapping at the sides. Most of them were chrysanthemums, your dads favourite flowers. Between the flowers you could faintly make out the form of a person. It didn't take a lot of hard thinking to understand who that was.

A scream escaped you as you fell to your knees. At that your grandmother looked up and from behind your brother, your mother looked at you. As she saw you, she came running towards you, falling to her knees at your side. She pulled you into her arms rocking you gently as you cried. Her hand softly stroked your back, she didn't ask questions. She didn't ask how you had come here, why you had come, she simply held you.

A few minutes later, your grandma, the six carriers and the rest of the village that followed them walked by you. On shaky legs you stood up, your arm linked with your mother's. Together you followed them to the grave. Your brother and the other five men let the wooden board down and set it next to the grave. In mere seconds your arms were wrapped around your brother. He was crying, you were crying, and suddenly you felt nine again. Taking your big sister to her grave with your little brother by your side. He had been just two at the time, not really understanding anything.

You felt for your grandmother, taking her only son to the grave. That's not how it was supposed to. But, her son had taken a child to her grave as well. Maybe that curse just ran in your family. Maybe that would happen to all of you one day. She stood bravely, didn't cry, didn't complain. She simply embraced you and told you everything would be alright.

"We missed you, little bird." She whispered into the hug and more tears found its way down your cheeks. You freed yourself from the hug and turned to your father's corpse. Just as you wanted to kneel down, say a farewell you heard something.

"The way back will come but once." It was faint, like a whisper in the wind. And yet you understood. You had to leave. And you would never see your father again. You blew him a teary kiss and whispered a goodbye, before walking towards the glowing Arch. You heard your brother asking where you were going, why you were leaving again. You didn't dare turn around, or you would have stayed.

Stumbling though the Arch, you came to an abrupt halt as you saw Alanna. She noticed the tears on your face and her features softened, smiling sadly before she washed you clean with water, just like Leane Sedai had after the first Arch.

"You are washed clean of your sins and the sins committed against you. You come to us pure in heart and soul." She spoke and checked you for injuries but found none. Stepping back she put down the jug and stood back in line with Leane and Sheriam.

"My father-... He..." you croaked out, desperately wanting to tell someone. Desperately wanting to hear that it wasn't real, that he was still alive. But you remembered Alanna's words. No one knows.

Alanna gently shook her head to silence you and, just like her sisters, turned to the last Arch. The middle one. You wiped away your tears and turned to the Arch as well. Taking in a deep breath you tried to straighten yourself up. I didn't quiet work.

"The way back will come but once."

This time you walked through the Arch slowly, tired of the pain, tired of seeing your loved ones die around you. Again light hit you, and you blinked a few times to see your surroundings. A little surprised you realised that you were sat on a horse. You looked down, and saw that you weren't in clothes of a novice anymore. Your sleeves were embroidered with the colours of the different Ajahs. You were an Accepted.

A look around told you that you were on some sort of mission. You could see Alanna and her warders, Maksim and Ihvon. Next to her on a horse was Moiraine followed quietly by Lan. A few Reds and a yellow sister also accompanied you. The Reds of course didn't have any warders. One Red in particular caught your eye. It was Liandrin. She looked ahead proudly, picture perfect posture and didn't talk a word with anyone.

You wanted to ride a little faster and catch up with her but at that moment you heard an awful sound somewhere between the trees. It sounded very close and yet you couldn't see anything. Everyone's heads snapped around and stared into the direction of the sound. The sound was easily recognisable as Trollocs. Panic rose in you, you had only ever heard of them, and that had been enough for you. You had no desire to actually meet them.

The sounds got louder and there was most definitely something coming towards you. All the Aes Sedai got ready to channel, and their warders pulled out their weapons. You faintly heard Alanna say something and a second later Maksim was at your side.

"I don't need your protection. You're Alanna's warder. Not mine." You snap at him, you hadn't meant to sound so mean. But you were scared and probably did need his protection, though you didn't want to admit that. Her looked at you and grinned, he looked right through you. In all the time that Alanna had taught you, Maksim and Ihvon had spent a lot of time with you as well and you had become close.

"Sorry, maybe I do." You mumbled a little sheepish and he laughed. Before he could say something a Trolloc roared through the woods and shortly after that you also saw it. It was a horrible sight. It was huge and had tusks like a boar, just three times that big. It was partly covered in fur, which looked like it was covered in blood in some parts. You practically felt your pulse and heartbeat quicken. Behind the first Trolloc you could see many more that all ran towards you. The earth seemed to tremble under their steps. Your horse instinctively took a step back, but you didn't complain.

Everyone around you had started to channel and use their power to protect the group. Lan and Ihvon had jumped off their horses and stood in front of you with their swords in hand, ready to fight. You closed your eyes and concentrated on your weaves, everyone else was fighting, why not you? As you opened them again and expected to see weaves around you, you were momentarily dumbfounded when you couldn't see any weaves of your own.

You tried again, nothing. Why the hell couldn't you channel? You looked around again, everyone else was doing it. You straightened up and concentrated very hard, but not even a single spark appeared. You looked at Maksim, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I can't channel." You stated, as if that wasn't obvious even to him. He just wanted to answer as your head shot a little further to the side, and you looked past him. It was Liandrin who had caught your eye, she had just been in the middle of channelling as a dagger hit her right in the stomach. A dagger full of Trolloc poison. She gasped and fell of her horse backwards. In mere seconds you had jumped off your horse and ran to her. Maksim was shouting something but you ignored him.

You fell to your knees at her side and stared at her bleeding wound. You didn't know what to do so you just pulled the dagger out, hoping that the poison would maybe not become too much then. She groaned as the dagger once again moved through her flesh.

"I know, it hurts. Someone'll help you, I'm sure. Hold on, Lia." You felt hot tears run down your cheek and your hands were covered in blood, the blood that kept soaking Liandrin's clothes as it left the wound.

"I've never learned how to... I can't help you." You desperately sobbed, while Liandrin tried to speak. No words came out, she was choking on her own blood that seemed to make its way up her trachea. Maksim stood behind you, you could feel it. He kneeled at your side and put a hand on your shoulder. You violently shook it off.

"Help me, get Alanna or the yellow sister. Please, Maksim." You stared at him, completely panicked, but he just shook his head. The battle was still going on, though you didn't notice any of it. It felt like the world had stopped around you. The only thing you saw and heard was Liandrin, her blood, her choking.

"You stupid Reds, if you had warders this wouldn't have happened." You snapped at her, though your heart wasn't behind it. The words came out rather wobbly and full of tears. You could practically see Liandrin slip away in your arms, by now not just her clothes were covered in blood but yours as well.

"Maksim, do something. Please, I know you don't like her but..." you sobbed but Maksim just gently held your arm. He knew it was too late for Liandrin, and deep down you knew it as well. You just didn't want it to be true. Someone interrupted you and you looked up confused.

"The way back will come but once." Sheriam Sedai's voice rang out. You slowly looked ahead and again saw the glowing Arch. You looked down at the dying Liandrin and, leaning down, you gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. As you stood up Maksim's eyes followed you, but he didn't say anything. You felt sick as you fell through the Arch and immediately threw up on the stone ground. Luckily the water that hit you washed the vomit away.

"You are washed clean of your sins and the sins committed against you." Sheriam Sedai spoke and stepped back. Alanna helped you stand up again and looked you up and down, a shocked expression on her face. You looked down as well. Your chemise was completely covered in blood, as were your hands and arms.

"It's not my blood." You croaked out and nearly didn't recognise your own voice. Relief washed over her face. Though you weren't relieved at all. You felt like someone had pulled all your organs out and had left you completely empty.

Sheriam stepped forward and Leane stood by her side. You had the faint idea that Alanna was probably supposed to step away from you and stand at Sheriam's side as well, but she didn't move one millimetre. And you were thankful for it.

Sheriam smiled, for you there was nothing to smile about. You had just seen three of the most important people in your life die. And it had felt as real as this moment right now. Still you tried to look a little more confident, straightening up and wiping some tears away.

"You come to us pure in heart and soul. You are (Y/n) (L/n), Accepted of the White Tower." Sheriam Sedai spoke and reached out to you, holding a great serpent ring in her hand. It was still empty, without any sort of indication to an Ajah as you yet had to choose one.

"You may wear the ring on the third finger of your left hand, and only there." She spoke, and your trembling hand took the ring from her and put it on. You looked at it, it seemed to small, so banal compared to what you had just been through.

"Thank you, Sheriam Sedai and Leane Sedai." You spoke quietly. And looked over to Alanna. All you wanted right now was to leave. Thankfully she understood.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." She softly spoke, got your dress and shoes and led you to her own room. Soon you would get a bigger room as well, all the Accepted had bigger rooms. But right now you still had the small room of a novice, which meant no bath. And Alanna understood that you weren't in the mood for a public bath. Luckily she had her own bath.

For you, everything just happened in a daze, and suddenly you felt yourself being covered by clean and soft linen and your head hit a pillow.

[markantonys]

when the first 3 episodes dropped i remember seeing some grumbling and Plothole Accusations re: verin assuming the dragon was one of the 3 boys when s1 had established that the dragon could be any gender (though of course, most of the complaints came from readers who were mad about the show daring to suggest Hypothetical Girl Dragon in the first place and are still looking for any excuse to tear into it)

however

a) *moiraine* thinks the dragon could be reborn as any gender despite being a man last time, but that doesn't mean every single person in the world also believes this. i would imagine that the precise mechanics of soul rebirth are unknown enough that everyone has room for their own beliefs!

and more importantly (major TGS book spoilers below)

b) verin is black ajah and probably already knows from ishamael that the dragon has been reborn and is a man named rand al'thor; she may have even been at the darkfriend social when he was talking about it. so, since verin already knows the dragon's gender and might NOT know that moiraine was also considering female candidates, her assumption here that the dragon was one of the 3 boys is actually kinda tipping her hand the tiniest bit and hinting that she's already got insider info on the dragon's identity. (i wouldn't necessarily say that moiraine noticed this, but i did in my rewatch since i have the benefit of already knowing future revelations about verin!)

[sixth-light]

Small babies do not lead to binging so I won't be up to speed on WoT until closer to ep 4 dropping (especially with 1hr + episodes), but I HAVE managed to watch ep 1, so (ep1 AND book-spoilery) thoughts:

Overriding thought: fuck I just love the writing/adaptation on this show, it's so smart! They are using all the many moving pieces of the book series in such an economical way! Bayle Domon is probably the best example of this from this episode; they set him up to run into the Seanchan, established the Sea Folk, gave Moiraine a quest plot point, and did it using his canonical interests, in a scene which absolutely did not happen in the books. Love it. Also, love his accent, absolutely perfect, no notes.

The way the episode was structured/had a theme was also really good - it picked up on where everybody was and connected them to each other even while the point of the episode was how far apart they have all drifted. The Bel Tine ceremony is both a great callback to the opening episode of last season, a way to visually link them, AND a reminder that it's been a YEAR since last season began now. (It amuses me that Nynaeve and Egwene are going to have had significantly more time in the Tower in the show than the books - but is probably necessary since they are unlikely to leave, return, and leave again as they do in TGH/TDR.)

We didn't get MUCH of new!Mat but he's selling me on it so far (the chiselling at the wall!) and oh boy, they're working overtime to give him a solid reason to be extremely wary of Aes Sedai, aren't they. I'm sure that will have no repercussions down the line whatsoever.

I love how they've remixed Adeleas and Vandene with Verin and let Moiraine and Lan's flying visit turn into a longer retreat to recover. This is also very funny to me because on the re-read podcast I listen to (Wheel Takes) the new reader is CONVINCED that Vandene is secretly Black Ajah. Well...now she's gonna be right!

Small but cool note: when Lan takes Moiraine that plate of food, I liked that it was very clearly from South Asian foodways and not Fantasy Stew. They're taking the cultural depth of the world well beyond casting - obviously in costuming too, but costuming is fairly easy, food is a step up.

I think the one criticism I have of the worldbuilding is that the Tower still feels a TAD underpopulated (I would have liked to see Egwene and Nynaeve in a slightly larger novice class, and some indication of the academic learning that's part of their training) but this has improved a lot on the COVID-restricted depictions from the first season, so it's a minor criticism (and may very well be addressed in later episodes).

I liked Loial last season but the actor has really settled into the role this season: looking forward to more of him.

Also really looking forward to more of Elyas, and intrigued by how they're choosing to depict Perrin's new smelling senses as a visual recreation of what happened - I think this makes sense for a visual medium, not sure it will be totally obvious that it's meant to be interpretive not literal, but then for a new audience does it need to be? It's a magic ability/superpower, that's the important thing to get across.

That extra 10-15 minutes of run time helped the episode breathe so much. It's going to add up to nearly an extra episode and a half if it keeps going across the season; that's not bad, and needed I think.

ugh I love this show so muuuuuuuuuch

[lanaevemashiara]

My thoughts on "The Dragon Reborn" by Robert Jordan as a first time reader:

I first want to start off by saying that this is currently my favorite book in TWOT series. I thought that the pacing of this book was a lot better than TEOTW and TGH and all of the plotlines wove together quite nicely in the end (though I definitely think it could have been better.) The stand out characters in this book were definitely Mat and Egwene. I've had a soft spot for Egwene but I'm quite surprised at how Robert Jordan was able to make Mat so likable in such short a time when he was very annoying and aggravating in the first two books (I'll give a pass since he WAS possessed.) Maybe I'm just not remembering correctly as it's been a while since I've read TEOTW but I don't remember Mat being as caring at the beginning of TEOTW as he is in TDR. I found his chapters to be the most entertaining, him and Thom were truly a duo I just loved. I'm super excited to see what becomes of his character.

I have A LOT of thoughts on Egwene. As I mentioned before, I've always found her to be quite enjoying (though a bit annoying sometimes) but this book really cemented her as one of favorites. I think her whole struggle with never wanting to feel powerless was so nicely done and it was heartbreaking to read about her getting captured by Black Ajah after being a slave to the Seanchan. That being said, I found it extremely confusing to see how she was treated by the other characters (mainly Nynaeve, Elayne and to some extent the Aes Sedai.) I did take a few short breaks when reading the book so maybe that hurt my reading of the book and kept me from being able to fully digest everything but the whole Nynaeve vs. Egwene subplot really came out of nowhere to me. Yes, Egwene has always had issues with Nynaeve babying her and always feeling the need to protect her but her animosity and constant need to fight against everything Nynaeve said seemed to come out of nowhere. Egwene is clearly struggling with what was done to her by the Seanchan and no one around her seems to even care about that. This girl was a LITERAL slave and like absolutely no one feels the need to I don't know??! HELP HER! Also Elayne slapping Egwene was very... interesting. While I do think that what she said was rude and unkind, I truly don't think that warranted a slap. I understand that it was one of those "snap out of it" slaps and it seemed to work on Egwene but the whole situation just left a bad taste in my mouth and made me feel bad for Egwene.

Now onto Nynaeve. She's been my favorite character for the last two books but I have to admit that she didn't do much for me in this book. Her treatment of Egwene felt bizarre. Egwene is meant to be someone very special to Nynaeve but for some reason she can't seem to see that the person she cares for is clearly struggling. Elayne was just there, she's a fine character but she didn't do much this time around.

Perrin is a character I have a love hate relationship with. I think he has the potential to be one of my favorite characters in the series but he's always being left out major plot moments. He's an okay character but I honestly found his whole plotline with faile to be very 'eh' though this is probably because I think she's a bit annoying. I enjoyed his chapters but that's partially due to the fact that Lan, Moraine and Loial (love him) where there as well.

I think Rand not having his standalone pov chapters was such a good decision on Robert Jordan's part. I loved that the few glimpses of him that we get, he seems like a completely different person. He's unhinged. I'm so interested in seeing how his character develops.

Moraine is another character I have a love hate relationship with. She's obviously a very important character but I find her vague responses to Perrin (and anyone else for that matter) to be incredibly irritating. It was fine for the first book since but now its starting to get very annoying. Like the people who you push around have a right to know what you know! Her relationship with Lan was definitely one of the highlights of her storyline. Speaking of Lan, I wish we got more of him.

[amemoryofwot]

The Black Ajah: *slowly infiltrate the Aes Sedai over three thousand years unencumbered by restrictions around lying and killing*

Readers seeing the culmination of this work: why would the Aes Sedai do this

[pillowfriends]

Lord of Chaos new reader thoughts: prologue - chapter 5

we're back bitches!!! I really enjoyed doing chapter-by-chapter reactions for The Shadow Rising, even though it slowed my reading down a lot, so I'm going to do it again for Lord of Chaos. I can only be a first time reader once, and I like being able to look back and see my reactions.

Prologue: The First Message

this is the longest prologue I've ever read, wtf. I genuinely don't understand the structural decision made here, esp with the Salidar content that could easily just have been chapter 1. so much happened though - Forsaken, Black Ajah, my least favorite man in the world Gawyn... kind of an information overload but a great start to the book.

Chapter 1: Lion on the Hill

Bashere has balls of steel. not many thoughts about this chapter - nice to catch up with Rand and his Maidens. where is Avi?? I miss her.

Chapter 2: A New Arrival

I love Mazrim Taim already. the dynamic between him and Rand is really interesting and showcases how much Rand has changed/grown into his position as a leader. it's kind of heartbreaking.

Chapter 3: A Woman's Eyes

the Rand heartbreak continues. my boy is not doing well. it's cool that he's trying to get his own group of male channelers - really excited to see where that plotline goes.

They had to be weapons, all of them, himself included. Could weapons allow themselves families? Could a weapon allow itself to love?

Rand you've been hanging out with Lan too much. also PLEASE get your head out of your ass about Aviendha!! idiot idiot man.

Chapter 4: A Sense of Humor

I. love. the Maidens. also Rand playing daes dae'mar with Weiramon and the lords... Moiraine watching from above like a proud mom.

Chapter 5: A Different Dance

Mat stock rising - he said a prayer for Moiraine’s soul AND he acknowledged how dumb it was for him to visit the Finn twice. I lowkey paid no attention to the politics stuff in this chapter though, oops.

next >

[mashithamel]

My non-book reader friends will be watching Episode 4 tomorrow. Since almost nothing in the episode comes directly from the books, I’ve made a sort of “spoilers without context” game for them, to match parts of the book that I think may have influenced the writers. At the very least, it was a fun challenge for me to find them!

Daughter of the night she walks again.

The ancient war she yet fights.

Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still.

Who shall stand against her coming?

The Shining Walls shall kneel.

Chapter 7, Blood Calls Blood, The Great Hunt (Book 2)

**********

Whatever Ajah she came from, the Keeper of the Chronicles spoke only for the Amyrlin, and the Amyrlin spoke for all Aes Sedai and all Ajahs.

Chapter 4, Summoned, The Great Hunt (Book 2)

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“All four of the Chavanas had come to have supper with us. To flirt with Nynaeve, really…or trying to, because she paid them no more mind than buzzing flies.”

Chapter 24, A Message Sent, The Fires of Heaven (Book 5)

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“If you truly intend to send me to [redacted], I must become used to smiling. I hear [redacted] tells her Warders jokes. Gaidin must smile at their bond-holders quips; you have often given me quips to laugh at, have you not?”

Chapter 41, A Hunter’s Oath, The Dragon Reborn (Book 3)

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“Anvaere cares for nothing except horses and hawking.” And no one would trust her temper, far worse than Moiraine’s had ever been, on the Sun Throne…Thus [Moiraine] gained another nightmare to join the baby in the snow, and the faceless man. She sat on the Sun Throne wearing the shawl of an Aes Sedai, and in the streets outside, the mobs were destroying the city. No Aes Sedai had been a queen in over a thousand years, and even before that the few who admitted it openly had fared badly, but if that was the goal of the Hall of the Tower, how could she forestall it? Only by fleeing the Tower as soon as she did gain the shawl and staying away, until matters resolved themselves in Cairhein.

Chapter 6, Surprises, New Spring (Prequel)

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“And why are you here in the novices’ quarters, child?” Her tone was ice.

“I am visiting with friends,” Nynaeve said in a tight voice. After a moment she added a belated, “[Redacted] Sedai.”

“The Accepted, they can have no friends among the novices. This you should have learned by this time, child.”

Chapter 38, Practice, The Great Hunt (Book 2)

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She was the most beautiful woman [redacted] had ever seen, with pale, smooth skin, and long, black hair, and eyes as dark as night…The woman came to stand over the bed—her movements were so graceful…and smoothed Rand’s hair…”I have guided his steps, pushed him, pulled him, enticed him. He was always stubborn, but this time I will shape him. Ishamael thinks he controls events, but I do.”

“Who are you?”

“I am called Lanfear, girl.”

Chapter 48, First Claiming, The Great Hunt (Book 2)

**********

“You can walk out in the garden, where you are supposed to be. The sunshine will be good for you.”

The man rumbled a bitter laugh. “With two or three of you watching my every move? You’re just afraid I’ll find a knife.” At the look in the Accepted’s eyes [Logain] laughed again. “For myself, woman. For myself.”

Chapter 24, New Friends and Old Enemies, The Great Hunt (Book 2)

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Seating himself cross-legged on a bale of straw, [Lan] assumed the ko’di and floated in calm emptiness, one with the bale beneath him, the stable, the scabbarded sword folded behind him. He could “feel” the horses, cropping at their mangers, and flies buzzing in the corners. They were all part of him. Especially the sword. This time, though, it was only the emotionless void he sought.

Chapter 16, The Deeps, New Spring (Prequel)

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“I am not a king, Nynaeve. Just a man. A man without as much to his name as even the meanest farmer’s croft.”

Nynaeve’s voice steadied. “Some women don’t ask for land, or gold. Just the man.”

“And the man who would ask her to accept so little would not be worthy of her…All I have is a sword, and a war I cannot win, but can never stop fighting…No woman deserves the sure knowledge of widow’s black as her bridepiece, you least of all.”

Chapter 48, The Blight, The Eye of the World (Book 1)

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“I wonder if…we sometimes put the White Tower—as an institution—before the people we serve. I wonder if we let it become a goal in itself, instead of a means to help us acheive greater goals.”

“Devotion is important, [Redacted]. The White Tower protects and guides the world.”

“And yet, so many of us do it without families…Without love, without passion beyond our own particular interests. So even while we try to guide the world, we separate ourselves from it…[we] risk making ourselves unable to fathom the people we claim to serve.”

Chapter 20, A Choice, Towers of Midnight (Book 13)

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The watcher followed and listened. They had no idea. The True Power, drawn directly from the Great Lord, could neither be seen nor detected except by who wielded it. Black flecks floated across his [eyes]. There was a price, to be sure, one that grew with each use, but he had always been willing to pay the price when it was necessary. Being filled with the True Power was almost like kneeling beneath Shayol Ghul, basking in the Great Lord’s glory. The glory was worth the pain.

Chapter 20, Patterns Within Patterns, A Crown of Swords (Book 7)

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“You talk to them?” Perrin marveled.

“It isn’t exactly talking,” Elyas replied slowly. “The words don’t matter, and they aren’t exactly right, either. Her name isn’t Dapple. It’s something that means the way shadows play on a forest pool at a midwinter dawn, with the breeze rippling the surface, and the tang of ice when the water touches the tongue, and a hint of snow before nightfall in the air. But that isn’t quite it, either. You can’t say it in words. It’s more of a feeling. That’s the way they talk.”

Chapter 23, Wolfbrother, The Eye of the World (Book 1)

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“A man could earn some gold in this city, [Redacted], once he found a game of dice, or cards.” He was not quite so lucky at cards as at dice, but few except nobles and the wealthy played those anyway. Now that’s who I should find a game with.

Chapter 45, The Dragon Reborn (Book 3)

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“Light, but I wish I saw more happy things. All the happy things seem to have gone away…Blessed few people want to know what I see. The Light knows, I would not, if it were someone else who could do it.” Even the Aes Sedai had never heard of anyone else who had her gift. “Gift” was how they saw it, even if she did not.

Chapter 2, Saidin, The Dragon Reborn (Book 3)

**********

“Two Rivers tabac,” the Lord of Fal Dara said as they filled their pipes. “Hard to come by, here, but worth the cost.”

Chapter 46, Fal Dara, The Eye of the World (Book 1)

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 14: The Bite of the Thorns

I forgot to do a rambling, pointless, painfully unfunny spoiler warning last time and I won't do it again! I assure you dear reader that this paragraph will express its concept in far too many words and far too few jokes. I won't simply say "Don't keep reading if you haven't read the whole Wheel of Time series" because that might be useful or informative! And if that (or the spoilers) is a problem for you, don't keep reading!

I believe this is the first appearance of the mirrored women chapter icon. It's one of the ones I like the most graphically, and obviously it comes to prominenence when the Black Ajah is about or at least being discussed.

Darkfriends in the White Tower. Faugh! I’ve spent my life denying that.

And look where it got you! Sounding the alarm as Amyrlin might not have ended well for Siuan personally, but forcing the Tower to acknowledge the danger earlier might have led to them being on a better footing against the Black Ajah now that it's ready to come out of hiding and start fucking things up. Observing the law of the Three Oaths without caring about their spirit leads to ruin.

“I should be able to trust Leane and Sheriam, at least. But do I dare? Verin?” Her shoulders shook with a quick, silent laugh. “I already trust Verin with more than my life, but how far can I take it? Moiraine?” She was silent for a moment. “I have always believed I could trust Moiraine.”

Of the four women named, two are Black (even if Verin isn't a threat as one) and neither is the one who Siuan is doubting at this point. And of course Siuan, despite what she says, isn't trusting the girls in this room either because she won't admit that she knows Rand is the Dragon Reborn and that she's trying to support him.

If you want my opinion, Moiraine is not to be trusted.

It's a miracle Nynaeve ever changes her opinion on this.

Liandrin tried to stuff you headfirst into a weir, and it may well be she left because she learned you were returning, and could unmask her, so I have to believe you aren’t—Black Ajah.

Between this and Siuan's earlier statements about denying the Black Ajah, I think that Jordan hadn't quite solidified the full backstory he'd go with in New Spring. Siuan seems genuinely uncomfortable discussing the subject at all.

“So you can keep your temper, when you want to. I had to know that.” Egwene wondered how much of it had been a test; there was a tightness around the Amyrlin’s eyes that suggested her patience might well be exhausted.

Since Siuan can't lie but I trust Egwene's instincts, I think that it was a very impromptu test that Siuan came up with as soon as she opened her mouth to yell.

Liandrin and her twelve went, but did all of them go? Or did they leave some of their number behind, like a stub in shallow water that you don’t see till it puts a hole in your boat?

Siuan is almost naive to say "some" were left behind. The thirteen who left are barely a rounding error in the full ranks.

“They are all full Aes Sedai. Egwene hasn’t even been raised to Accepted yet, and you know I cannot channel enough to light a candle unless I am angry, not of my own free will. What chance would we have?”

Almost no chance at all, since of the 13 you guys only each capture one. Sometimes I think that this particular plotline got away from Jordan, like the Shaido but at least with a firm number of assailants.

“As one of the Accepted, you choose your own studies, within limits, and the times for them. And the rules are a little easier for Accepted. A little easier. They must be found, child.”

I think this makes it pretty clear that if Siuan hadn't needed Egwene for the hunt, she and Elayne probably would have stayed novices.

I would make her one of you if I could, but at the moment Morgase gives me enough problems as it is. When I have her combed and curried and prodded back on the proper path, perhaps Elayne will join you. Perhaps then.

I guess Siuan can't think the answer is outright no (or she wouldn't be able to say perhaps), but I still get the feeling from how she says it that the idea of making Elayne a hunter outright is the furthest thing from her mind.

Nynaeve opened her mouth, and Egwene felt a flash of anger; it was such a relief after fear.

I think the Seanchan debacle is a big part of the changing dynamics between Egwene and Nynaeve and why Egwene is so vicious about it: if she's going to feel negative emotions (and after being da'mane you bet your ass she's feeling negative emotions), anger at least lets her feel more in control.

If you have even a suspicion, report it to me.

I can't help but feel that neither Egwene nor Nynaeve actually heard this sentence.

She opened the black box on her table, hesitated and looked at the other two women as if still unsure she wanted to do this, then took out a number of stiff, folded papers. Sorting through them carefully, she hesitated again, then chose out two. The remainder she shoved back into the box, and handed those two to Egwene and Nynaeve. “Keep these well hidden. They are for an emergency only.”

Again, I feel like the girls don't listen to this particular instruction at all.

A Darkfriend won’t heed that any more than a Whitecloak would. They would both likely kill you just for having it. If that paper is a shield . . . well, paper shields are flimsy, and this one may have a target painted on it.

Not mentioned is the sheer disaster letting such an enemy have the paper would be. Moreso the Darkfriends than the Whitecloaks, but I imagine even the latter could do some real damage with such a seal.

Next time: A new type of Shadowspawn shows up!

[litcityblues]

The Wheel of Time Rewatch/Reread Pt. 2

I said it before and I'll say it again: I don't like Amazon's insistence on 8 episode seasons for their shows- especially this show. I think two more episodes per season would give this show the room to breathe that I think it desperately needs sometimes, though I will say this: Season 2 is a lot better than Season 1.

What did I like about Season 2? I don't know if it's a closer adaptation of the book, but it does follow the structure of the book a bit more and there are moments- identifiable, real, important moments from the book that make it into the show. (The opening meeting of Darkfriends and Nyn's Accepted Testing-- the opening ceremony of the latter is lifted nearly verbatim from the book, which is awesome.) But broadly speaking, while in the books Rand doesn't run away-- he joins the hunt for the Horn of Valere with Perrin and does wind up spending a good chunk of time in Cairhein and on the way there, he meets Selene (Natasha O'Keeffe), who is eventually revealed to be Lanfear.

So the show in this season isn't straying too far from the structure of the actual book and as a result, overall, this feels a lot more like The Wheel of Time I was expecting in the first season.

(Yes, yes, the usual caveats apply: No, I didn't expect a perfect adaptation. Yes, I am willing to grade on a curve because showrunners have to bring in a new audience and not just a book audience and hopefully the show inspires more people to read the books.)

The book, however, starts a lot differently. We're still in Fal Dara when the book starts and instead of meeting Lady Amalisa at the end of the last book (as we did in the television show), we meet here in the early chapters of The Great Hunt. She's still the sister to Lord Agelmar-- I don't think there are references to her being able to channel and certainly don't see any of the nonsense (being able to link, burning herself out, etc.) that we saw at the end of the first season of the show. She is still good friends with Moiraine, but- since the Amyrlin Seat comes to visit, she also gets poked pretty hard by Liandrin about keeping tabs on Mat, Rand, and Perrin.

They don't come right out to say it-- in fact, I don't think they come right out and say anywhere in the book, but right from the get-go it's heavily implied that Liandrin is bad, potentially Black Ajah, even if they don't come out and say it yet. (The fact that they set this tone early makes it even more ridiculous later in the book when Liandrin shows up to Egewene and Nyn and just says 'Come with me to save your friends' and Min and Elayne just say 'We'll come too' and no one stops to think about whether they should trust her or not. Granted, we know that as readers they probably shouldn't, but they as novices/Accepted are probably pretty inculcated into obedience to full Aes Sedai by that point, even though Liandrin takes them in THE WAYS where, you know, Machin Shin lives-- I would have thought at some point, one of them would have been like 'hey, wait a minute!)

We also have hints of Aes Sedai politics from the first book and we see them in full force in the opening chapters of the second book. Moiraine's reception ahead of the meeting with Amyrlin is very similar to her reception in front of the Hall of The Tower in Season 1 of the show-- lots of frostiness and veiled threats about how she needs to be checked and brought under control.

The meeting between Siuan and Moiraine is excellent and I love, love, love that Verin has figured out what they're up to. Verin was always one of my favorite book characters and The Great Hunt provides a powerful reminder as to why-- she's got a much better relationship with Rand- more of a 'Hey man, I can't teach you, but if you listen to me, I might be able to help you, not, you know, kill yourself.' type of a vibe as a posed to Moiraine's vibe of 'I will KILL YOU before I let you turn to the Shadow.' I like her as part of the company tracking the Horn down into Cairhein. I like her in Falme, where she references the prophecy that 'five will ride forth'. In general, Verin is one of my favorites.

(And the show (where she's played by Meera Syal) captures her more or less perfectly-- even if she's mixed a little with Vandene, as a posed to be an Aes Sedai in the Tower all herself-- speaking of which: we do see Moiraine with Vandene and Adeleas in the book and she's there trying to figure her stuff out-- which is a nice parallel to what we see in the show. Moiraine meets with Bayle Domon there in the show-- who again, is far more prominent in the books than he is in the show at least so far. But here, we get a sort of Bayle Domon chapter almost-- which seems a little apropos of nothing, but is in fact, a nice bit of plotwork that sets up for the finale in Falme.)

The meat and potatoes of the book is about Rand and the hunt for the Horn of Valere which makes the most sense because the book is called The Great Hunt. Ingtar keeps them pushing south hard and fast-- Rand has that weird moment in the village (channeling?) and we get some early glimpses of maybe Selene and we find out just how bad Fain has become with the Fade being nailed up by him.

We see a lot of Cairhein in the book and the show- though Lord Barthanes (Will Tudor) is in fact Moiraine's nephew in the show and Anvaere (Lindsey Duncan) (who I think is meant to be the woman who saves Rand from a crowd of women who want him for Daes Dae'Mar reasons) is Moiraine's sister and I like that the show parallels that structure.

The best things the show does in this season revolve around Cairhein. Jordan references but never digs into the aging thing and Aes Sedai. We gradually find out that Aes Sedai can live for a very long time and that there's some obvious heartache involved as family members grow old and die and age faster than they do. The show jumps right into that territory and it's kind of awesome. They also set about trying to tackle a problem that it takes Rand four books to address: how to use the male half of the source, which is why he's trying to gain access to Logain.

What's missing from the show is the whole business with Portal Stoes. That's the introduction to Selene-- she keeps pushing him onto 'greatness' and Rand is really uncomfortable with finding out that he's second in command if Ingtar (Gregg Chilingirian) goes down, but he is insistent on finding the dagger to help Mat and grows into the role, whether he likes it or not.

(There are some hints of voices that aren't his here and there, building up to Lews Therin making an actual appearance at some point, I would imagine. We also get a glimpse of the giant hand with the orb in it that we come to realize is the Choedan Kal in later books.)

Where the show loses me a little is when Moiraine catches up with Rand and straight up slits Selene's throat. Granted, she's Lanfear, so she revives and comes after them-- but again, not in the book. I also don't think that the show does that good of a job with Nyn, Egewene, and Elayne (Ceara Coveney)-- but that's also weirdly parallel to the book in many ways. We don't really get back to that trio after they arrive in Tar Valan and Nyn tests for Accepted until the end of the book (about 80%) of the way through and that sets up Egewene and the Seanchan.

The worst part of the show is probably the needless drama between Moiraine and Lan. Yes, in the book she does call him on the carpet and tell him she's passing his bond and kind of smacks him around a bit, but it doesn't take, like a third of the book. And Moiraine's situation would have been a lot more believable had she not already said in the first season that she can't see male weaves. It's a wee bit of a contradiction that sort of undoes that plot point for me.

The oath thing at the end of the show... I think that's going to be part of Siuan's undoing, but I do think you've got a bit of a mess there since the first season clearly establishes that Siuan's oath is different than what Moiraine says, so how does that even work? (I'm wondering if the general, 'let's see if we can get this show to go' aspect of the first season will reveal more of these little landmines going forward.)

The Seanchan of it all was fine. It's great in the books, it's perfect in the show. I don't like that they killed Uno and I get that the finale didn't quite reach the same epic level you saw in the books, but I think that's down to television and budgets more than anything else. (Think: Game of Thrones-- not every finale can be like the Battle of the Bastards-- I would guess that showrunners have to keep some of their powder dry for budgetary reasons, though that could be pure speculation on my part. But I do think that the quieter, internal struggles that we see are in keeping with the books-- after all, The Last Battle-- the confrontation between Rand and the Dark One isn't some big, epic thing. It's like the three of them arguing about competing visions of reality and one of them wins.)

The show, however, got me really excited by revealing two things in the last episode: one, is that all the Forsaken are now free and two, Moghedien (Laia Costa) is among them and she looks... awesome.

At the end of the day, all I'm going to ask from this show is that it gets better and it starts to feel more like the books. I think this season while not including some things I would have liked to see from the books (like Thom, the Illuminators, the Portal Stone, a visit to the Stedding, etc.) does parallel the structure of the books quite nicely. As a result, it was a. better- but not perfect and b. felt a lot more like The Wheel of Time.

Bring on Season 3.

[lovers-paradise]

Let the world around us//Just fall apart//Baby, we can make it//If we're heart to heart - Liandrin Guirale/Reader

A/N: Written for an Anon Request.

Denial has always come easily. Red ajah are prone to it after all. Liandrin Guirale had caught your eye the first day you both came to this place, trained to be who you now are. Aes Sedai. You still push away the feelings deep down. She’s too cold to know better and you will never tell her, you’ve been rivals for everything. Battle changes things. Forsaken, not Liandrin’s, you think almost idily. Lanfear is not here. Oh, she’d thought she was so smart, so slick, you had known anyway, but the battle still comes and Liandrin still falls. She’d hidden it at first, battling back to her feet before her body collapsed under the pressure. Her shield, already thin, is close to cracking and without thinking you throw all you have behind the shield you build from the Power, pressing it to protect you both even as your hand covers her bleeding wounds, ignoring her protests. She heals slowly, so slowly that you are nearly hit when your shield breaks, rescued only when Liandrin whispers Lanfear’s name into the air between you, hiding her face in your hair all the same. You are left alone hours later. Liandrin had cursed quietly when you pulled her to her feet and you can see the healing job is barely holding, inches from tearing. You mirror her now, red clothing slashed and torn, ragged marks over your collarbone. She allows you to heal, first her, then yourself, her eyes focused on you in a way that should make you nervous. It doesn’t. She seems curious, even as you shift to find clothing, wrapping yourself in fresh red shirt and then move to find her something, helping her change quietly. “You would you…” “Liandrin…” “You could have…” “Lia. Please.” You move on instinct this time, run a hand into her damned blonde braids, tug firmly and kiss her when she turns her chin up at the perfect angle to let you meet her mouth with your own, your free hand cupping her cheek, brushing blood and a few strays tears away. “I love you… you stubborn fool.” You mutter the words against her lips, barely hiding your smile when she shifts away, looks up at you again and then sighs, rising to meet you when you turn away, suddenly unsure. “I love you too.” Four little words. Innocent but spoken with such feeling that you can feel a sob threaten to escape. You turn in just enough time to see her knot her fingers together, squeezing tightly. She’s nervous, even after you admit to loving her and you move closer in three short strides, tuck her into your arms and let your lips find her ear. “Come to bed?” She nods, short, shy and you smile, leading her to the bed and settling, coaxing her down beside you to wrap her closer again, holding her steady even as she knots her fingers into your shirt. “Rest, Liandrin, I won’t push you.” You mean it. Here, held, is enough. You will never once push her beyond what she feels able to give, building her back up with your gentle care and fierce loyalty. She had strayed to the Black, you think, but so had you, for her sake.

[orbit-of-eternity]

The Fires of Heaven Reading Update 2:

*Spoliers Ahead*

I'm not going to lie... I laughed out loud when Liandrin said, "Had Moghedien revealed herself, or even taken park on their behalf, they would have triumphed." Like Liandrin, you don't know this, but she did and got her ass beat by Nynaeve! It was a funny line for the reader honestly.

The more I read about Aviendha, the more I picture Kim Pine from Scott Pilgrim vs The World movie.

Like they are the same vibes.

Anyway, Rand's back in Randland trying to stop Couladin from attacking Cairhien. I get the weird feeling all the randlandians are going to be so confused because Rand came back and just starts fighting Aiel with Aiel.

Morgase has escaped Gaebril! Very happy for her. That whole section was so intense that I couldn't put the book down. I was so afraid that she was going to get caught. I bet she will stumble upon Perrin.

Siuan is out here using her manipulating skills and getting the escaped Aes Sedai to do her plan is masterful. She could always do more than just channel.

Padan Fain got his dagger. Big yikes. He is definitely plotting something against The Tower. Also, Alviarin is Black Ajah! Explains why she is Keeper and Eladia is Amyrlin. Eladia is being used and she is too blinded to see it.

*Please no spoilers for the rest of the series."

[iviarellereads]

The Great Hunt, Chapter 39 - Flight from the White Tower

(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 we ride.

PERSPECTIVE: Egwene. There are many women from outside the Tower today, merchants' wives and ladies and their serving women, so the four young women don't stand out too much, especially since they've put on their riding clothes,(1) and Min is playing the servant, carrying their bags. They're almost spotted a few times on the way to the stables.

They find Bela, effectively Egwene's horse now, and Nynaeve's horse. The stableman has clearly been bought off, but says he was told two, not four. Nynaeve tells him he'll get all four horses ready or he'll need Liandrin's healing, if she'll give it him.

Liandrin is furious and says they weren't supposed to tell anyone, but Elayne says they overheard, they weren't told. Liandrin says she had made arrangements for Elayne and Min to be taken care of, but fine, four can make the journey as well as two. Elayne wonders what she means by taken care of. Liandrin asks if they think they'd be safe, when it was found out their friends had left. The Black Ajah would not be gentle with them, they may not have lived the night.(2)

They follow her to the Waygate and the four are nervous but none backs out. Egwene wonders why Rand can't get into the kind of trouble that doesn't require her to act the heroine in a story. They all make their way into the Ways, and Liandrin consults a parchment at the Guidings. While they wait at one of the stops, Egg realizes she can still feel saidar, but she has a sense that touching it here would feel like how we the reader have seen Rand’s channeling described. Eventually, Liandrin stops on one of the islands, tells them there's food on the packhorse, and to parcel it out for everyone. It should last two days. She doesn't even do it herself, but waits for one of the young women to take her some of the food. She sits separately, and when Egg raises the question of channeling in the Ways to protect from the Black Wind, which Moiraine said couldn’t be hurt or killed really, Liandrin says she could “go as mad as a man” if she did.(3) She’ll deal with the Black Wind if need be, and she gets a little smug that she knows more than Moiraine on this subject.

Min starts complaining, and Egg says she could have left. Min says the Pattern has its own plan for them all, and asks what if after all this, Rand doesn't marry you?(4) What if he marries some woman you've never seen before, or Elayne, or Min herself? Egg thinks about how Rand might not live to marry anyone, and if he does, he'll surely go mad unless she can find a way to fix it… Aloud, she says she doesn't suppose she'll marry him at all, being Aes Sedai. But if he does marry someone, she wishes them well, even one of them. He's stubborn and wrongheaded but he is gentle. Elayne teases that Egg'll have only herself to blame if Rand gets away, El might face down her mother and Egg both to marry him herself given half a chance. Min just watches them both with a frown, and Nynaeve watches Min thoughtfully.(5)

Asleep, Egwene dreams again of the man with the fiery eyes, laughing at her. After that, she dreams of being lost in the Ways. She's grateful when Liandrin's toe nudges her awake.

Liandrin drives them hard, but eventually they make their way to another Waygate, and Liandrin says they've arrived as she removes the Avendesora leaf and the gate opens.

=====

(1) The term RJ uses is "skirts divided for riding". Do you know what those are? Those are pants. A skirt, but divided down the middle between the legs so you don't need to sit side-saddle to keep your skirt from getting pushed up and exposing your legs, but still with enough fabric and supporting underneath that they poof out like skirts so they're not form fitting and ~indecent~… that's just JNCOs. Nicole Rudolph, Bernadette Banner, and Morgan Donner (among many more I'm sure, but these I remembered immediately) have made divided skirts and talked about their context in varying degrees if you're curious. (2) Liandrin has been acting suspiciously since the beginning of this book, using that little Compulsion on Amalisa to make her more amenable to Liandrin's desire to find the lads, then running off after Moiraine and Verin on the trip from Fal Dara to Tar Valon, now this little venture. And she's the only one willing to acknowledge the Black Ajah besides Mo and Siuan in their little private chat. Now, this. What curious phrasing. She still didn't answer what kind of "taken care of" she was going to make them, she Aes Sedai'd around it, she stated a truth and lets you make your own assumption. "Your friends are in danger, from agents of the Dark One, you're connected to them, do you want to help them?" Not "I can take you to help them." I see "you might not have lived the night" and I can't help but wonder whether she wanted to help them live or die. She hasn't said anything untrue, but she's definitely let the girls come to their own conclusions and not challenged them as long as they filled in the blanks for the purposes of coming with her. And this little setback in her plan, she's annoyed but smooths it over so quickly. If she really wanted to help, why would she balk at having more hands on deck? (3) It would make a sort of sense. The Ways were build with saidin-wrought tools after the taint was imposed upon it, and they're not precisely of the "real" world, some kind of parallel or adjacent pocket dimension. Why not have a bubble of taint around them, too. (4) Min's doing an awful lot of thinking about Rand and his love life lately. Is this related to the Pattern's orchestrations, or a subject change? She knows he and Egwene won't end up together, but she keeps commenting on who he will marry. And there was that one weird little line about herself being in his picture… (5) What do you think Nynaeve is thinking about here? How much would she guess from Min's words?

[rationalnerd62]

Listen. Every book reader who likes Siuan has to admit her characterisation falls apart as the books go on. She goes from badass to someone that is head over heels for some bland general who makes her do laundry and bring some rope in the middle of the Last Battle, when she's supposed to be a goddamn good tactician.

I'd rather for the show to do the opposite: start with mistakes, and have her character grow from them.

She fought with swords as Moiraine did against Ishy. She doesn't trust Moiraine to still do her mission well because she didn't tell her for months that she had lost access to the One Power, and stilled channelers are known for being suicidal and not great with rational decisions (ooooh, the pain it will be when Siuan gets stilled). She doesn't know Rand even trusts Moiraine (but now she knows). Also she watched Moiraine channel after being told she was stilled, and Moiraine just followed Lanfear into the Ways.

The difference with Elaida is that using the oath hurts Siuan as much as it hurts Moiraine. She will remember that, and both be mad at Moiraine and scared and in pain and sorry and everything. Also Moiraine threatened Lan to transfer his bond, so really both Moiraine and Siuan are doing crazy desperate things this season.

Maybe seeing Siuan this desperate will explain why she's throwing three Accepted on the hunt of the Black Ajah. Cause that was a crazy desperate move from Book Siuan that surely didn't have the same set-up as here, when Siuan basically did the same thing as Moiraine: sacrificing everyone she held close to her heart for what she thought was the greater good.

I'm sorry but I'm feeling so frustrated and upset with what they've done with Siuan's character.

YES, it's an adaptation. AND YES, adaptations change things.

BUT the show has made changes to Siuan's character that are FUNDAMENTALLY opposed to her character in the books, and often the EXACT OPPOSITE decision that she made in the books.

They gave Siuan's scene about a sword of air not being much use to Liandrin, and have her use blades of air to defend herself-- which causes her to immediately lose when face to face with Lanfear. She literally makes the mistake that she warns against in the books.

In the books, she lets Rand go and trusts the pattern and is deposed and stilled for it. She undermines Tower norms and risks everything for it. In the show, she scoffs at Moiraine's trust in fate and tries to cage Rand because it's Tower law. Literally the opposite of her attitude and actions under almost exactly the same circumstances.

She controls Moiraine with the oath. Setting aside the fact that they completely brushed aside the sacred way in which (non-BA) Aes Sedai view the oaths (and the fact that it took a hunt for the Black Ajah to do any sort of experimentation with it). It also is diametrically opposed to the way that Siuan and Moiraine trust each other to do their part in preparation for the Last Battle in the books.

AND in case of the last two points, do they remind you of anyone? Someone who was in direct opposition to Siuan and the choices she made? They literally made her Elaida. Elaida wanted to trap Rand and control him. Elaida wanted to have Sisters swear a personal oath to her. What is the point of this?

An adaptation can make changes, of course, but you have to weigh the changes you make in plot and characterization and choose carefully. Characterization is especially delicate. People can tolerate and enjoy the same characters being put in different situations (see AU fanfictions) but when you change who the character is at their core, people get rightfully frustrated that you put the name of their beloved character on a different person (see reactions to OOC).

[amemoryofwot]

Okay I’m finished with Dune (and I’m on call tonight and tomorrow so fingers crossed for a chill night so I can read 🤞) but that means I’m gonna start on my WoT reread to hopefully get from ANS to TGH before the S2 starts. I know we’re probably covering TDR for the show too but idk if I can get there in time.

Won’t liveblog per se but I am interested in exploring a few concepts specifically this reread such as:

- Perrin’s unreliable narration and how that relates to his struggle with leadership and the way he views his own actions as “thoughtful” or “considerate”

- Egwene’s trauma and which behaviours may be related to this (I have a hypothesis about the function of T’A’R for her here)

- How Black Ajah agents may be influencing the behaviours of characters and reader response to them (some ideas around Egwene’s leadership and Sheriam’s advice here)