Tension! Between Lan/Moiraine

[Marie 73]

There is a mild (read: violent) debate going on between Vertex and I over the cause of the tension between Moiraine and Lan at the beginning of their relationship; before they were Aes Sedai and Warder.

 

I am of the belief that it was due to Lan being...Lan, and Moiraine being a petty 22 year old and wanting him to obey her.

 

Vertex, evil Vertex, believes there is, wait for it, sexual tension between them.

 

I do believe Lan would not protest if Mo got naked in front of him, but I do not agree with the idea of there being actual sexual tension between them.

 

You may now discuss.

[Vertex 23]

I'm not saying there is now that Lan is impotent but when he was young and dashing and Moiraine was so full of estrogen she leaked it all over everyone near her, they had some sexual tension between them.

[Marie 73]

Moiraine hasn't "aged" internally much since then - which might explain why Thom is all hubba hubba!

 

I still disagree! There was no sexual tension between them.

[Vertex 23]

Hasn't aged maybe but she's completely without age... it says over and over again that she's all age-less. So I don't think she's all full of hormones,... I mean, if she was, just imagine how many bug bites Rand would have.

 

And we don't know if there is anything between Moiraine and Thom at all... for all we know she chould just have been nice in her letter to him so that Thom would not just burn the letter and laugh for nailing an Aes Sedai...

[Marie 73]

Rand wishes he had bug bites!

 

I think Moiraine will at least make love to Thom. She has been alone a long time...a looooong time.

[Vertex 23]

*nods* I agree, Moiraine doesn't seem to find anyone willing often... so let's hope Thom might take pitty on her.

[Marie 73]

Oh you...! All she has to do is ask and anyone (except Elayne I hope) would sleep with her.

[Ishmael Moridin 0]

I don't think there ever was any sexual tension b/n lan and moiraine, they were both mature beyond their years to understand that a perfect working relationship would probably be spoiled by it.

 

As for moiraine's choices in this issue, I agree with marie

[Marie 73]

I think now they are mature, a bit, but back then they were both young and stubborn. They're still stubborn. And honestly, compared to Lan Moiraine does need to grow some more still.

[Vertex 23]

Well, I wouldn't call Moiraines behavior towards Lan in NewSpring mature... A bug attack, for example, seems very pittyfull and childish. Marie sugested earlier that it is more likely that Moiraine is vindictive and cruel rather then she is affected by some underlying tension which makes her act as if she needs to prove something to Lan.

 

Oh you...! All she has to do is ask and anyone (except Elayne I hope) would sleep with her.

 

Now there Marie darling, I know you feel very strongly about this. However, if Moiraine truly was a charming woman then why does she have to rely so heavily on money to make people do things for her?

[Marie 73]

Now there Marie darling, I know you feel very strongly about this. However, if Moiraine truly was a charming woman then why does she have to rely so heavily on money to make people do things for her?

 

You...you are evil.

 

She does not rely on money!

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

I'm with Vertex on this one...to an extent.

 

The extent to which I agree involves the idea that only Lan was sexually frustrated in his relationship with Moiraine.

 

Now, I am going on very little, here, but Moiraine said herself that she perceived the relationship between her and Lan was much too mature for those feelings to arise. In one of her POV's (can't remember which, though I believe it was in Vandene and Adeleas' cottage way back in one of the earlier books), she says that Lan had taken many a woman to his bed, but never before had it been an issue between themselves. Now, this appears to be evidence in support of Marie's original argument.

 

But we never hear the same from Lan's POV, unless I am horribly mistaken. He always knew his fight would be with the Shadow as long as it still existed, and never gave marriage a serious thought, until Nynaeve came around, or so we are led to believe. I cannot think that in 20 years Lan didn't once consider Moiraine to be worthy "wife material". Both were nobly born, and being bonded, naturally she has spent more time with him than with any other man, so to say their relationship was intimate is a severe understatement.

 

Yet according to Moiraine, they never slept together. I am led to contend that he was intimidated by the fact that she channeled the One Power. His demeanor towards Aes Sedai was not a particularly favorable one in NS, and deep down, though he may have felt physical attraction to Moiraine, that was just enough to keep him from pursuing anything further. Another possibility is that Moiraine thought so much of their professional relationship and Lan's stone-facedness that she saw what she wanted to see and refused to acknowledge Lan's sexual desire. Very often in the books before Moiraine went to Finnland, we see a lot of unspoken animosity between them, esp. from Lan. Could this have been because of the Thom element? You know Lan could never have said anything in any case, in part because of his 20-year professional track record, but also because he's the Uncrowned King of Malkier, not some little bitch who's going to whine and pine and cry about his broken heart.

[Marie 73]

Wow. I do think there was attraction on Lan's part, and based on the men Moiraine seems attracted to...well, compared to Lan they aren't that "manly". I've always seen Nynaeve as Moiraine Jr., so I suppose with that thinking one could argue that since he didn't get the real thing he took what he could?

 

In hindsight, Moiraine does seem rather dismissive of the possibility that Lan could feel anything for her. In NS it was obvious he was better at understanding her emotions, but she couldn't figure him out. I don't think it would be too hard for Lan to hide any sexual feelings he felt for her, even with the bond. I do see Moiraine as a bit, ok a lot, naïve about men and relationships. I think the sheltering that occurs at the Tower might have stunted her growth in that area, add in 20 years focusing on the Dragon Reborn, and she really isn't that much better than Elayne.

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

Simply put, Lan is too much Man

 

Sometimes I wish Lan would kick the crap out of Rand Al'Thor, take him down a peg or 100, but that's neither here nor there.

[jan 14]

The question is: Is it possible to have a very close relationship with someone who can virtually see into your mind without it being sexual? I believe it is. Maybe I'm just "being 30" (and I do that a lot these days... ask Vertex!!), but there it is.

 

They were both young and healthy and possibly horny, but evidence (well... you know!) suggests that they found their outlets elsewhere and not with each other. Even if they did feel attraction for each other - heck, anyone out here who's not been attracted to a close friend?! - maybe they chose not to acknowledge it. Maybe it was an informed decision on their part to keep their relationship at a certain point and no further.

 

Even though "further" is a strange term. You can be very close to someone without needing to yank each other's clothes off in a frenzy every night!

 

Oh you...! All she has to do is ask and anyone (except Elayne I hope) would sleep with her.

 

Laura hasn't seen that statement yet, has she?!