Am I the only one who finds it strange....

[Marie 73]

Now, before I finish that thought let me just make clear: This isn't about how icky you find Thom/Moiraine because Thom is old/ugly/poor/has a penis. This isn't about how much better Siuan/Nynaeve/Lan/Someone-like-Galad-who-isn't-Galad-because-incest-is-icky/etc is. I know you don't like Thom. I know you don't like Thom with Moiraine. I know you are in denial. Now that we have that clear...

 

Isn't it a little odd that Moiraine is allegedly in love with (and may marry) the man she knows killed her brother? And he knows that she knows. And she knows that he knows that she knows...anyway. I know she could probably give a damn about Taringail, but personally, if I knew someone had a habit of killing Damodreds and I was a Damodred, that might make me think a little harder about sharing sleeping quarters.

 

And if I was Thom....talk about awkward.

[Kaitlin 22]

Yes, I do find that a little odd. It seemed like he was hinting around the subject of family with her during their talk in Tear.. but she didn't take the bait.

 

Why does Moiraine care so little about this?

[Marie 73]

We didn't have her point of view, so we can't say she didn't have a *twitch* at the subject...but she seems so...odd! About the whole thing. She showed more of a reaction (albeit in private) about her sadistic uncles getting killed than her lover man murdering her brother.

[Kaitlin 22]

She might have known her brother much more than her Uncles. He seemed like a real b******. Still, it is not normal for her to have reacted that way. There really wasn't any sort of twitch of fingers or extra calm look to her at the hint of that subject. RJ has been realistic about her reactions to her family otherwise, even though he didn't write many of her PoV's about it, so why does this one seem so abnormal?

[Olivia 26]

But why would she care? By tSR She's had like fifteen years to get used to the fact that Taringail is dead, so Thom mentioning it prboably wouldn't strike a nerve. But in NS she wasn't upset over the deaths of her uncles very much, and she seemed more upset that she didn't feel bad rather than actually taking the time to feel bad (if that makes any sense) >_< We know Taringail was just as much of a jerk as they were so maybe she thought Thom was justified in his murder of Taringail?... And he only kills Damodreds if they threaten his loves, so maybe that makes Moiraine feel protected rather than nervous. =)

 

And to appease Marie and other Mo/Thommers, I don't hate Thom as a character, just with Moiraine. He's actually quite wise and I like that he is capable of killing women, unlike most of the silly men. *cheers for Thom's knife-throwing skills*

[Kaitlin 22]

Thom and Moiraine weren't a couple, though. She might have understood his reasonings, and accepted them. Taringail isn't the only Damodred he's gone after...

 

Even if the death of a jerk isn't a big deal, the fact that her future lover killed her half-brother who was a jerk should have caused some sort of reaction. Moiraine doesn't prefer killing.. we know this because she's restrained Lan several times from "taking care of things" and it's obvious it was something of a contention between them. She didn't like being a part of her assassins murder, even.

[Marie 73]

But why would she care? By tSR She's had like fifteen years to get used to the fact that Taringail is dead, so Thom mentioning it prboably wouldn't strike a nerve.

Moiraine mentioned it, not Thom, and the fact that she plans on bedding him is the big deal. How exactly do you get used to being in love with your brother's killer?

 

But in NS she wasn't upset over the deaths of her uncles very much, and she seemed more upset that she didn't feel bad rather than actually taking the time to feel bad (if that makes any sense) >_That's a reaction.

 

We know Taringail was just as much of a jerk as they were

No we don't. We know he planned to kill his second wife (a very stupid plan that), but he seems more loser than sadistic freak like his uncles.

 

And he only kills Damodreds if they threaten his loves, so maybe that makes Moiraine feel protected rather than nervous. =)

He very easily could have killed Taringail for political reasons. And he didn't get a chance to kill Barthanes but that would have been revenge, not protection. Based on Thom's history he kills when he deems it necessary, and how is Moiraine to know he won't one day find it necessary to knock her off?

 

Thom and Moiraine are human beings, and most human beings would find it a bit...awkward at the very least to have that type of connection between them.

[Olivia 26]

How exactly do you get used to being in love with your brother's killer?

 

Neither of them seems to care though, since they haven't thought about the subject since tSR. Why they don't care though, could be for either of our reasons or for another altogether, knowing RJ

 

Based on Thom's history he kills when he deems it necessary, and how is Moiraine to know he won't one day find it necessary to knock her off?

 

Well he's pretty distrustful of Aes Sedai from the start. How does he know that she won't use him and sacrifice him in one of her schemes? Or get him killed by accident in her cause to protect Rand

 

Thom and Moiraine are human beings, and most human beings would find it a bit...awkward at the very least to have that type of connection between them

I don't disagree with you on that one. But when has RJ taken normalcy into account with his relationships? (I mean, in love with three people? What bull ) It is odd that neither of them have mentioned Thom's past again, but Moiraine has killed too to save a life, and maybe has again for reasons just like Thom's. Maybe that just means that they accept each other and will make good partners.

[Kaitlin 22]

Neither of them seems to care though, since they haven't thought about the subject since tSR. Why they don't care though, could be for either of our reasons or for another altogether, knowing RJ

Yes, that's what the thread is about: why doesn't Moiraine care? It doesn't seem normal.

 

 

 

Well he's pretty distrustful of Aes Sedai from the start. How does he know that she won't use him and sacrifice him in one of her schemes? Or get him killed by accident in her cause to protect Rand

He doesn't know that she won't. He has had uncomfortable thoughts about just that subject, and has discounted Moiraine as a lover before because she's Aes Sedai. He's having normal reactions even though he's lumping all Aes Sedai together and seeing them all as the same. Moiraine doesn't seem to be having a normal reaction to knowing that Thom murdered her brother.

 

 

I don't disagree with you on that one. But when has RJ taken normalcy into account with his relationships? (I mean, in love with three people? What bull ) It is odd that neither of them have mentioned Thom's past again, but Moiraine has killed too to save a life, and maybe has again for reasons just like Thom's. Maybe that just means that they accept each other and will make good partners.

RJ once talked about being in a love triangle where the two women agreed amongst themselves that they would share him, and he wasn't the one who chose that sort of relationship in the first place.. and said that he gave Rand a similar relationship with more than one woman, but said that if two women could agree to go out with himself, then why shouldn't the hero have three women attracted to him. The point of that little story is that.. no matter how silly we think that situation is (and I do think it's silly) RJ was trying to base it in reality as he knew it. I don't claim that RJ is excellent at writing about love at all. But he's got his own very detailed ideas about character personalities.

 

Her reaction doesn't seem to fit.

[Marie 73]

I don't disagree with you on that one. But when has RJ taken normalcy into account with his relationships? (I mean, in love with three people? What bull )

There is nothing odd about being in love with three people, the only thing suspect about that relationship is Rand proclaims to love all three equally.

It is odd that neither of them have mentioned Thom's past again, but Moiraine has killed too to save a life, and maybe has again for reasons just like Thom's. Maybe that just means that they accept each other and will make good partners.

 

Moiraine killed without choice. She didn't want to and tried to avoid it far longer than she should have. As Katie said earlier, Moiraine seems to have an aversion to killing in general that Thom seems to lack. I find it a bit odd how much you are downplaying his killing her brother. Comparing his killing an idiot so he could get in said idiot's wife's pants (or up her shift as it were) to Moiraine killing a member of the Black Ajah who murdered children...it's not really the same. :

 

And that's my whole point! It is odd how Moiraine/Thom just go "oh! I'm in love! Yay! " and don't seem to be thinking much about what that entails.

[Olivia 26]

RJ once talked about being in a love triangle where the two women agreed amongst themselves that they would share him, and he wasn't the one who chose that sort of relationship in the first place.. and said that he gave Rand a similar relationship with more than one woman, but said that if two women could agree to go out with himself, then why shouldn't the hero have three women attracted to him. The point of that little story is that.. no matter how silly we think that situation is (and I do think it's silly) RJ was trying to base it in reality as he knew it. I don't claim that RJ is excellent at writing about love at all. But he's got his own very detailed ideas about character personalities.

 

I remember hearing him say that, but that's different than three women falling in love with a man doomed to insanity and who may kill them accidentally. And before that ComicCon I had never even heard of a man actually dating two women who knew about the other! (or maybe I'm just sheltered)

 

Yes, that's what the thread is about: why doesn't Moiraine care? It doesn't seem normal.

 

And that's my whole point! It is odd how Moiraine/Thom just go "oh! I'm in love! Yay! " and don't seem to be thinking much about what that entails.

 

Well it seems like none of us can come up with a satisfying explanation, so what are we to do? It seems like it will just slide into the category of RJ's unjustified or unexplained relationship aspects...I hope someone else on the fora can come up with a reason.

[Cerendrallion 32]

...I hope someone else on the for a can come up with a reason.

 

Desperation? She's not getting any younger, alas...

[Ishmael Moridin 0]

I think they are attracted to each other's intellect. Moiraine probably feels that Thom is the only guy around whose intellect and maturity can match her own. They are both very practical people who can leave the past behind. She also knows Thom is not averse to the idea of having her for a lover. But all this said, her disregarding it is a little surprising ...

[jan 14]

Thank you Ajit for saying what I wanted to!

 

Perhaps both have been through too much to let the past affect them so much that they refuse to have a relationship even though they are attracted to each other. Also, maybe blood isn't thicker than water. Maybe Moiraine isn't the sort of person to hold a grudge just for the sake of it - she made up her own mind about Thom, and is okay with it.

 

And maybe she hated her brother and loves Thom for having killed him

 

@Laura: What?! She's only in her 40s!

[Cerendrallion 32]

@Jan: I'm 17. The arrogance of youth and all that!