by pandrewfloyd | Mar 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
By Kathryn Paterwic
In the first episode of the new Amazon Prime series adaptation The Wheel of Time, we meet our main seven characters, five from a small village called Emond’s Field and two from the outside world. Establishing that those two, Lan and Moiraine, are different right off the bat is key, and to do that they need to establish a base aesthetic style in Emond’s Field to play against.
Emond’s Field is a small village in the Two Rivers region, which is in the kingdom of Andor. Emond’s Field however is so small and isolated that they don’t even know they are part of a larger kingdom. This starts informing the style of the Emond’s Fielders. We can assume that: One, they are making everything from scratch and; two, there are very few new garments. Clothes will be hand-me-downs, and new garments are extremely valuable — maybe sentimental. Additionally, the majority of their clothing materials will be wool, fleece, or natural fibers that can be found in the surrounding area.
The first thing you notice about clothing in Emond’s Field is that there are very few bright or pure colors, and most of the garments have closures around the neck and chest. What does this mean on a deeper level?
The lack of pure or bright colors means that these clothes get worn and washed and re-dyed over and over. Bright and pure colors can only really be achieved when the original fabric is white, giving the pigment a clean base to apply the color. If you dye already dyed fabric, it will start to take on a more muddy coloration. This gives the villagers clothes a much more muted look.
The fact that almost every garment has a button or toggle closure is another clue to its hand-me-down nature. In a world with very little stretch material, closures like buttons and toggles make a garment more accessible to more sizes. Move the buttons a bit and that alone can alter the fit. Buttons around the neck and chest area make it easier for people with larger heads or chests to get into the garment. You would much rather have a garment too big in the shoulders and chest then too small because an alteration to make a small garment bigger is not easy. As for length, if a garment is too long, they would roll it up or cuff it just like we do today. Buttons will also make them more seasonably adjustable, and allow them to be worn in a wider variety of climates. All of these techniques make garments easier to hand around and therefore stay in use longer.
In the Two Rivers region there are very few new clothes, and there are going to be very few garments made from non-local materials. The primary clothing material is locally sourced fibers such as wools, linen, I would even say things like nettle hemp since you might be able to find them naturally or grow them. Emond’s Field is a farming community after all but they are known for their wool and sheep. Wool is sustainable but there are very few leather goods, because you would need to kill the sheep or ox for the leather. Effectively it’s a question of wool for years, or leather for now. Milk, cheese and help for years or leather now. People that have garments out of sheepskin or leather need it to keep them from the elements, which will make Moiraine stand out.
We spent a lot of time on her in the first article so just a quick overview. Rosamund Pike (Moiraine) is already a tall, slender woman, and the designer has chosen to accentuate this with her garment choices. Pants, shirt, her full length coat, even her Caireanan puffed sleeves (which puff up more than out) make her seem taller. The lack of visual closures or even a belt buckle tells me she is not big on ornamentations or decoration. All her garments are sensible and chosen for a reason. This could be an Aes Sedai trait, but when we encounter other Aes Sedai, we see this is her choice. Even the purity of all of the shades of blue shows me that these garments have never been dyed anything but blue. These garments were meant for her and only her — this is not a hand-me-anywhere. Going back to the leather, she is seen with these amazing leather shoulder pieces, which is not a very useful place to put leather but aids in that tall silhouette.
While we are on silhouettes let’s talk about Lan, whose overall look is not as different from the Two Rivers residents as Moiraines, but is still giving clues that he doesn’t belong. Lan has a very obscured silhouette, the garments give his look a North Asian feel, which is not an aesthetic seen in Two Rivers, and gives viewers very little to go on as to his physique. While he is still definitely an outsider in Emond’s Field, his costume doesn’t stand out as much as Moiraine’s does. I would say mainly due to the color, his garments blend in with the general surroundings. He is dressed in not only one color, but in one shade, a natural brownish gray with a touch of green, whose texture blends with trees, rocks, dead leaves, all things in the forest he travels through. It will be interesting to see if his overall color changes with the seasons and landscape, like camouflage.
When taking color, style, fit and even materials into consideration, our outsiders will probably blend into a town or city at a quick glance, but upon closer inspection they are definitely “not from around here.” In a larger village, no one looks twice at a traveler. In the Two Rivers region, their color palette, fabric choices and silhouettes make Lan and Moiraine stand out as strangers.
I will be looking at costuming choices and how they work within the story and world of The Wheel of Time for individual episodes going forward, so I hope you look forward to those.
by pandrewfloyd | Mar 1, 2022 | Uncategorized, Wheel of Time TV Show
By Kathryn Paterwic
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson) has been a high fantasy staple for years, and in 2017 Amazon Prime announced the start of production on a multi-million dollar, multi-year and multi-country streaming live action adaptation. Amazon seems to have high hopes for the fourteen-book series, reportedly spending an average of $10 million an episode—and from what I have seen it is worth it.
I was given a chance to preview the first three episodes for this article, and while I am not a costume designer for this series, I have worked as a costume instructor for years. This gives me a unique perspective when it comes to theatrical adaptations of the written works, especially from a costuming standpoint, and the costume choices and execution will be the focus of this article.
The series The Wheel of Time is full of descriptive worldbuilding, encompassing fourteen distinct nations (not to mention cultural groups), which all get visited at least once by at least one of the seven main characters. Breaking this down will be an intimidating task. So let’s look at some of the ideas designers think about when turning books into visual media.
Let’s take the first two episodes. The story starts in the backwoods of nowhere, (eventually we will get an interesting contrast between our humble main five and the richer denizens of this world, but later). Who are the characters at their core, and what are they trying to accomplish? In this article we will look at three distinct groups. Our main five characters, just trying to live in a small town, a powerful visitor and a group that wants you to think they are something they are not.
The characters from Emond’s Field (specifically Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene and Nyneave) are just living their lives where things like fashion might be YEARS behind other areas of the world. People in Emond’s Field make things from scratch, they will alter them, redye them, re-style them, until the garment falls apart (we see this in our own history with clothing from “the peasant and working class”). Effectively, who cares if it exactly matches something you already own, it took someone three days to make it after working all day on something else.
Garments might be gifts or have more sentimental or utilitarian appeal than wearing clothes. Emond’s Field is known for their wool production, so any garment you see made from wool or that is woven is more valuable outside the town’s home region of Two Rivers. So clothes for new garments in a place like Emond’s Field is harder to come by. This doesn’t mean they are not interesting—as a costumer you can put in little easter eggs like the color of Nynaeve’s (Zoë Robins) coat for example juxtaposed to the color of the inside lining (foreshadowing future important aspects of her character), or Rand’s (Josha Stradowski) coat, the fact that Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) is the only one actually wearing fur (also foreshadowing) but that is for another article.
On the opposite side of the spectrum we have Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) who is trying not to make a stir when she first appears in Emond’s Field. Not only does everyone know everyone in a town this small but she visually doesn’t fit, even her protector Lan (Daniel Henney) doesn’t (though he fits better). First, she is openly wearing pants, and the fabric doesn’t have any kind of pattern, even the fact that her garments don’t tie or button make her stand out. Her clothes might be made of wool but the clothes themselves are much finer than the townspeople. Her overall silhouette is tall, narrow and streamlined. From a costumer’s perspective, Moiraine needs to be utilitarian — she is traveling a long way through inhospitable terrain, trying not to draw attention to herself but she was raised in comfort (to say the least). From what I’ve seen, she’s sticking out like a sore thumb. Her colors are too rich, her clothes fit well, her silhouette is too sophisticated, someone born to nobility in a city they’ve never seen.
An interesting example of costume theory is the look of The Children of Light, which plays a much more subtle and psychological game than with 
Moiraine. Commonly referred to as the White Cloaks, these are the group dressed completely in white. I think the costume designers are showing the White Cloaks as THEY WISH to be seen, not how the world actually sees them. They are religious zealots first and foremost, and they need to be warriors out of necessity because they see The Shadow is everywhere. But, they don’t have armor. No one would attack them, and they believe, so deeply, that the Light will protect them, that they don’t need it. They want to give off an authoritative air, but not a threatening one. If they scare the people they are “protecting,” it will make their job harder. This non-threatening appearance is in stark contrast with their actions when we, the audience, are introduced to them, which are brutal and reprehensible.
While I know that this isn’t how they are described in the book, it should end up being more nuanced and more realistic than a heavily armed group of soldiers stomping around the woods for no reason. This way the designer is letting the actions speak and leaning in on the jarring contrast.
This article only covered costumes, but I hope it gives you some sense of the wheels turning behind the scenes. While there are fans of the books who have loved them for years, who may be hesitant that the story will be done well, we will need more new fans to love them if we are going to see the Last Battle come to life. On that front, I can tell you that those who cherished the books will love this adaptation, if they go in with an open mind and remember that no one can make everyone happy all the time. Those who have never read the books should be able to follow with no trouble. For those who like to binge watch and rewatch, there is more to discover with each viewing. I was driving after watching the first three episodes and found myself slapping the steering wheel yelling “Blood and bloody ashes, how did I miss that! That was amazing!” Overall, I’m very excited for the direction that this show is taking, and look forward to breaking down even more costume theory as the show progresses through the story!
by ebbierowe | Feb 7, 2022 | Engagement, Uncategorized
As a new JordanCon Member, you will notice three things as you move through the convention space: ribbons, tiaras, and kilts. I am sure you have already heard talk of ribbons in the group so let’s get started with those.
Ribbons:
Ribbons are fancy accouterments that are a must-have at JordanCon. Now there even seems to be an unspoken competition between some in the JordanCon family to see who can collect the most ribbons.
There are two kinds of ribbons:
- Official con ribbons (vendor, director, program participant, volunteer)
- Fun ribbons you can get
from anyone from vendors to other Con-goers (and even a few select directors)
Ribbons abound!
Anyone can create a “fun ribbon.” One of the more popular places to get ribbons is PC Nametag (please note: this is not an endorsement of this vendor).
Ribbons are placed on the bottom of your con badge using the adhesive on the top of the ribbon. Each additional ribbon is added to the bottom of the previous ribbon.
For some “fun ribbons,” the owner of the ribbons may ask you to complete a task. Sometimes it is simply reciting a phrase.… Other times it might be to pledge your soul to The Dark One, so use your own best judgment in these circumstances.
Tiaras:
You will see many members adorned with a tiara or crown of some sort. While this is in no way required, it is certainly fun. Anyone who wishes to wear a tiara or crown is more than welcome to. In the past, we have coordinated a picture with everyone wearing their royal headpiece. I am sure we will probably make this happen again this year. Keep an eye out for more information on that. This wonderful tradition was started by our very own creator and con chair, Jenn Liang. To get the full story you can check out this blog post.
Kilts:
Not to be outdone by our tiara/crown-loving crowd, we have a contingent of con-goers that have brought kilts into the fold (and we are so grateful for that). On the Friday of JordanCon, you will find quite a few members sporting kilts. A couple of them will even have a crown on to complete their outfit. You can find out more about the origin of “On Friday We Wear Kilts!” in this blog post.
There are more shenanigans that exist at JordanCon, some from JordanCon One, some a little more recent. And undoubtedly you and you’re new family will create some of your own.
There is never any pressure for anyone to participate in any of these extracurricular activities. But know all are welcome to join if and when they feel comfortable.
#IsItAprilYet
by pandrewfloyd | Dec 27, 2021 | Engagement, Uncategorized, Wheel of Time TV Show
Welcome to the Penultimate Mostly-Kind-Of-But-Not-Really Accurate WoT Show Meme Recap!
(Warning: Spoilers for Episodes 1-7)
Episode 7, titled “The Dark Along The Ways,” begins with a pregnant Aiel woman just trying to give birth in peace. But for some reason, a bunch of dudes in armor really don’t want her to. She is amazing, though, and proves Edna Mode correct in her assessment on capes. She beats the soldiers soundly so she can relax and give birth in the nice comfortable snow.
Back in the show’s present, our protagonists, with the help of nice Ogier Loial and some keen eyes from Perrin, navigate through the ways.
They find a navigation stone, but Loial, being as slow as an Ent, needs time to read it. He doesn’t get it, though, as Trollocs show up. Someone accidentally channels and Machin Shin comes running, so they sprint for the closest Way Gate. They make it, but Machin Shin overcomes them and reveals uncomfortable truths (lies?) to them.
They stumble out of the Way Gate at Fal Dara. But most of the crew has never left the Two Rivers and demand an explanation.
They enter the city and seek out its head to deliver a message, but Lord Agelmar does not want to hear it.
He apologizes and makes a generous offer.
Their business with Lord Agelmar complete, Moiraine takes the Two Rivers folks to a bar. But along the way, Perrin notices something suspicious…
In the bar, Moiraine meets with Min, a seer who glimpses imagery from the pattern around people. She tells the Aes Sedai what she sees around the Two Rivers folk.
Later that night, everyone has a big fight because the story gods demanded it and they split up. Nynaeve follows Lan to a group in the city he secretly knows.
Most everyone else attempts to get some rest, but Nynaeve stays with Lan and asks the important questions.
She’s not the only one who needs answers, though. Rand goes to Min and finds out that, yes, he does continue to look like a certain Jedi.
But apart from that, she also confirms he is the Dragon Reborn. With the assumption that all but the Dragon will die when he faces the Dark One, he sneaks off with Moiraine and the episode ends with them heading into the Blight.
Episode seven was my favorite yet! Or maybe it’s right behind four… They’re both pretty close. The opening with Tigraine was FANTASITC, and the rest of the episode really proved how the show could adapt the books without being exactly like it. The location was spot on and the character arcs were the right ones for our characters, just brought forward from later in the books, and the world building was great. It was great seeing Min and her visions and the Blight, though different than how I imagined, just looked right. I can’t wait to see what the finale brings!
Now it’s time for your free meme template! This one comes from the current episode, and it involves Moiraine’s warning about the Eye of the World.
Now let’s see what you’ve got! What weird or silly metaphors does Rand have?
Until next week, remember: the Wheel memes as the Wheel wills.
by pandrewfloyd | Dec 16, 2021 | Uncategorized
Welcome to the Completely Not-at-All Accurate WoT Show Meme Recap!
(Warning: Spoilers for Episodes 1-6)
Episode 6, titled “The Flame of Tar Valon,” begins with a young Siuan Sanche and her Father on a boat. (Don’t you ever forget!) He’s struggling with a knot and she channels to help him out. He chides her because they live in Tear where channelers, even women practitioners, are not liked. Well, his wariness was not unfounded as neighbors must have seen Siuan channel at some point. They arrive to their dock as their home burns to the ground. Knowing it is no longer safe for Siuan, Papa Sanche sends her off alone to the White Tower.
Fast forward to the show’s present where we meet the head of the Aes Sedai, the Amyrlin Seat.
Once seated, Siuan calls for the false Dragon to be brought before her. Logain, unfortunately, does not live by the old adage, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Once Logain is taken away, the Amyrlin turns her attention the the sisters who gentled him. She shows no patience for their circumstances and announces penance for Liandrin who was in charge when it happened. But Liandrin is not one to lie down without shouting, “SHE STARTED IT!”
Siuan was having none of their bull and retired to think on penance for them both.
Elsewhere Moiraine’s eyes and ears did their job, and she finally found Rand and Mat.
Oh, and Rand continues to look like a certain Jedi.
Moiraine’s eyes and ears also lead her to Perrin and Egwene. Egwene is much happier to see Moiraine than Rand was and she eagerly tells the blue of their plight. She ends her story by letting Moiraine know she took something very special from Valda.
That night, Moiraine and Siuan meet via the use of a Ter’angreal. The tension between them is completely gone, and they’re even revealed to be very… close. They have both been looking for the Dragon Reborn for twenty years and with Moiraine being so close to the end of her journey, they’ll have to keep up their fake rivalry.
The next day, before Siuan can sentence Moiraine, our favorite Blue has a run in with our least favorite Red (So far).
WIth Liandrin out of camera shot, Moiraine continues to prepare for “The Plan.” Step one: recruit help from one of the Builders.
And then it was time for Moiraine’s penance. Siuan was not kidding when she said they would have to keep up their ruse, she even pulled out the Oath Rod to help sell it.
Now exiled from Tar Valon, Moiraine is free to do what she needs. She meets up with the Emond’s Field Five and Loial at a Way Gate and explains to them that they may not all survive. They follow her anyway. Well, most of them do. The Episode closes as the Way Gate does so, as well, behind our cast with one notable exception.
The episodes keep getting better and better! Episode 6 brought in a lot of the Aes Sedai politics from the later books and made it very compelling. A large chunk of the episode was just sisters talking in the sitting room with not much movement, but I was on the edge my seat for every word spoken. But it wasn’t all Aes Sedai debates, as the rest of our cast is back together and heading through the Ways! Well, most of them. It’s a shame Barney couldn’t continue past this point. He was excellent as Mat all season long! But I hope he is doing okay and wish him well.
It’s hard to do a comparison for what was and wasn’t in the books for this episode as both all of it and none of it was in the books. Individual interactions from the books were tweaked and put in different locations. All of the characters are going in the same direction as they were in the books, their paths are just slight different. Moiraine’s exile was definitely new and the use of the Oath Rod was surprising, but that does come up later. Now we have precedent that it can be used for more than just the three Oaths. Plus, Moiraine can’t be called back so easily by Maigan or any of the other Blue Sitters. Even Moiraine and Siuan’s relationship felt like something pulled out of New Spring and brought forward. Despite the new context, everything is recongizable and just feels right. Loial continues to be perfect, and the very small bit of the Ways we got gave me chills. The next episode cannot get here fast enough!
Now it’s time for your free meme template! This one comes from the current episode, and it involves Egwene and Nynaeve.
Now let’s see what you’ve got! What caused Egwene to glare at Nynaeve?
Until next week, remember: the Wheel memes as the Wheel wills.
by pandrewfloyd | Dec 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Welcome to the Completely Not-at-All Accurate WoT Show Meme Recap!
(Warning: Spoilers for Episodes 1-5)
Episode 5, titled “Blood Calls Blood,” begins with a rare look into Aes Sedai and Warder rituals. After the attack from Logain’s army, the Sisters put to rest their fallen and perform funeral rites for the lost. After which, they begin their long journey home.
But Nynaeve and the Aes Sedai aren’t the only ones heading to Tar Valon. Rand and Mat make their way there as well. And along the way we get a nice bit of foreshadowing.
Perrin and Egwene, along with the Tinkers, are headed to the White Tower too. But they have a run-in with the White Cloaks and, unfortunately, Child Valda recognizes them. Mistaking the two for Aes Sedai and Warder, Valda kidnaps them and subjects them to his own special brand of torture.
Back at Tar Valon, Mat gets sicker and we meet a new (old) friend. Plus, Rand continues to look like a certain Jedi.
But when Rand sees a procession on the streets below, Loial is left behind because our hasty humans just have to see the false Dragon paraded through the streets of the white city.
Elswhere in the tower… more Aes Sedai/Warder Rituals.
Later that evening after Liandrin gives Nynaeve some interesting directions, Loial returns to Rand’s hotel and brings Rand the person he’s been looking for. (Or at least the one Loial THINKS Rand’s been looking for.)
Over at the White Cloak camp, Valda tries to get Egwene and Perrin to decide which one of them dies. But they escape both with the help of some wolves, and some well timed channeling from Egwene.
And finally, we return to the White Tower for even more Aes Sedai/Wader rituals.
May Lan meet Stepin once again in Stovokor.
Episode 5 was the best yet. Our characters are moving right along to the end of the season, and each one of them continues to discover new things about themselves. The move from Caemlyn in the books to Tar Valon in the show makes budgetary sense and also gives us an early look into Aes Sedai politics—which will become very important. The additions of the many rituals give us insights that were mostly revealed in internal monologues. We really get to see not only how important the Aes Sedai/Warder bond is, but what effects its sudden loss can cause.
As far as things that were very similar to the books go, Loial was perfect. I’ll admit, when I first saw him my reaction was rough. He’s smaller than he should be, and he doesn’t look even close to how I pictured him. But as soon as Hammed Animashaun opened his mouth, I was sold. The voice, the mannerisms, the personality… I just can’t wait to get more Loial, son of Arent, son of Halan. The next episode can’t get here soon enough!
Now it’s time for your free meme template! This one comes from the current episode, and I think there’s a lot of potential here.
Now let’s see what you’ve got! Until next week, remember: the Wheel memes as the Wheel wills.
