The Light’s Work

Anas and Grace try to get excited for all the recent Sci-fi/Fantasy TV news and discuss the fandom's reaction to the fact that it's all... well, not about The Wheel of Time.

**This episode contains full spoilers for Season 1 of Rings of Power and Wheel of Time Book Spoilers through The Path of Daggers**

Not long before their big move across the country, Anas and Grace follow up with Wheel of Time couple Jessica Sedai and Daniel aka Random Nomen about their relationship (spoiler alert: they leveled up) and why 2024 is "the year of the decade."

**This episode contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time TV series and Mistborn Era 2: The Bands of Mourning**

Anas and Grace share everything from JordanCon 2024, including a 10 minute interview with Wheel of Time fan and actor Guy Roberts, founder of Prague Shakespeare Company and bloody flaming goat-kisser Uno Nomesta on the Wheel of Time on Prime.

**This episode contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time book series and TV series.**

Anas and Grace record live from JordanCon 2024, outside in the courtyard at the same location where #PicnicTableCon took place two years prior. They chat roundtable style with a bunch of great guests, including Wheel of Time Continuity Editor, Maria Simons, and Origins of the Wheel of Time author, Dr. Michael Livingston. One of the biggest topics of discussion was JordanCon Guest of Honor and Wheel of Time cast member, Guy Roberts (Uno), who made quite an impression on Con-goers—but maybe not for the reason you think!

We talked with the great Thom DeSimone of Dragonmount, formerly of JordanCon, about his many years of experience within the Wheel of Time fandom, and what makes JordanCon stand out from other WoT Conventions. Also: Ogier groves, plushies, and weiners!

Grace and Anas take a break from studying the Cosmere to talk about The Wheel of Time fandom.

*Contains spoilers through Book 5 of The Wheel of Time*

Anas and Grace describe and discuss their favorite pieces of Wheel of Time fan art.

**This episode contains full book and TV series spoilers.**

Anas and Grace kick back and have a leisurely game night at The Light's Work—this time with a Season 2 spin. Games included S2 WoT Fandom 20 Questions, the WoT Companion Challenge, and Who Tweeted It? **This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time TV series and (during WoT Companion Challenge only) the full book series.**

Inspired by Grace's outrage after finishing Mistborn Era 1, we discuss what makes a good ending and whether the Wheel of Time fandom would exist if the series did not have a satisfying conclusion.

This episode is all about endings, so major spoilers abound! Please read carefully below before listening (unless you're into being spoiled).

FULL SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time (books and TV series, including S3 speculation), Mistborn Era 1, Oathbringer, A Few Good Men, Oppenheimer, LOST, Lord of the Rings (movies), Smallville, Saw, Fight Club, and Big Fish.

SOFT SPOILERS for The Dark Knight, Dark, Castle Rock, 11.22.63, The Dark Tower, First Law, Game of Thrones, Rings of Power, Twin Peaks, The Great Gatsby (books and movie), Warrior, Contagion, and The Last of Us.

We sat down with everyone's favorite Brown Ajah Detective, Geeky Eri, to get her tips on how to sleuth show info without being creepy. Spoiler alert: know your airport carpet patterns.

**This episode contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time TV Series through the end of Season 2**

**This episode contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time books and TV series**

With some help from other WoT fans, Anas and Grace take a look at moments of The Light's Work within the Wheel of Time book series. Plus, a hefty dose of nerding out over Final Fantasy and (shockingly) the Cosmere.

**This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time books and TV series. Also contains spoilers for The Stormlight Archive, Rings of Power, and Star Wars Episode IV.**

Fighting for the Light is one thing, but which characters in The Wheel of Time TV series are doing The Light's Work in the broader sense of the word? Anas and Grace list their favorite moments of TLW—based on the podcast's definition of it—for each episode from Season 1 and Season 2.

*This episode contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time TV Series.*

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Anas and Grace review their favorite fandom moments of 2023. Is it really a mash-up? Is it actually about the Cosmere? Listen and find out!

*This episode contains full spoilers for The Wheel of Time TV Series*

TLW celebrates the holiday season with Wheel of Time Continuity Editor and Robert Jordan's "right arm," Maria Simons, aka Sulamein Jor Haran of the Brown Ajah. This is one of our favorite conversations to date, spanning everything from Donny Osmond to Lanfear cows. We hope you enjoy this very special holiday episode.

**Contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time TV show and book series (including Origins of the Wheel of Time)**

Anas and Grace sit down with Teri Hatch, aka The Innkeeper's Wife at The Dusty Wheel, to hear about her experience of the fandom over the years, in particular since her home became an Inn four years ago. Along the way, we talk about genres (other than fantasy?), how Cons are like concerts, and why it's the small things that are often the brightest examples of The Light's Work.

**This episode contains full spoilers for Season 2 of The Wheel of Time TV Series**

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Anas and Grace discuss all things spoiler, including how the fandom has approached spoilers over the years, the varying windows of tolerance for spoilers, their own experiences of being spoiled, and the existence of Spoilers that are Not Spoilers, aka Faux Spoilers.

**This episode contains full spoilers for the Wheel of Time TV series through Season 2, including Season 3 speculation, and minor Thom spoilers for Book 4**

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As the fandom embarks upon the long wait between Season Two and Season Three of The Wheel of Time, Anas and Grace discuss the history of "The Longing." What will help us pass the time, and what will lead to unhinged Egwene and/or potato debates?

Anas and Grace celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Episode 1 of The Light's Work with beloved audiobook narrators Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, the voices of The Wheel of Time and The Cosmere.

**This episode contains a mild non-contextual spoiler for Book 6, Lord of Chaos**

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Coming up on the anniversary of the Episode 1 of The Light's Work, Anas and Grace reminisce about their favorite TLW moments from the past year. Plus: video games, Season Two character battles, and a surprise from Grace.

**This episode contains full spoilers for Season 2 of The Wheel of Time TV series, spoilers for the book series through Book 2 , non-contextual spoilers for the character Masema through Book 12, and spoilers for the Nakomi entry of Origins of the Wheel of Time.**

Anas and Grace wrap up Season 2 of The Wheel of Time by combing through the fandom's favorite memes and underrated scenes. They also share a few of their own favorite moments, ponder whether having "shit hair" helped Rand defeat Ishamael, and get sentimental about fandom friends watching the Season together.

**This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for the Wheel of Time book series and TV show**

The Light's Work had a lot to talk about regarding the Season 2 finale of The Wheel of Time. While critically acclaimed and highly rated online, Episode 8 left the fandom with a wide range of Opinions. Still, despite the disagreement (including their own), Anas and Grace find joy and refuge within the fandom's reliable array of clever memes and in-depth analysis.

**This episode contains full spoilers for The Wheel of Time TV series and book series spoilers through Book Four**

Who is Flanfear and why is Grace mad about it? Find out as we discuss the flandom's reactions to Season 2 Episode 7 of The Wheel of Time. (We're not sorry for the bad puns but we do apologize for Anas's audio on this one.)

**This episode contains full book series spoilers.**

We're back with another breakdown of the fandom's reaction to The Wheel of Time Season 2 Episodes 4-6, including our appreciation for comments, tweets, and memes from over 20 different fans about the episodes that are widely considered to be the best in the series thus far.

**This episode contains full book series spoilers.**

Anas and Grace discuss their experience visiting The Dusty Wheel Inn for The Wheel of Time Season 2 Premiere (Episodes 1-3) and which of their predictions about fandom reactions came true. **This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time TV Series Season 2 Episodes 1-3 and Book Series through Book 2, The Great Hunt**

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We've heard so many plot predictions and theories for the Wheel of Time Season 2, but what about fandom predictions? Anas and Grace break down what they think WoT fans will be most excited about after watching Episodes 1-3, what will be most meme-able, and more. **This episode contains book series spoilers through The Dragon Reborn and a minor, non-contextual spoiler for the TV series Andor.**

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The Final Count-Tom. The ReTom of the King. Tarmon Gai'Tom. Our 3-part series on Talk'aran'rhiod comes to a thrilling end as we interview the charismatic and sometimes blood-boiling Tom Cocozza about his other project, Audio Dungeon, how podcasting is like pro-wrestling, and why doing Talk'aran'rhiod was the best decision of his life.

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Part II of a 3-part series featuring each of the hosts behind one of Wheel of Time fandom's first and most beloved podcasts, Talk'aran'rhiod. In this episode, we interview TAR founder and official fandom horn-sounder Joe Perry about the origins of the "showcast" and why he picked Tom and Jen as cohosts. Along the way, we talk all things fandom, including WoTCon, Where's WoT Origins, Hot Mikes, Steve, and more.

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Part I of a 3-part series featuring each of the hosts behind one of Wheel of Time fandom's first and most beloved podcasts, Talk'aran'rhiod. In this episode, we interview Jen Isgro about her fandom origin story, #HenNews, and why singing with the fandom is The Light's Work.

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Anas and Grace discuss the Wheel of Time Season 2 Trailer, the 12-hour Trailer Gai'don Livestream, and how the fandom reacted through chat, tweets, memes, and more.

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We had the pleasure of hosting our first live podcast at WoTCon 2023 on Sunday morning, surrounded by The Light's Fandom eating breakfast—and, of course, there was a surprise!

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With WoTCon 2023 only days away, Anas and Grace interview Guest of Honor, Dr. Michael Livingston, author of Origins of the Wheel of Time, about his experience of WoT fandom, from his early days sharing the series with a friend, to his introduction to Team Jordan, to his current status as a Wheel of Time scholar. Will his academic opinion finally solve the mystery of why WoT fandom is so special?

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As hype for WotCon builds, Anas and Grace have a lovely chat with the Programming Director at WotCon, Rebecca from Reading the Pattern! Listen to find out how her journey started in the fandom, what she is most looking forward to at WotCon this year, and what inspired her new WoT tattoo design!

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After 3 weeks of being tired, sick, and busy, Anas and Grace kick back and have a leisurely game night at The Light's Work—something a little different and yet, still very on brand. Games included WoT Fandom 20 Questions, WoT Companion Challenge, and Very Good Friends Read Tweets Meanly.

After months of sending text message updates about his progress, Grace's brother-in-law, Nick, finally finished reading the Wheel of Time. A self-described "smart jock," Nick visits The Light's Work and talks about the experience of reading Grace's favorite fantasy series, how it measures up to his own favorite series (The Dark Tower by Stephen King), and whether he would ever take on his sister-in-law's level of WoT fandom. **This episode contains FULL BOOK SPOILERS for the Wheel of Time.**

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As hype for Season 2 builds, Anas and Grace recall the most hype-filled moments leading up to Season 1 of the Wheel of Time and anticipate what new fans might have in store from now until September 1. Spoiler alert: talking about hype hypes hype. HYPE!

(CW: brief discussion of COVID, bodily fluids, and medical intervention)

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When he's not busy sleuthing on search engines for WoT Series, our very good friend Omar makes memes, role-plays as Mat Cauthon on Twitter, and shares his love of food with the Wheel of Time fandom—most infamously in the form of late night snacks that magically appear at WoT conventions. Discussing everything from the Wot Series code of ethics to how much mint should go into a salad, Omar shares his insights and reveals just how much he has in common with our favorite reluctant hero.

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Fantasy Fiction Author Jason Denzel is the founder of Dragonmount and has been a Wheel of Time fan for over 30 years. We sat down with him to talk about his memories of the fandom, including the surreal experience of attending Robert Jordan's funeral, and how the fandom—and his own involvement in it—has transformed over the years.

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After getting 61 replies from fans about their experience rereading The Wheel of Time, Anas and Grace discuss why exactly so many people choose to reread 14 giant books over and over again (and why some don't). Contains spoilers for the movie The Prestige (7:03-7:38)

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Grace and Anas discuss how the fandom has been reacting to the recent casting news of Dain Bornhald and Bain & Chiad, including what it was like to hear the news in a large group of fans at JordanCon, and how character role-play accounts react to seeing "themselves" cast. **This episode contains minor book spoilers for Elayne's story arc**

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A group of twelve WoT fans and one special guest get together to discuss Grace's secret plans to lay the bridal wreath at JordanCon 2023. Despite Grace's assumption that the episode would be all about the surprise itself, the conversation became a beautiful expression of love and appreciation among dear friends.

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Before Anas and Grace flew out to meet all the wonderful fans who are converging in Atlanta for JordanCon, they had a lovely discussion with Ebony, who is not only a truly wonderful and kind person but also New Member Services Director at JordanCon. She shared her origin story of finding the books, finding fans on Facebook, and finding this wonderful community that she loves taking care of at JordanCon. Enjoy!

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Anas and Grace show their appreciation for the shared language of the Wheel of Time fandom and how it has evolved over time. Lots of laughter ensues as they discuss the etymology of some of their favorite inside jokes, portmanteaus, and colloquialisms (if Anas can pronounce it).

**This episodes contains FULL BOOK SERIES SPOILERS**

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SPOILER WARNING: Book spoilers through The Fires of Heaven (Book 5). Long before Twitter of Time and The Dusty Wheel, there was the WoT MUD (Multi-User Dungeon), a text-based online role playing game. Anas and Grace interview WoT couple Melindhra and Doyn (aka Real Life Mat Cauthon) about their experiences on the MUD, including their epic enemies-to-lovers love story.

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