Rand should not be a master swordsman in season 2

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

26 minutes ago, Scarloc99 said:

The

Spoiler

swap of Ishy to Moridin is a key moment in the books, and the reveal it is Ishy is held off, therefore you can easily introduce a new character as nae Blis and have little nods that this is the same bad guy as the first 2 seasons. I don't think an audience that has been invested for 5 seasons (moridin probably would come in season 5) will be confused. it is very different to a simple change of face, Moridin is a new character in the books he behaves in a very different way. Also the soul swap is key if they stick to the end of the books and go for the happy ending BS gave us.

  But we will need to WAFO to see which route they take for this. 

Actually thinking about it,

Spoiler

Halima is a much more difficult character not to recast...though I guess we have not seen so much as Balthamel yet.

So definitely WAFO. Will be interesting. 

29 minutes ago, DaddyFinn said:

I don't recall Mat and Perrin ever using it in any scenario which is wild given their skill in combat

Yeah, for Mat, it would make sense being trained by the best quarter staff wielder in the Two Rivers, who has been a close friend of Tam. Perrin is more of an inner rage fueled character,

Spoiler

though how he swaps from an axe that seems to be a hand-and-a-half if my impression is right, to a heavier hammer and dagger combo, against the walking death that are the Aiel, is just plot-armour. There is no justification of this given in the books but his determination and off-the-scale strength, which seem pretty limp reasoning for prowess in combat.

Against other troops perhaps it would fly, but the Aiel are meant to be nearly superhuman. Power creep, what can you do,  huh?

Edited September 20, 2023 by HeavyHalfMoonBlade
Dagnammit, really must pay attention to whether I am posting in the book section or show section. My apologies!

[mogi68]

Lan taught all of the boys the Oneness in TEOTW. Not sure about Mat, but Perrin later says he couldn't do it

 

Quote

His hands opened and closed uncertainly on the thick haft. It was a weapon, but neither his hidden practice behind the forge nor Lan's teachings had really prepared him to use it as one. Even the battle before Shadar Logoth was too vague in his mind to give him any confidence. He could never quite manage that void that Rand and the Warder talked about, either.

 

[Mirefox]

10 minutes ago, mogi68 said:

Lan taught all of the boys the Oneness in TEOTW. Not sure about Mat, but Perrin later says he couldn't do it

 

 

Which makes sense because with Perrin it is less about concentration and skill and more about berserkering.

[Mirefox]

5 hours ago, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

Absolutely, Tam taught him it for archery, Lan brings it up for weapon use in general, iirc, to all the EF boys.

 

But he did need it to channel, as it is part of the process of seizing the source. However, the fact that he had already mastered the Oneness means that we did not have to watch him fumble about again and again like some Novice with her exercises, but could leap straight into him not being able to control it.

I also like the progression and it lent itself a tiny bit to any believability that Rand could beat Turak.  It's been a while since I've read the scene, but doesn't Rand kind of fumble his way through the fight at first while Turak toys with him but then Rand gathers himself and focuses using the flame and void?  It had been mentioned at leas a hundred times in the book up to that point, included while Rand was dueling with Lan, so it gave the reader a little sense of, "ok, now he's getting serious."

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

2 minutes ago, Mirefox said:

I also like the progression ...

Yes, at first due to fear of Saidin he is refusing the void,

Spoiler

so in part his swordfighting is part of his acceptance that he cannot avoid the void, and therefore he probably is not going to avoid Saidin either, but he has to for er, Egwene, the Horn, the dagger, whatever was actually going on then, so all part of the "Duty heavier than a mountain..." line where what he wants, does not matter as long as he tries to fulfil his duty to his friends. 

 

[Cipher]

16 hours ago, Mirefox said:

He did.  I’m simply saying that even though he used it as a way to focus to embrace the source, he was using it as a way to focus long before being able to channel.  It was a mental exercise that lent itself to channeling but wasn’t required for him to channel nor was it used solely for channeling.

I guess your are arguing against something I never said.   What I first said here holds true from what I remember.

[Mirefox]

59 minutes ago, Cipher said:

I guess your are arguing against something I never said.   What I first said here holds true from what I remember.

Sorry about the confusion, then.  I think we’re all on the same page.