rand; the one armed bandit :P

[Quince26]

i dunno whether this has been discussed here, but it's my first thread so i thought i'd start with the obvious.

 

in KoD, when Rand met Semirhage, she tossed a fire ball his way. and all he did was raise his Dragon Scepter at it. real smart move, idiot! i can imagine his train of thought at the moment:-

 

'Oh Noes!!11 There's a freaking FIREBALL comming right at me!... Oh I know! I'll raise my Dragon-patterned-popsicle-stick. The Fireball will see that I'm the Lord Dragon Reborn and will stop dead in it's tracks and bow down to me before reversing direction and flying back at Semirhage. Yess... It's a good plan... MWAHAHAHAHA..!!!'

 

i mean, COME ON! he's one of the most powerful male channelers in the WORLD! he created rolling gateways of DEATH, for crying out loud. there could've been a number of things he could've done. for example, he could've balefired the thing in mid-air. or he could've tossed an evern more powerful / larger fireball at it. or he could've just... hmm... i dunno... DODGED! i mean, he could've leapt off the flaming horse, leaving it to roast. who cares abt a horse anyway?

 

so was Rand's stupidity caused entirely by his craziness or was it the 'woolhead' thing?

[Luckers]

He and LTT both reached for the source at the same time, stopping either from getting it, and Min was standing right behind him so he couldn't jump out of the way. He did the only thing he could.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Yeah .... have you ever played dodge ball? Did you ever get hit? Sometimes things happen ... I don't know ... quickly? Luckers nailed it, of course, he did try to grab the Source (both of him) and he wouldn't move because Min was behind him. With a minute or so to plan, could he have gotten out of it? Probably. But he had, I'm guessing, about half a second.

[Kadere]

Plus I think him losing his hand is probably the coolest thing that's happened in these books where main characters go through constant psychological trama, yet are never (until now) physcially maimed.

[Jorik Alarin]

yet are never (until now) physcially maimed.

 

Are we reading the same books? Or do you not consider that wound that is constantly breaking open in Rands side, and almost killing him every time not "physically maimed"? Or how about the scar around Mats neck that is so hideous he wears a scarf to hide it from view? I really dont care that RJ decided to take Rands hand, it fits in with the whole Norse Mytho. But RJ has certainly maimed characters physically previously.

[Guest cwestervelt]

Rand didn't create Blossoms of Fire and the Deathgates. He had nothing to do with them as LTT was in absolute control of Saidin at the time. Rand wasn't much more than an observer.

[Quince26]

sorry for the rant that began this thread. i wasn't all that serious. i was just expressing my frustrations over cleverly made plot devices. :P

 

ok, in all seriousness, i came across something quite interesting while i was re-reading the Shadow Rising. in the chapter called 'Questioners', Nynaeve and Egwene are giving Aviendha a tutorial about stilling. and that's when this quote comes up:-

 

"Stilling is not a thing anyone would choose to study, you understand," Nynaeve continued. "It is generally accepted to be irreversible. What makes a woman able to channel cannot be replaced once it is removed, anymore than a hand that has been cut off can be Healed back into existance."

 

what do u think? foreshadow? i mean, Nynaeve already did the impossible by Healing Logain, Siuan and Leane. so do u think her next step in becoming a legendary Healer (which i think will happen :P) is to Heal severed limbs back into existance? Bring back that which is not there?

[rochaid]

it seems far fetched to me,remember that with the stilling she bridged a gap that was made during the stilling,she replaced the lost....path.she didn't just give them the ability from nothing.if a limb was healed back into existence (which i don't think will happen), it is my belief that it would not be like the rest of the body,but artificial.

[Guest cwestervelt]

An artificial hand fits with the mythological basis used for Rand. The Fisher King and the Norse god Tyr are among the most common that people connect him with, but he also draws from the Irish/Welsh hero Nuada/Lludd who loses his hand. It is later restored with one of silver.

[KellySedai]

I don't know because there are references that healers in the AoL could do miraculous healing like putting back what was lost. It may not be so far-fetched to think that Nyn could put back his hand. Especially with Semi to teach her. Semi is supposed to be one of the greatest healers of the AoL after all.

[Guest Majsju]

I don't know because there are references that healers in the AoL could do miraculous healing like putting back what was lost. It may not be so far-fetched to think that Nyn could put back his hand. Especially with Semi to teach her. Semi is supposed to be one of the greatest healers of the AoL after all.

 

Maybe if the hand had been chopped off the old fashioned way, and they still had the hand. But the hand is gone. It would not be a matter of putting something back, it would be a matter of creating a hand out of nothing.

 

It will not happen. I don't think RJ would give Rand his hand back just to be nice to him, and there is no reason within the story to get the hand back.

 

It's not like Rand is going to fight the DO with a sword...

[n00l3y]

Besides, pity should not get in the way of the plot. No matter how sad Rand may be without a hand, he accepts it, lives with it, moves on. Him losing a hand may be consequential or just simply a side-theme on suffering or how Rand ignores pain. Whatever it is, I do not think Rand would end up with 2 hands, neither healed nor artificial.

 

As for the remark Nynaeve made, I think it's probably just one of her simile things. Don't think it was a foreshadow of any sort.

[Luckers]

Mmm. Yeah i agree. Rand getting hurt is a developmental thing RJ has been working on for some time now. Personally i think it will serve a purpose when Moridin is forced into Rand's body, but it works just as well as both a literary device proving he will hurt hid heroes, and as an emotional piece for Rand to deal with.

[liatildina]

Okay, probably just a silly question but can you weave and throw the source as well with one hand as with two? Seems when Lewis/Rand were making those death gates they were using both hands. I know it's just an illusion they are actually using their hands, but there are those references to when they are channeling in a battle that they seem to be throwing the source with their hands.

 

Never count Nynaeve out, if the woman starts thinking she may be able to weave the boy a new hand she'll bloody well try.

[Luckers]

Hand gestures are not required unless they are taught when you learn the weave in the first place. Its part of the reason the Wise Ones look down on Aes Sedai... all that pointless hand waving.

 

Rand learnt from LTT and Asmodean, neither of which would have taught hand-waving. He did not use his hands in making Deathgates, indeed, LTT was annoyed because Rand wouldn't raise his hands. It was in Arrows of Fire that his hands were used, and my guess is they arn't nessasary, but meh... Rand learnt it that way. Likely this means he can only create arrows of fire with one hand now.

[Taishar Manetheren]

I tought it would be nice if he got a cuandlier hand and next time someone throws a fireball on him he will raise his hand and it will only make it stronger...

 

just an idea.

[Jellybelly]

As I see it, a cuendillar hand as anything other than a prosthetic would be quite pointless. What is he going to use an ultra-strong cuendillar hand for? Knock Moridin in the head with it? It would only ensure that he would never have to get a new one, that is all.

 

On this topic I will go so far as to say that it is not impossible that Rand will acquire some sort of prosthetic device for the same reasons everyone who loses a limb gets one. He will not retain the functions of the destroyed hand, though. I am willing to bet a lot on that.

 

Finally, if Rand really had balefired Semirhage to get his hand back, that would really have proved that he was insane beyond redemption. Who would do that? A psychopath, that's who!

[OzzieAlThor]

Maybe we should call him "The Stumpy Reborn" now. :lol:

 

Meh, it's only a hand. it would suck obviously to have it happen, but I agree with Rand (although min was the one who said it) "It's gone and we have to move on with what we have".

 

Rand gets a big thumbsup in my book for not worrying about it either way.

 

Besides, Aviendha will be on him like crazy now. You know those Aiel ladies love their battle scared men. I think a charred off hand would more then qualify as such. You'll have to pry her off Rand with a crowbar.

 

All in all, it could be worse for him.

[Taishar Manetheren]

Eh... My cuandlier hand was just a joke.

 

If he really needs a hand that will move maybe his schools can help him there.

[Jarred Darque]

you know why all the hand waving when making weaves?

 

entertainment.

 

Do you realize how boring a channeling battle would be if people didnt use their hands? It would look like a bunch of people standing around having tea in the middle of a firestorm or something. At least with the hand waving, they look like they are doing something.

[Dark Justice]

you know why all the hand waving when making weaves?

 

entertainment.

 

Do you realize how boring a channeling battle would be if people didnt use their hands? It would look like a bunch of people standing around having tea in the middle of a firestorm or something. At least with the hand waving' date=' they look like they are doing something.[/quote']

 

Hhehe :D

 

Good point..