Character that changed most in your eyes...

[Gathering Storman Norman]

I voted for Rand because he is literally a different person now. When he started out he was just Rand, now he is some LTT/Rand hybrid and oh by the way the DR!

 

But I thought long and hard for voting for Egween. She started out as a somewhat snobby, adventure seeking, annoying teenage girl. Now she is the youngest ever AS. An extremely confident and effective ruler of one of the most powerful organizations in the WOT world. She went from my least favorite character to kick butt, grab you by the throat type leader that is "male rooster" sure of herself and she is exactly what the WT needs right now.

 

And I'm flabbergasted that so many people have issues with her. I understand there are many people that have issues with strong women characters and others that have no ideas what it is like to lead a group of people that are just looking for any sign of weakness so they can rip you to shreds! When you are in one of those situations you can't flinch, you can't have any self doubt, and you have to make quick decisions and absolutely believe what you are doing if right!

 

I did 22 years in the USN and I can tell you the type of leadership Egween uses is exactly what she needs to. She is exactly the type of leader that does well in war time situations or in situations were people are just waiting for you to show any doubt; like leading a bunch of Sailors!

 

She just could top the fact Rand is literally a different person.

[Hopefire]

 

And I'm flabbergasted that so many people have issues with her. I understand there are many people that have issues with strong women characters and others that have no ideas what it is like to lead a group of people that are just looking for any sign of weakness so they can rip you to shreds! When you are in one of those situations you can't flinch, you can't have any self doubt, and you have to make quick decisions and absolutely believe what you are doing if right!

 

I did 22 years in the USN and I can tell you the type of leadership Egween uses is exactly what she needs to. She is exactly the type of leader that does well in war time situations or in situations were people are just waiting for you to show any doubt; like leading a bunch of Sailors!

 

Not to rehash the Egwene debates, but I think that Egwene would make an excellent colonel or major (or, since you're navy, a great commander or captain). I think that Egwene would make for a poor admiral or general. I think that higher command requires more introspection than Egwene shows; she'd be more likely to be a MacArthur than an Eisenhower.

 

 

 

Moving on: I voted for Nynaeve. Obviously, Rand's personality obviously changed a great deal over the course of the series, but his core motive (his enormous sense of responsibility) did not. Virtually every decision Rand makes in the series is based on doing what he feels is the responsible thing, even when he appears reckless. He breaks at the end of The Gathering Storm when his sense of responsibility (prevent the Seanchan from being a threat) conflicts too much with what's left of his moral code. Since I see the core of Rand as essentially unchanged over the course of the series, I didn't vote for him.

 

Nynaeve, on the other, has seen some core personality changes. Nynaeve was my least favorite of the EF Five at the start of the series, by quite some margin; that's changed dramatically. Her positive qualities have strengthened, her negative qualities have been transmuted into positive qualities. In my opinion, no one other than Rand has done more to help the good guys side so far, and she's gotten far less in-universe credit than most of the other major characters.

[Erunion]

Nynaeve started out being someone I found really, really annoying.

Now she is my absolute favourite female character, and possibly my third favorite character overall (subject to change!).

I had a love-hate feeling about Mat until tDR (love, because I understood him pretty well and wanted to like him, hate because he just complained so much!). After tDR I really liked him. Sometime during tSR he became my favourite character, and has stayed that way ever since.

 

EDIT: On Egwene, I absolutely agree with Hopefire. Her current attitude is a product of her extreme circumstances, and her attitude is her massively compensating for her own inexperience. This is the only way that she knows that will work to lead the current batch of Aes Sedai. Unfortunately, she is being overwhelmed by her position and her own continued attitude and is starting to make mistakes. What she needs to do is expand her own knowledge of effective leadership styles, and over the next little while as she is cemented in the minds of Aes Sedai as the Amyrlin, she can incorporate a better, more introspective style of leadership. She should have done so from the beginning, but she's a 20 year old girl who grew up on a farm, leading a bunch of women aged 30-300. Under the circumstances, she has done surprisingly well. Yes, she has a huge amount of room for improvement and needs to stop trying to be the 'perfect Aes Sedai' ala the White Tower definition of Aes Sedai, and needs to start being a great Aes Sedai ala the AOL definition of Aes Sedai.

[Gathering Storman Norman]

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Nynaeve started out being someone I found really, really annoying.

Now she is my absolute favourite female character, and possibly my third favorite character overall (subject to change!).

I had a love-hate feeling about Mat until tDR (love, because I understood him pretty well and wanted to like him, hate because he just complained so much!). After tDR I really liked him. Sometime during tSR he became my favourite character, and has stayed that way ever since.

 

EDIT: On Egwene, I absolutely agree with Hopefire. Her current attitude is a product of her extreme circumstances, and her attitude is her massively compensating for her own inexperience. This is the only way that she knows that will work to lead the current batch of Aes Sedai. Unfortunately, she is being overwhelmed by her position and her own continued attitude and is starting to make mistakes. What she needs to do is expand her own knowledge of effective leadership styles, and over the next little while as she is cemented in the minds of Aes Sedai as the Amyrlin, she can incorporate a better, more introspective style of leadership. She should have done so from the beginning, but she's a 20 year old girl who grew up on a farm, leading a bunch of women aged 30-300. Under the circumstances, she has done surprisingly well. Yes, she has a huge amount of room for improvement and needs to stop trying to be the 'perfect Aes Sedai' ala the White Tower definition of Aes Sedai, and needs to start being a great Aes Sedai ala the AOL definition of Aes Sedai.

 

I really don't think Nyneave has changed that much. Other than accepting that she is now an AS instead of a Wisdom, she has just found a little maturity and anger management skills.

 

Egween has transformed from annoying spoiled brat, to a prefect leader. She is so good in her role as Amirlyn that her role borders on unrealistic.

 

That introspective leadership stuff is for those who have been doing their job for a long time and or for peace time. Believe me of she was introspective she get eaten alive by those who have been AS for 30-300 years. She is what,19. She doesn't have the time, or enough AS street cred to be introspective. She must be the Alpha "male". She needs to rule those conniving, arrogant, old biddies with supreme confidence.

 

People that don't get that have never had to be that type of a leader! She needs to be a Patton, a Macarthur, a Nimitz, or a Halsey.

[Erunion]

I wouldn't call her the 'perfect' leader, as she still makes mistakes and she could be doing a better job, but what she is doing is what she has to do, and what she knows to do.

[fantasyfan93]

I'd probably say Rand. I've only read EOTW and TGH, and currently in the beginning of TDR but already his character is becoming more mature. He's stopped running from what he really is and just accepts the fact that he's the Dragon Reborn, which I found was a major uplifting in his character.

[Gathering Storman Norman]

I wouldn't call her the 'perfect' leader, as she still makes mistakes and she could be doing a better job, but what she is doing is what she has to do, and what she knows to do.

I agree. I ment to add almost. But for a 19 year old she is doing insanely well.

 

Maybe it is just me but I've always admired those types of people. My natural leadership skills are more on the join to Perrin's. I never really wanted to be a leader, but always did what needed to be done. Also, I hated writing for poor leaders and always tried to find a way to minimize their impact on me.

 

Egween is just the type I liked working for. I just never had any quite as good. Close, but not quite.