First Time Reading the First Book

[A2597]

I've been enjoying it as satirical commentary since chapter 2...LOL

 

If that's not the intent, then oh well. It's still entertaining.

[AvroChris]

A question to ask yourself:

 

Why did Egwene, who has shown no reluctance at all to put herself forward, and who as we now know has the ability to do magic, act the way she did in this chapter?

 

If you think it is because she has internalized the gender-biased norm, or some such, read the chapter again. Seriously. Stop searching for either gender bias or your next joke, and actually try carefully reading the chapter and seeing if you can determine what is going on.

 

You're missing most of the story, you really are. Or, you aren't, but you're choosing to pretend you are for reasons of either gender politics or comedy.

 

I'm really starting to feel bad for you, both because you are missing out on a great story, and because of what your writing reveals of your outlook. If you really think that gentle needling about battam roosters should be seen as a prelude to gang-rape...that's just sad. Isn't it possible that a person, of either gender, who was allowing themself to be consistently pushed around by another, might be teased about that fact? Without it being a prelude to rape?

 

I think you take Sunny's opinions and writing style in that blog way too seriously

 

Yeah, I'm starting to think that Sunny's writing a parody, here. The only other explanation is a really pretty stunning lack of reading comprehension. So I'll try to enjoy the blog postings with that in mind.

 

Not so much a parody as a satire, but aye.

I'd also like to point out that Sunny has written these blogs far in advance of posting, so unless she fancies going back to re-write them all when she's already halfway through the Great Hunt, the blogs will contain only her isolated thoughts on what's been going on without the influence of any of your arguments re sexism, which might be why you're not seeing much by way of responses to the arguments you're making!

Elyas is meant to be a bit creepy and intimidating when we meet him, remember?

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

that's what i meant when i said it reminded me of gullivers travels.

[Always Sunny]

I think I understand the story pretty well. A kid from the middle of nowhere is thrust into an adventure when it turns out that he is somehow important to the Devil's work on earth. So religious/political organization, itself rife with internal schisms, takes it upon themselves to guide the naive kid in a way they think is best for the world. So the boy, along with best friends and a colorful band of lovable misfits, set out to do what is right. They do this not because they want to be because they have to. They gain understanding about their foe and extraordinary abilities needed to overcome impossible challenges. Along the way they do heroic things, they experience joy and sadness, the learn things about themselves that they never knew.

 

That, I think, is the story I'm reading. Or am I missing something more profound?

 

I've just heard that story before, you know? Maybe not set in medieval fantasy but the story's out there. It's Star Wars, too. It's the Matrix. It's even a bit of Gilgamesh, too. It doesn't surprise me that it's in this book. I see it as well as anyone. But am I to take it at face value? Am I to just gobble it up whole without thinking about what it means? Should I just go with the flow, here?

 

Keep in mind that I'm asking this on a forum at a website devoted to these books. I can't be the only person to have thought these things and wanted to discuss them. Is my curiosity about gender in this book any different than the countless topics on prophecy I see in other parts of the forum?

 

I'm also not too sensitive able gender. I mean, not in the sense that my whole day will be ruined by just thinking about it. It just bugs me that gender stereotypes go unchallenged, you know? I mean, think about this: in the Wheel World men and women are more or less equal with women having slightly more power. So why are most (not all) of the stories I've seen so far about Men's Stuff? Artur Hawkwing and Manetherin's king and the Great Hunt and the Trolloc Wars and so on. This isn't the real world, remember, where men controlled most things. This is a fantasy world. So why aren't there more stories of women doing Women's Things? Where are the great weavers or Wisdoms or midwives and their stories?

 

Sure, you could argue that midwifery isn't as exciting as swordfighting. But why, then, are all the exciting things automatically associated with men? I propose that a society that values women as much (or more than) men would also value women's jobs as much as men's jobs. The humble farmer that defeated a great warrior story should be just as famous as the humble herbalist who outsmarted the mighty alchemist story.

 

Ha, and again: just my opinion. No need to make too big a deal of it. Think of it as a Cracked.com article with an eye out for classism, sexism, and war mongering. It isn't meant to be some sort of critique or critical essay. It's a list of my thoughts on the book with a few jokes thrown in here and there.

 

You abhore violence, rather like the Tinkers (I know youve read that far) and while that is not a bad quality in a person, indeed it is very admirable, like the Tinkers, in the world of the Wheel, peace gets you dead or nowhere

 

This, I think, is important to understanding my point of view. I agree with you up to a point. That point being the very last word in that quote. In the real world and in the world of the Wheel, in the end you end up dead. "You might be a king or a little street sweeper but sooner or later you dance with the Reaper." All that's left behind is how others remember you (and if you're lucky, an old corpse). I don't want to be remembered as a killer, a fighter, a bringer of death. I look down upon those who are killers, who do fight, who bring death.

 

Being peaceful, one will end up dead. Being the greatest warrior of all time? You'll still end up dead. But going nowhere? Where do you want to go? Do you want to go on to glory? To have your named cheered by half the world and cursed by the other? Or would you rather live a simple life and be happy, bring joy to those around you, improve the world a little bit by doing your part, and die knowing that you didn't bring about more suffering than was absolutely necessary? I try (and fail, of course) going for the second one all the time.

 

So, Barid Bel Medar, in the Wheel of Time peace will bring death, no doubt. And it might lead nowhere. But is nowhere really such a bad place? I'm sure I'll find out before the series is over.

 

To everyone else: thanks for reading! Love it or hate it all you want. It makes me happy knowing I'm not shouting out into that great void, you know?

[randsc]

I know the plot isn't original. I've argued that myself, to a less than receptive audience here. It's a seven samuri story, an ugly duckling story, a hero quest. It's all been done before.

 

That doesn't mean that you aren't missing key details. Like, lots and lots and lots of them. And you're missing them, it seems to me, because you can't get past your own biases.

 

Unless this is a parody (or satire, if you prefer) of clueless feminism. In which case, you actually did too good a job, or are just too subtle for me, because I have been taking the gender-related criticisms seriously.

 

As for your objections to violence: It is clear from the prologue that the entire planet faces an existential threat. Not just the planet, but all of the universe, including even time itself. Wanting to be remembered as a peaceful sort really is pretty damn silly, in that context. There won't be anyone to remember, unless people fight.

[mpk22]

I understand Sunny's positions, and while I don't necessarily agree with them (and leaving it at that), I think a problem is that all of us are infinitely more familiar with the story and characters than they are. I've been reading this series for 20 years, and can't even count how many times I've read certain of the books. And there is a concerted effort going on not to spoil the story. If you are halfway done TGH, you're still only a fraction of the way through the series. I'd be interested to see if you feel there are no strong women characters after you read the next few books. I think it's fair to say that a lot of the "there are no strong women" criticism will fade. This isn't Tolkein. At all. You may love them, or hate them (God knows I hate some of them), but weak? No. It's even possible that you may come to like some of these characters you are bashing, as their knowledge, situations and motivations just may change. And the reverse is also true. So I encourage reading with an open mind and giving some of the characters a break. And Robert Jordan doesn't seem to put anything in these stories without a reason. It's just that the payoff for some of those things is a really long way in. I know I still catch things on a re-read and say "oohhhh. That's what he was talking about." It's one of the things that makes the series an incredible story. Just my 2 cents.

[Always Sunny]

If you are halfway done TGH, you're still only a fraction of the way through the series. I'd be interested to see if you feel there are no strong women characters after you read the next few books. I think it's fair to say that a lot of the "there are no strong women" criticism will fade. This isn't Tolkein. At all.

 

Thanks for the comment, mpk22. I have never read Tolkein but I have seen the Lord of the Ring movies. I can only assume that they are pretty similar in plot. And now that I think about it, The Eye of the World is a lot like the Lord of the Rings movie. But that is neither here nor there. I mean, I like the Law & Order TV show even though I know how each and every episode is going to play out. It doesn't matter if you know how something ends. What matters is getting there.

 

But I'm going to have to bring up that I never said there are no strong women in the story. Moiraine is strong. Look at her! She's got fireballs and earthquakes at her fingertips. Nynaeve is strong, too. She may not have magic (not yet, anyway) but she's got spunk. She's got that moxie, no? Egwene is... well, she's petulant, really. But she's still an interesting character since she's moving on her own steam. It isn't that there are no strong women. It's that non-protagonist women seem to have less power, over all, than the men. They seem to be in stereotypically female positions. That's all.

 

And I'm looking forward to changing my opinions on these characters, too. People are really in love with them here so I feel out of place knocking them. Believe it or not, I've started looking for little things that make me want to love them just as often as I look for the little things to make me hate them.

[mpk22]

Understood. Just keep in mind, as others have pointed out, that the first book was really written with a lot of the fantasy norms in place. To attract new readers? Not sure. But things become much more developed, very intricate and detailed very quickly. And a lot of those norms established in the first books aren't necessarily there later on. Or the story is so complex that you really can't focus on them cause you're just trying to figure out who is doing what to whom when and where and why. Any series that has a fan site that has a searchable index of 1800+ names will do that to you.

[randsc]

I understand Sunny's positions, and while I don't necessarily agree with them (and leaving it at that), I think a problem is that all of us are infinitely more familiar with the story and characters than they are. I've been reading this series for 20 years, and can't even count how many times I've read certain of the books. And there is a concerted effort going on not to spoil the story. If you are halfway done TGH, you're still only a fraction of the way through the series. I'd be interested to see if you feel there are no strong women characters after you read the next few books. I think it's fair to say that a lot of the "there are no strong women" criticism will fade. This isn't Tolkein. At all. You may love them, or hate them (God knows I hate some of them), but weak? No. It's even possible that you may come to like some of these characters you are bashing, as their knowledge, situations and motivations just may change. And the reverse is also true. So I encourage reading with an open mind and giving some of the characters a break. And Robert Jordan doesn't seem to put anything in these stories without a reason. It's just that the payoff for some of those things is a really long way in. I know I still catch things on a re-read and say "oohhhh. That's what he was talking about." It's one of the things that makes the series an incredible story. Just my 2 cents.

 

This is the hard part, not being too spoilerish.

 

Sunny's readings of some characters, and of the overall gender dynamics, are absurd to those who have read all of the books. Convincing Sunny to read with an open mind without revealing spoilers is hard. That's why I have focussed so much on pointing out the evidence in the first book that counters the gender-bias crticisms. Of course there are things we could reveal that would demonstrate immediately and overwhelmingly just how absurd those criticisms are, but revealing those things would spoil the experience for Sunny.

 

 

If Sunny makes it to the end of book six (or even book three, really) still claiming that the world of the WoT is displays sexism against women, then Sunny isn't a feminist at all, but rather a female chauvinist.

[Erunion]

Still really enjoying your posts Sunny!

A lot of people in the series say things about old-blood singing and the importance of bloodlines, but that's just what they believe. This is a world with reincarnation and soul's being reborn - That's a lot more important than who your great-great-great-great-grandaddy was, even if the people in the culture don't know it.

 

I get what you're saying about the gender-biased stories. This is not a utopia, or a perfectly balanced world. However, this is a world where females have, historically, more power than they do in our world. And this is reflected somewhat in storytelling, too! Look for mentions of "Mara and the Three Foolish Kings" or other stories like that (they'll come, just you wait!). While they are less common than stories about men, this is merely because men (even in this world) are more likely to go and do the stupid stuff that gets them in stories, or dead. Usually dead, sometimes both. Yes, the main characters have some gender-bias, especially Mat, Rand and Perrin with their "Oh noes! Womenz iz fragilez!". The funny thing? As the story goes on, Jordan shows you more and more just how silly this trait is. It get's them in loads of trouble, and causes a lot of problems. Sure, it may be "noble" and what-not, and I know that I personally have a "Women and Children first!" attitude, but taken to an extreme it can be very, very dangerous. And stupid. Did I mention stupid?

 

Funny thing - when I first read the series, I was a young male teenager, and I didn't really like Nynaeve, while I did really like all the three boys. Now Nynaeve is easily my second favorite character in the entire series, my favorite being Mat. (What's this! People like Mat!? Yes. Yes we do. He get's better, and less retarded. He's not really all that dumb, he just acts that way...)

[randsc]

I'd also like to point out that Sunny has written these blogs far in advance of posting, so unless she fancies going back to re-write them all when she's already halfway through the Great Hunt, the blogs will contain only her isolated thoughts on what's been going on without the influence of any of your arguments re sexism, which might be why you're not seeing much by way of responses to the arguments you're making!

 

Nah, Sunny hasn't backed off at all in posts on this thread. And in fact, the last post makes it clear that the gender stuff isn't intended as a parody or as satire, but is to be taken seriously.

 

It's too bad, because the preconceptions and bias really are getting in the way of Sunny's understanding of the text.

 

 

Elyas is meant to be a bit creepy and intimidating when we meet him, remember?

 

But there is no, none, not the slightest indication that the "creepiness" in question has a sexual element. Sunny really did pull that out of their* a....um...out of thin air.

 

*See, I tried. It doesn't work.

[randsc]

 

Funny thing - when I first read the series, I was a young male teenager, and I didn't really like Nynaeve, while I did really like all the three boys. Now Nynaeve is easily my second favorite character in the entire series, my favorite being Mat. (What's this! People like Mat!? Yes. Yes we do. He get's better, and less retarded. He's not really all that dumb, he just acts that way...)

 

I read it when I was 23, and sympathized with Nynaeve almost immediately. She lost me latter on, during her adventures with Elayne, before redeeming herself in the last couple of books.

[MasterAblar]

Great post Sunny!

 

About Egwene using the power, I don't think it was as much that Perrin thinks the power is suppose to be evil(although he is definitely not comfortable around it) but rather that it's extremely dangerous and at this point Egwene has absolutely no idea what she is doing. It's probably best to wait for Moirane to teach/guide her.

[randsc]

Great post Sunny!

 

About Egwene using the power, I don't think it was as much that Perrin thinks the power is suppose to be evil(although he is definitely not comfortable around it) but rather that it's extremely dangerous and at this point Egwene has absolutely no idea what she is doing. It's probably best to wait for Moirane to teach/guide her.

 

And Egwene was, in fact, told exactly that.

[MasterAblar]

Great post Sunny!

 

About Egwene using the power, I don't think it was as much that Perrin thinks the power is suppose to be evil(although he is definitely not comfortable around it) but rather that it's extremely dangerous and at this point Egwene has absolutely no idea what she is doing. It's probably best to wait for Moirane to teach/guide her.

 

And Egwene was, in fact, told exactly that.

 

Right, although I can understand why the desire to use the power would be unbearable for Egwene. That said this isn't the only time in the books that Egwene does something which she is told not to by her teachers.

[Always Sunny]

I must say, randsc, my inbox is full of letters with your name in the subject line. I haven't checked but I think you are by far my biggest fan. Well, not fan. Anti-fan? You comment a lot. That's what I'm saying.

 

Thanks for it. Really. Believe it or not, I sometimes enjoy reading your comments. Now and then. I look forward to what you have to say.

 

But there is no, none, not the slightest indication that the "creepiness" in question has a sexual element. Sunny really did pull that out of their* a....um...out of thin air.

 

Think about it. Two kids are lost in the woods and they are followed by a weirdo for days. Not just any weirdo, but a murderer on the run from the Aes Sedai. He watches them fail to trap rabbits. He watches them look hungrily at their empty sack of food. Only then does he finally makes himself known to those kids by buddying up with the older male with a hot meal. So picture a fifteen year-old girl in the woods, an eighteen year-old boy in the woods, and a thirty or forty year-old creepy dude in the woods (watching them from the bushes as they travel, watching them take a piss, watching them argue about getting on the horse, watching them do everything that they do). It isn't a complete stretch to say that Elyas's intentions (which we do not know at this moment) are carnal in nature.

 

And no, using "their" doesn't really work when you name the subject (in this case, "Sunny"). But if you didn't name the subject (say, "The blogger") then it would have made more sense. "The blogger did pull that out of their a....um... out of thin air." Grammar is a funny thing.

 

Great post Sunny!

 

About Egwene using the power, I don't think it was as much that Perrin thinks the power is suppose to be evil(although he is definitely not comfortable around it) but rather that it's extremely dangerous and at this point Egwene has absolutely no idea what she is doing. It's probably best to wait for Moirane to teach/guide her.

 

Thanks for your nice compliments, Master Ablar. You are right about Egwene being told to wait about magic. But since when do teenagers listen to their elders? They believe they'll never die and they know what's best, anyway. I'll keep an eye out for her and the rest doing things like this that they aren't supposed to.

[randsc]

 

Think about it. Two kids are lost in the woods and they are followed by a weirdo for days. Not just any weirdo, but a murderer on the run from the Aes Sedai. He watches them fail to trap rabbits. He watches them look hungrily at their empty sack of food. Only then does he finally makes himself known to those kids by buddying up with the older male with a hot meal. So picture a fifteen year-old girl in the woods, an eighteen year-old boy in the woods, and a thirty or forty year-old creepy dude in the woods (watching them from the bushes as they travel, watching them take a piss, watching them argue about getting on the horse, watching them do everything that they do). It isn't a complete stretch to say that Elyas's intentions (which we do not know at this moment) are carnal in nature.

 

Yeah, it is a complete stretch, without some textual support. Which does not exist.

 

If Elyas is who you say, why bother befriending Perrin? How does that further his sexually predatory scheme? Why not just stick an arrow or two into him, and go have his way with Egwene?

 

You're seeing things that don't exist, and failing to see things that do exist, because of your own preconceptions. You'll do more justice to the text, and your own investment of time, if you try harder to keep an open mind.

 

As for the grammar, the problem isn't just the subject. "They" really doesn't work well with a singular...fundament. But I'll leave the grammar behind. I have decided that you are female, so there is no more need for an indefinate pronoun. I'll just refer to you by name or with a feminine pronoun.

[Sbond91]

I actually think there you're looking at the whole gender issue in the books from the wrong angle. You said you've come to the Wheel of Time having been told it's some kind of gender-utopia with complete equality (or even women "on top"). I don't think that's right at all. I'll not tread too far into spoiler territory, but one of the WoT's bigger themes is the necessity duality and balance between pretty much everything, including the genders. The WoT is set at a time when things are "off-balance"; women have a monopoly on magic and that causes distrust between genders which filters through to society. Everyone in the WoT has sexist preconceptions (men and women). I'd say the gender story in the novels is not a story of women being "too powerful" or even "more powerful" (although on balance, they probably are in most WoT cultures), it's more a story of what happens when men and women don't work together or society has evolved in such as way that men and women don't understand and/or necessarily trust each other in certain circles. And of course, one of the most important things in the idea of duality is that yin/yang; male/female; x/y are equal but different. And there's a lot of "different-but equal" in the gender-differences in the WoT-verse.

 

In short - don't worry about the gender stuff too much. It's really not the main point of the story - it's a part of the pattern of the story's central moral I suppose - and you'll probably go a little crazy if you try and apply a feminist critique on a lot of the WoT - it's after all set in a society which has evolved in a much different way to ours!

 

Oh, and I just wanted to say I really enjoy your blog posts (some of the things you notice are cool, some of the things you've got very wrong are entertaining in the "I've been there" way). I don't really post... ever but I thought I'd stop lurking to say hi :P

[MasterAblar]

Egwene didn't get sick because she didn't unintentionally channel like Nyneave. Moiraine guided her through it, and like she said it would, the guiding made it easier.

 

A channeler needs aes sedai channeling because only they can teach them how to channel. Although of course you may, like Nynaeve, survive touching the source without training, the odds are against you. In any case those who can learn to channel are in no danger at all, since they won't channel unless they are taught.

 

While the tower will let aes sedai do what they want for the most part, setting up another channeling group is definitely not allowed. Also once you are aes sedai there is no going back, you're aes sedai until death.

 

Aes sedai are not evil, but they rarely give anything for free. I don't think they would let any girl die because of channeling though. They would make her come to the White Tower, and the girl isn't going to complain if it saves her life and allows her to channel the source.

 

Nynaeve doesn't need the aes sedai to survive since she has already survived touching the source without training. However if she want's to get back at Moiraine then she is going to need to learn how to channel to her full potential.

As for Egwene, well she want's to be aes sedai and the aes sedai are hardly going to teach her how to channel and then let her go off on her own, for more than on reason in fact. But first and foremost because her potential is the highest of anybody in a long time. And Nynaeve's is even higher. The aes sedai aren't going to let them slip away.

[Agitel]

I think Sonny has misread some of the gender interactions, but they make a good point on the male centric stories told, perhaps uncovering Jordan's bias? Many of the old myths Thom has mentioned have female leads, though. I still think things become more 'balanced' and clear as you get further in, though.

 

Still, I'm not going to declare jihad on Always Sunny over their views, though I disagree. One story with strong women (and men) is A Song of Ice and Fire. It does away with traditional tropes, though is still fantasy. There's lots of sexism in the world, but that isn't portrayed as right and is an issue for female characters.

 

Keep it coming!

 

(Edit: I'm posting from my phone, please forgive any spelling mistakes, it's not always easy to correct)

[MasterAblar]

Personally, I think that Elyas wouldn't have killed anyone if they had just let him leave. They had no right to stop him and when they tried to he resisted. While gentling(which is cutting a man off from the source, thereby stopping them from channeling and going mad, and eventually leading to their death. For a woman it's called stilling.) wouldn't hurt Elyas, it would ruin his life if he was even suspected of being able to channel. People would never forget it. Besides, I doubt the red ajah asked, being aes sedai(and red ajah no less), they don't care what a man says, they do what they want. While Elyas has no right to kill anyone he wants, they have no right to do what they want either. From that point on Elyas does whatever he has to to get out of there. Besides he wouldn't have killed the warders if they hadn't tried to capture him.

 

While Elyas couldn't stop three fades, he is, just as Moiraine was, the only way out. And the safest way too. If he was going to hurt him, he would have already.

 

Well as far as Elyas laughing at them goes, I would be rather amused too if people told they were going in the exact opposite direction they wanted to be. In any case you'll notice that even if all these people laught at them, they end up helping them out, so they're not all that mean.

[UncleButcher1980]

Think about it. Two kids are lost in the woods and they are followed by a weirdo for days. Not just any weirdo, but a murderer on the run from the Aes Sedai. He watches them fail to trap rabbits. He watches them look hungrily at their empty sack of food. Only then does he finally makes himself known to those kids by buddying up with the older male with a hot meal. So picture a fifteen year-old girl in the woods, an eighteen year-old boy in the woods, and a thirty or forty year-old creepy dude in the woods (watching them from the bushes as they travel, watching them take a piss, watching them argue about getting on the horse, watching them do everything that they do). It isn't a complete stretch to say that Elyas's intentions (which we do not know at this moment) are carnal in nature.

 

 

Ok, that was very funny but there is no reason to think that Elyas had been hiding behind a bush watching Egwene take a piss. As randsc says, there's nothing to suggest Elyas wanted to rape Egwene. You say we don't know his intentions at the moment, but I think they're clear. He says the wolves have told him Perrin can also talk to wolves and that he's the first they have met besides Elyas himself so it's a good bet that that's why Elyas was tracking them, rather than to do something terrible to Egwene.

[Always Sunny]

(Edit: I'm posting from my phone, please forgive any spelling mistakes, it's not always easy to correct)

 

I post with a laptop and a word processor and I still make way too many mistakes for my liking. So all is forgive. Always.

 

I've heard of a Song of Ice and Fire. It sounds interesting but I can't start on another series until I'm done with this one. Even if I don't do a write up for all of the Wheel of Time I'm still going to read it. I can't leave a story unfinished!

 

And I hate to say this, but a part of me enjoys ruffling feathers. It isn't a character trait that I'm particularly proud of. But if I were to read and write up another blog like this then I'd want to do it with a book or series that has a divided fanbase. Something like Twilight. That way I can hate on it and I'd have an army of people behind me cheering me on. It wouldn't be like this series, one against everyone else. I've heard people mention Conan the Barbarian and Sword of Truth. I have a real-world friend who knows I'm reading the Wheel of Time and they suggested the Legend of Drizzt series (the name is a real turn off) but I have no idea what that's about other than an evil elf kills things with scimitars. ETA: I used the singular they in that paragraph. It just felt so right.

 

But that's all a long way away. Right now I'm reading The Wheel of Time. I'm also reading The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner, at the moment (bonus fact: I was born in the same month in which the El Mozote massacre occurred). But in the future? Anything can happen in the future.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

maybe it takes a lifetime of reading standard sci-fi and fantasy to appreciate what RJ accomlished in terms of giving women a meaningful role in a story of this kind. maybe it's something you can't understand if you don't know the genre, or particularly care for it.

 

for me, reading the eye of the world was the first time i ever felt a fantasy novel . . . welcomed? included? acknowledged the existence and importance of? ... women in the universe at all. it was the first time i ever read a great work of fantasy that had anything to do with me. i'm delighted that it will be there for future generations of female fantasy readers.

 

oh, and elyas is a lovely guy. that sort of creepiness is only in the eye of the beholder. i can only hope you're joking, cause it's kind of sad, otherwise.

[A2597]

 

Thanks for your nice compliments, Master Ablar. You are right about Egwene being told to wait about magic. But since when do teenagers listen to their elders? They believe they'll never die and they know what's best, anyway. I'll keep an eye out for her and the rest doing things like this that they aren't supposed to.

 

 

Also, regarding your comment about Egwene not having a reaction to magic her first time, that was precisely why Moriane led her through it - to avoid that reaction. I believe she said something like "It will be easier this way". It was the reaction / sickness that was later mentioned that she was referring to - avoiding that. I also like how you came *this* close to picking up on Rand channeling / experiencing the effects of touching the one power, but not quite. :D (You are in book two, that's not a spoiler!)

 

Regarding Elyes: I can defiantly see where your impression comes from, but he's defiantly a loner, and not one for being around other people very much, especially people he doesn't know.