I love WoT. This site looks very professional. Look forward to participating.

[Chatoyant_Knowledge]

Hi everyone!

 

I've been reading Wheel of Time since the late 90's. 

 

I read through every book until Crossroads of Twilight burned me out, after having read too many preceding books which had too much exposition and not enough plot movement. 

How many times can the women of WoT "smooth their skirts" before they tear a hole in the pattern? : )

 

Currently, I'm revisiting the books and am going through Book 4 Shadow Rising again. 

 

I have a couple of threads I'd like to start and was wondering :

1. Where to place them?
2. If something similar has already been started?

So, without further ado, here are a couple of threads I think would be most eruditive, and also, entertaining : 

 

[WARNING! SPOILERS!...a few]

1. The Real World? - A constant theme in the books is the "play within a play" motif of characters commenting on how "real life is nothing like the stories" and "things never happen in the 'real world' like they do in the stories". Users can post favorite passages from the books where WoT characters reflect on this theme, and also discuss the merits of this novelizing mechanic : is it too meta for its own good? was it overdone in WoT? and so forth.
2. Funny Moments - A thread dedicated to people discussing funny moments in the series. I laughed out loud revisiting the chapter "A Cup of Wine" in Book 4; it's delightful to see Elayne tugging on Thom's mustache and acting like a common, unbeholden farm girl, while maintaining that she is "the daughter heir of Andor" with all the assumed dignity this supposedly implies. That is...until Nynaeve dunks her head in the wash basin a few times. 
3. Leadership. Do Human Beings Need Kings, Queens, Presidents to function as a cohesive society? What about self-governance and independence? - This would be a politically-themed thread. One which I think would benefit greatly from a mixture of discussion between "the real world" (our world) and the world of the WoT. A constant theme in the books is that people need leaders to function successfully as human beings. The 3 Taveerens all become leaders, reluctantly, originally believing that people did best when they governed themselves, but eventually coming to accept that people need someone to look up to and believe in. Personally, I don't quite believe that. I'd love to discuss the topic though. A little White House Corporate lobbying here, and a little Daes Dae Mar politking there, would hopefully make for a stimulating reality cross fantasy discussion. 
4. Linny Used To Say...and other Favorite Sayings of WoT Characters - I love the ingenious variety of sayings RJ came up with for his characters during the course of the WoT's story. I was thinking that this would be a fun thread where fellow users can post favorite, or even just interesting, sayings of WoT characters. Siuan's sayings would be replete with references to silverpike, and Two River's characters all have earthy references to temperate climate flora and fauna. Here's one I like from Rand (paraphrased)  : "When the boar has you cornered, the only one you can count on is yourself and your spear." It's an interesting saying to illustrate how isolated Rand was coming to feel because of the pressure he felt to stay ahead of the Forsaken, the Tairenians, the White Tower, Moiraine, the Wise Ones, the Aiel and everyone else who wanted to influence the Dragon Reborn. Sayings are good for pithily summarizing how one feels. 
5. When You Make A Mistake, Should You Punish Yourself? If So, For how Long? - The Aiel are fascinating. Rand saw his ancestors' history in Rhuidean. The Aiel had their back to the wall, when the Male Aes Sedai went mad, and the world's societies and order crumbled. Of course some of them took up weapons. Seeing family butchered, it's normal to want to defend them. Yet, even so, over the course of 3 millenia, the Aiel still maintain their feeling of guilt, reflected in their detestation of swords, and the succoring of the knowledge that they failed the female Aes Sedai. Guilt and Shame form key pedestals of Aiel culture. Guilt is a constant theme among most of the cultures in WoT. Taking those cultures as a guide, does that aspect of the WoT belief system have a place in becoming part of our own modern belief systems? 

I think that's enough ideas for threads to start off with.

 

I'd be happy to join another thread already begun, if it has a similar theme to one of those I've mentioned above, and I'd be happy to start one of these threads myself if not.

 

I look forward to the discussions.

 

Tai Shar fellow WoT fans!

[Ryrin]

Hello and welcome to DM!!! I would recommend you head over to the book discussions.

[Chatoyant_Knowledge]

Thanks for the welcome Ryrin and the suggestion. 

I will do just that.

[JenniferL]

Heh. He thinks we're professional.