In fan-fiction, a writer will often include a character not already present in canon who will have an important role in the story, perhaps far more important than you would reasonably expect, either from the character's ascribed abilities and personality, or from the character's "late" entrance into the (canon) story. Androl was this character for Sanderson. Many of his actions should have been undertaken by a character already present in the canon, it didn't make sense for Androl to do them, e.g: stealing the seals from Taim; almost single-handedly saving Elayne's army with the gateway-into-Dragonmount trick.

Androl was great - the problem was he was too great. Still, I enjoyed him, but that didn't stop me from seeing his flaws. He did, however, ease my frustration with how gateways were used. Deathgates eased that frustration slightly, Androl and the other uses of gateways removed it with their brilliance, but maybe Sanderson took it a bit too far.

I think a big part of the problem is the cultural disconnect, especially in the role of advisors/teachers or anything like that.

 

A big part of it was that Elayne and co thought the advisor/teacher was a honoured position, whereas obviously the sea folk thought it was a low ranking or terrible rank.

Which, let's be honest, isn't a very realistic outlook. What kind of culture regards being a teacher as being just short of a deckhand, and actually seems to find it shaming? 

It could probably warrant it's own thread, but was anyone else disappointed with what Rand became?

I, for one, liked Dark Rand, and when he meditated and became Zen Rand I felt... cheated, almost. He was becoming too hard, and sure, he did try to kill his own father, but I think it would have been reasonable for him to remain "Dark Rand", perhaps a bit softened. He was regal, he was powerful, he was vengeful - he was everything I could have asked him to be. If he had wiped the Seanchan off the face of the Earth at the end of The Gathering Storm, in fact, even if he had sunk the entire continent of Seanchan with the Choedan Kal, I would probably have cheered him on, because that would have been awesome.

Edit: Perhaps I should be more specific, considering the thread: Why did Rand make this 180 degree turn in his character development? Was it Sanderson, or did Jordan demand that Rand should turn out like this - do we know? Because it feels like a Sanderson decision...

I'm just passed the start of Elayne's pregnancy, and it seems a lot of people know. She is given meals specifically for pregnant women. I remember one passage where she complains to the reader about Aviendha getting ham and other fancy foods, while Elayne only has porridge. Aviendha and Dyelin also make her do specific things, like get fresh air and have her walk around the palace. Elayne keeps up the rumor that Daved Hanlon is the father by pretending to be attracted to him in front of her servants. She does not try to keep the pregnancy a secret, just who the father is.

And the goat's milk, we mustn't forget the goat's milk.

It seems to me that the last comment in the dream woke Rand, not the jabbing of the sword.  And it seems to me that Rand first felt the sore after waking up.

The scene does not specify which side the sore was.

 

Edit::  The unhealling scar was on his left side.

Since Rand is right-handed, his sword would naturally be on his left, so it might make some sense that it was foreshadowing. 

The Great Hunt, Chapter 37: What Might Have Been. Sheer awesomeness, I loved it. I would have liked to also see it from Mat's and Perrin's POV though.