That is really interesting. I wonder if it had anything to do with Zara boards or whatever they're called. Any other ideas on why RJ would have said this about Sammuel?-

I have nothing useful or constructive to add to this discussion. I just want to say I am thankful for my ignorance because I largely enjoyed Demandred. I'm not following the arguments because my memory of the course of events sucks. Will be keeping an eye out for these points as I make my way through on my second read.

I came here in ready to shut down this point, but there may be more to consider than I realized. Thanks for sharing.

Make the Aiel black. That is all.

Absolutely true on your first read through. The second, third etc, they are much more enjoyable.

exactly this. there are a lot of sub=plots and as the story grows there are more moving parts. As such the prologues get longer with each book until it gets to around 70% of the series.

I think this is because we're talking about Post-Breaking healing techinques vs. Age of Legend's healing techniques. I don't remember the exact moment you're referencing with Dobraine (probably Dumai's Well which I am very close to getting to in my second read-through of the series), but off the top of my head, The Aes Sedei we read about are probably using medical techniques that your local personal physician might use. The most generalized type of medicine with a broad scope. In the Age of Legends you probably had Aes Sedei of a multi-discipinary educational backgrounds with more specialized scopes. In other words they used multiple weaves which the Aes Sedei we see wouldn't think would/could be applied in a medicinal way (see: the way the Yellows react to Nynaeve healing a stilled person).

Well, I'm sure the people of WoT didn't have diabetes because they didn't have corporations and legalized corruption as a part of their governing system. But I suspect that the Aes Sedai of the Age of Legend could heal/cure stuff like cancer, gout etc. It's just that so much was lost in the Breaking and I don't just mean the books: men who could channel died off and so did the feats that involved both saidin and saidar, the population of those that could weild the One Power dropped significantly and so there was less diversity in academic pursuits and what remaining resources the Aes Sedai had they put into politics and basically ruling the entire land from the shadows. It's often said that Semirhage could cure anything because of her knowledge of the human body. It's also what makes her so freaking scary. She can torture you in ways you can never imagine. That one scene with Cabrianna chills me. Simirhage used the pain and pleasure centers of the brain to break the will of Cabrianna and her Warder respectively and this was just her quickest way to break a subject.

I may be missing something, but I believe the reason why things that happen to people in the world of dreams happen to their waking selfves is basically because of psychosomatic effects. So Mogedien getting drugged in the world of dreams blocked her real body long enough for Elyane, Nynave and Brigette to get a read a'dam on her.

It really makes me think if Robert Jordan was lucid dreamer.

I have plenty of thoughts. Whether or not they are worth a damn is another matter entirely 😅. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "ever evolving timeline". I always got the sense that The Dark One's goal was to stop the spinning of the wheel and therefore end all existence. If the wheel stops spinning, timelines stop being produced and nothing novel ever happens; there is no growth or evolution. It's possible that maybe the Dark One would take over what get's spun out and therefore gains total control to shape events with no restrictions or hinderances and what the DO ultimately makes would essentially be the death of all that is "good" because the DO's motivations, aspirations and designs are likely something on a cosmic level that we as mere humans couldn't really possibly begin to understand. Effectively what the DO creates might be just utter nothingness to us. As for Moridin, he was just a nihilistic female dog, but as we see through Rand's musings he probably is a character worthy of some sympathies. Basically Moridin was an incel and Rand wondered if maybe if he had gotten laid more he wouldn't have turned to the dark side. Moridin saw no point to fighting the dark one because there are infinite possibilities and every possibility will eventually happen, including the DO breaking free. But if he had gotten laid more between the fighting it would have given him more reason to fight like Rand. I totally get this. Also "good vs evil" is a useless argument to explore. I think it's better to consider things which are helpful vs harmful.

Lan never really "wanted" anything but to fulfill his duty which he see as dying in the fight against the shadow. Lan's entire life had been about loss, misery and battle. Lan never really thought about a "life after Tarmon Gaidon". Lan always figured he'd die in battle and follow the fate of his people. Given that the Shadow was defeated again and peace restored, he's kind of at a loss for what to do and since he had always been stoic and accepting of his cruel fate he needs the help of people around him to relax and get some of that Two River's lovin' and rebuild his people as the Aan'allein. I can't imagine a cushier job than king of an already well ordered and honorable people (but maybe I'm being obtuse). I don't think Nynaeve cares about boss status. She cares about doing the right thing and the first part of her arc is learning that she isn't the Wisdom anymore and that she has to learn how to interact with the kids she was groomed to care for and guide as peers instead of as subordinates. Thing about Nynaeve is, is she's an insufferable female dog for most of the series until she get's that Malkier shlong thrown in her. Nynaeve isn't really happy about anything and why should she be with all that pent up sexual frustration? Like Lan, all she has known is misery, loss and duty. She cares deeply for Two Rivers kids who get swept away by fate and sees it as her duty to protect them. And she's failing. Not just failing, but she's also getting caught up in the same current the kids she's trying to protect are caught up in. So first Nynaeve tramps off to try to save to kids, but fails because she begrudgingly accepts that it's the necessary path. Then she decides she'll protect the kids on this path, by becoming a powerful Aes Sedai, all the while the kids she's trying to protect are outpacing her and she's struggling to work through her block to saidar and her unrequited love in Lan. Lan, this dark, alluring stranger who makes her feel things she never felt before and the whole time she's struggling with hints that he likes her too, but he keeps putting her off telling her shit like, "I love you baby, but I just can't do it. My fate is to die in battle. I won't do that to you." How frustrating right? And she deals with this for like 8 books or something! And then there is the whole Myrelle thing... But I love how Nynaeve develops once she's finally with Lan. We get to see her being reasonable and more clearheaded, because at the end of the day Nynaeve is actually an incredibly awesome character and is totally wifey/queen material. I don't know about riding off into the sunset and leading the life of a protagonist of a western series and you may have a point about the irreconcilable tone. Personally, I'm happy for Lan and Nynave. If the series were finished by someone today Lan might turn into a rudderless drunk who picks fights with people for no reason and Nynaeve just goes back to being an exceptional nagger. But this is a fantasy series with a happy ending. It's nice to see someone who was willing to die doing the right thing get a fairy tale ending. Egwene on the otherhand...