On 9/16/2024 at 5:41 AM, HeronMarkedBlade said:

the very first scene. Not only skipping an incredibly important prologue,  but then Elaida completely misrepresenting Saidar and Saidin to the audience in her speech to Logan. 

Since you are not watching it you probably do not care but it was Liandrin not Elaida and a random male channeller not Logain (who would have crushed 3 average Aes Sedai).   I agree that the speech was rubbish.

13 hours ago, Samt said:

Callandor as a magical item is not needed for a while. Callandor as a turning point in Rand's character development is overdue and difficult to replace.  

Indeed the choice to leave Callandor behind and go with the Aiel rather than use it to attack Illian was the first reasoned decision by Rand (as opposed to his unreasoned decision to run to Tear and see if he could take it) to try to carry out his destiny as the Dragon Reborn.

On 11/15/2023 at 4:01 AM, Samt said:

Does that apply to all first sisters or only to non-biological first sisters?  My understanding was that first sisters is also the term for two women who were literally born sisters.  

I thought it was only that first sisters who are both maidens of the spear will only take a lover if they share him - the instance of Gaul, Bain and Chiad where they wanted him to be their lover and he was only interested if they wanted him to marry both of them.

15 hours ago, Mailman said:

Dumai Wells would disagree with that. Kira and the other tower Aes Sedai had to actually feel threatened before they could bring the One Power to bear in the combat.

Because that was a confrontation with other Aes Sedai and with Aiel, not with darkfriends and not a declared war.   

You may well say the position I suggest is nothing but sophistry but that appears to be at the core of being an Aes Sedai during the period of the novels.   After all their interpretation of "I will speak no word that is not true" allows them to deliberately and intentionally mislead.

17 hours ago, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

Where did you get this information? Would be interesting to have a look at it. 

In one of the closing books Egwene agrees with the Sitters that there is no need to apply the law of war to the preparations for the last battle because the tower is automatically at war with the shadow.

On 3/11/2024 at 10:23 PM, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

o pretty much straight off the bat it is confused. And in NS, we have the actual wording that makes no mention of Darkfriends. Yet what about the Last Battle? The Aes Sedai could only attack actual Shadowspawn and not, for example, Dreadlords, even though that is what the Green Ajah was created to face? 

Any use of a weapon against an opposing combatant in outright warfare (other than those already inacapacitated/surrendering) is considered permissible and the tower is automatically considered to be at war with the shadow (hence no need for a formal declaration and invocation of the law of war - unlike the declaration against Elaida).  Therefore by extension any use of the one power as a weapon in warfare (including against any forsaken or identified darkfriend) could be considered to come under the "last defense of life" provision in the oaths, by tower law or established custom - as long as the sister believes that to be the meaning that is what the rod will enforce.

15 hours ago, Andra said:

A circle of the thirteen weakest female channelers can shield the strongest possible male channeler,

That is never actually stated.  Moiraine states that the thirteen weakest Aes Sedai could shield any male but there is a minimum strength threshold to be allowed to take the final test, so the weakest Aes Sedai are reasonably strong (e.g. Morgase so weak she could not touch the source consistently, and Sorilea stated to be too weak to be allowed to test).  There is nothing special about there being thirteen other than that is the largest circle possible with all females (it would be stronger than 12 but not by as much as the 12 would be stronger then 11 - there are diminishing returns for unbalanced circles).  Also all in character statements (even by non-black Ajah Aes Sedai) are subject to the unreliable narrator issue - an Aes Sedai can state as truth what she thinks is true even if she is wrong.

10 hours ago, Samt said:

I don't think there is intended to be a connection.  The old ancient thing that leads Aginor and Balthamel to the Eye is Mashadar

I think the reference is to Shomesta the Green Man - the Nym may even have been a creation of Aginor before his conversion to the shadow.

11 hours ago, Samt said:

Mat is definitely connected to Odin from Norse mythology at least by symbolism.  One eyed man in a top hat with a spear associated with Ravens and having sacrificed to gain knowledge.

From the point of view of circular events it would be more accurate to say that (in Jordan's world) the mythical Odin was a remembrance of an earlier figure with similar characteristics to Mat in this cycle.

Firstly it is repeatedly stated that bonded parties only feel detailed sensations when in close proximity, at long distance all they have is direction and the knowledge the other party is still alive unless there are very strong sensations involved, and after bonding Rand is not again in Elaine's proximity until her pregnancy is very obvious.  Secondly it is noted by each of his bondholders that Rand is in constant agony from the twin wounds in his side - this would tend to lessen his ability to analyse less extreme sensory feedback from the others (in addition to making him slightly tetchy).    

9 hours ago, Skipp said:

The unfortunate thing about that implication is that the only negative things the person in question says can be truthful.  Anything positive or neutral becomes contractually obligated.

It is a long way from being obligated not to say anything negative to being required to endorse something one does not support.

9 hours ago, Samt said:

You mean sort of like how literally any WoT show would have increased the exposure of the WoT IP?  So you're saying it was actually a good analogy.

No I was merely pedantically pointing out the inaccuracy of comparing any argument to "Hitler made the trains run on time." since Hitler was not famed for making the trains run on time at all.   My comment had no intended relevance to the argument in progress, it was merely pedantry for its own sake - and what better purpose could it have had.

For avoidance of doubt this comment also has no wider relevance.  

16 hours ago, Samt said:

20 hours ago, Kaleb said:

Reductio ad hitlerum, really? Godwin's Law now in play!

 

Glad liked it.

It was not even accurate Reductio ad hitlerum. Mussolini made the Italian trains run on time (or more accurately he was just credited with doing so and actually failed), the German trains already did so.

I thought it was deliberately intended to show just how little the Children actually know about Darkfriends.

11 hours ago, Shawlee said:

Everyone has their own opinions, and are entiltled to it. So i would just leave it at that. If you disagree please go to another post and rant. 

That is well said - and once again we are in need of an "agree to disagree" response.  

17 hours ago, Shawlee said:

Rand AND Lan got forced bonded. The wo real gentlemen! Come on robert! Are you saying being a decent man with immense respect for women will get you raped? That's what bothered me. 

Except Rand did not exhibit "immense respect for women" in either our modern world context or the world of the books - his attempts to prevent the maidens of the spear from participating in battles were not well received (to the point where they were willing to commit mass suicide rather than permit it to continue), his attempts to choose on behalf of women who loved him that they could not be near him had a similar effect and even in the last book Egwene had to speak severely to him about the right o each person to choose.   He was taking away their choices, in effect objectifying them or infantalising them which is not much better (ethicaly)  than the misogynist attitude of treating women as sex objects.

2 hours ago, Shawlee said:

Why are green always so creepy with their warders 🤣🤣?

But creepy (or not in some cases, e.g. the relationship between Sleete and his Aes'Sedai) in very different ways.  Conflating all of these into Alanna would rather reduce the green to the "orgy Ajah".

14 hours ago, nsmallw said:

He should still have it so his lack of ability to prevent being shielded is even more odd if he had a sa'angreal that "thousands of male channelers had poured their power in" .

Even if he still had it it would not be relevant (if book lore applies) - an angreal only helps prevent being shielded if you are already holding the source extra strongly through it when the shielding person/group strikes (and again if book lore were followed multiple independent shields would be no use there, it would need a single linked shield to overcome someone already holding the source with an angreal).  Once shielded the possession of an angreal strength is not part of the equation as to whether the shield holds since the shielded person cannot reach out through it, they can only push against the shield.

On 10/24/2023 at 9:06 PM, Jaysen Gore said:

I don't, but what I do think is she just created the affinity for someone she's healed as Nynaeve had with Egwene in the books, allowing her to find the group in Camelyn in EOTW

That was in Baerlon.

9 hours ago, DreadLord31 said:

Nope, good catch, that’s my mistake. Rafe just said “Tanchico” & something about a bar & knives & jungle like atmosphere & everybody being ready to kill each other. So brain fart on my part to mix up Taraboners & Domani. 

Knife fighting is Ebou Dari culture not Domani (who are more French post renaissance style with beauty marks etc).   While in Tanchio the girls experience Domani cookery (spicy and using chopsticks) due to a current fad in town while putting up with the veils of Tanchio culture.

8 hours ago, Jaysen Gore said:

Moggy's gate didn't look like it took much time at all.

That looked like true power traveling rather than a gateway.

Just now, Mailman said:

Ajahs did not have secret weaves in the books. Some sisters had small tricks or talents usually to do with wilders early contact with the source. 

Not so.  In New Spring where we see Moiraine inducted into the blue she is then taught their secrets.

12 hours ago, Windigo said:

I found The whole Moiraine family story-line to be great writing, for me the writers did a great job at showing the awkwardness of seeing estranged family again and how siblings know how to hurt each other the most. 

Plus adding this to the Liandrin's son diversion shows up how the extended life of an Aes Sedai can have an effect of isolating them from common humanity, particularly when you compare this to the relatively normal interactions of Alanna with her family.

11 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

13 hours ago, Mailman said:

Something I wanted to recheck people's opinion on now that we have had the last couple of episodes is Liandrin's capture and transport of the 3 to Falme.

 

Now we are aware that tying of shields is not a skill current channelers possess and Egwene's power level being enough to at least temporarily hold Ishy at bay it drastically damages the whole passage.

 

1) Liandrin now has to maintain 3 shields at all times from the tower to Falme.

2) Egwene not long after is able to keep at bay Ishmael for a considerable time, Considering Logain required 2 or 3 strong Aes Sedai (including Liandrin)  to keep him shielded and I would assume he is not as strong as Ishmael that sets the bar for Liandrin to solo shield her as highly unlikely.

3) Now that we know tying of shields is not possible why did the Seachan not take over the shields when Liandrin was entering the waygate as I cannot see how they would have thought the shields would have remained once she entered the waygate.

 

Just seems to make the entire scenario completely implausible.

Expand  

yes, i noticed that.

one possibility is that the girls were unconscious until they entered the ways, and in the ways they could not channel to avoid drawing machin shin. but what prevented them from breaking free as soon as they got out?

at least in the books, while everyone was screaming "she's obviously black!!!!" at the pages, she was still officially a regular aes sedai, with actual power to command novices, and she didn't outwardly drop her cover until the end.

plot hole.

Alternatively the red's do know how to tie off weaves and keep it is an Ajah secret (in line with book lore about the Ajah's having their own secret weaves).

9 minutes ago, Ralph said:

Lan mentioned in an interview that in S3 he spends time doing sword forms with "a certain other character" and Rafe said recently that they put off Rand's sword training to S3 because he was alone throughout S2. 

They have provided them with a nice big round tower on which to film a training montage.

1 hour ago, Elder_Haman said:

*Lowers veil. Returns spear to harness.*

Surely you mean *Unbristles eyebrow, returns ears to upright, apologises for being hasty*