Welcome to Dragonmount, Emma 🙂 

It most certainly is an adventure here, with a ton of lovable characters and those in the story, too.

Hope you enjoy your time here 🙂 

Such lovely pictures.

I was very lonely as a Novice with very few people to look up to. 

All I had was my hobby of interior design to keep me sane through the empty halls... 

21 hours ago, Wayward_fool said:

Don't think I don't see the parchment and quill hiding behind your... behind and is scratching away with the Power of the Saidar thing. Also, you drew THAT part wrong. It's usually a lot... wider and squiggly.

I am not making any sort of record of the Mistress of Novices in an unbecoming situation. The very thought! What would I do with such incriminating material? Probably would be illegal just to have such images in your possession. 

The White Tower as is it appears in the books is only a thumbnail sketch. A lot of it simply doesn't make sense - like the Yellow Ajah. On the face of it, very easy to understand - but when fleshed out it is absurd.  Healing is a single weave in which you have an innate talent. They do no investigating into any kind of healing, with the One Power or otherwise and strictly follow dogma as to how to act and Heal. There is no reason that the best healers could not simply prioritize healing if there was an epidemic or whatever. 

The Blues seem fine to me - as a concept at least. They are the ones that involve themselves in the outside world, the others are turned to specific Power-related goals or inwards at the Tower. It would be fine if in practice there seems to be no difference - Blues appear to have no concrete agenda or appear to be any more likely to be outside of the Tower than anyone else, and the other Ajahs certainly don't seem apolitical.

The Greens and "the Warders" in the Blight is something mentioned early in the series, but is never really given any substance. I seem to remember Suian asking what do "the Warders" report about activity in the Blight, but we never really see any Warders actually there - and at Tarwin's Gap, when Sheinar was facing extinction there was not a singe Warder or Aes Sedai that I remember. 

The Reds have a goal, but are one of the largest if not the largest as far as I remember (misandry is common in Aes Sedai apparently) so they are way overstaffed for their purpose. Nor does it really seem much of a philosophy as all Aes Sedai agree with them about men needing Gentled and again, it is not only Reds that do this anyway.

One thing to remember is that the Tower is house of knowledge and continuity. If Manetheren had had libraries and schools of natural history, how would that have worked out? Gathering and protecting knowledge could be seen as something inherent in the One Power - given the cause of the Breaking and the Bore. Admittedly, it does not make a lot of sense that the do not include muggles in Tar Valon. Aside for elitism I cannot think really of any reason not to. The pursuit of knowledge and logic directly help Aes Sedai survive to Tar'mon Gaiden and it also makes surviving worthwhile. One thing which appears to be often overlooked is their life-spans. Take in the AoL if Asmodean was competing with a non-channeler, they would reach their prime at about 30-40 years old (10,000 hours) and then Asmodean would have another 500-600 years to develop, experiment and grow. A non-channeler would be taking retirement in 50 years at best if disease and the effects of aging were under control. This surely would lead to a domination of channelers in most fields, which could have carried on post breaking - what was the point of including those that were grubbing in the dirt to survive when they would never match an Aes Sedai? Not sure how much Jordan thought along these lines, but the effect would be considerable.

As I have noted before Jordan often seems to write with a protagonist and antagonist in each section. I think this is one of the reasons that people find his characters so relatable and human. And why such groups as the Seanchan are so troubling or enigmatic to some. The protagonist point of view is nearly always positive - the exception of the bad who have no redemption arc - and the antagonists are nearly always negative. This means that groups and characters are often full of contradictions. The Aes Sedai are very often cast as the antagonists - even when we have a point of view of one of them, they are often at odds with the rest of the Aes Sedai. 

I think Pevara is a revelation. Not only is she a victim of Darkfriends (who up til that point appear to have been nearly invisible in the story for all that everyone is hunting them) and she is also a Red Sitter, and yet powerful, funny, charismatic, thoughtful, willing to put personal and Ajah differences aside for the good of the Tower - something that up to that point seemed an unlikely occurrence. I'd argue that Jordan meant for the Tower to made up of more characters like Pevara, with the problems being that they were stalemated politically by the fear of the Black Ajah, where Suian was not really leading them but trying to contain them, with the Ajah Heads inexplicably deciding to overthrow the democratic rule, and of course that about a third were Black Sisters. But the very lack of detail allows us to see so much more than Jordan described, even if some of it does not bear looking at too closely.

*looks wide-eyed at what's going on*

What are you doing? I'm not sure an Accepted should be watching this. Black Tower ruffians. 

*sniffs disapprovingly*

Certainly what you say rings true - I cannot help but remember somethings saying that Mashadar was older than Mordeth, perhaps in Fain's ramblings, but those parts about him thinking about his "self" being comprised of many different entities and forces, I am sure I could have misunderstood or misremembered.

54 minutes ago, Andra said:

Remember that Mashadar was created more than a thousand years AFTER the Forsaken were trapped.  It would have been a new thing to them, not something ancient.  Only the things at the Eye would have been ancient to them.

To be fair, we don't know this. As far as I can remember at least, we only know that the Third Age Aes Sedai knew nothing of Mashadar. 

While obviously the AoL Aes Sedai knew nothing of Arhidol, there is nothing saying that they had not encountered it before. At least, I'm pretty sure that Mashadar predated Mordeth, so could have been known of in the Second Age. Or am I misremembering?

3 hours ago, A Memory Of Why said:

 

I think Moggys intro was quite terrifying, instantly compelling Nyn and Elayne, making them her puppets, than letting them go for shits and giggles.

 

Follow that with her incredibly humbling the black sisters, she's insane.!

 

Based on the Forsaken statues in season 1, Semihage seems like one of the 4 females..

 

Lanfear = looks like a priestess

Greandel = Boobs

Moggy = kinda looks like a nun with a spidery cracked dress, actually made me think of Messaana

"Semihage" = tall, straight long hair, long thin neck which reminds me of those tribal African neck rings

 

If I had to guess Moggy will be merged with Messaana, Messy doesn't really come into it till Moggy gets humbled by death.

You could indeed have it right, I am only speculating. Yes, Moggie has the arrogance of the Chosen regarding the Channelers of the present age. But she was hiding as a serving woman while the others took over Kingdoms and set-up palaces full of unimaginable wealth and she would not have risked a confrontation with Rand or any of the Chosen. Scary, yes, but scary as the spider she is named after. The show gave me much more Semirhage vibes, but maybe that is just me.

1 hour ago, Elder_Haman said:

This is interesting speculation... Why do you think that?

Well, it is only speculation, but Moggie in her entrance, is scary. Moghedien in the books is not, she is one of the least impressive Chosen and more or less looked down on by the others. I'd say it also makes sense, they have moved from 13 to 8 Chosen, and Semirhage apart from being the scariest actually is a pretty flat character, really only having a back story about being a sadistic mental health therapist and being the one that scares the other Chosen, rather than intimidates due to strength in the power. Moghedien if I remember rightly does not really have much of a back story, not anything that stands out anyway. 

Moghedien would never attack Lanfear and then let her off with a warning. She would have struck from the Shadows and killed her or remained hidden (in my humble opinion based on the book's character). But show Moghedien was showing off hugely and was telling Lanfear off like a naughty little girl and Lanfear was terrified. So by combining Semirhage's cruelty, terrifyingness and her back story, with Moghedien's MO of hiding in the Shadows and actual role in the story, it seems like an amalgamation that could capture the essence of both characters, and would make Moggie's appearance at the end of season 2 make much more sense in terms of character. 

Of course they could have just upped her character on a par with Lanfear and Ishamael, but to me it makes more sense Moggie will be the new unhinged torturer. 

I'm sure time will prove me wrong lol.

1 hour ago, Samt said:

Why did the writers choose to call LTT the Dragon Reborn instead of the Dragon?

It is not impossible that this is a deliberate "dumbing down", as one of the things WoT does not do great is be consistent with the cyclical nature of the Wheel. LTT being the First Dragon, and Rand the second, directly contradicts the cyclical narrative. If Rand is LTT reborn, LTT is Rand reborn. Plus, it in the lore, it never makes any effort to explain what the Dragon is. Or I totally missed it if it did. 

It could be that it was felt that Dragon always being the Dragon Reborn better conveyed the nature of the Wheel without needing to explain constantly. Just as the Shadow is always called the Dark (*shudders*) it could be a simplification of terms for consistency and to give a more solid base to the world. In the Walking Dead I always thought all the different names for the walkers really added colour, but in WoT perhaps they decided to keep terminology as easy to understand as possible. 

Not sure I am very convinced by that argument, and it was not a simple error in the understanding of the lore, but it certainly is a possibility. 

On the more general topic, I think there are clear differences between,

• changes such as Moiraine being the star, with many changes to enlarge and deepen her role which were very much chosen a priori
• changes such as Perrin killing his wife to try explain his motivations in story (which can also easily be broken in visual nuggets for the "Previously on" preamble), which are trying to tell the same story in a better way for TV or the runtime they have
• changes such as apparently combining Semirhage and Moggie into one character (that looks like what they have done?) to condense the story, or combining the ashagarai and dagger into a light sabre which also serves as a plot device (note, some of these may be better than others, but I'll leave that up to the individual to decide)
• changes such as the blight due to budget and priority of screen time
• changes forced by actors not being available or covid, or other issues.

There is a lot going on. They have to make a lot of changes, I don't see how that is escapable no matter how "true" to the books you want to be. One change I was disappointed with was Maiden handtalk - in my headcanon it is all flicks of the fingers, much more like a really complicated Navy SEAL gesture commands (if anyone understands what I mean by that terrible description). The way the have put it in, does not seem like something you can use while crouched in cover, and it is the opposite of discrete. But they obviously tried hard to make a language that was plausible, presumably also to people that understood sign language, so you can hardly call it a deviation from the source because they don't respect it (just in case anyone missed that making of segment, they actually had an expert in sign language create a series of consistent gestures that they taught the actresses playing the Aiel). 

13 hours ago, gigglemonkey said:

Pineapple, ham, bacon, thin crust and some banana peppers. I'll eat the whole pie 😋

What in the Light are banana peppers? Yeah, I could Google but explanations are more fun.

51 minutes ago, Wayward_fool said:

I have a different way of meditating. Instead of clearing my mind and trying to not think of anything (which is as good as telling me not to think about a pink elephant), I take whatever thoughts come into my mind and learn to recognise it, set it aside and move on. Basically not focus on it in an irrelevant way, I do that before I sleep, just to let it wash over me and then file it into a corner. It also helps if you can focus on your breath and a point slightly above your navel.

 

But I never manage to do it for long. After a while my mind starts to wander again. Usually in a very disturbing and slightly worrying direction.

Good advice 🙂

1 hour ago, gigglemonkey said:

On the advice of my Dad, I've started meditating for about 15 minutes a day before I go to bed, it usually works. I get a good nights sleep and don't get bogged down in obsessive thoughts about things in the past I can't change (I still obsess a little but less than I used to) or things in the future which haven't, and may never, happen.

Meditating is something I always mean to get into. I took part in a trial for mindfulness as treatment for ADD but I never really got into the habit. 

My brother also said it is the thing that has helped him most with his chronic physical problems that no doctor can diagnose since he was knocked off his bike and suffered back injuries.

It is just... stopping thinking. My brain views such new-fangled nonsense with suspicion. But it is is prepared to think about it, lol.

I never heard of that until I came onto DM, and I would normally rate my knowledge of all things unpleasant and childish fairly high. 

It does certainly give a new angle to the Dark One's taint, something I am quite glad I was spared during reading the book. May have spoiled the mood slightly.

2 hours ago, Andra said:

 

Even with the Rod, she couldn't release herself.  She needed another channeler.

Is that so? I seem to remember when Pevara and co. are rumbled with their secret meetings, one of the Aes Sedai says something along the lines of "Is not obvious what they are doing?" and then grabs the Rod, retakes the oath and then declares not to be a Darkfriend. In my head, she did this while everyone was still gawking at her. I suppose someone could have been in the process of channeling, but I kind of remember it differently than that. 

I'd look it up if I could think of what book it was in.

I also think that in the story it is fairly well set-up that no one knows who the Black Ajah is. Like when Moggie is talking to Liandrin and lets slip that she has no idea who they report to, in the Tower or if another of the Chosen is involved.

So in the lore it is established that Moggie would not have been able to tell Egwene. Just as it is established capturing Liandrin and putting her to the question would not help.

I suppose there is the possibility they could have used Moggie to try and out suspected Black sisters, but that would involve letting people know who she was, and would risk her escape probably. I can see Sanderson engineering some sort of complicated so set-up where they cleverly trap Black sisters due to the wording of the oaths or so, but Jordan always seemed happy to leave things such as that no one could know who the Black sisters were just as is.

1 hour ago, LilyElizabeth said:

I'll see what I can do. It's all on Word docs right now.

Well if you need any help don't forget about your friendly neighbourhood aspie 🙂

I'm told I have a deft touch with boring menial tasks 🙂

I think it is fantastic that you take care of yourself. Everyone needs periods where they recharge the batteries so to speak. 

I kinda wish I had something similar. I just find myself withdrawing and then getting to a place where I cannot concentrate on or enjoy what I am doing as it is not productive enough, or well enough done, or I don't take it seriously enough, or I spend too long on it, or I'm not being friendly enough, or being too clingy; preferably where I can beat myself up for being too much or too little and bonus points for being able to do both. 

Then eventually I get enough rest and fed up enough of my own **** that I get out of the pit I was in. I'd love to be productive in there, like write a novel while tripping like Hunter S Thomson, but as of yet I most do stupid stuff because I'm too busy to start anything or too tired to commit to anything but have hours to read comment sections on the Internet. 

So in short, even though I'm fantastically bad at it, I fully support and encourage people to take time to look after themselves. 

The atmosphere had changed in the Riposte - it was palpable that people's attention was now on the prospective job. Kaylee was surprised that the Taraboner was still holding the offer open for her. She carefully lifted her spear so she could lean on it. 

"I have no horse, and well, I can sit on one." Kaylee sounded unconvinced. "The wagons will be good enough for me. I do be in, if you'll still have me."

Yes, she is a bit headstrong. Though that explained by Min's viewing that her children would be born which is a bit lacking as she could have given birth minus a few limbs or in captivity and she is also very reckless with other people's lives as well. But I suppose she is allowed her faults as much as anyone. 

Also I think she is aware that she does not outrank the other Accepted, and that she has zero chance of getting Nynaeve or Egwene to anything she tells them anyway. 

I think this has something to with the way Jordan sees women, definitely how they are portrayed in the book. IIRC Jordan said he grew up in a household with strong women, I don't quite remember the exact wording. 

But most of the female characters are, to use a negative term, bossy. In contrast to the men who nearly universally follow the rules, accept each other's authority, selflessly work for the greater good; if you stick two female characters together they start to argue about who is in charge. Three and you have a fight. A lot more and you have the cluster**** that is the White Tower. 

The exception to this Elayne, who has been trained in diplomacy. I cannot help but feel - probably completely incorrectly - that a lot of the female interactions are based on Jordan's own experiences of, say, his relatives cooking Thanksgiving dinner and as such he sees Elayne as above this kind of kitchen politics. Of course it could just be she has been specifically trained on how to get along with groups that are disagreeing, but I cannot help picture a scene in a Southern kitchen when the issue of who's stuffing recipe is going to be used and it looks like things are about to turn nasty. 

That is my take anyway.