The concept is called empathy. You should try it sometime...
Thanks for the offer, but I'll keep my empathy for real people, or at least for the main characters who are more than one line in a conversation between Suroth and Semirhage.
And no, I did not cry. But I did get where RJ was coming from. You don't have to see blood and gore to appreciate the horror of a thousand deaths unless you have an emotional range and imagination that can be fit in a teaspoon.
Or you just need to get a grip and stop being dominated by emotions and focus on the main character and his quest to save the whole Wheel of Time.
Name a few? Cairhein? That was Asmodean. Andor? That was Rahvin. Arad Doman and Tarabon? That's Ishy, Moghedien and Graendal. The Tower? That's Mesaana. The Aiel? Asmodean again.
Whatever chaos Rand bings is being exacerbated by the Forsaken. It is called "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule".
Whatever chaos Rand bings is being exacerbated by the Forsaken. It is called "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule".
But the Tower isn't Mesaana - the Black ajah pushed ahead with that long before she arrived, and she's contributed little. Moghedien did nothing in Tarabon except send her people off on missions which results in almost nothing. What has Graendal done in Arad Doman that is so terrible? Elayne clearly has no problem with Andor now that she's the queen - it's not like she's weeping about how Rahvin ruined the place. I mean, the day after Be'lal died, Tear was normal, which shows what a bang up job he did.
So, let's get this right. It is not in facts that we are dealing here but emotions. You don't really care about the Forsaken's competence, you care about the emotional response their actions generate. How can you claim to be rational about this then?
Because fantasy is about the main characters and their journey through the series, and how they are affected. It's not about distant tragedies with no emotional connection to the reader.
It'd be fair if you said that the Forsaken's atrocities leave you cold. I think differently, but that's a matter of perspective. But when we discuss competence, it is a matter of facts and numbers, which you must agree are on the Forsaken's side.
Almost none of the Forsaken's domains are in chaos or anarchy... Be'lal in Tear, Sammael in Ilian, Rahvin in Andor... all are almost exactly the same. Semirhage is a success, and I would say Mesaana too only because of the contained zoo she lives in which makes it so easy to manipulate. How did Aran'gar really affect Salidar? How did Osan'gar affect the Ash'aman... they are all two star efforts at best.
Causing serious trouble is possible when they are not kept busy infighting. You did see that I mentioned that right?
I saw.
So the Forsaken are incompetent because the Light will eventually overcome the hurdles and unify to fight them? You do realize that but for those hurdles, the Shadow could have been wiped out by now?
So you think the Forsaken are competent. Not even the Forsaken think they're competent.
I'm still a little confused. Is there a rule that someone should be blamed for not killing the major protagonists? Because that is certainly not the goal of the Forsaken! They have been, till recently, told nothing about killing these people.
You're right... the antagonists clearly have no unsaid destiny regarding the protagonists. You make as if they move along two separate plot threads and don't even interact.
Again! I cannot believe that you missed the significance of Moridin playing Sha'ra. Spreadin chaos is the main job, not killing the Dragon. For god's sake, the prologue to tGS has a conversation that proves exactly that!
The goal is to break the Wheel of Time dammit. Moridin also wants the ta'veren dead, and said in WH that it would be fine if the Forsaken killed Rand if he tried to cleanse the taint. I don't deny that spreading chaos is a goal... but it's a distant second IMO to killing Rand. That's also in Prologue according to Graendal!
The goal is to eventually either turn or kill the Dragon, but for now, with the Wheel protecting him overtime, that is not an option at all.
Well that's all I'm saying.
And Moghedien is your gold standard of Forsaken competence?
Yeah how dare I mention the Forsaken as examples of Forsaken who are going after the girls. At least send me a list citing which of the thirteen you approve of so I can use those instead.
As for making them damane, that is not killing them. And that they did not end up damane did not change the fact that this incident drove yet another wedge between two factions of the Light.
I know it's not killing them... it's disposing of them. Demandred is happy just severing Rand - they merely have to dispose of the protagonists.
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This message last edited by Sidious on 03/10/2009 at 05:09:07 PM
Are women really bad generals?
- 01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM
1512 Views
No.
- 01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM
944 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
- 01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM
1035 Views
Lol... too true
- 01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM
926 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains?
- 01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM
942 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance".
- 01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM
769 Views
but you are difficult to please
- 02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM
722 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light
- 02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM
672 Views
You can't have it both ways....
- 02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM
754 Views
Why not?
- 02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM
718 Views
Yeah
- 01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM
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Re: Yeah
- 01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM
738 Views
I thought the same in the past...
- 02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM
715 Views
Gah! Hate!
- 02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM
727 Views
Ah, come on...
- 02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM
700 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet.
- 02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM
713 Views
- 02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM
713 Views
Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
- 01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM
788 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops
- 01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM
671 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too
- 02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM
665 Views
Well, yeah. They're knowledgable and deadly in person. Generalship doesn't come into it.
- 04/10/2009 12:09:50 AM
647 Views
nope
- 01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM
793 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin
- 01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM
1098 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though.
- 01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM
693 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat.
- 01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM
608 Views
- 01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM
608 Views
Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general
- 01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM
749 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician.
- 02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM
729 Views
My opinion
- 02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM
1097 Views
That's a poor excuse
- 02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM
633 Views
I disagree
- 02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM
733 Views
Re: I disagree
- 02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM
930 Views
Oh, puh-lease.
- 02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM
877 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
- 03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM
697 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
- 05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM
3153 Views
I always know I've out-argued an idiot when they fall back on the tired old "RJ wanted it that way"
- 06/10/2009 04:42:11 AM
737 Views
And I can tell you're through when you've gotten to three+ insults per paragraph.
- 06/10/2009 05:46:24 PM
846 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst
- 04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM
785 Views
Men and football.
- 05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM
710 Views
She didn't kill anyone! Why SHOULD she feel guilty? She gave necessary orders.
- 06/10/2009 03:33:15 AM
812 Views