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You can't have it both ways.... fionwe1987 Send a noteboard - 02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM

I'm saying they're generally difficult to kill, which they are. But the Forsaken themselves haven't managed to kill a single major protagonist. Sorry, I don't care that there's anarchy in Seanchan, or that Eben and Cabriana died. We're intimately involved with the main characters and our emotions are seated with them. There's nothing more poignant than Rand recalling fallen comrades who died fighting these people - but we'll never see that now, unless Leah gets your heart going. Too bad, you'd have to have your head read to join the Shadow... apart from the obvious reasons. Nynaeve can rest assured - with almost every Forsaken dead, and every darkfriend dead in a grave, she's the safest woman in the world.

Either they are competent and capable or lame. Just because you don't have an emotional response to the results of their competence, you cannot call them lame!

Fair enough, you don't care about millions of deaths, you want a few deaths among the fifteen or so major characters you're reading about. The rest of the deaths are insignificant to you. But a Forsaken's, or any villains, competence can hardly depend on the number of people he kills who you care about!

RJ has chosen, so far, to not have any of the major protagonists killed. Personally, I don't see why they have to die to make the story interesting, but that's a personal preference. You can criticize RJ for not having major characters killed. But why heap scorn and blame on the Forsaken? Many of them have died after exciting fights where they've certainly done a great job, and it is a combination of unfortunate (for them) circumstances that lead to their defeats.

And while you don't care, they have also spread chaos in the world, resulting in who knows how many deaths.

And all this despite being in a world that is far removed from the one they grew up in and having access to none of the technology they are used to.
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Are women really bad generals? - 01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM 1629 Views
I think that all we can conclude from this... - 01/10/2009 07:39:49 PM 919 Views
No. - 01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM 1089 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM 1153 Views
Lol... too true - 01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM 1085 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains? - 01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM 1149 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance". - 01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM 892 Views
Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 04:25:37 AM 872 Views
Re: Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 03:48:13 PM 790 Views
but you are difficult to please - 02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM 857 Views
Re: but you are difficult to please - 02/10/2009 03:46:56 PM 811 Views
Re: but you are difficult to please - 03/10/2009 06:17:21 AM 788 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light - 02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM 794 Views
You can't have it both ways.... - 02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM 887 Views
Why not? - 02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM 854 Views
Re: Why not? - 02/10/2009 04:27:00 PM 775 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 06:34:16 AM 858 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 07:40:16 AM 820 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 05:07:51 PM 790 Views
Yeah - 01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM 883 Views
Re: Yeah - 01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM 855 Views
I thought the same in the past... - 02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM 831 Views
Gah! Hate! - 02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM 844 Views
Ah, come on... - 02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM 834 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet. - 02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM 835 Views
Yeah, I can understand that! - 03/10/2009 12:23:25 PM 682 Views
Unless... - 01/10/2009 10:49:55 PM 886 Views
Re: Unless... - 02/10/2009 05:07:14 AM 934 Views
Well, it's entirely hypothetical, - 02/10/2009 06:31:32 AM 801 Views
Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM 923 Views
What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 04:28:49 AM 880 Views
Re: What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 03:52:24 PM 798 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops - 01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM 803 Views
Further... - 02/10/2009 12:14:44 AM 847 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too - 02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM 788 Views
Just one point ^_^ - 03/10/2009 12:51:50 AM 813 Views
nope - 01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM 945 Views
Re: nope - 01/10/2009 09:32:38 PM 1022 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin - 01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM 1233 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though. - 01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM 820 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat. - 01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM 732 Views
Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general - 01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM 878 Views
Right, which was what we were discussing at first. - 02/10/2009 04:13:43 PM 803 Views
Yeah, I'm supporting your point about them both being generals - 02/10/2009 06:10:31 PM 836 Views
true, but she does pretty good - 02/10/2009 01:06:03 AM 879 Views
Oooh I forgot she's in charge of Elayne's lady guards. - 02/10/2009 03:22:57 AM 752 Views
Egeanin or Leilwin - 01/10/2009 10:35:53 PM 950 Views
A ship captain is like a calvary general - 02/10/2009 01:24:37 AM 815 Views
Right. - 02/10/2009 01:36:59 AM 812 Views
Well said. (And its short and to the point.) - 02/10/2009 03:54:23 AM 941 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician. - 02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM 853 Views
Isn't this more of an outgrowth or her respective specialty? - 07/10/2009 08:40:46 PM 778 Views
My opinion - 02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM 1247 Views
That's a poor excuse - 02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM 765 Views
That's a poor argument - 02/10/2009 04:02:53 PM 1016 Views
Re: That's a poor argument - 03/10/2009 04:26:55 AM 838 Views
I disagree - 02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM 840 Views
Re: I disagree - 02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM 1085 Views
Oh, puh-lease. - 02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM 1001 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM 830 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 08:26:27 PM 723 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM 3304 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 893 Views
um - 08/10/2009 07:36:52 PM 1125 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst - 04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM 939 Views
Men and football. - 05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM 862 Views
It's the only thing men are allowed to do in Randland - 02/10/2009 03:09:19 AM 862 Views
My thoughts - 02/10/2009 03:12:46 PM 763 Views
.... - 04/10/2009 03:38:44 AM 773 Views

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