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Re: Why not? fionwe1987 Send a noteboard - 03/10/2009 07:40:16 AM
Ugh, you're probably one of those people who cried when the Amayar died. RJ was angry that no one cared about this 'disaster' meanwhile no reader has ever even seen an Amayar and we were meant to cry for this. That's like Mars blowing up and we have to weep for a billion dead martians, but we've never even seen one.

The concept is called empathy. You should try it sometime...
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.


But many of these 'losses' are more a result of Rand and the chaos that he brings, and not the Forsaken. Very few of the Forsaken can claim to have created real chaos. Semirhage may be the first real example, and that occurred in KoD.

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".
A\I said distant losses because they have no emotional value. We know Siuan and have walked alongside her - she thus has emotional value. Same with Olver and other people. Do you even care about what's going on in Shara? It's apparently 'bad' according the Aiel, but I doubt you've become angry or sad over something so distant to your heart.

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?
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.

Sorry but I disagree. There's a level of battle above the massive war of the Tarmon Gai'don. Without armies these people could still cause serious trouble in the world, so long as they have some sort of connection to the Dark One - which they do have.


Causing serious trouble is possible when they are not kept busy infighting. You did see that I mentioned that right?
Oh please... the Forsaken couldn't fail more if they tried. With Mat as the Prince of the Ravens, and the Dragon Reborn as his friend, it will be the easiest truce in the world when the whole Blight descends on them. Even the Whitecloaks want to fight alongside the Aes Sedai. Asmodean caused real trouble with the Shaido, and in the end, the Seanchan have 300 damane and the Shaido are going back to the Waste.

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?


Oops... I meant if you can't blame the Forsaken, who can you blame for not killing the Light? It's their job.

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.

Spreading chaos is a subplot for crying out loud. The goal is to kill the Dragon and break the Wheel.

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 eventually either turn or kill the Dragon, but for now, with the Wheel protecting him overtime, that is not an option at all.

Are you serious? What about Moghedien and her long-standing feud with Nynaeve? Lanfear wanted to kill Aviendha. Ishamael told the Black Ajah to get rid of Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene and make them damane.

And Moghedien is your gold standard of Forsaken competence?
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.
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Are women really bad generals? - 01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM 1698 Views
I think that all we can conclude from this... - 01/10/2009 07:39:49 PM 960 Views
No. - 01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM 1134 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM 1205 Views
Lol... too true - 01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM 1125 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains? - 01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM 1202 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance". - 01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM 934 Views
Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 04:25:37 AM 914 Views
Re: Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 03:48:13 PM 826 Views
but you are difficult to please - 02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM 900 Views
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Re: but you are difficult to please - 03/10/2009 06:17:21 AM 840 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light - 02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM 835 Views
You can't have it both ways.... - 02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM 928 Views
Why not? - 02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM 895 Views
Re: Why not? - 02/10/2009 04:27:00 PM 819 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 06:34:16 AM 899 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 07:40:16 AM 876 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 05:07:51 PM 846 Views
Yeah - 01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM 917 Views
Re: Yeah - 01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM 907 Views
I thought the same in the past... - 02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM 875 Views
Gah! Hate! - 02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM 893 Views
Ah, come on... - 02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM 870 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet. - 02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM 875 Views
Yeah, I can understand that! - 03/10/2009 12:23:25 PM 720 Views
Unless... - 01/10/2009 10:49:55 PM 940 Views
Re: Unless... - 02/10/2009 05:07:14 AM 979 Views
Well, it's entirely hypothetical, - 02/10/2009 06:31:32 AM 844 Views
Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM 972 Views
What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 04:28:49 AM 922 Views
Re: What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 03:52:24 PM 837 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops - 01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM 842 Views
Further... - 02/10/2009 12:14:44 AM 884 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too - 02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM 827 Views
Just one point ^_^ - 03/10/2009 12:51:50 AM 861 Views
nope - 01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM 1006 Views
Re: nope - 01/10/2009 09:32:38 PM 1065 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin - 01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM 1279 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though. - 01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM 861 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat. - 01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM 774 Views
Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general - 01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM 908 Views
Right, which was what we were discussing at first. - 02/10/2009 04:13:43 PM 848 Views
Yeah, I'm supporting your point about them both being generals - 02/10/2009 06:10:31 PM 890 Views
true, but she does pretty good - 02/10/2009 01:06:03 AM 921 Views
Oooh I forgot she's in charge of Elayne's lady guards. - 02/10/2009 03:22:57 AM 796 Views
Egeanin or Leilwin - 01/10/2009 10:35:53 PM 997 Views
A ship captain is like a calvary general - 02/10/2009 01:24:37 AM 854 Views
Right. - 02/10/2009 01:36:59 AM 852 Views
Well said. (And its short and to the point.) - 02/10/2009 03:54:23 AM 982 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician. - 02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM 906 Views
Isn't this more of an outgrowth or her respective specialty? - 07/10/2009 08:40:46 PM 824 Views
My opinion - 02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM 1318 Views
That's a poor excuse - 02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM 808 Views
That's a poor argument - 02/10/2009 04:02:53 PM 1067 Views
Re: That's a poor argument - 03/10/2009 04:26:55 AM 880 Views
I disagree - 02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM 889 Views
Re: I disagree - 02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM 1133 Views
Oh, puh-lease. - 02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM 1048 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM 873 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 08:26:27 PM 771 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM 3344 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 942 Views
um - 08/10/2009 07:36:52 PM 1167 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst - 04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM 982 Views
Men and football. - 05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM 908 Views
It's the only thing men are allowed to do in Randland - 02/10/2009 03:09:19 AM 917 Views
My thoughts - 02/10/2009 03:12:46 PM 804 Views
.... - 04/10/2009 03:38:44 AM 818 Views

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