at least the ones that also include OP weaves, they are almost always shown as something the channeler does on an almost instinctual level. Nynaeve's healing ability, which Sumeko and Flinn both also basically discovered, Elayne's ability with ter'angreal, Neald suddenly figuring out how to make weapons, Androl making gateways despite not having anywhere near the strength to even bother to learn the weave. All of these Talents are shown as somehow connected to the person's personality in other ways as well. Androl was well traveled, Nynaeve and the others were always drawn toward healing, even Semirhage's sadism could be seen as linked (in a horribly negative way) to her Talent. Graendal's controlling nature leading her to Compulsion's various forms, which may also be connected to a Talent. Even Verin's healing ability being vastly stronger in the diagnostic arena fits her curious nature much more than an actual healing abilty.
No this is really just an attempt to make the Talent fit the channeler. You must be able to switch ot around too. Is Graendal the only controlling Forsaken... Shouldn't Lanfear and Demandred also be good at Compulsion? Same for all the others. Seriously though, many people in our own world are born with Talents that they use or don't use. People who are good at sport don't always gravitate that way. Sometimes they reject it. It's likely its nice to be good with something as a channeler... The effects can be profound, as well as the notoriety. In fact, there is no good link to Semirhage's Talent with Healing and her sadism. She should hate the Talent, but it made her world famous and gave her fame and power, so she used it. Androl and Berowin are examples of people with truly amazing Talents, and I think their history isn't significant. I think you are raising a chicken and egg scenario, which might have merit but I doubt it.
There are many problems with your previous post. Semirhage may be weaker in weather but according to what... Then rest of the Forsaken who are all among the best channelers in memory? I'm pretty sure Semirhage could conjure up something that no one in the WT could match, and that Asmodean was referring to single channelers who could create tempests and earthquakes to the same degree that she could Heal. Semirhage's "simple" act of dissolving Cabriana's clothes made the AS panic it was so complex and it's hardly a Talent, so compared to a Windfinder she might not be too bad.
When you can transform hundreds of tons of iron into cuendillar in seconds like Egwene can then it's a significant Talent. So while I agree that everyone has every Talent, it is only really remarkable when it's effects are profound and disproportionate, so no one has a Talent until they are awesome by peer review.
Your own list shows that strong people have more Talents. Forget Semirhage, we have seen Rand, Ishamael and Lanfear use Healing. Rand says his ability is weak and he's not interested in it, but he's at least average in ability. Rand has made it rain in the desert, and Ishamael has conjured up similar weaves. Only LTT, Ishamael and Semirhage can block gateways. Funny how Moiraine says that there aren't ten women in Tar Valon who can make fog follow a river like she can. She's the strongest non-retired Aes Sedai and she has this ability as well as Healing. This does not mean that weak people don't have Talents, but strong people sure do get a lot right in this series!
RJ certainly went out of his way to show us that Talents and personality traits go hand in hand ... doesn't really matter if it's driven by Talent or the other way around, the point is the author wrote it into nearly every character in one way or another. It's obvious he wanted us to see that there was a relationship between OP abilities/Talent and personalities.
I think it's pretty obvious that Semirhage had limited ability with weather in a broader scope here. What point of mentioning it in the context of weakness if she was still effective at it? And why would she hate the very Talent that enabled her to "take her pleasures"? Without her high level Talent she would have been forced into much more mundane techniques, like Temaile was, to fulfill her sadism. What she did was a twisted reflection of Healing. According to RJ, IIRC, she was already far gone before the bore was even drilled.
Let's look at the other major strength channelers with NO Talents:
Asmodean
Sammael
Mesaana
Be'lal
30% of the Forsaken had no major or minor Talent and Lanfear shows only 1 as does Moghedien and Graendal. Maybe, Rhavin and Demandred might have a single Talent each, Compulsion and Traveling respectively, and Semihage might have had a second Talent with Traveling, but it's never 100% confirmed.
Ishamael uses the TP almost exclusively so nothing he does can be called a Talent of the OP.
I think you are conflating Skill with Talent to be honest.
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