The Wheel of Time

The bits I remember are that Sheinar borrows from Japan (topknots, communal bathing, minimalist art style that gets mentioned once), Tear dresses like China (at least on the commoner level), and the Aiel are a bunch of pasty Native Americans.

@Griever: I actually liked Far Madding's matriarchal shit because I could see where it came from. The city's in the middle of an anti-saidin field, so we're looking on something that was basically founded on the principle of "please let us not be murdered by the insane male channelers." So that fear gets channeled, no pun intended, into rules designed to make sure that the male population can't become a threat.

edited 6th Nov '14 1:59:50 PM by rikalous

I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but one of the most fascinating things about Wheel of Time (to me) is the fact that it's a fantasy world where the 'original sin' (here defined as a construct to justify the balance of power between sexes) was caused by men.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.

From what I got, the actual event was perpetrated by a mostly gender-neutral team, but men got the short end of the stick and caused the calamity everyone remembers.

Also re: The cultures: Since a lot of cultures have historically had pretty big egos about 'their way', and many still do, while I find the arrogance frustrating I don't find it unreasonable. Also, you reminded me of one of my favourite moments so far: When the ex leader of the Aes Sedai admits that they ball-busted a kingdom into submission with their wills because she thought there was a small noble who could stabalize a region... and the noble was subsequently shot dead by a peasant a few months later anyways. If nothing else, the Aes Sedai ego provides some nice opportunities to knock them down a bit. I just wish that knocking them down didn't so often seem to revolve around magical castration.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

Rand might be on the way to megalomaniac nutcase, but damn if it isn't satisfying to see him tell the Aes Sedai to sit down shut up and listen. On a totally unrelated topic, fuck Cadsuane.

Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.

Didn't the Far Madding Ter'Angreal also prevent female channeling? I seem to recall that. It does not matter if it makes sense thought. Inns provide complimentary switches so that wifes can discipline their husbands. No amount of lore justification makes that ok.

Cadsuane is from Far Madding.

edited 6th Nov '14 2:41:40 PM by GrieverVIII

It did, yeah, but over a smaller area. And realistically, it'd be less of a concern post-breaking.

I'm not saying it's okay as in "I think that inns should provide complimentary husband-beating switches." I meant in the sense of "it makes sense that this society exists in this setting and I am not annoyed at Jordan for creating it."

Oh, I was never annoyed with Jordan. I was annoyed with Far Madding for being a bunch of sexist assholes.

Edit: Going more into it. All of the cultures have issues as well as things going for it. Even the enslaving Seanchan bring order and stability. Far Madding on the other hand rubbed me the wrong way and I could not see anything positive about it.

edited 6th Nov '14 2:52:05 PM by GrieverVIII

Ah, guess we were talking past each other then. I just think it's a neat bit of worldbuilding, where you can see where the unreasonableness would arise from.

I can also appreciate it in that sense while being simultaneously annoyed.

edited 6th Nov '14 2:59:11 PM by GrieverVIII

Oh God, Cadsuane is the worst character for exactly the arrogant stubbornness thing I've been talking about.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

Are you kidding Cads is the best.

She's the only person in the world willing to stand up to Rand on his bull and call him out on it. She takes no ones crap, she answers to one but her own conscious, and best of all she's an old crotchety grandma who can kick ass and sling not only with the best of um, but as the best of um.

"You are never taller then when standing up for yourself"

I think that kind of character relies a lot on how much you agree with them. I enjoyed Nynaeve much more in the first book because I was pretty much in line with her, but as she drifted more into a position I didn't care about I found her more and more grating.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

I dunno, I'm fond of Nyneave even when she's being an asshole. (It helps that it's made clear she still cares deeply about people and wants to Heal away all the bad.) Love that line in her narration about wanting to hit people with a stick until they realize that they can't fix everything with violence. I can handle a fairly large degree of stupid shit from characters as long as it seems like I'm supposed to agree that it's stupid shit. Take Rand's mental list of dead women. If it was presented as noble instead of insane that he was so hung up on the women who died around him while being fine with sacrificing men, I'd want to throw the book across the room.

Oh, I still Like Nynaeve. It's just... I want her to be better, I guess? I feel like she's kind of spiralling out of control in terms of her denial and anger issues Thanks for that, Egwene. Just frustrating to watch. And it doesn't help I hear that while she does get better, she pretty much drops off the face of the earth afterwards.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

I like Cadsuane, mostly because we really need less people enabling Rand's bullshit.

Up until he actually gets a good idea, and that's where her plan to basically be his no-man sorta falls apart.

Also, no love for Gareth bloody Bryne and his bloody laundry?

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.

Did... did you miss an entire series worth of Aes Sedai marching up to Rand and demanding that he do exactly what they say, because they're Aes Sedai and thus axiomatically know better than him (and, indeed, better than everyone else) by default? Even after he was demonstrably the single most personally powerful person on the planet, barring maybe one or two of the Forsaken? And after he'd said in no uncertain terms that he was tired of Aes Sedai bullshit and he'd happily set the next person who tried to bully or manipulate him on fire?

Seriously, one of the most infuriating things about the series for me was the endless stream of people — including, but not limited to, 99% of Aes Sedai — who saw everyone else (including and especially Rand) as pawns to be controlled, rather than allies to be worked with.

I actually quite liked Siuan, largely because she's one of the few people who didn't (try to) just bully her way through all her problems. Granted, that was because she couldn't, but still. A lot of other characters couldn't either, and that didn't keep them from trying.

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

@Griever: Well that makes a lot of sense. As for that place, I'll judge it when I see it.

Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.

That's not what I'm talking about, though. Yeah, Rand is unambiguously the single most powerful person working on the side of the Light, but that doesn't suddenly make him Jesus Christ. The guy has some serious issues, and they aren't all prompted by his madness, they're just as much prompted by the fact that he tries to isolate himself from others so he can make the 'difficult decisions', all the whole contributing to the chaos that's starting to tear the world apart.

Cadsuane is a character who fails at, but at least tries to, teach Rand "laughter and tears." That you can't just wall off your emotions and rely on cold logic to rally the world behind you. That something got lost in translation when he started thinking that the only thing making right, is might.

What Cadsuane doesn't realize in those teachings is that Rand is mule-stubborn, just like the rest of the Two Rivers folks, and that her idea of bullying him around was doomed to fail from the start (something that Moiraine actually realized before she and Lanfear went out the window.) Her one method of improving others doesn't work on a guy whose response to being hit is to hit back, and he's much more strong-willed than anyone really gives him credit for.

edited 7th Nov '14 4:58:58 AM by math792d

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.

I couldn't stand Cadsuane either. I felt so happy when Tam stood up to her after his confrontation with Rand.

Wo T mock summary captures her spirit well:

"Doctor Who means never having to say you're kidding." - Bocaj

Okay, those are hilarious.

Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.

Ok fine, I am currently doing a reread my self. So far I am in Path of Daggers. Cad is annoying me a lot less than on previous rereads. I supposed its because I am older and find Rand's current behavior less badass and more insane. Maybe she starts being a lot more annoying later on, I can't recall.

I interupt this regularly schdueled silence to inform you that no, hell has not frozen over, but this really is happening. Tonight, in only a few hours- it will air right after in Living Color at 10:30 pacific time. I highly highly highly beseech anyone with cable with watch it- even if it's terrible- in order to demonstrate interest in the property and a possible full length series. That is all.

"You are never taller then when standing up for yourself"

Waaaat

Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.

I shall pass, as I do not own cable.

If someone sees it and it looks good, however, I'll see about getting my mitts on the episode somehow.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.

It looks like one of those things where they're cranking it out on the cheap to hold onto the rights, but Mage said it was still well-acted and shit. Don't have cable, so I'm just passing on secondhand information.

From someone who's in this thread.

I like to feel like I'm contributing, okay?

edited 9th Feb '15 1:11:46 AM by rikalous