River-Daughter

So happy to see a purely positive post here about WaT. Loved many of the scenes. Especially Kaladin becoming a herald in a way that still fit thematically with his whole series character arc!

Also, super curious for those who love Tuon! I really want you to explain why so I can like her better.

I mean, there are a lot of bad characters who are easy to dislike in this. I mean Daved Hanlon, or really any of the dark friends, most of the white cloaks, black ajah, forsaken, etc. Those are evil characters! Of the "good guys" that I don't really care for foremost for me is Tuon. For that matter, I know everyone loves Mat but I just don't really admire him all that much. He did a lot of cool things but really despite his best efforts to avoid doing them. He's not a villain at all--I just don't think he's that honorable! But I still think he deserved to be with someone other than Tuon. Frankly I don't like the whole idea of being compelled or destined to be with someone. Didn't like it with Mat and Tuon, didn't love it with Rand and his three... I do like many of the girls that most people don't love. I like Elayne, Aviendha, and Nynaeve especially. I wish I liked Min more. There's nothing wrong with her, I just prefer Rand and Aviendha together. And can plausibly accept Elayne as part of the group, because of the Aiel custom and the two girls are so close. Min just doesn't work in that system and I always feel like Rand just liked her because she was there, not from any real passion and that she liked him almost despite herself, because she had to. It feels so icky and false to me. I don't get the Moraine love. I feel like she could have been warmer and better at communicating, and thereby save all the main characters SO much angst. So I just want her to be written better, or differently. I tend to value characters who are devoted and true without too much complexity. Like the Loial and Birgitte were breaths of fresh air in the narrative. It was hard to read all the scheming between supposed friends! In that way I liked Perrin too. Rand. I like Rand in the beginning and then from the end of book 11 to almost the end of book 13. I hated how the book ended. It ruined his character arc for me. I discovered I tend to love and admire the "old dad" characters, lol. When I get asked who is my favorite character Tam, Davram, and Rhuarc are at the first couple of names that come to mind. I feel like I might have COMPLETELY different choices if virtually the same story was told and Brandon wrote the whole thing rather than Robert Jordan. Top least favorite: Tuon Top most favorite: That's harder. Maybe Nynaeve. Maybe Aviendha.

I found this from Brandon: INTERVIEW: Jan 11th, 2013 Reddit Earlybird Q&A (Verbatim) TIFFRANOSAURUSREX If you had to think into the future of Randland, what do you picture the remaining heroes doing? BRANDON SANDERSON Well, in RJ's notes, Perrin was to be involved in the Outriggers (which would be the story of Mat and Tuon in Seanchan.) So Perrin would make his way there, eventually. (I don't know how that would have worked with Perrin's new obligations.) From here, I stray away from canon (meaning what RJ wanted) and into my own imaginings. I imagine that Rand went to see the world, becoming like Jain Farstrider. Min joined him, and they saw the world. Aviendha and Elayne spent decades, maybe centuries, leading their own people before retiring to join the other two. TAGS rand, perrin, outriggers, min, elayne, aviendha, the harem, mat, tuon, seanchan, fourth age, Linked here: https://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt='the harem' Don't know if this is considered a good source? You guys would know here! I think this makes sense. Except I'm wondering how long Moridin will live. I doubt as long as Aviendha and Elayne but who knows? Anyway, the whole thing feels a little hollow. I'm interested in knowing what others think? Were you disappointed in that respect? If not, can you share your enthusiasm? I want a good resolution for all the characters. I quite liked all four!

Thanks. Well, I guess that's as good as it is going to get! Clearly Robert Jordan wanted to be a bit obscure on that point. Maybe there were three girls so they would have each other in the aftermath of TG? To raise their brood and mourn together. Maybe that's what I'll go with. They're certainly strong enough for it. Maybe Rand will find Ilyena on his travels? I always thought it was interesting that LLT was so motivated to get another chance to have Ilyena back but Rand doesn't seem to be as concerned about his three girlfriends as say Perrin is about Faille. Maybe their role in the pattern was to help Rand learn and grow, to love him and help him succeed? For his part, he always seemed to love ALL the women in his life without much distinction. He'll probably find love again. Anyway, thanks again Nameless!

Hello all. My first post here. I just finished the Wheel of Time. I came to it after having found Brandon's work first. I honestly struggled with aspects of this series throughout, but I'm glad that I persevered. There were some really cool story lines and characters that I loved. I have to say though, I'm disappointed by the ending. I had a hard time with Rand having 3 girlfriends throughout the WOT. I guess I can see circumstances where that would work and I can accept that this is a fantasy world. Further, its funny because the authors did a great job of convincing me that the girls were ok with the set-up. I just never found Rand to be totally reconciled to the arrangements and that's what dampened the very end of the series for me. If he was just off on his way to travel, without pain and without the burden of the world I could be happy for him. But he has this crazy love life arrangements that will never really allow him to be free. And I'm not sure the Rand that I really admired throughout the series, the boy who admired the stability of his adopted father and that posses such a deep sense of honor, would really be ok not being present for the SIX children that were due to be born within less than a year, nor would he want to be? I'm trying to come up with my own "ending" beyond the end that satisfies some of these concerns. I thought I'd reach out here to the Brandon experts to see if he ever opined about what he thought happened "after the ending"? I know he is hesitant to give his opinion too freely since he reverently regard's this as Jordan's story. I just wondered for those of you deeply familiar with Brandon's writing if there is a way to use his craft to reimagine the ending so that it seems more hopeful of a truly happy ending? Would love to hear other opinions! Thanks!