11-08-2021, 07:18 PM
It's an interesting question. If we are considering a more modern day look at gender, what do you with people who identify with genders other than male or female. Non-binary and others. Saidin and Saidar are discrete powers. One cannot channel both in different percentages. So while it is easy to see how you might display a male-gendered soul channeling saiding in a female body, what about a nonbinary person? It someone who identifies as both. If they are channelers...what do they channel? Or do you kind of ignore those possibilities? I'm not arguing in either direction. Just having that be possible widens the world in a way that still feels organic, rather than forced or wokeness.
Having the possibility that the male dragon soul *might* have been in Egwene doesn't really bother me (and my distaste for Egwene has never been a secret ;-) ). Rand's story is his own (reluctant savior type, running away from what that might mean, then being what he thinks he needs to be to do the task) and Egwene's is her own (eager and hungry to be in the thick of things, never shying away from more power and responsibility). I trust that Rand and his story won't be put as second fiddle to egwene's, which I think is the real reason a lot have been worried about the gender neutral (one of you 4/5) wording by Moiraine. They don't want Mary Sue/Black hole Sue Egwene to take over.
I have far more reason to trust the WOT crew than what Goyer and co have done with Foundation (finished ep 8 Saturday). It frustrates because there is so much good there- some of the decisions they made actually make a ton of sense and illustrate the place the Empire was in and why Seldon's predictions were so important. But they betray the entire spirit of the series by making the crucial events and decisions and characters all be outliers- unpredicted and unknowable. That contradicts the very essence of Asimov's use of psychohistory. I won't go into more, but the point is, one of the core themes and part of the world is completely contradicted by the characters they have created.
The WOT crew seem to understand the themes of balance. While he may have fumbled in his execution (his portrayal of women- to say nothing of lesbians and 'lipstick lesbians' that at times bordered on caricatures) balance was key. I hope they remember that.
Hah! I heard Ashandarei too! I was wondering why that would be there! the Battlestar Galactica soundtracks are gorgeous, even having led to live concerts. Interesting to see if that happens with the WOT soundtrack. Hopefully, we hear more variety of world music, as Lauren mentioned.
Having the possibility that the male dragon soul *might* have been in Egwene doesn't really bother me (and my distaste for Egwene has never been a secret ;-) ). Rand's story is his own (reluctant savior type, running away from what that might mean, then being what he thinks he needs to be to do the task) and Egwene's is her own (eager and hungry to be in the thick of things, never shying away from more power and responsibility). I trust that Rand and his story won't be put as second fiddle to egwene's, which I think is the real reason a lot have been worried about the gender neutral (one of you 4/5) wording by Moiraine. They don't want Mary Sue/Black hole Sue Egwene to take over.
I have far more reason to trust the WOT crew than what Goyer and co have done with Foundation (finished ep 8 Saturday). It frustrates because there is so much good there- some of the decisions they made actually make a ton of sense and illustrate the place the Empire was in and why Seldon's predictions were so important. But they betray the entire spirit of the series by making the crucial events and decisions and characters all be outliers- unpredicted and unknowable. That contradicts the very essence of Asimov's use of psychohistory. I won't go into more, but the point is, one of the core themes and part of the world is completely contradicted by the characters they have created.
The WOT crew seem to understand the themes of balance. While he may have fumbled in his execution (his portrayal of women- to say nothing of lesbians and 'lipstick lesbians' that at times bordered on caricatures) balance was key. I hope they remember that.
Hah! I heard Ashandarei too! I was wondering why that would be there! the Battlestar Galactica soundtracks are gorgeous, even having led to live concerts. Interesting to see if that happens with the WOT soundtrack. Hopefully, we hear more variety of world music, as Lauren mentioned.