Wild Theory #1!

[Weltall]

Mat and Tam lived in the same town.

Mat is Tam spelled backwards, and vice-versa. This can only mean one thing, I just don't know what.

[Great Rumbler]

That...they live in the same town?

[Laser Link]

I bet it could mean two or three things. But I still don't know what.

[A Black Falcon]

-They are actually the same person who teleports back and forth!

-Robert Jordan was lazy!

-They are actually brothers but don't know it like in all those lame movies

[Dark Jaguar]

The truth is they both live inside books and want you to find the pages, but which one is evil, or are BOTH of them?!

[Laser Link]

Tam can't be evil. But Mat has been corrupted by Morridin, has died and come back (twice), and has all those messed up memories from otehr people, some of whom were probably evil. Plus he was a prankster to begin with. So I vote for Matrim. That just sounds like an evil name.

[A Black Falcon]

What, you think he'll get all corrupted and turn evil? Who knows... its as likely as anything... :)

[Laser Link]

Nah, I doubt Mat will turn evil. Not unless that whole thing about a circle of 13 Myrrdraal and Aes Sedai ever comes up. That would be pretty freaky.

[A Black Falcon]

I'd say anything could happen... there is still lots of evil in the world, to say the least...

[Great Rumbler]

Definitely. There's not much white, everything seems to be black and shades of grey.

[A Black Falcon]

And the black seems to be doing pretty well.

[Great Rumbler]

In most fantasy books there are clearly defined boundaries between the "good guys" and the "bad guys", but in WOT those boundaries are very unclear and almost anyone can be a bad guys and other people wouldn't know it. There also seems to be a lot more bad main characters and just more regular people who are bad guys and even some of the "good guys" are sometimes working for their own agendas.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah. Most fantasy has a very clear line between good and evil... but WOT doesn't do that. It makes it more interesting, for sure, to have so many greyscale characters and sides... sure it does mean that things look very bad, as there are what, five or six truly good people in the world, but it makes the series a lot better to have so many people in the grey... its a lot more interesting and realistic.

The only truly good people are the main characters... and some of them are messed up or manipulated into doing bad things, so not even our main characters can be counted on to always be good.

As for evil... there are a lot of evil sides, but they aren't too friendly... there's the Seanchan, who aren't evil by choice but defend a flawed system, the Trollocs, the Darkfriends, etc...

So what do you think will happen? Can the good guys win? I don't know... it'd be lame to have a 'all the bad guys died and the Seanchan Empire saw the light, etc" ending unless it spends quite some time setting up what'll happen... even then I don't know. It should have a good ending, though... we'll see.

But I hope it keeps going for quite some time... its such a great series, I don't want it ending soon. :)

[Great Rumbler]

Well, Mat is destined to marry a Seanchan, so that might be a factor in what happens eventually. What I think will happen is that the war between Rand and the Seanchan will end in some kind of draw. Such as: The Seanchan realize that defeating Rand will prove to costly so they negotiate a truce.

[A Black Falcon]

Well then how about what the Seanchan do to the Aes Sedai? That can't stay...

[Great Rumbler]

Maybe as part of the truce the Seanchan go back to their continent and release the Aes Sedai that they had captured.

[A Black Falcon]

You'd need more than just a truce to make a change that big in their society...

[Laser Link]

I have a feeling that Rand and the Seanchan won't fight all that much more. It depends on how long until the Last Battle comes. I think at that point they will join forces out of necessity to defeat the Dark One, but who knows what will happen after, if there is an after. I also enjoy that there are so many borderline characters, because you don't know if they are selfishly trying to get ahead while still doing good or if they are evil. The only ones besides the main characters who I trust are the Aiel (excluding the Shaido, of course) and the Two Rivers soldiers. The Aes Sedai are all too old fashined and selfish to do anything truly good, even the rebels, and most of the Asha'man have been corrputed by Taim and his posse. Hopefully Logain or Rand can fix that. The Asha'amn that have been with Rand and Perrin are probably okay. Well, until they go insane. :)

[A Black Falcon]

I don't know... it certainly is possible that the Seanchan could come to a peace agreement but until their society changes it can only last so long...

Oh, and I'd worry about the Aiel because of all the Aiel leaving Rand's side and joining the Shaido... and certainly all of the Aes Sedai. The main group of course, and the rebel group because of how that evil person has some control in some ways over Egwene... as of book 9 anyway...

[Laser Link]

Yes, Halima is Egwene's "helper". But do you know who Halima really is?

[A Black Falcon]

Evil! That was my point!