Seth and Travis discuss an infamous, dark, and complicated moment in Rand’s journey, when Alanna becomes much more than just another Aes Sedai. The chapter accelerates really quickly, and by the end you see hints of Darth Rand coming through. Content warning for discussions of assault. Death is lighter than a feather, duty is heavier than a mountain – and Rand feels that he is being beaten to death with feathers. He is a far more reluctant adventurer than any hobbit ever was! He is in Camlyn trying to figure out how to run a palace and also prepare the world for the Last Battle, setting the seeds for the fateful trip to Shadar Logoth in A Crown of Swords. Worried at the arrival of two Aes Sedai, he walks into an inn to the surprise of a gaggle of girls from back home, and then is bonded by Alanna in one of the most serious violations of consent in the entire series. How much did Verin influence Alanna’s actions in this moment? How much does the warder bond protect and benefit Rand for the rest of the series? How differently could this situation have been, if a different woman had bonded him first and with his consent? What does this conversation have to do with the very real issue of male sexual assault? Seth and Travis take their best shots at these questions, but the discussion is never truly over. Registration for SpoilerCon2020 is open! Go to www.spoilercon.org for all the details, and sign up for the SpoilerCon2020 newsletter to be up to date on all the things! WoTSpoilers is a twice weekly book-club.  You can join the conversations that make the podcast on Discord. Remember, Seth is still a “nerd in a basement” who would rather be creating content full time than working a 9-5. You can help us create the content you love and become full time podcast creators by donating on Patreon Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/wotspoilers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wot_spoilers/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WOTSpoilers/

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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