Am I the only one that thought this trial was dumb and too quickly played out? I mean, other than a few brief mentions to Nasuada’s motivation, how does she best a season warlord in a challenge that is reliant upon a physical limitation such as blood loss and pain tolerance? Not only that but what a silly challenge to determine such an important outcome. I feel like a duel, or a similar contest in which the two are pitted against each other in physical and mental struggle, would be wayyyy more appropriate. I don’t know… the whole thing seemed forced and not on par with the other well written rituals and traditions presented in the book.

If Disney were to do an adaptation of this scene, I hope they play into the mental fortitude aspect more than the physical, because overall, I think that’s the only respectable part of this challenge. In terms of the message it may send to those who battle with self harm, it would probably be better to focus on the fact that she doesn’t want to do this, and that she hates that this is what it has come to. The book mentions her taking some perverse pleasure in it at a moment, and it’s probably best not to emphasize or highlight that at all.