Burn It! Randland Cursing and Mat (Favorite Moments?) - Spoilers Possible

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This is an extremely minor and nitpicky thing, but it continually irked me that "Burn me!" became "Burn it!" in the last three books. I know that cursing generally evolves, but "Burn it" never felt quite right. That was the only standard curse that seemed to change, and I just couldn't read it without a little cringe inside.

As other people have mentioned, Mat takes the most noticeable hit in Sanderson's books. I'm not going to outright complain about Sanderson's efforts in finishing the series; it got done, and that's that. But Mat... he suddenly turned into the archetype "comic relief" character, always trying to be funny. The old Mat seemed to rarely try to be funny; at least, he was at his funniest when he was back-pedaling, trying to talk himself back out of the trouble he just talked himself into.

I loved Mat throughout the whole series, and he remained one of my favorite characters for the last three. I just wish Sanderson didn't try so hard to make Mat "the funny guy"...

In an effort to spark some good conversation, instead of just having a one-post rant, what are some favorite Mat moments? One of mine is:

When Mat goes back to Ebou Dar after Sindhol, and keeps getting asked if he lost his eye in a bad bet.
 

Satrim Kha'os

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Probably Mats victory curse after escaping Tower of Ghenjei. I can't remember what the actual curse was, I'll have to find it again.
 
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Probably Mats victory curse after escaping Tower of Ghenjei. I can't remember what the actual curse was, I'll have to find it again.

Ah, that is a great Mat moment!

Mat spun on the tower and pointed upward. "I know you're watching!" he said, thrilled. He had made it. He had bloody made it out alive! "I beat you, you crusty boot-leavings! I, Matrim Cauthon, survived your traps! Ha!" He raised the ashandarei over his head. "And you gave me the way out! Chew on that bitterness for lunch, you flaming, burning, misbegotten liars!"
 

Satrim Kha'os

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You found it!! Haha!! Mats happy swearing is always better than his frustrated swearing moments.
 
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Haha, good one Kyla Sedai! That one got me laughing out loud the first time I read through it. Mat is explaining to the guys that there was no way he was going to get surprised again like in Hinderstap. And Thom asks "And the way we're going to avoid that is...?" and Mat jumps in "With elaborate backstories and aliases, yes!"

Then he does it again going back to Ebou Dar, and is all annoyed that the gate guard doesn't even want to hear his contrived story about saving children from marauding bandits!
 
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"But I don't want to leave my great-aunt," Mandevwin protested. "She's cared for me since I was a child! It's not honest of a man to abandon an elderly woman just because she gets a little confused."

"There is no great-aunt," Mat said with exasperation. "This is just a legend, a story to go with your false name."

That is a funny little scene, Kyla Sedai. It comes close to being over-the-top, but it makes up for its absurdity by being hilarious!
 
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I loved those parts too! Yes they are over the top but they really made me laugh (particularly since
I really disliked the whole odd zombie-like thing going on in Hinderstap).
 
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I loved those parts too! Yes they are over the top but they really made me laugh (particularly since
I really disliked the whole odd zombie-like thing going on in Hinderstap).

I didn't particularly dislike that series of events; in fact, the mystery involved of "What in the name of a bloody goat's left stone is going on!?" was (I admit) quite exciting. What did bother me about that was Mat's snarky comments after it was said and done, and Thom reprimands him. A good example of Mat suddenly trying too hard to be funny. After what goes on there, I know I'd be too busy looking for a new pair of breeches to be cracking jokes.

"There's too much tragedy here for levity" One of Thom's best quotes, as a matter of fact.
 
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I do love that quote from Thom, and I agree that figuring out what the heck was going on was exciting, but
I'm not a zombie fan. The current trend in books/movies includes lots of zombies, and I felt like the Hinderstap situation played directly into that trend. That's my biggest reason for disliking it.
 
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:laugh: yeah, something like that :P
 

Ryu Shadowborn

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I loved those parts too! Yes they are over the top but they really made me laugh (particularly since
I really disliked the whole odd zombie-like thing going on in Hinderstap).

Zombies? I thought they were more akin to werewolves

also you guys are ignoring the best swearing in the books.

Eylane's attempts at learning how to properly curse are the best part of her!
 
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Ah, good call! As others have said, that's one of Elayne's more humanizing characteristics. I love the scene in the Rahad (I think?) when Mat notices Elayne practicing the curse he just used, but assumes it was just his imagination. And how delighted Elayne is to meet Uno, the walking curse encyclopedia. Those are some of the few moments Elayne doesn't make me consider skipping chapters like I did in elementary school.
 

Almira ni'Caldazare

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My favorite Mat moment is more of a friendship scene than a joking one.

I love how he brings a badger in a bag with him when he goes to visit Perrin. They meet at an inn after and just talk. They start their conversation where they left off like nothing happened between the leaving the Two Rivers and now. It is just a really nice, home-y scene before the battle begins.
 
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Good point Ryu. That's another way to look at them, and it makes a lot of sense. Still, I wasn't a fan of that part. *shrug*

Elayne's swearing was kind of cute and kind of irritating at the same time. :laugh:

Almina I love that scene you mentioned! That and him hanging out with Brigitte, and his shock when she acts just like he does. :P
 

Ryu Shadowborn

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I actually have defaulted to WoT cursing while at work since we are not allowed to use actual curses.

Nothing has actually gone bad enough for me to use "mother's milk in a cup" yet though.
 
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I also enjoyed that little scene, at that point it has been such a long time since we have major characters reunite. Mat's sneakiness is one of his best traits. How he slips through the gateway unnoticed, and in the Stone of Tear, how he just "disappears" whenever Moiraine's eyes-and-ears close in on him.

It make me chuckle a bit how Perrin uses "Master Golden" as a psudonym. Since, y'know, Perrin Goldeneyes has become a tad well-known. Who could possibly make that connection?
 
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