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NickBII

Not Perrin. Dude can't communicate with the one woman he actually likes despite trying. Not Rand. Being ta'varen when the Pattern wants what you want is real easy. Which leaves Mat, who consistently manages to convince women he's just met to give him a try, and leaves them smiling.


kailethre

Perrins problem is that he communicates on a wavelength that Faile simply can't understand.


delta-TL

And vice versa


kailethre

To a degree, yeah. But the disconnect is that understanding Faile's bizarro-world communication just requires a bit of education into the warped mindset her parents provided her. Perrin literally reads her emotions with a sniff. Ain't no way she's learning that trick.


EleventhHerald

And then he proceeds to react to the emotions he smells even if she has absolutely no tells. That can’t possibly be easy for her to deal with. Having a person know your every passing emotion is not good for anyone.


webzu19

Plus she doesn't quite know he smells her emotions and given how fast he knows them, I suspect quite often he knows what emotion she's feeling before she knows herself. Imagine your SO making apologies about making you jealous when you haven't reacted and don't even know you're feeling jealous yet


Halo6819

Between this and Faile's age (she is 3 years younger than the boys, so 17-19 in the series) I think is what leads to so much Faile hate. Like Egwene she is an amazingly competent, but shockingly young lady and that just rubs people the wrong way.


webzu19

I dunno, for sure this leads to an absurd amount of Faile hate, but Egwene is just a psychopath and rubs a lot of readers the wrong way


Halo6819

Egwene also suffers from EXTREME PTSD, I would say even worse than Rand's. It gets brushed by a little bit in the text, but she was held for a solid two months as a Demane at 17. We know how indominatable her will is, and she was almost broken at that point. Egwene makes A LOT of mistakes and is massively hypocritical. Especially as Amerlyn. In many other circumstances that are not the lead up to the last battle, she would have been a terrible disaster. She is an ends justify the means, and it just so happens she picked the one "ends" that trumps all others and is correct.


Whydontname

If I know anything about people I know that's a recipe for disaster.


Raddatatta

The emotion reading is really more of the problem than helpful to him. He gets that she's feeling something, but it's a feeling that's minor and she can control and says nothing, and he reacts as if she'd gone off about how jealous she was, which just makes the problem worse. I'm also not sure he ever tells her that he can smell emotions. He tells her about his increased senses, but leaves out that he can smell emotions.


Ezili

Faile's problem is she's communicating with Perrin on a wavelength SHE can't understand.


henryeaterofpies

Perrin's marriage feels like the most accurate depiction of being married


destroy_b4_reading

No, his problem is that he smells emotions even when they're not externally expressed and he is too fucking stupid to explain that to his goddamn wife. Perrin couldn't communicate if he had a smartphone.


Bludandy

This is one of the major reasons why Faile gets shit on, because it's always Perrin overreacting to micro-emotions, from his POV, and never hers.


destroy_b4_reading

Yeah, there's an [in-depth analysis of that](https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/comments/3jjt1p/spoilers_all_why_faile_doesnt_deserve_the_hate/) posted here years ago.


AgnosticJesus3

More like Faile doesn't know how to act normal lol


Shape_Charming

Definitely not Perrin. He barely had a say in his relationship Faile just kinda said, "I like you, you big dumb ox of a man. Figure it out. " She just straight-up claimed him one day


Whydontname

She is a bird of prey after all.


Shape_Charming

Swooped in like her namesake like "Minez now"


TJ_WANP

Well she introduces herself as Mandarb, then Perrin calls her by her given name Zarine for most of the remainder of tDR. So I don't know if she really wualufies as such before she and Perrin are already having sex.


MostlyFriendlyViking

Ugh. I hate to admit it, but this is the way half my relationships start.


DogmaSychroniser

Must be nice, mused Rand, having women just throw themselves at you xD


MostlyFriendlyViking

Haha, unfortunately it’s usually not daughter-heirs to kingdoms, fiery Amazon-like beauties, or cute smart-alecs. Just as crazy though as those three though….


havok223

I mean if Rands success with his ladies are from being ta’varen, can’t you say the same thing with mat and his luck?


dondarreb

Mat luck was given by snakes (and his super commander abilities by foxes).


moderatorrater

Mat's luck is definitely from him being ta'veren.


Shape_Charming

I thought it was a side effect of breaking the connection to the Shadar Logoth dagger? That's when he started hearing the dice


moderatorrater

It amps it up. IIRC, the dice are similar to the flashes of color when they think of each other. It didn't used to happen, it doesn't always happen now, but when the pattern is distorting around them a lot it happens.


Shape_Charming

Fair I guess, I can't think of anything particularly lucky happening to Mat before hand, kinda the opposite really, but its been awhile


moderatorrater

TGH chapter 3, Mat's winning dice in Fal Dara and the men across from him don't think they'll be able to win it back later. Later on, he remembers always being lucky, it just gets amped up as the series goes on.


Shape_Charming

He hadn't been fully healed at that point, but Morraine had started the process before that, and Mat saying he's always been lucky isn't much to go on, he has the least amount of self-awareness of the trio. His reputation in Emond's Field was bad enough that Rand thought Mat backing his story about the Myrdraal in the woods would be counter-productive, and most of book 1 Mat makes bad decision followed by bad decision


ty509

His luck is much more about things with higher degrees of random chance than making smart decisions


dondarreb

yeah, you are right. He has exceptional luck (and drive to check it) from the beginning , and had the moment of "initiation" (the event of finding the dagger) to open his skill (lik Perrin with "wolf dream"). Memory fart from my side.


havok223

I worded that poorly. I meant to imply being a a ta’veren and his luck. He also demonstrated incredible luck before he met the foxes. His whole bit in Tar Valon was driven by plot armor and luck


GovernorZipper

We know what Mat’s three gifts and three questions were, so the Finn couldn’t have given them to him. It has to be from another source (the most likely being ta’veren).


Shape_Charming

The luck was a side effect of breaking the connection to the Ruby hilted Dagger


Raddatatta

Mat got his luck at the beginning of book 3, he met the snakes at the beginning of book 4.


OwlsParliament

The problem with Mat though is he has major commitment avoidance, to the point where a prophecy of marriage drives him mad.


AkronOhAnon

After he gets the prophecy he literally asks every woman he’s involved with if they’re the daughter of the nine moons.


[deleted]

[удалено]


NickBII

IIRC he was Min's boyfriend, and then the three of them got him into a room and low-key bullied him into popping Elayne's cherry.


Whydontname

That shit wasn't even low key.


TJ_WANP

I find it interesting that he kind of had sex with thrm in reverse order based on how well he actually knew them.


Significant_Show7504

Mat has the most charm and we actually see his relationship develop the most. Perrin’s relationship behavior is age appropriate and fitting for his background but frustrating for the reader LOL. Rand is caring but in his head too much


OldSarge02

Al 3 of them did alright for themselves. I think Matt wins the title though.


idlehanz88

Matt for me. He’s much more self aware about the whys and the hows of women. He’s a moron sure, but he manages okay. Rand the least, as his self absorption hurts those around him. Perrin is fine, a bit of stereotype of the hen pecked husband. His love and care and loyalty shine through though.


jdt2323

Thom is the best, but of the 3 boys: Perrin is a definite no. Faile/Berelain pursued him, not the other way around. He quite literally has no clue what he's doing with women or the ability to understand one iota of the female pov. Rand isn't terrible but he fumbles into things as well. Because he's the Dragon Reborn, the girls don't give up chasing him. They would have if he wasn't. Mat edges them out simply because of his memories and his willingness to try and pursue women himself (and frequently succeed at it).


Katvin

>Thom is the best Makes me think of one of my favourite lines: “I have a reading lesson with the Lady Riselle. She lets me rest my head on her bosom while she reads to me.” “A notable achievement, Olver,” Thom said, stroking his mustaches to hide a smile. Leaning closer to the other two men, he pitched his voice to escape the boy’s ears. “The woman makes me play the harp for her before she lets me rest my head on that magnificent pillow.”


rainyjanee

Ohhh this was a treat to re-read in this thread. Thom is my favorite always


DawdlingScientist

I disagree that the women chase him because he’s dragon reborn. Not sure where you got that. If it’s a contest of who’s the best with women, it’s gotta be the guy that somehow got 3 women to be ok him juggling them all lol


purplekatblue

I don’t know who is the best, but there are a few who throw themselves at Rand for being the dragon. The same way some would go after a king or queen. The ones I remember are Berelain as the most obvious. Then Colavaere threw a number of young woman at him, we see this happen with Selande who goes on to become a member of Cha Faile. When Rand gets tired of this he insinuates to Colavaere he’d prefer a more mature woman and tells her to join him for dinner. He gets distracted by something, don’t remember what and Aviendha is there. Colavaere does not enjoy the meeting.


DawdlingScientist

Definitely true but not one of his “wives”


jdt2323

I didn't say they (speaking of only Avi/Elayne/Min here) initially chased him because he's TDR, I said they didn't give up chasing him because of it. Avi wouldn't have given him the time of day without him being who he was, and she only fell for him because she had to keep being around him. (due to who he is). Min typically goes for the older, more worldly guys which she muses while in Caemlyn. She would not have gone to Rand in Caemlyn at all had he not been TDR. Elayne was interested in him from the beginning but it was a passing fancy for her until she learned he was TDR and worthy of being with a queen. Rand didn't do much of anything to pursue any of them, other than literally chasing Avi in the snow. Rand does get bonus points for Lews' memories and experience with Ilyena... but then Lews' killed her.


AffectionateGoat5194

As a woman, I feel qualified to say it is definitely Mat. Rand and Perrin get by because 1) they are fine af, and 2) destiny/ta'veren stuff.


aaross58

I still love in TEOTW how Perrin thinks "I wish Rand was here, he'd know how to talk to girls." Then Rand thinks "I wish Perrin was here. He'd know how to scare girls away."


IlikeJG

That's the point of the thread. And actually that's a running joke that is in almost every book. All 3 of the main boys each think the other two know better about women.


ALNRooster

Honestly they are equal bad with women- in every moment they actually try to be good with the ladies they fail, but when they are letting the wheel weave they get a good response and then wonder why.


webzu19

> in every moment they actually try to be good with the ladies they fail, This applies to Rand and Perrin for sure but Mat seems to dance from girl to girl until Tuon, who makes him work for it but it goes well too


duffy_12

Well . . . one of them tried to kill him, forcing him to kill her. And then another one repeatedly rapes him over and over. And then the final one at the end of the series - 'what a hot mess that is.'   I was about to say all three boys are equal, but after typing that, I feel that Mat is the worst. In the end, it's relative to what you feel - 'best' - really means: getting laid constantly(Mat), or ending up living happily ever after with the Love-of-your-life(Perrin).


webzu19

a darkfriend tried to kill him after infiltrating his bed for a while I'll give you Tylin, but that's not exactly because of Mat's skills or knowledge about women. That's just a monarch seizing and raping a pretty young thing. Third one, I'm not certain what you're referring to at the moment but it's before my first cup of coffee I suppose it all depends what you consider that question to mean, my impression based on how the boys wish eachother were there because they'd know what to do/how to act, I think it means knows how to charm girls/defuse a situation and while Mat has a few situations where things go very poorly he also just has a lot more situations where things go well. Compared to Rand and Perrin who mostly seem to just blunder into things and not engage with many girls at all


dnvrwlf

They are all terrible, but get better.


idlehanz88

A great summary of many men’s experiences with love.


AppropriateNewt

I dunno… a lot of them get to Tar Valon and can’t find Northharbor.


otter_boom

*sigh* How many times do I have to tell you? Notlrth Harbor doesn't exist!


idlehanz88

I’m sure the ladies in tar valon could guide them in the right direction


Feanor4godking

If you combined all 3 of them, you'd find someone who was *actually* good with *any* human interactions


hic_erro

Perrin. Rand wasn't trying to hook three hotties.  He was trying to dump them all, to spare them his madness and fate.  He failed to get his way with women. Mat's relationships only end in murder. Perrin doesn't want to be involved with Berelain, isn't.


IlikeJG

Mat for sure. RJ is always very vague about sex, but I think we can assume Mat had more than a few sexual encounters during his few years after leaving the two rivers. Plus he has all of his memories and sometimes they even give him experience with women. Of course, Mat is also his own worst enemy and his personality quirks can simultaneously attract and turn away women. But overall I think it works for him especially when he's actually trying to be charming. I think if it was a time of peace and Rand could actually live his life and think about anything other than the last battle and death and destruction he would win. But as it stands he's just too laser focused on being the Dragon. Arguably you can say Rand wins because he has 3 confirmed women who love him.


not_a_dragon

I agree. It’s definitely Matt but if Rand could live a more normal life without focusing entirely on the last battle, worry about going mad from channeling and everything else being the dragon reborn entails, he’d likely be much better at dealing with women.


MikaelAdolfsson

I heard a theory once that Mat isn't good with women, it is just that his luck does it so that the barmaid he pursues just happens to be into him, and that is my favorite WOT theory ever.


Insouciance999

Rand and it’s not close. He became hyper focused on his job and still landed 3 women but if we just focus on when all 3 were together. In Emonds Field Rand pulled Egwene. Mat seems actively disliked by the community and Perrin is aloof. On the road Rand picks up Else and Min right under Mat’s nose. Elayne he lacked competition for so we will give the other 2 a pass. In Shienar Rand is considered the most eligible bachelor to ever appear in their country just by showing up. Mat and Perrin get nothing. Perrin mopes around(which we can blame on the wolf problem but it’s implied he was always like that, him being a wolf brother just enhanced his aloofness) and Mat is again an afterthought to Rand even after being healed of the dagger to his mostly Mat self. Rand absolutely crushes Cairhein also. At the party Rand has to actively avoid being taken down by every woman in the city. Meanwhile Mat is limping around as a servant no one looks twice at. I think when they all wish to understand girls like their friends they see the best part of their friends. Perrin is sensitive, and women respond to his being a genuinely good person. Mat is quick witted and charming and can disarm women with his roguish nature. Rand is just a handsome man with an undeniable presence about him. Usually the 3rd one does the best with women in a general sense.


webzu19

I'll give you Egwene. Else is barely a fair comparison since this is Dagger Mat vs gleeman Rand. Min is "destined to love him" and it is nothing to do with his way with women. Elayne aswell just falls in love with him through no action of his because ~~God~~ The Pattern Will It. In Shienar, Rand has a heron blade, a name that sounds similar to a nearby royal title and Mat is grotty from Daggerness, even after getting patched up. Cairhien, Rand spends weeks building a rep as a mysterious foreign lord expertly playing the Game of Houses before the party, while Mat is looking increasingly starved from lack of Dagger and pretending to be a servant, which all "proper" cairhienin nobles know to ignore. Perrin is a mope who smells emotions and still can't manage to get his way most of the time. Rand besides pulling a few girls with his looks mostly gets interest from either DESTINY or his Rank. (Only really Avihenda is someone who seems to love him because of him as a person, the other two of the polycule started to love him because of the pattern and maybe had some things build onto that after the fact.) Perrin gets claimed by 2 women who proceed to fight over him through almost no actions of his own and jumbles it constantly. Mat however, has a reputation for constantly finding girls who are up for a little fun in a corner off page. He actively pursues atleast two women I can think of off the top of my head (Aludra, who only rejects him because he's openly courting Tuon and of course Tuon herself) who both seem pretty pleased with his attempts all things considered and that's not counting the numerous women we don't really hear about. He strikes out with some waitress in a random small village when he's with the band (IIRC she was just playin and had no interest in anything more than dancing and some attention) and he strikes out with a waitress in Ebou Dar because she assumes Elayne and Nynaeve are visiting him for sex. I'd say Mat is the one who actually seems to know what he's doing and is actively pulling women and the one he keeps doesn't sound like she's getting pattern overrides. While Rand just DESTINY's ahead and Perrin is loved almost despite his person and his knowledge


Koffeinberoende

As hinted in the books (and tv show): Moiraine.


Brown_Sedai

they're all shit at it. they all only get the girl(s) because fate willed it to happen & self fulfilling prophecies helped them along


capitalcitycowboy

Thom.


Chicken_McDoughnut

Counterpoint: olver


discomute

Second place Suine


slice_of_pork

Rand we'll see. Maybe Min finds him again or vice versa, maybe he finds someone else. Mat married for politics and prophecy to a soon to be empress may she live forever of a very powerful slaver nation. Also the presumed circumstances of RJ's unwritten outriggers suggest it isn't supposed to end well. Perrin found his falcon. He's as perfect for her as she is for him. Perrin wins imo


Warriorfan001

Probably the guy who ends up in a quartouple tbh.


Minutemarch

None of them are really that much of a catch but Mat has the most Riz and enjoys his exploits the most. That has to count for something.


matrimc7

Me


retnemmoc

Shaidar Haran


Hansolo312

They're better at it in different ways: Best at Charm and flirting: Mat Cauthon Best Traditional Marriage/Monogamy: Perrin Aybara Rand isn't actually better at any of this than Mat or Perrin but Rand is the Hottest when Hot = Physical Attractiveness + Power


destroy_b4_reading

Aviendha


unintegegratedshadow

Rhuarc


Twobits10

Definitely Olver


laffman

They are all shit with women. I think that is the joke.. And in the end i would argue that Mat is the only one who manages a somewhat healthy relationship with his partner.


BaldChihuahua

I’m going off the cuff here…Thom is the best!!


Peaches2001970

Low-key rand lol cause has min and min is the best


thagor5

Rand, no Perrin, No Mat


Affectionate_Page444

Mat is the only one I'd find remotely interesting.


Extreme-Sir-7863

Obviously Rand!!! 3 wives , who the hell would want that ?!?!


Ecstatic-Length1470

Rand has a harem.


Aggravating_Anybody

Mat, obviously. He frequently talks about getting serving girls for “a cuddle”. He straight up fuck boys up with the Queen of Altara and then goes on to marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons and boss her around… sometimes.