Stuff Brandon says

[michael.clinton83]

I could picture this question coming up when Mat attempts to retreive the Horn.

[Negawonka]

Or Narg asking Bela...

 

Aren't all important story resolutions handled that way?

 

I agree with it being Selucia asking Tuon. While someone may ask Egwene when he goes and gets the horn, I doubt much will hinge on that moment since by now Egwene probably knows that for anyone else it would just be a horn. If they want the horn sounded at the last battle they either need to give it to Mat or kill him and give it to someone else - I don't see the latter being given any serious thought.

 

No big surprise in Mat being central to a Seanchan peace with Rand as far as I am concerned.

[Ataxia]

Could be about Rand entrusting his armies to Mat

[Alleluia_Cone]

Criteria:

 

1. Something like GRRM. Makes Brandon think he should either feel awesome, apologize, or take a shower. (Brandon has only read GOT.)

 

2. Involves a death.

 

3. Has mythological underpinnings which will provide material for post-AMOL discussion.

 

4. Is appropriate to read while listening to Minas Tirith theme music.

 

5. Is a moment of awesome...for someone. Not necessarily the dying person or the somewhat cruel person.

 

6. Involves cruelty, not necessarily on the part of the MoA person, or the dying person.

 

7. The cruelty is not necessarily that of a Darkfriend.

 

My first thought was simply Lan and his army making a kind of last stand paralleling both the Battle of Thermopylae and Faramir's last charge from the film version of Return of the King. Everyone, Lan and his entire army, will be slaughtered down to the last man, upholding the oaths they took as Malkieri. In so far as Brandon thinks of a scene like this as reminiscent of GRRM, my guess is he is alluding to slaughter in general, and making sacrificial oaths (i.e., the King's Guard during the Tower of Joy scene).

 

Anyway, those are my thoughts. They do seem to cover all bases.

[lordofsoup]

Im a little late to this party, but it is common knowledge that GRRM likes to kill people, right after building up their character. As a writer, Brandon Probably knows that.

[Terez]

Since he's only read the first book, I don't know if he has that same impression that we have. And his comments do indicate that it is the death of an individual, not a slaughter.

[Sharaman]

"Mat Cauthon" -- how many people normally use his surname and dimunitive together? The Aiel and Seanchan use "Matrim" + "Cauthon". The Two Rivers-ites generally use Mat.

Maybe a TR-ite trying to be formal? Or Elayne to Rand? Or Egwene to Nynaeve?

[kraefzke]

Mat himself uses it that way iirc. Might be him talking third person....maybe to Tuon. Something about Seanchan armies or whatever.

[Aquarius]

Mat himself uses it that way iirc. Might be him talking third person....maybe to Tuon. Something about Seanchan armies or whatever.

Either a Mat PoV, like you propose, or just Brandon trying instinctivly to save a few letters in his Twitt (even if it's not needed)

[Alleluia_Cone]

Since he's only read the first book, I don't know if he has that same impression that we have. And his comments do indicate that it is the death of an individual, not a slaughter.

 

Perhaps you're right but the only scene I can vaguely describe as awesome and at the same time cruel from Game of Thrones is Daenerys' last chapter (more specifically, Daenerys' actions in that chapter).

 

That got me to thinking . . . Denethor and Faramir's funeral pyre . . . Daenerys' and Mirri Maz Duur . . . I think you can see where I'm going with this.

 

Anyway, that's one way of looking at it.

 

But I remain more confident that the scene in question involves an unsuccessful last stand of sorts and that it involves Lan dying. After all, couldn't you describe the way Boromir dies as awesome and cruel at the same time?

 

Not incidentally, I think the far greater clue is the reference to the Minas Tirith theme music. Brandon saying the scene in question is reminiscent of GRRM might be a gross simplification on the fact of one of the main "good guys" dying -- something ASoIaF is quite famous for and which WoT has steadfastly refused to do through the first 13 books in the series.

[ptolemy99]

Perhaps the Red Keeper to Egwene?

[Terez]

Ah, now this is a nice clue from Brandon:

 

Brandon

Now, to fire a gun that has been sitting on the mantle since the middle (chapters 30-40) of book 3. #AMoL. Guess away.

And then he linked the Wikipedia entry for Chekhov's Gun.

[Sharaman]

13x13 I guess? Isn't that the point in TDR when the BA tell the three girls that fades have been summoned to Tear?

[Terez]

It's first introduced in chapter 22, so no go.

[yoniy0]

Hey, Terez, thanks for setting me straight in the topic I've opened.

 

To the point, I like the idea about Lanfear's argument with Ishamael (she made it clear to him that she doesn't serve him, only her so-called Great Lord). It could also be Rhuarc's death, I guess, as the narrator flirts with that idea when the wondergirls first meet him. Or the fact that a Fade knew Nynaeve carries Lan's ring. Or even - though this is pretty weak - Nynaeve's frustration with losing Dailin after having Healed her, as a foreshadowing of her resurrecting Rand.

[The Desert Pea]

Someone figure it out for me, I don't have access to my books at school.

[b3arz3rg3r]

Skimming through those chapters I'd say the one thing which is the most like Chekhov's Gun is that scene of Ishy and Lanfear in Perrin's dream, when he asks whether she has broken her vows to the DO. I'd say Lanfear breaking them would be the minimum requirement if Rand is to rescue her.

 

Aside from that the next likeliest possibility is Faile wondering whether Lan eats rocks for breakfast to achieve his stony countenance.

[talligan]

After flipping quickly through the book that big pack of darkhounds get introduced in chapter 33. My guess is that big pack of darkhounds.

[OptimusPrime]

I wonder... what if one of the Forsaken were to pose as Mat? Hello Demandred? That would kick ass

[Hopefire]

Most subtle thing I can think of:

Perrin's thoughts about the Pattern being a fine and intricate thing created by a master smith. Since I suspect that Perrin will play a major role in sealing the Bore, he might end up forging part of the Pattern itself in TAR. As Perrin is now a master smith, he would create his true masterwork to seal in the Dark One.

 

Most random thing I can think of:

Lord Orban returns, in all his might and glory!

 

Most tenuous thing I can think of:

In the chapter The Falcon, Faile references how there are things in the Mountains of Mist that haven't been seen in thousands of years. Perhaps Lews Therin's palace remains somewhat intact? Will Rand bury Ilyena's remains?

 

Most obvious thing I can think of:

Egwene dreamed of kings dying in Fires in Cairhien. I don't think that we've actually seen a king die since that point, much less multiple kings.

 

Most outrageous thing I can think of:

Min tries to kill Rand, foreshadowed by Rand's section in The First Ship. Probably under a compulsion. Perhaps Min is one of the Aelfinn/Eelfinn or something else that's not quite human and her entire conscious mind is a construct hiding something that's working for the Shadow (think Boomer in Battlestar Galactica). Something. And so Min tries to kill Rand. Given how throughout the series Rand has always known he can trust Min, how that's been said so many times (most memorably to me just before Semirhage puts the leash on him) I would think that Min turning on Rand for whatever reason would be the ultimate gut punch.

[a_lily_in_winter]

Ah, now this is a nice clue from Brandon:

 

Brandon

Now, to fire a gun that has been sitting on the mantle since the middle (chapters 30-40) of book 3. #AMoL. Guess away.

And then he linked the Wikipedia entry for Chekhov's Gun.

 

There are a surprising amount of 'Chekhov guns' in these chapters but most of them have been shot.

 

Most likely gun is that Lanfear claims T'A'R as her own. I can see her taking out a number of people in their dreams or in T'A'R in aMoL. There is some hint of that at the end of ToM.

 

Less likely things:

 

The pattern finally reveals why it was important for Perrin's thread that he meet Gaul.

Moraine is reading a notebook looking at things near the beginning. Maybe something in that notebook is important to Rand.

Elayne and Aviendha marry Rand.

One of Egwene's dreams about the Seanchen that she doesn't want to think about.

[Vam]

lets hope he kills off olver.

[Cybertrolloc]

Possibilities from 1st Printing DR Mass Market Paperback. Looking for newish/first things that to my knowledge aren't resolved.

 

Ch 30: Mat in Tar Valon (leaves WT, dicing, Gray Man attack)

- Our first look at Tar Valon? (All stone building, lots of connecting bridges, etc)

- Mat's luck, gambling montage is a bit weird.

- Raab: sailor, dark, tight curly hair, follows Mat around a bit.

 

Ch 31: Mat meets Thom, they head to the harbor

- Story of Mara and the 3 foolish kings :)

- Crime in Tar Valon.

 

Ch 32: Mat and Thom on Gray Gull (Capt Huan Mallia), Rand interlude

- Lots of Tairen prejudices though of course Be'lal involved with some.

- How did DF crew know where to find Mat? (Besides reading the script.)

- Rand + prophetic dreams? (Eg,Ny,El trap, Callandor, Min one probably Lanfear but...)

 

Ch 33: Per, Lan, Mo, Loial in enter Remen (Gaul and Faile and such)

- Darkhound print on Lugard Road (Murandy/Altara border?)

- Darkhound/s went through Remen--after Rand?

- Merchants discussing trouble in Saldaea: Taim maybe, but when?

 

Ch 34: Perrin frees Gaul

- Perrin's in a fugue too, also Rand maybe. Interesting.

 

Ch 35: Out of town, enter Faile

- Loial's writing philosophy: he has to like things he writes about

- Faile's story of Orban. Also the Blackwood since we've never been there?

 

Ch 36: Perrin in TaR

- Enter in fog, Hopper leads to Ishy snatching people into TaR for orders presumably.

- Lanfear and Ishy power struggle, but we have little more on this iirc.

- Scent of darkhounds in TaR when he sees Rand?

- Perrin and being balefired in dream by Rand = weird. Result on waking = weird.

- Mo's notes.

- Rand's wierd merchant party + gray man encounter, but not sure how that could be a Chekov.

 

Ch 37: Eg, El and Ny's ship quagmire

- Rhododendrons.

Ch 37:

- Who did Suian trust to set up them up with gold?

 

Ch 38: Eg, El, Ny meet Aiel.

- Maidens: Avi, Jolien, Bain, Chiad, Dailin. Also Bain + Chiad wedded?

 

Ch 39: Eg, El, Ny captured/rescued but they totally would have been fine

- Adden wants fat cargoes, not women... But we have Cabriana later?

- This group, all DF?

- How do you order up Myrdraal anyway? (Amused but don't smile or anything else noteworthy--one seems better at sensing the power. So maybe the girls did kill an early rev SH.)

- Amused Myrdraal handles Lan's ring.

- Douches with later editions: is it still Melaine that harries Rhuarc west?

 

Ch 40: Mat and Thom in Aringill

- Who was Aludra shopping whatever to?

 

So out of the above, the TaR stuff comes to mind, but not up for comparing to later (and don't have ToM anyway). Depends on how far out on a limb you want to go to say the girls killed SH who might hold a grudge but not act on it for 10 books :)

 

So anyway, tons of characters not seen since. Lots of places we haven't been back to (check out TaR stuff following).

[Southpaw89]

well if it has to do with the literary technique of Chekhov's Gun, it's gonna be something that is discussed to where we'll prob notice it but not really understand it's significance until the scene he's referring to in AMoL. That being said, it's gonna have to be something pretty darn important

[Terez]

I figure we'll finally figure out why RJ said that Mat has the Dark One's own luck.