Whats the most annoying thing Rand did?

[badhead]

Is there anything Rand did or said, that made you want to slap him?  I hated when he would not let the maidens of the spear fight.

[HeadlessLover]

It really annoyed me when after he and Aviendha had sex he avoided her on purpose because he's a 'lecher' for enjoying sex. I didn't realize RJ was a puritan.

[Ryrin]

Rand was treating Moiraine badly while they were with the Aiel, right before she went through the door.

[Pokeriser]

It really annoyed me when after he and Aviendha had sex he avoided her on purpose because he's a 'lecher' for enjoying sex. I didn't realize RJ was a puritan.

 

Robert Jordan, a puritan?! He's the kinkiest goddamn puritan I've ever heard of, if that's so - the kinky undertones of the series were pretty blatant. RJ did have a pretty stereotypical view of country bumpkins, though.

 

Most annoying thing Rand did? Hm... I think I would have liked the story more if he had taken up Lanfear on her offer, in honesty :) Hehe, but realistically, him denying Lews Therin always infuriated me. If they had just merged earlier he could have been the greatest ruler and administrator since Artur Hawkwing...

[Rhienne]

For me its abandoning the Black Tower after setting it up.  He should have checked up on it from time to time!

[David Selig]

Is there anything Rand did or said, that made you want to slap him?

Hell yeah, he got on my nerves a lot throughout the series.

 

Not being able to ever kill a woman is probably number 1 in the list. Especially when said woman is

1)literally one of the most evil persons who ever lived

2)about to kill him and thus doom the whole world

 

His absolute idiocy in dealing with Elaida's embassy which got him captured is really annoying too. He had thousands of Aiel Wo, why not take a few of them to check who can channel or not among the women who were part of that group?

 

Giving total control of the Black Tower to a guy who he met 5 minutes ago and not supervising him at all after the initial two months was just really dumb. Even after some of Taim's top men tried to murder him, Rand did nothing to deal with Taim.

 

Agree on not letting the Maidens fight.

 

That list of dead women he kept.

[Pokeriser]

 

 

That list of dead women he kept.

 

 

To be fair, he was kind of insane at that point.

[szilard]

 

For me its abandoning the Black Tower after setting it up.  He should have checked up on it from time to time!

 

 

Yes, that was really annoying.

[Suttree]

 Hehe, but realistically, him denying Lews Therin always infuriated me. If they had just merged earlier he could have been the greatest ruler and administrator since Artur Hawkwing...

 

To be fair, he was kind of insane at that point.

 

[Barid Bel Medar]

The only thing that annoyed me about Rand was his treatment of the Black Tower. 

 

The rest I can sympathise with, the not killing women is a hindrance to be sure, but it's not exactly the worst thing hang up you could have. If he liked killing small children, well, I might be annoyed at that. But I can live with him not wanting to kill women. Flaw though it is- it is a nice flaw. 

 

The rest was understandable, whether it be from insanity or other reasons. His treatment of the Black Tower, however, was foolish on his part. When Logain comes to him, it is understandable that Rand is too afraid to return and deal with it, but it should never have gotten that bad in the first place. 

[thom_merrilin]

Difficult. Certainly the Black Tower ranks up there. The not killing women I don't see as a flaw. it caused problems for him and others. If Aiel women are brought up to fight Rand refusing to let them fight was callous as it goes against their lifestyle. So, for me, it's his refusal to let women fight. that at times seriously annoyed me.

[Mr Ares]

 

 Hehe, but realistically, him denying Lews Therin always infuriated me. If they had just merged earlier he could have been the greatest ruler and administrator since Artur Hawkwing...

 

To be fair, he was kind of insane at that point.

A convenient quote for just about any Rand action after book two or so.

 

The not killing women I don't see as a flaw. it caused problems for him and others.

It causing problems for him and others is something most people would consider an indicator of a flaw.

[Pokeriser]

 

 Hehe, but realistically, him denying Lews Therin always infuriated me. If they had just merged earlier he could have been the greatest ruler and administrator since Artur Hawkwing...

 

To be fair, he was kind of insane at that point.

 

 

Smartass 

 

He denied being Lews Therin almost before he had even become conscious of the fact that he had channelled, and sure, the voice was a manifestation of the madness caused by the taint, but it was caused by his naive insistence that he wasn't Lews Therin, that these memories in his head were some foreign influence. The list, on the other hand, if I recall correctly only really became a thing after he decided to become stone, wasn't it? Didn't he start reciting it after he got locked in the box? I can't actually remember 

[badhead]

What annoyed me about the not killing women thing was the fact that he went on about how it was wrong to kill women. Yet he is ok with condemning them to a life of misery. Then he acts like he is better than the person who whats to give her a quick death.

[Zhon]

What annoyed me about the not killing women thing was the fact that he went on about how it was wrong to kill women. Yet he is ok with condemning them to a life of misery. Then he acts like he is better than the person who whats to give her a quick death.

 

Well to be fair, they specifically say that it's a leftover of Manetheren ingrained in every male of the Two Rivers - some more strongly than others, obviously, but still.  They believed that it was better to take their own lives before harming/killing a woman.  So it's not entirely Rand's fault, plus Lews Therin's obsession with the woman he killed didn't help things much.

 

 

As for me, I'd have to go with Rand completely blowing off Logain's concerns about the BT even after the guy tracked him down to tell him - in great detail, mind you - exactly what Taim was doing to the Asha'man.

[lilltempest]

Is there anything Rand did or said, that made you want to slap him?  I hated when he would not let the maidens of the spear fight.

 

There were things he did that annoyed me throughout the series, but there are only four that made me want to slap him so hard his teeth would have rattled: 

 

1. His dismissal of the BT and leaving those men (and their families) at Taim's mercy. My annoyance at him over this grew after Logain showed up and tried to tell him what was going on and he dismissed it as Logain being jealous. Trusting Taim more than Logain was pure idiocy on his part. 

 

2. Selling 47 Asha'man into a lifetime of slavery to Aes Sedai simply because he didn't have the stones to stand up to Egwene and lay the blame for the bonded women at the WT's feet due to their outright declaration of war against the BT and everyone there. Yes, the orders Elaida has issued - to gentle and hang every man there (apparently even the ones who couldn't channel) - had been destroyed by Logain but he could've easily ordered his two snotnosed twitty warders to tell the truth about the situation. As far as I am concerned, at the point he decided that he deserved no loyalty at all from any man who could channel. 

 

3. When he allowed Elayne and the other two to bond him, knowing that if any one of them died the snapped bond could kill him or drive him even crazier. 

 

4. Not telling Cadsuane to treat him with respect, and to never lay a hand on him again, or to GTF out. And, furthermore, to follow through on the threat. I would love to see what she would've said to that, and if she'd follow his rules or leave him alone. 

 

Ah, I remembered one more...so there are five...

 

5.  Not balefiring Semirhage into oblivion after she destroyed his hand. Or, at the very least, not ordering her execution. He could have saved himself a great deal of pain, and earned more respect from those around him, if he'd just done away with the bloody woman. 

[Mr Ares]

 

What annoyed me about the not killing women thing was the fact that he went on about how it was wrong to kill women. Yet he is ok with condemning them to a life of misery. Then he acts like he is better than the person who whats to give her a quick death.

 

Well to be fair, they specifically say that it's a leftover of Manetheren ingrained in every male of the Two Rivers - some more strongly than others, obviously, but still.  They believed that it was better to take their own lives before harming/killing a woman.  So it's not entirely Rand's fault, plus Lews Therin's obsession with the woman he killed didn't help things much.

In Rand's case, he explicitly makes killing women the line he will not cross.

[Kuston]

How about not putting Egwene in her place time and time again.... no this isn't a sexist thing... its an Egwene needed to have her head knocked in thing..... no Im not a sexist pig..... example?

 

Rand goes to TV to tell her about the seals, she tells him that she's going to hold him, he simply tells her she isn't.  Sorry no.... He knows he's to die to save her and the rest of their sorry rears, and she thinks at this late date to control him.  Always pushing him where she thinks he should be, with no thought to the fact that he's the one of the wheel, the one of prophecy... and he's supposed to let himself be pushed around by a trumped up willful girl????  Granted in this instance he used her own nature against her letting her gather the armies, since he knew she would stand against him and try to force his h and, by talking or violence if necessary.  The utter hubris of the character is beyond stupidity, and Rand never telling her to simply go jump in Dragonmount, or if she didn't shut up he'd drop her there himself ALWAYS pissed me off.  The fate of the world in the balance and some trumped up little girl thinks she's right and will force the flipping worlds savior to do her bidding because she wants him to. 

 

Sorry but Egwene is my most detested character of the series, and when this question popped up, well the above was my first thought, and only thought.

[Quadrillium]

Rand has done a great deal of annoying things in the books, so it's hard to choose just one. In no particular order:

 

1. Not killing or allowing Semirhage to be tortured for information because she is a woman. Not because he considers himself above murder or torture, but because the most evil human being in the world who will command armies of monsters, darkfriends and dreadlords in a war against humanity and the Wheel of Time itself, but because she is a woman. Does this imply that, if he caught a random Darkfriend woman in the process of killing his father, he'd let her get away with it rather than risking killing another woman? Arbitrary and wrong priorities which are not explained either by his "madness", nor by his country bumpkin upbringing. If anything, someone with the mentality of a country bumpkin would be strongly inclined to view someone like Semirhage as a force of evil, or an inhuman monster, rather than a woman. Thinking of one of the most despicable traitors to the human race as a woman takes a great deal of mental stability and an enlightened view of the world, which would have precluded Rand from being so reckless and blind in letting her stay alive under perfectly tolerable conditions.

 

2. Having three wives. There's a reason polygamy is strictly prohibited in all non-Muslim countries in the world, and I don't see why Rand suddenly gets to be exempt from this social taboo. Elayne, Aviendha and Min being good friends and perfectly content with sharing their man with two other women merely underlines how bizarre and unnatural this arrangement is, and so does the lack of reaction from everybody who knows about it. Especially considering that this contributes absolutely nothing to the plot.

 

3. Not making any effort into contacting his father for the duration of the entire series, despite having access to instant teleportation powers. If he were genuinely concerned about his father's safety, he would have went back to Emond's Field, relocated his father and everyone else he knows and cares about to a safe location elsewhere in the world, and kept this location in secret. Doing otherwise would have left him in a defenseless position against any Forsaken who knew Rand's backstory, and wanted to blackmail or mentally torture him by kidnapping his father.

 

4. Running off by himself in Dragon Reborn. Wasn't he aware that his friends and Moiraine would simply end up following him to Tear?

 

5. Being overly critical of Moiraine. Much of the time he was angry with her because her suggestions of what Rand should do next were overly pushy, not because they were bad. Someone with no education, no experience, and no way of knowing what the right choice is shouldn't be so quick to disregard Moiraine's advice.

 

6. Keeping a list of women who "died for him". What about all the men who died for you? Either keep a list of all people who died for you, or don't keep a list at all. Sexism against men is just as bad as sexism against women, and Rand comes off as a sexist bigot who disregards the largest group of people who died for him.

 

7. Founding the Black Tower and completely ignoring it afterwards. He never goes back there, never deals with Taim, never attempts to gain more information, period. This is despite the fact that a. the Black Tower contains about a thousand men who can channel with various degrees of insanity b. the Black Tower is very close to Caemlyn c. Mazrim Taim is very obviously either a Darkfriend, or a highly unpleasant fellow who detests Rand d. four Ashaman tried to kill him.

 

8. Spending a great deal of time hunting the four Ashaman who tried to kill him, in Far Madding where Rand cannot channel. This is despite the fact that these four Ashaman (as far as Rand knows) are no more dangerous than any other Darkfriend channellers the Forsaken could send after him. Why not simply proceed with the Cleansing and forget about four among hundreds of channelers who could be ordered to kill him?

 

9. Having absolutely no genuine  affection or devotion to Mat and Perrin, beyond a genre-demanded urge to "save them" when the plot needs an action scene, or any other male friends. Or any other friends for that matter. I wouldn't want to trust the fate of the world to someone so cold-hearted and unsociable.

[Abaddon]

I definitely would've appreciated it had he killed Lanfear.

 

And I agree with others it would have been nice to see him return to the Black Tower.

 

But about the not killing women...does Rand not remember beheading the woman on his way to Tear in Book 3? I think I remember Rand referencing that event later in the books, but I can't remember where...

[Zhon]

I definitely would've appreciated it had he killed Lanfear.

 

And I agree with others it would have been nice to see him return to the Black Tower.

 

But about the not killing women...does Rand not remember beheading the woman on his way to Tear in Book 3? I think I remember Rand referencing that event later in the books, but I can't remember where...

Though nameless, she is in fact one of the many women on his list of female deaths. 

 

And yeah, I have to agree with the list being overkill.  Even with the misery Lews Therin felt every time Ilyena was brought up and causing some of that to bleed over into Rand, he was still far too obsessed with the deaths of female characters.  Mat and Perrin both hated the idea, sure, and both looked for ways to avoid it whenever they could, but when the golds were down both of them sucked it up and just DID it.  If Mat had this same obsession he would have died to Melindhra back in the Aiel Waste.  Madness + Lews Therin only explains away so much before it starts to get annoying.

[EmperorAllspice]

 

Most annoying thing Rand did? Hm... I think I would have liked the story more if he had taken up Lanfear on her offer, in honesty :) Hehe, but realistically, him denying Lews Therin always infuriated me. If they had just merged earlier he could have been the greatest ruler and administrator since Artur Hawkwing...

 

I'm kinda glad he didn't do that. Lews Therin was overpowered and the series would have even LESS tension than it already does with Rand actually being a competent leader. Without tension, there's nothing to keep me invested in a series that goes on forever.

[David Selig]

 When he thought he had raped Min even though she literally tore his clothes off in her rush to get him naked ASAP I really wanted to slap Rand for being a total doofus.

[EmperorAllspice]

 When he thought he had raped Min even though she literally tore his clothes off in her rush to get him naked ASAP I really wanted to slap Rand for being a total doofus.

You didn't find his melodramaticness even the least bit amusing? XD I was rolling at his language half the time.

[badhead]

When they tell him all the food is spoiled, 100s of people in the town ready for food, and there will be a riot followed be starvation. Then Rand just walks away.

 

Our hero ladies and gentlemen.