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Syl issues (oathbringer spoilers?)


Farnsworth

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So I was looking at a Kaladin excerpt from Oathbringer, and there were a few sentences that struck me.

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More seems to be coming back to you.”

“The longer I’m with you,” she said with a nod, “the more it happens. Assuming you don’t try to kill me again.” She gave him a sideways look.

“How often are you going to make me apologize for that?”

“How many times have I done it so far?”

“At least fifty.”

“Liar,” Syl said. “Can’t be more than twenty.” She looked at him expectantly.

“I’m sorry.” 

Wait ... Syl is making jokes about lying here? Odd, no? Pattern ponders truth and lies, but treats it with great solemnity. Syl is now joking about it? What is up with this?

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I feel like it's simply that spren can't really lie, so they find it fascinating - but in the case of Cryptics they take it seriously, in the case of the flippant Honorspren (or maybe just Syl) it's a thing of amusement, like an adult giggling at a child's lie.

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BLIGHTSONG

Can Honor spren, or any other type of Knight Radiant spren, be evil?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Yes, because I don't call the shards good and evil. There are no good and evil shards in my opinion, like and so, what evil and what's not evil can totally have spren of honor that you would consider evil. They have free will, but they are much more limited. It is very hard, or impossible, for them to lie but they can be cruel.

Though maybe you've seen more in it than that?

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As far as I can tell, Syl is very against deceiving others or oneself, as that is not honourable in the first case, and can lead to dishonourable action in the second. However, lying in itself is not inherently bad, and can be seen as humourous when everyone present knows the statement to be a lie. As a cousin to the mischievous windspren, it makes sense Syl would use (and appreciate the use of) lies to be cheeky rather than deceitful.

Her understanding of lies beyond their relation to honour is very intuitive, being a reflection of that of humans. Pattern, however, is a spren more of Cultivation than Honour, and so has no intrinsic rule by which to categorise lies. Furthermore, while Pattern's understanding of lies differs from our intuitions and so can seem lacking, I would argue that he has a better grasp of the philosophical underpinnings of lies and truth than Syl (or the vast majority of people).

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I think syl's intuitive understanding of lies is improving as Kaladin says more oaths. If he had said this during the WoK than she would probably have complained about the lie.

By this time she is able to correctly interpret kaladin's response as "haven't I apologised enough" (it's more hyperbole than lie really). This would explain her playfull response.

Hell it wouldn't surprise me if syl was looking for another apology and set him up for it. She is pretty narcissistic, in a playfull, I know it and I don't care sort of way.

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didn't they already have an interaction where Kaladin told her it was ok to lie in order to ease someone's passing or certain other circumstances? Syl seemed to struggle with it a little bit but accepted the honorable intention. At least, I think it was Syl and Kaladin... My mind has been getting all turned around recently haha

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