Toaster Retribution Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Self-explanatory: Is there any Sanderson character who you feel is overrated? Someone a lot of people seem to love, but whose appeal you don't get? Or are all the characters worthy of all their praise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Extesian Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 STICK 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toaster Retribution Posted July 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Just now, Extesian said: STICK This was bound to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 9 minutes ago, Extesian said: STICK Can't be said loudly or often enough 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeldancer Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) Hoid. Think about it. What has he actually DONE? Pretty much nothing that we've seen. He's taken a few things, gotten involved in some events... but nothing huge. I know he's uber important, but at the moment he just hasn't done much lol Don't get me wrong I love Hoid. Just proposing a different view on things Edited July 26, 2017 by Flash 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 1 minute ago, Flash said: Hoid. Think about it. What has he actually DONE? Pretty much nothing that we've seen. He's taken a few things, gotten involved in some events... but nothing huge. I know he's uber important, but at the moment he just hasn't done much lol Don't get me wrong I love Hoid. Just proposing a different view on things Harsh, but fair. He's intriguing so far because of how often he shows up. He was able to... Get somewhere and take something important to make himself more awesome... As far as what he's accomplished though, it's all speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oversleep Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Hoid is all the more intriguing because of all the things we do not know about him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeleWorms Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 2 minutes ago, Flash said: Hoid. Think about it. What has he actually DONE? Pretty much nothing that we've seen. He's taken a few things, gotten involved in some events... but nothing huge. I know he's uber important, but at the moment he just hasn't done much lol Don't get me wrong I love Hoid. Just proposing a different view on things From what I've seen, he's been doing quite a bit of running around, though we've yet to see a reason for his actions. So I see where you're coming from. I hope we get to see more of him, and his motives, later. Then he'll (hopefully) be less overrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hwiles Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Honestly...and I hope I don't get hate-mail for this...I gotta say Hrathen. I just didn't get him and didn't enjoy reading about him. I hear him hyped fairly regularly as one of Sandersons best characters, and it just goes over my head... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeldancer Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 1 hour ago, Oversleep said: Hoid is all the more intriguing because of all the things we do not know about him. Yes yes I know lol. Just playing devils advocate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hwiles Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 And frankly, I gotta say, I liked Stick. He gets hyped because he was so absolutely ridiculous, but it was neat to see once and for all that, yes, all objects in the Cosmere do in fact have a soul. Until Stick, it was all just talk and conjecture... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Cole Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 47 minutes ago, hwiles said: And frankly, I gotta say, I liked Stick. He gets hyped because he was so absolutely ridiculous, but it was neat to see once and for all that, yes, all objects in the Cosmere do in fact have a soul. Until Stick, it was all just talk and conjecture... But its been taken to far... Sorry @Stick @_Stick_ @stick is a stick @stickstickstick and way too many others 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hwiles Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 30 minutes ago, King Cole said: But its been taken to far... Sorry @Stick @_Stick_ @stick is a stick @stickstickstick and way too many others Er...Yeah okay...Maybe he is the most overrated... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 53 minutes ago, King Cole said: But its been taken to far... Sorry @Stick @_Stick_ @stick is a stick @stickstickstick and way too many others Ah. You've summoned the cult, I see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ammanas Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) Concerning stick: I used to hate him, but I have learned just to embrace the absolute absurdity of it. Edited July 27, 2017 by Ammanas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Mines would be: Hoid, because he doesn't currently have a defined role within any series and his appearances often are nothing more than small cameos. Him being the coach driver in Mistborn or the old guy doing magic with sand really served little narrative purposes. I thus never seen where the hype came from. Stick, because, huh, I don't need to explain. Lopen, because he is a minor side character having played no other role but "comical relief". While things may change for him within the near future, I never got the hype. Lift, because no matter how amusing and adorable she is, I am still wondering if the story truly needs so much of her so far. Considering how little impact she has had onto the narrative, well, I do think she is currently over-hyped, but I still have to read the aftermath of Edgedancer. To follow. I am sure someone will eventually say: Adolin, because the character's popularity is inversely proportional to his real importance within the main narrative. He is not a Radiant, he is not a flashback character, he is not a main protagonist, so why all the hype? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegatorgirl00 Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 This is tough for me. Thinking about it, I think there are three types of overrated characters. Characters overrated due to future plots This category is for characters like Hoid. They are somewhat mysterious, and talked about as a result. In the books we have already seen them in, however, they have done relatively little on screen. Taking them out of the story right now wouldn't change much of the currently seen plot. Renarin is another character that fits this category. Characters overrated due to humor This category is for the Lift's, Wayne's, and Lopen's. Although they have relatively small roles, people latch on to them due to their humor. These characters tend to get referenced a lot on the shard. I generally enjoy them while reading, but find the hype they get mildly annoying. They mostly seem to be love them or hate them characters. Note that this is the category stick would be in, if I considered stick a character and not an object with a cognitive aspect like every other object in the cosmere. Characters overrated due to personality This category is for characters you just don't get, even though other people seem to. @hwiles's example of Hrathen fits in this category. For me, this character would probably be Dalinar, especially as he was in WoK. His personality and inclinations were so incredibly counter to my personality and inclinations that I felt frustrated and annoyed reading his chapters. I like him more now, but I still don't think the two of us would get along. Most unerrated character: Vathi, from SotD. She is smart and quick at learning to survive in a deadly environment. Someone once asked Brandon if she is Khriss in disguise. She isn't, but the fact that it was even a question should give you some idea how storming great she is. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 1 minute ago, thegatorgirl00 said: This is tough for me. Thinking about it, I think there are three types of overrated characters. Characters overrated due to future plots This category is for characters like Hoid. They are somewhat mysterious, and talked about as a result. In the books we have already seen them in, however, they have done relatively little on screen. Taking them out of the story right now wouldn't change much of the currently seen plot. Renarin is another character that fits this category. Great post. I resisted the temptation to say Renarin because I assumed him being a Radiant meant he was not being over-hyped. I am not even sure he currently is over-hyped, but if you had asked my the questions 3 years back, I would have said yes, totally. Now? Not so much anymore. 3 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said: Characters overrated due to humor This category is for the Lift's, Wayne's, and Lopen's. Although they have relatively small roles, people latch on to them due to their humor. These characters tend to get referenced a lot on the shard. I generally enjoy them while reading, but find the hype they get mildly annoying. They mostly seem to be love them or hate them characters. Note that this is the category stick would be in, if I considered stick a character and not an object with a cognitive aspect like every other object in the cosmere. I almost said Wayne. This category is, by far, the one I have the most trouble with as I really do not enjoy funny characters. In fact, I tend to hate characters being written for the purpose of being funny. Of all categories, this one gets the most hype and Hoid, but this one is truly a winner. 5 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said: Characters overrated due to personality This category is for characters you just don't get, even though other people seem to. @hwiles's example of Hrathen fits in this category. For me, this character would probably be Dalinar, especially as he was in WoK. His personality and inclinations were so incredibly counter to my personality and inclinations that I felt frustrated and annoyed reading his chapters. I like him more now, but I still don't think the two of us would get along. While Dalinar certainly isn't an over-rated character to me, I definitely get where you are coming from. He was annoying in WoK. I feel every reader would have a character for this one and it will always be a different one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hwiles Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 @thegatorgirl00 , that was an inspiring breakdown of the topic. I'm afraid that, following your analysis, I don't have much of value to add to this thread anymore. Please accept one heartfelt upvote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliax Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 I'm not certain if she's overrated, but I would probably say Jasnah, under both the "future plots" and "personality" I think. Spoilers for WoR: Spoiler Probably because I underestimated her role and thought she would just be there as a mentor for Shallan, and honestly thought she was dead, and was oddly a little disappointed when she wasn't, even though I was sad to see her die in the first place. While I think her character works well in the story she's just not one of my favorites and I didn't care that much to see more of her when there are so many other engaging characters. That said, I'm sure when she shows up in Oathbringer she'll be awesome anyway. I also agree that I didn't really click with Dalinar, but that might be because I heard one of his flashback chapters read at the Shadows of Self release before I'd ever read SA and so I was expecting someone completely different. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toaster Retribution Posted July 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 If I'm going to reply to my own topic (which I will) I would probably give it to two characters: Khriss and Jasnah. I know that a lot of people love Khriss because of her magic-focus, but I have personally never felt connected to her. Jasnah is a character I like, but everyone else seems to rank her much higher than I do. When it comes to funny characters, I do like both Wayne and Lift, so I dont consider them overrated. I agree with everyone who said Stick though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the winter system Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Wayne, definitely. I used to like him a lot but then I realized he's just kind of a jerk. Like, he basically harasses Ranette and she's threatened him with guns. He still won't leave her alone, and when he finally does in the bands of morning, he's still a creepy jerk about it. And the comments about her girlfriend were way out of line. Sigh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 3 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said: Jasnah is a character I like, but everyone else seems to rank her much higher than I do. Here's why I like Jasnah. The scholarly pursuit of saving the world. Her particular mix of surges. And her very accurate portrayal of my beliefs, right down to the respect towards sincere and honest people regardless of beliefs, and the scorn shown to those who judge her for hers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 8 hours ago, Taliax said: I'm not certain if she's overrated, but I would probably say Jasnah, under both the "future plots" and "personality" I think. Spoilers for WoR: Reveal hidden contents Probably because I underestimated her role and thought she would just be there as a mentor for Shallan, and honestly thought she was dead, and was oddly a little disappointed when she wasn't, even though I was sad to see her die in the first place. While I think her character works well in the story she's just not one of my favorites and I didn't care that much to see more of her when there are so many other engaging characters. That said, I'm sure when she shows up in Oathbringer she'll be awesome anyway. I also agree that I didn't really click with Dalinar, but that might be because I heard one of his flashback chapters read at the Shadows of Self release before I'd ever read SA and so I was expecting someone completely different. XD I almost said Jasnah as well, but I wasn't sure if she would qualify as over-rated since Brandon has kept hammering over and over again on how important she will eventually be. However, if we are to add in characters over-rated because of their personality as @thegatorgirl00 suggested within her inspiring post and future plot as you are suggesting, then yes, I would probably also put Jasnah in there. My reasons are I never really thought she was important and she didn't hit any particular vibe all through WoK. I read her as a supporting character, I still consider her a supporting character and I will consider her such up until she becomes something else which, according to Brandon, will happen in book 6. In the mean time, I do think Jasnah's importance within the current narrative is over-rated. 31 minutes ago, Calderis said: And her very accurate portrayal of my beliefs, right down to the respect towards sincere and honest people regardless of beliefs, and the scorn shown to those who judge her for hers. Jasnah being praised for being an atheist is actually one of the reasons why I am not fond of her character. This will sound very odd, but where I live, being atheist is, well, the de-facto line of belief. Very few people have faith, very few people believe and, more importantly, very few people actually care about religion one way or another except when other people's religion starts to take up too much public space (never said we were perfect, but religion really isn't something people will talk about, the long-lasting religion thread in the General Discussion sub would never happen here). In shorts, Jasnah being a non-believer is not a characteristic I find special nor innovative nor anything: I find it normal. Worst, I'll admit I consider all characters I read to be atheists up until they start not being atheists, which is why the one thing which many readers love about Jasnah is the one thing I just don't find special. But I know, I am odd, I live in an odd place in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverblade5 Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 @thegatorgirl00 @maxal I find this curious, as Dalinar is the one I identify with most and respect. I'm curious to hear your reasoning on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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