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Disappointed with Elend's arc


EpsilonTheFirst

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My love for the Mistborn series is growing. I just finished the second book in the trilogy, The Well of Ascension. 

Elend started to become one of my favourite characters. His character arc started really strong. With his trainer Tindwyl, we could see his transformation. He was becoming a good king, but to test his character he was stripped of his title, yet he maintained his "king" like attitude. Thus Elend is more than just a title of a king. 

Now, this is when I started to get a bit up set. I feel like Elend's character arc was robbed from him. He left his people. He could have stayed and fought with his people and show them that he will do what ever he can to save them. But, no, he is sleeping in a tent and watching mist It was frustrating, Elend being out the city and just wondering around added nothing to his character. 

How epic would it have been if he fought the Koloss army. He had his character already set up to take them on. I am taking about Elend's fight with Koloss when visiting Jastes. Obviously he is no match for an army but that doesn't matter, he is meant to get hurt so Vin can make the decision to save him or the world. 

He would be Emperor Elend, a mistborn who stood with his people and fought. But no, he is just Emperor Elend, a mistnorn who left his people. I knew he would get his allomancy powers, it was always hinted that he would, but I don't think be deserves them, like Kelsier.

 

Any thoughts or am I missing something? I highly could be, I was just so disappointed and frustrated well reading those last couple of chapters. 

 

 

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The fact is Elend in the city was useless and they only (also if fake) hope was to find the Well in Terris.

Elend in the city will be quite useless, sure he developed some fighting skill but It's Almost on pair with every other soldier.

He was not a Mistborn when he leaved and his addiction to the fight would be meaningless.

Notice also Elend wanted to remain in the city as you suggest but he was tricked into leaving It.

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1 hour ago, Yata said:

The fact is Elend in the city was useless and they only (also if fake) hope was to find the Well in Terris.

Elend in the city will be quite useless, sure he developed some fighting skill but It's Almost on pair with every other soldier.

He was not a Mistborn when he leaved and his addiction to the fight would be meaningless.

Notice also Elend wanted to remain in the city as you suggest but he was tricked into leaving It.

I agree that Elend made the right choice to leave with vin. I just think if the story was changed around a bit it would feel more epic. 

My version draft:

Sazed leaves to Terris to deliver his book. Tyndwl stays to look after Elend. Vin is drawn to Kredik Shaw, but does not know why. 

The koloss attack. Tyndwl dies saving Elend (I really liked tyndwl and her death was brushed a side). Elend is badly injured, and is bleeding out. The people saw Elend fight for them with out Mistborn powers and respect him even more.  Vin doing her Mistborn fighting. She is told Elend is in danger. 

Sazed bumps into the group of Terris people and starts to make connections that Vin must not go to the Well and release the power. He makes his way back to warn her. 

Vin is desperate to get to Elend, there are Koloss in her way to get to Elend. She does her soothing on them. Tide starts to shift. 

The venture army moves in. With a change of heart Cret attacks venture after his daughter talks to him and he remembers Vin not killing him and his son.

Sazed is almost back and has his fight with Marsh. Sazed is to slow to warn Vin.

Vin is now with Elend and he is dying. Vin is desperate to save him and makes a connection that the well is in Luthadel. She carries his near death body to Kredik Shaw. She finds the well, Elend in a lost effort to save the world, tells Vin he trusts her. She released the power, she is crying over Elend body. The Ghost appears hints to Vin how to save Elend. 

Elend is now a mistborn. 

Hammond is out side waiting, Vin gives Ham Elend. Ham brings news or Cret. Vin flies to the battle field and kills Straf.

Continue from the book. 

 

I am not saying that this version is the best. I am also not saying that the cannon was awful. I just feel like Elend's character would have grown more if he stayed in Luthadel, instead of wondering around in the mist. 

The books have been amazing! I am so drawn to all the characters and want the best for them. Brandon is a superb writer and his world building and character designs are amazing. This is also the only negative thing I have about the ending. 

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I could respect your point, but in your way the whole things are less credible.

If Elend fights aganist a Koloss Army he would end with him unharmed or dead. If luckly he was badly wounded but alive, he could not survive all the time for Vin to return, carry him into the Well and the whole sequence who allow him to be alive but in need of Lerasium.

The whole sequence was also useful to make a fix the MistGhost's status if he is an ally or a manace. There are other reasons but I could not tell you in this context.

Remember only that if Elend wants to be a good King, he need also to understand he could not take the burden of everyone on his shoulder and sometimes He need to make the others does their sacrifice. He is a symbol and a symbol is not meant to die.

PS: You seems to think that Elend would join the fight if he remained in Luthadel....He would not, he is not a fighter and he would probably be with Doc in his last moments.

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Thanks for your opinion. @Yata

Maybe Brandon's writing was ment to have the reader feel frustrated when the city is falling and vin and Elend are far away. I think I'll reread the end of book again knowing know what happens. 

Yeah, like I said I don't think my version is perfect, anyway thanks for replying and discussing this with me. Just wanted Elend to do more. 

 

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8 minutes ago, EpsilonTheFirst said:

@Toaster Retribution, [HoA spoiler] oh man, I hope one of the character arcs is Spook. Just read the part where he got his pewter power. Spook is so sweet, rooting for that guy. Haha, got to get back and continue reading. 

Not going to say why, and this really should be obvious, but...

NOBODY ELSE POST ANYTHING ON THIS THREAD UNTIL THE OP HAS COME BACK AFTER COMPLETING "THE HERO OF AGES".

Let's not potentially Ruin anything for him. 

 

Edited by robardin
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@Toaster Retribution and @robardin I just finished HoA. 

Well, um ... I am lost for words. At the moment my argument feels so small after that ending. I think I'll need a day or two to digest the ending, but I thought I would give my fresh opinion of the ending, and WOW that was an ending. 

So, Toast was one of the characters the Lord Ruler? 

Um, still speechless. Saze the man! So beautiful to tie the whole story together with the religions sazed shared with his friends to help build the new world. Just Beautiful. 

 

Yeah, such a beautiful ending! Brought tears. 

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@EpsilonTheFirst I'm happy to see how much you liked it! I was throughly floored by the book myself. Truly brilliant stuff. 

Anyway, the characters who had the best arcs (except Elend) were Sazed and Marsh (in my humble opinion). But the Lord Ruler is a good point, I forgot about him. I hated him when he killed Kelsier, but that book made me like him, so I should probably add him to the list. 

As for Spook, well, I have to admit that I don't like him much. I just didn't buy him growing so competent so quickly. I can see why some people like him, but he didn't really appeal to me :-(

Were you happy with Elends arc this time?

 

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That's one of the most amazing aspects of the Mistborn trilogy, to me - how it managed to take who was "obviously" the Evil Overlord Who Must Be Destroyed from the first book, and actually turning him into The Guy Who Saved The World From Ruin For 1,024 Years in the third one, and is openly thanked for it - by a Terrisman who had been part of the core crew that worked to take him down, and whose people was oppressed, and who was personally castrated, by TLR's programs! (Not to mention what kind of horrible life Tindwyl, the woman he'd loved, had endured!)

As for you "rooting for Spook" - I guess it's not made clear at the end of The Hero of Ages, but Spook is not only made Mistborn by Sazed at the end, "to help rebuild society", he's actually the only surviving Mistborn in the world after the cataclysmic ending, as nearly everyone who could burn atium had been recruited to destroy the kandra's Trust by burning it to kill koloss.

It's a minor spoiler for "The Alloy of Law" and the subsequent "Era 2" trilology of Mistborn books to tell you that Spook ends up succeeding Elend as Emperor, and hundreds of years later, his Eastern Street Slang is called High Imperial (used for formal things like the motto written over school gates). LOLOL.

Word of advice: don't dive right into "The Alloy of Law" and the Era 2 trilogy. Or, for that matter, "Mistborn: Secret History". Take some time to savor and digest.

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Spook was one of my favourite characters with Tensoon. 

I think he had enough time. He was in Urteau the whole book. He was sent to spy while Elend was collecting caches. Skoop has a weakness of wanting to be useful to the team. He didn't feel like he belonged because he was tagged along with Clubs. With Clubs death weighing on Spook because Spook feels guilty for leaving the city. 

So, Spook pushed him self to feel useful, flaring his tin. He also changed as a person, no longer just observing but plotting to brew a rebellion, like Kelsier. Skoop changed from felling useless to being useful to the team. So useful that he took lead from Saze and Breeze. Most importantly he sent the letter explaining that metal in the body is big no no. Which saved the world. 

 

So Elend, haha. He was fun to follow but didn't change much except being a good "King" which is just the end of his arch. He got Mistborn powers so he wouldn't be borning. It's not impressive to fight with your people only once you got your powers. Like I said, would have been way cooler for him to earn is powers by staying in the city. Any way, I think Elend character development this book was more the Lord Rulers character development. I say this because Elend questions his actions. He think he becoming more like the Lord Ruler, but really all this tells is how much the Lord Ruler was like Elend.

But, man that atium battle was epic as f**k. Elend is a bad chull! 

Thanks for responding and what not, really enjoyed just talking about this book, will stick around and help grow this community. 

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@robardin also thanks for replying. This community is amazing. I guess having really good books as its foundation explains a lot. 

I have to agree with you. Making the reader simpathise with The Lord Ruler was just great!

I guessed that Spook would be the new Leader of the new world but didn't think he would be the only Mistborn. Haha, well untill he has kids and beats them. 

I trust, I am just going to reread the Stormlight archive for the new release in November. 

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If anything Elend echoes Alendi in character, the man who wrote the logbook from the first book that Rashek (necessarily) killed at the Well of Ascension. A man who only reluctantly and after a lot of convincing took the hard actions needed to gather power and to rule firmly in a time of global crisis, and who ultimately truly did aim to give up that power for the greater good.

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I'm a few pages from finishing Well of Ascension, and while I can see why that section might be frustrating (it is at least a little frustrating to read since you're taken out of the action in the city and back to him bumbling home) for someone who really likes Elend. But I don't think the alternatives with him staying in the city would have been much better, and I'm looking forward to where the story goes next.

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On 9/23/2017 at 11:02 PM, Kingsdaughter613 said:

Just for fun: there is one other major character who played a role in HoA - see if you can figure it out before moving on. (Note that I needed the annotations, so don't feel bad if you don't. I would have liked to know to look though...)

You're talking about Kelsier?

I just finished HoA too :D  I was surprised how much I ended up liking Spook; I agreed with Spook himself that he seemed a little useless in the prior two books...  I liked that self-awareness in the character.  I was also with Sazed that, damnation I missed Tindwyl.  She was the best part of WoA, IMO.  Favorite overall character has to go to Breeze - he is just hilarious.  Loved his relationship with Allrianne.  

@robardin interesting re. advice to wait before going onto Era 2.  I am listening to SH now, but was debating doing Era 2 prior to Oathbringer or something else...  I think I'll save until post-Oathbringer hangover :)

Edited by Dreamstorm
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On 6/10/2017 at 6:10 PM, Dreamstorm said:

 

@robardin interesting re. advice to wait before going onto Era 2.  I am listening to SH now, but was debating doing Era 2 prior to Oathbringer or something else...  I think I'll save until post-Oathbringer hangover :)

SH in theory has to be read after 3/4 of the Era 2 Books as it spoils something from future events

Edited by Yata
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3 hours ago, Yata said:

SH in theory has to be read after 3/4 of the Era 2 Books as it spoils something from future events

Haha, whatever it was must have gone way over my head, as I thought SH ended right after the events of Era 1 :unsure:  Maybe it will become clear when I do Era 2...

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