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Hello everyone. In this topic, I'd like to talk about the engineering principles behind Soulcasters, and to a lesser extent Regrowth fabrials and Honorblades. With Oathbringer, we finally have a PoV of someone using an actual Soulcaster, plus some interesting information in the Ars Arcanum and some further knowledge on the Honorblades. So with all that in mind, let's get to it. First, I'd like to talk about the actual composition of the Soulcasters. From Way of Kings, here is our first actual description of a Soulcaster. Soulcasting fabrials have some limitations that actual Knights Radiants Soulcasting don't seem to have. Not all Soulcasters are able to Soulcast every essence, as stated by Shallan here. In addition, Soulcasters are only able to Soulcast things into an essence that has a corresponding gemstone on the fabrial. Emeralds for food, smokestones for smoke, garnets for blood, etc. This is directly different from how Radiant Soulcasting seems to function, as Jasnah uses multiple essences in the battle for Thaylen city without any particular types of gemstones being noted as being drained. So what are Soulcasting fabrials doing? It appears they are giving limited access to the Transformation surge. It appears that, unlike Shardblades, they have no inherent primary user. It also appears that the process to Soulcast is something people get better with as time passes, but it has devastating side effects on those who use them. We have seen Soulcasters with granite casts to their skin, with vines growing from their eyes, and even those who are turning into smoke. All of these incidences have led me to the follow conclusion Conclusion: Soulcasting Fabrials create a weak approximation of a Nahel bond The only ways we have seen on Roshar to access the Surges are various bonds with the sentient Investiture that Rosharans call spren, by being directly Invested by a Shard (Fused), or by holding an Honorblade. We can cross being directly Invested off the list of potential ways Soulcasting fabrials allow access, as the people using them still require contact with the Soulcaster to use it. Likewise I believe we can cross off a bond with a spren, as while the Soulcasting savant feels a presence when she Soulcasts, she does not see anything, and she is far enough into Shadesmar that in my opinion spren should not be able to hide from her. That leaves the Honorblades. The Honorblades grant a link to two Surges to whomever touches them. We see this with Bridge 4 using Jezrien's Honorblade. In addition we see another similarity between the Honorblades and the Soulcasters: the color of the metal. I will concede that this is a tenuous connection, however: Honorblades appear to be physical manifestations of Honor's power, much like lerasium, atium, or ettmetal. The color of the metal could be an indication of a shared origin. Both seem to require large amounts of Stormlight to function. Both create a weak bond on touch, and require some time to learn how to use. Honorblades can be dismissed, while Soulcasters cannot, but that could be a property of Soulcasters not being intended as weapons. The link between the two is reinforced in the Ars Arcanum, where Khriss seems to think that Soulcasting fabrials, medallions on Scadrial, and Honorblades all work by similar principles. What I believe occurs in each case is that the possession of a medallion, Soulcaster, or Honorblade temporarily overwrites the person who is using it's Spiritweb to make them a temporary Metalborn or Surgebinder. In the case of medallions, we are shown that knowledge of what the medallion can do is necessary to unlock it's power. We see this with the weight medallions used in the airships and by the coin Wax acquired from Hoid. Soulcasters do not have this problem as most of Roshar knows what they are on sight, and Honorblades have been sequestered in Shinovar and seem to have been used for training Surgebinders for unknown purpose. Clearly the Shin know what the Honorblades do, and so the Intent is not a problem there either. This temporary overwrite causes problems for the recipients down the road, however, I think. In the case of Soulcasters and Honorblades, they are required to draw dangerous amounts of Investiture into their Spiritwebs, probably exacerbating any cracks already there and probably giving them an increased likelihood of savantism. Medallions likely don't have this problem as much because of the relatively limited amounts of Investiture in their use. Anyway, that's my current theory. What do you guys think?

I somehow take issues into having disagreements spawning through speculative theory making being resumed as an MBTI personality conflict... I find it too close to those Internet speculations wanting a handful of given types to be superior minded people for my personal taste. It may not have been the OP's intentions, but I find the idea of opening a sub forum where "like minded people", preferably "N-types" to roam free of the intervention of the "lesser minded people", usually "S-type", a tad bothersome. Obviously, it wasn't stated within those terms, but this is how it can be interpreted and I needed to point it out. Disagreements are part of life. Sometimes a decent theory is phrased in ways which offends other people. Some theories also are just a tad too far-fetched for the general crowd. Sometimes users clash on various subjects. When this happens, there isn't much else to do but sit down and try to figure out how to phrase it better next time. It also helps trying not to make it personal, it rarely is. Two users can clash and hate each other on one issue, but become allies on another one.

Dear Mortals of the Forums If you have an issue with other users' posts, please use the report button to bring them to the moderators' attentions. We are unable to stay on top of every post the old-fashioned way, especially during the holiday season. Since you say there have been repeated instances of rude behavior, feel free to collect them and PM to me all together. This spoiler board is absolutely the place for baseless speculation, with the caveat that Brandon has revealed lots of tidbits beyond the books that throw wrenches in all sorts of ideas. Users are expected to be gracious both sharing and receiving such information during discussion, and any condescension or name-calling is not acceptable. Again, use the report button if anything like that occurs. Topic Closed

Just posted up a new gallery album with some Kaladin Fanart in it. I'm working on getting it up on my shop/website as well, but in the mean time: enjoy!

Hi All, Just finished Oathbringer about 3 hours ago, and my mind is still buzzing with all that has taken place, and foreshadowing of future possibilities ... Having read everything published so far in the Cosmere, time to dive deeper into the background and dig around in all the hidden little corners! - plenty of time to kill between now and SA#4 “Life before Death.Strength before Weakness.Journey before Destination.”

@hoiditthroughthegrapevine You missed Evi, whose death we got to witness in OB. And then, since no one else will do it properly, I will take upon me the burden to give Highlord Meridas Amaram a proper farewell (euolgies isn't really my thing, so this is probably bad, and long): Meridas Amaram was a man who was raised with the ambition of achieving greatness. He was a man who had good intentions. He was a man with a pretty cool name. He was kind to his servants, and is the only man ever to be progressive through the collecting of flutes. Unfortunately, Meridas Amaram was also a man who had the dumbest plan since the days of Blackadder. He was a man who went a bit too far to achieve his goals. And he will forever be remembered as the guy who grew gemstones in unfortunate places. May he be the hero he wanted to be in the next realm.

My goal in this thread is to analyze the Death Rattles we have answers to, may have answers to, or have no answers to. I have included Coppermind annotations, with my own annotations beneath in bold. In my interpretations, I am working from the belief that the Death Rattles are entirely forward-looking. I have numbered the Death Rattles in the order they appear in the Coppermind in order to mention links between them more easily. 1. You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me! While the sun is still hot, I die! ” — Collected on Chachabah 1171, 10 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed soldier thirty-one years of age. Sample is considered questionable.[7] This sample is unclear, although I speculate that this is a foreshadowing of Jezrien's murder. 2. “The love of men is a frigid thing, a mountain stream only three steps from the ice. We are his. Oh Stormfather... we are his. It is but a thousand days, and the Everstorm comes. ” — Collected on Shashahes 1171, 31 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed pregnant woman of middle years. The child did not survive.[8] It is estimated this came exactly 1229 days before the advent of the Everstorm. It is possible that these Rattles are less than fully accurate, or that whoever gave this death rattle valued poetry over technically accurate detail or, given the specific phrasing, that this was perhaps a foreshadowing to a time 229 days in the future when someone else would prophecy that it would be 1000 days until the Everstorm. I largely agree here with the Coppermind author. It is worth considering that the timing may be deliberately wrong since Moelach can apparently send disinformation through the Rattles. 3. “Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone? ” — Collected on Kakashan 1171, 5 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed woman in her third decade.[9] The "ten orders" could be a reference to the Knights Radiant, and their belief that the Almighty had abandoned them could have led to the Day of Recreance. I think in this case the subject is clearly a Knight Radiant. "Shard of my soul" is likely in reference to a spren. Little else can be inferred here, although I disagree with the idea that this refers to the Recreance, as Death Rattles seem to be forward-looking rather that backward. 4. “A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears. ” — Collected on Tanatesev 1171, 30 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cobbler of some renown.[10] Unclear at this point who this refers to. I theorize that this is either Dalinar overlooking the destruction of Kholinar or a future version of Taravangian watching Kharbranth being destroyed. 5. “I'm dying, aren't I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky. ” — Collected on Jesanach 1172, 11 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a Reshi chull trainer. Sample is of particular note.[11] This rattle appears to reference Shadesmar, based on the description of the sun and sky, and a Cryptic. I agree with the analysis of the author here. However, I would go farther and suggest that there is either a Lightweaver among the Silent Gatherers or that Vedel is among them. Given the twisting of the Heralds and Vedel's association with love and healing, this would make sense. 6. “I have seen the end, and have heard it named. The Night of Sorrows, the True Desolation. The Everstorm. ” — Collected on Naneses 1172, 15 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed youth of unknown origin.[12] 7. “I'm cold. Mother, I'm cold. Mother? Why can I still hear the rain? Will it stop? ” — Collected on Vevishes 1172, 32 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed female child, approximately six years old.[13] These two seem to be general predictions of the Everstorm. 8. “They are aflame. They burn. They bring the darkness when they come, and so all you can see is that their skin is aflame. Burn, burn, burn... ” — Collected on Palahishev 1172, 21 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a baker's apprentice.[14] Refers to the properties of Stormform Parshendi, particularly the part about burning. Their skin is black and red, easily described as aflame. 9. “Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn. ” — Collected on Ishashan 1172, 18 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed spinster of the eighth dahn.[15] This rattle appears to refer to humans conquering Roshar and exiling the Dawnsingers to Braize. I disagree with the author here. Again, I see Death Rattles as a forward-looking mechanism. This to me represents the Fused describing their plan for the world as they drive humans back. 10. “Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red. ” — Collected on Jesachev 1173, 12 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject an ardent member of the the Silent Gatherers, overheard during his last moments.[16] This to me represents the defense of Thaylenah. The ten would be Dalinar, Kaladin, Szeth, Lift, Teft, Jasnah, Shallan, Renarin, Ash, and Taln. You could easily also argue Venli to replace either Ash or Taln. 11. “Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns. ” — Collected on Chachanan 1173, 84 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cutpurse with the wasting sickness, of partial Iriali descent.[17] This rattle apparently refers to the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium, three of which (Honor, Cultivation, and Odium) are invested in Roshar. Here I 100% agree with the author. 12. “I'm standing over the body of a brother. I'm weeping. Is that his blood or mine? What have we done? ” — Collected on Vevanev 1173, 107 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was an out-of-work Veden sailor.[18] Unknown. May represent a future division in an order of the Knights Radiant. 13. “He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear! ” — Collected on Vevahach 1173, 8 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a prostitute of unknown background.[19] I think this refers to Dalinar. The title is Bondsmith. The tower is Urithiru, the crown is Dalinar's position as overking. The spear I do not have an explanation for as yet. 14. “The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me. ” — Observed on Palaheses 1173, collected secondhand and later reported to the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a wealthy lighteyes.[20] This rattle appears to be from the perspective of the Herald Talenel, the only Herald to be return, through death, to wherever the Heralds went to be tortured between Desolations at the end of the Last Desolation. This foreshadows Taln's breaking under torture and beginning the Desolation. 15. “A woman sits and scratches out her own eyes. Daughter of kings and winds, the vandal. ” — Collected on Palahevan 1173, 73 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a beggar of some renown, known for his elegant songs.[21] This rattle is believed to refer to the Herald Shalash, the daughter of the Herald Jezrien, Herald of Kings and patron of the Order of Windrunners.[22] Shalash is also Baxil's mistress who destroys art, including depictions of a specific Herald, believed to be those of Shalash herself. This sample is particularly interesting. If the Rattles are really forward-looking, this suggests that Shalash has recently started her destruction of artwork. Given that Ishar has only recently ignited a religious war, and that statues of Shalash still exist (as they would likely not after 4,000 years of focused destruction), what have the Heralds been doing and where have they been between the last Desolation and now? 16. “Light grows so distant. The storm never stops. I am broken, and all around me have died. I weep for the end of all things. He has won. Oh, he has beaten us. ” — Collected on Palahakev 1173, 16 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a Thaylen sailor.[23] This may be a description of the coming of the Everstorm, but I believe that this is more likely a future event. 17. “I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw. ” — Collected on Shashanan 1173, 23 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed youth of sixteen years. Sample is of particular note.[24] Unknown as yet, but likely to refer to a climatic event. 18. “Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother, giving birth to abominations with her essence so dark, so terrible, so consuming. She is here! She watches me die! ” — Collected on Shashabev 1173, 8 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed dock-worker in his forties, father of three.[25] Foreshadowing of the murders in Urithiru by the Midnight Essence. This could actually be a description of Sadeas' death, as it is the first to be mimicked. 19. “The death is my life, the strength becomes my weakness, the journey has ended. ” — Observed on Betabanes, 1173, 95 seconds pre-death, collected secondhand and later reported to the the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a scholar of some minor renown. Sample considered questionable.[26] This rattle appears to reference the First Ideal of the Knights Radiant: Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination. Agreed. Sample may also be a prediction of a Knight Radiant breaking their vows, or Taln breaking under torture on Braize. 20. “Above the final void I hang, friends behind, friends before. The feast I must drink clings to their faces, and the words I must speak spark in my mind. The old oaths will be spoken anew. ” — Collected on Betabanan 1173, 45 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a lighteyed child of five years. Diction improved remarkably when giving sample.[27] This rattle appears to be from the perspective of Kaladin during the Battle of the Tower, moments before he swears the Second Ideal of the Windrunners. The "final void" is a chasm over which he is jumping. The "friends behind, friends before" are the members of Bridge Four behind him and the army of Dalinar Kholin trapped by Parshendi before him. The "feast I must drink" is Stormlight stored in the gemstones knotted into the malen Parshendi's beards. The "words I must speak" is the Second Ideal. The "old oaths" are the Immortal Words. Agreed. Very clear interpretation here. 21. “In the storm I awaken, falling, spinning, grieving. ” — Collected on Kakanev 1173, 13 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a city guardsman.[28] This may refer to Szeth during his fight with Kaladin. He falls, spinning through the storm. He grieves for his actions. He is awakened in the storm by Nale when he is revived. 22. “The darkness becomes a palace. Let it rule! Let it rule! ” — Collected on Kakevah 1173, 22 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed Selay man of unknown profession.[29] This refers to the corruption of the Queen of Alethkar by Yelig-nar. 23. “I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see. ” — Collected on Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.[30] Subject may be resisting speaking their visions because they understand what the Silent Gatherers are doing. 24. “They come from the pit, two dead men, a heart in their hands, and I know that I have seen true glory. ” — Collected on Kakashah 1173, 13 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a rickshaw puller.[31] This rattle appears to refer to Kaladin and Shallan Davar returning to the Warcamps at the Shattered Plains following an ill-fated expedition. The "pit" is a reference to the chasms. the "two dead men" are Kaladin and Shallan, presumed to be dead after falling into a chasm. The "heart" is an emerald gemheart they harvested from a chasmfiend they encountered and killed on their return journey. Very straightforward interpretation. 25. “I see them. They are the rocks. They are the vengeful spirits. Eyes of red. ” — Collected on Kakakes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed young woman of fifteen who was reportedly mentally unstable since childhood.[32] This rattle refers to the awakening of Thunderclasts.[33] This is further reinforced in Oathbringer, where the "vengeful spirits" are the mindless Fused. 26. “That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices. ” — Collected on Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a middle-aged potter who reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the previous two years.[34] Possibly referencing the events at the end of Words of Radiance, and the summoning of the Everstorm. The most logical interpretation so far. 27. “Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep! Dai-gonarthis! The Black Fisher holds my sorrow and consumes it! ” — Collected on Tanatesach 1173, 28 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed female street juggler.[35] The Silent Gatherers have noted a similarity between this death rattle and one they denote as "sample 1172-89". Unclear. May suggest that Dai-Gonarthis is an Unmade that draws strength from sorrow and pain. 28. “They named it the Final Desolation, but they lied. Our gods lied. Oh, how they lied. The Everstorm comes. I hear its whispers, see its stormwall, know its heart. ” — Collected on Tanatanes 1173, 8 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was an Azish itinerant worker. Sample of particular note.[36] Straightforward prediction of the Everstorm. 29. “All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds. ” — Collected on Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed mother of four in her sixty-second year.[37] Refers to Kaladin saving the king from Moash during the storm. I am forced to disagree with this interpretation. While it could be argued that Moash saved Kaladin's life, the description "the one who killed my promises" seems to not fit Elkohar very well. Kaladin also does not raise his hand until after the Stormfather and Syl have a minor disagreement. I personally feel that this fits Dalinar much better, as he is the one most likely to be able to make a storm respond by raising his hand. Also, the "All is withdrawn for me" section seems more inline with an Ascended Dalinar than Kaladin defending Elkohar. 30. “Above silence, the illuminating storms—dying storms—illuminate the silence above. ” — Collected on Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was an illiterate Herdazian.[6] Refers to the collision of the Everstorm and highstorm at the end of Words of Radiance. 31. “He watches! The Black piper in the night. He holds us in his palm... playing a tune that no man can hear! ” — Observed circa 1172. Subject was Cenn, a member of Kaladin's squad in Brightlord Meridas Amaram's army.[38] This likely refers to one of the Unmade, possibly Dai-gonarthis. Further analysis is impossible at this point. Possibly connected to 27. 32. “They break the land itself! They want it, but in their rage they will destroy it. Like the jealous man burns his rich things rather than let them be taken by his enemies! They come! ” — Observed circa 1173. Subject was Gadol, a member of Bridge Four.[39] Refers to the soul of the Fused, destroying the whole world in order to destroy the humankind.[40] This may also relate to Dalinar's vision of the world crumbling. This may be one possible outcome of the war. 33. “And all the world was shattered! The rocks trembled with their steps, and the stones reached toward the heavens. We die! We die! ” — Observed circa 1173. Subject was Maps, a member of Bridge Four.[41] See also 32. These are likely related. 34. “The day was ours, but they took it. Stormfather! You cannot have it. The day is ours. They come, rasping, and the lights fail. Oh, Stormfather! ” — Collected circa Tanat 1173 by Taravangian. Subject was a young boy.[5] May refer to the final battle at the end of Words of Radiance. If not, likely foreshadows a future battle. 35. “So the night will reign, for the choice of honor is life... ” — Observed circa Ishi 1173 by Taravangian. Subject was King Valam of Jah Keved.[4] Prediction that someone will be allowed to live and therefore Odium will win a victory. Possibly connected to 17.

Falconry is, by definition, the sport of hunting with a bird of prey. This includes not only falcons, but hawks, eagles, and sometimes owls as well. The sport has changed over the years, but at the core, it has remained widely the same as it was practiced thousands of years ago. I am an apprentice falconer in the United States, and this is a journal/log of my juvenile red-tailed hawk, Revali. (if you want to ask him anything, he is taking questions here). He was trapped from the wild on August 12, 2017. Before I start into the specifics of Revali's training, here are some general falconry FAQs I've prepared. Revali, day 1 He's seriously confused. He doesn't know what I am, or what's happening. He's having issues standing on the glove. This is a bird directly off the trap. Day 2 That's better. He's still confused, but no longer quite as threatened by my presence. I can perform a full physical exam on him by this day while he is on fist. Day 7, first steps The goal of falconry is to get the bird to come back to you. Here Rev is taking his first leaps to my glove, with a whistle command to get him to associate the whistle with food. Day 10 Day... probably 12? honestly, at this point I stopped counting We've moved outside. October 2017, free flying! Rev is off the line and flying free now, its just a matter of finding him some game to kill. Field video from four days ago: https://ordinaryredtail.tumblr.com/post/169039091914/out-with-the-hawk

Evi - you were too good for this world. Married to a monster, you kept your spirits high and refused to intimidated. You never let his darkness dim your light. And when your sons asked about their father, you did not tell them of the sickening side of a man who killed for pleasure, but rather painted the picture of the honourable and decent role model you knew was within. You never let your Morality fade. When all others saw only the Blackthorn, you saw Dalinar Kholin within - and in doing so, you turned a monster into the greatest of men - and likely saved the world in the process. You also raised two terrific, and almost polar opposite children, honing their Passions to allow them to become the very best possible versions of themselves. The histories will not remember you beyond a footnote. But we all know that there is a reason your husband and son both became Radiants - they absorbed the Radiance that shone from within your soul. Rest in Peace, Evi Kholin. We barely knew ye.

im back from the dead maybe have a dirty boy

Long time lurker and and completely obsessed with the cosmere. How do other users get flair next to their name like "misting, steel inquisitor, surgebinder" and stuff like that?

So I've taken another crack at the Taker of Secrets image. It's tentative, but I think I've got a lead. If I'm right, it contains the word "corrupted" twice. First, I compared the new glyph phonemes from OB with the similar Thaylen alphabet we derived from the frostlands map in WoR: As you can see, the majority of the letters match quite well. We got new phonemes not represented on the map, including vowels (which aren't written in Thaylen). EDIT: I've now confirmed our assignments from the frostlands map, concluding that the differences below reflect a divergence in the two writing systems, not errors on our part Blue: We assigned multiple English letters (e.g. J+G) to certain Thaylen letters, whereas the glyph phonemes have distinct symbols for each. Orange: The Thaylen letters for T and D are reflections of each other. In glyphs, which can reflect and rotate phonemes freely, that symbol is assigned to Th (not a unique letter in Thaylen), while T and D are assigned to related symbols. Green: The symbols for Sh and for Z are altered slightly between the two systems. For making character assignments I used the OB phoneme chart, but supplemented it with our Thaylen deductions because the reflected T and D characters are both in evidence and vowels are entirely absent. Assuming the character orientation aligns with the reading order, it does appear to read from top to bottom on both sides, and left to right across the top, but right to left across the bottom. Multiple characters are flipped other directions though, so that assumption is suspect. Still, here is my transliteration using that convention: (original image) (colored image, with color-coordinated text -- I'm sorry about the ugly lines. My image manipulation skills leave a lot to be desired) I recognize that the color-coding ended up being overkill. Hopefully between that one and the original image you can see how I got to what I have. I have concluded that the writing system in question is closely related both to the glyph phonemes and to the Thaylen writing of the frostlands map, but with some important differences. In particular, this text seems to freely reflect and rotate characters like the phonemes chart, but also utilizes the vowel omissions and character redundancies of Thaylen (e.g. P=F), with the additional redundancy of T=D=Th. If you are interested in helping to decipher these strings of consonants, these website may prove useful. OneLook is a dictionary search that allows wildcards, and Litscape provides soundex matching. (For the latter, note that soundex ignores repeated consonants, while this Thaylen text does not.) This box shows my current guesswork in table form. Bolded words are those in which I have the most confidence. The top line is interpretation. The second line is the transliteration from the image, with subsequent lines providing alternative letters to account for the phonetic redundancies. This spoiler box contains previous guesswork and explanations, superceded by the above, though the formatting may be easier to read. EDIT: I'm considering the possiblity that the points where symbols flip orientation (the Fs do this a lot) are indicative of word breaks, but I haven't really looked closely at that yet.

There were quite a few things that stuck out on my reread of Part 4, so here are some observations that I thought were interesting about Shadesmar on the second time through, broken up into the following sections; General Observations about Rosharan Shadesmar, Spren Economics, and Spren Children. .GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE ROSHARAN COGNITIVE REALM: SPREN ECONOMICS: (Mistborn Secret History Spoilers) SPREN CHILDREN: *EDIT* I just read the Jasnah scene where she escapes from the Wind's Pleasure into Shadesmar (thanks @BlackYeti for the link!) and it has this quite interesting bit about Stormlight in Shadesmar: This combined with the spren money-changer's ability to transfer Stormlight into and out of Perfect Gems and combined with what Syl tells Kaladin about the creation of Spren Children: This implies that wealthy enough spren might be able to create their own children. So the 1%-ers in Shadesmar probably have a reproductive advantage, sad to see inequalities reflected in the Cognitive Realm but c'est la vie. The fact that this raw power is fashioned into a specific type of spren is probably dependent on the type of spren that fashions this raw power. It's not exactly the stuff of Romance novels, but Ideas creating similar Ideas out of pure energy is a pretty awesome Idea.

I have repurposed this thread. Prior to now, it was dedicated to a single poem I wrote in regards to Kaladin. Here is the original post: However, I have since decided to make this a general Cosmere Poetry thread. I decided this when I realised that it would be silly to make multiple threads for individual poems: Instead, one place ought to do all. Whilst this thread serves the purpose of letting me post any Cosmere poetry I may write in the future, I would also more than welcome reading poems based on the Cosmere written by other 17th Shard users; as I understand it, you are a creative bunch. Happy writings!

Brandon recently spoke about Liar of Partinel (Hoids origin story) in an episode of his Writing Excuses podcast. I think this is something I'm allowed to post, since it is accessible for everyone, but I'll spoiler tag it to be on the safe side. Interesting stuff Brandon said (possible spoilers for Liar of Partinel, though I doubt Brandon spoiled anything major in a podcast): I don't know how much of this is general knowledge, but I found it interesting. Here is the link to the episode, if anyone is interested: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/12/31/12-53-writing-excuses-true-confessions/

Hi everybody! Long time lurker, finally decided to sign up. Back when I first started reading the Cosmere books and realising that they were all connected (I was going in blind haha), this was the first place I found looking for answers, and it has been a favourite place of mine since. It is a fascinating place for information and piecing together Mr. Sanderson's epic world, and I'm looking forward to more!

Night 2: The First Secret is given form, the Second given purpose, the third abused. YOU SUCCEEDED. “I didn’t. Rat and mice do not worry me God, only the Spiders.” The mistborn crouched on the rooftop, watching as Varun’s family buried his body. “He was my brother’s man. Not Cett’s.” HE WAS A LIVING MAN. YOU KILLED HIM AS I COMMANDED. “I need the spiders dead though. But if I kill rats too often, Vin will despise me. She doesn’t understand.” FOOL. HAVE HER LOVE, KILL A MAN. Zane cocked his head, then grinned. Fake Joe, the man who spat at the gods, stood proudly as the guards tied his hands with ropes. They hobbled his ankles with heavy stones, so that he could not flee. None of them had a speck of metal on them. They knew that he was Ironborn, yet they still arrested him as a traitor. It was a perversion of Justice, but he couldn’t figure out why it was happening. They lead him out of his house, and up the streets toward Keep Venture. Joe had never heard of a prisoner being treated this way. Normally Elend wanted everyone to be treated humanely, and innocent. There was a crowd before the Keep. Joe could see his peers, the people he suspected, and a lot of guards. He could also see King Elend Venture. The Monarch was standing before the gates with a naked sword. His expression was grim, and the crowd was nervous. The guards brought him before the King, and forced him to his knees. “Sire,” he started, “What am i accused of?” “You are found Guilty, traitor, of treason and murder.” Elend raised the sword above his head. “I execute you for betraying me.” “But sir! I am innocent!” The sword swept down in a sideways arc, catching halfway through his neck. Joe spasmed once, then fell dead. Droughtbringer was a Lurcher 2! There are No Tineye 1’s Left! PM’s are CLOSED for tonight. Votes: Araris (1): Shaney Drought (4): Nutellaspren, Araris, Darkness, Elend Venture Drake Marshall (2): Straw, Sart Darkness (3): Drake, Seonid, Shanerockes Hemalurgic Headshot (2): Steeldancer, Droughtbringer The night will end in Player List:

When you make a Kaladin snowman.

Happy 2018 sharders! So Oathbringer came out in 2017 and not every character made it through to 2018, so in honor of the newly departed, I thought it would be nice to start a Eulogy thread where we can attune the Rhythm of the Lost and express our feelings about the recently departed. Here's a list of Characters that died in OB, starting with all the E characters because there are a lot them (will update as characters that I miss are pointed out) Elhokar Kholin Eshonai Eth (Last Name?) Evi Kholin Noro Sah Beard Jezrien Aesudan Kholin Meridas Amaram I'll start with Jezrien's death scene and his final words: And here is the inbook Eulogy by Brandon, which is really nice: And of course, here is the beautiful painting of Jezrien by Howard Lyon, Rest in Peace Jezrien, hopefully your soul is now at peace. *Edited* Added another E character, Evi as pointed out by @Toaster Retribution

Setting aside whether this possible, why would this be a good story that Brandon would want to write? All it would do is turn the SA into a giant macguffin hunt. Given that Brandon has really carefully designed the magic system so that magical feats and emotional payoff are closely intertwined I just don't see this as something he would do. Sorry to be brusque but I think a big problem with us as a fandom is treating theories about world building and theories about character completely separately when Brandon very clearly hasn't and doesn't.

@Wit Beyond Measure I think the way to think about this, is this whole communal process of theorizing and speculating is a means to move forward, it's the progress of mankind in Microcosm. People with new ideas come online and create new connections, and everyone that is on here has some unique perspective/talent to add to the collective efforts of deepening understanding. I, like you, try to reach for the sun, try to fit crazy bits of disparate things together to come up with novel formulations, that most the time turn out to be totally off. But that's the fun part. The other users on here use there expertise and skill to shoot down thoeries that really are only half-baked or that haven't been thought through to what they mean at their logical point of completion. It can feel adversarial at times, but the thing to think about is that this the place where the Esoteric fire of knowledge of all things Sanderson is held and tended. These amazing folks at the 17th shard have dedicated their lives in a truly remarkable way to the tending of this fire. Part of authoritative knowledge is quickly shutting down lines of speculation that are wrong and could mislead others about the true nature of the Cosmere. @Calderis is a master of WoBs. @RShara is the queen of canon facts. Others have unique gifts to offer to cut away the erroneous assumptions, to strip away the false conjecture, and most importantly to look at the primary sources and the WoBs and the WoPs to assure that a theory is truly inline with the intent of the Author. Wild speculation is fun, but good information is ultimately better. You are amazing at finding great quotes, and your theories are really fun to read. I'd try not to take it personally when people argue against your theories, it's just part of the collective process of finding the truth, and ultimately that's what everyone hear values most.

Eyes are referenced a lot in the Rosharan magic systems. Bonding a Shardblades lightens a darkeye's eyes Darkeyed Radiants get lighter eyes at a certain ideal when using a Shardblade Killing with a Shardblades burns out the eyes Deadeyes have scratched out eyes Regaos and Fused have eyes that glow red Timbre allows Venli to change her eyes from red to normal at will I have no idea why there are so many connections to eyes in the magic. I don't remember if there is any reference to the eyes of a soulcaster being unusual or significant. Knowing could help to figure out how widespread this is in relation to all Rosharan magics. If there are any instances I've forgotten, please let me know. I don't want references to eyes that are cultural, only things Realmatic in nature.

@Prelude This seems to be a trend with Sanderson. His male characters seem totally uninterested in sex. His female characters are more interested. I think this has been the case in all of his books. It makes me go hmmmm this is rather unrealistic. It makes me laugh. I'm talking specifically his main male and female characters. @Mistbornwithakitty You make some good points. It is just that if that is what Sanderson meant to do, he still wrote it very badly. I do not believe Shallan made a healthy choice at the end of OB. There are two reasons for this. 1. She hates herself. I don't believe you can love someone (romantically) when you hate yourself; you just have nothing to give. 2. She is insane. She thinks she is three people. No sane person thinks this. At the end of OB when she talks to Veil and Radiant (just before the wedding) does she know she is talking to herself or does she believe she is talking to two other people (sort of like bride maids)? I think she doesn't know she is only talking to herself (there is no one else in the room after all). I could get behind Shallan's choice if I thought she chose out of a sense of well being instead I feel she is totally dependent on Adolin ("without you I fade") and that is a bit gross to me.

I'm so sorry I got all of the wrong quotes. I had a feeling I wasn't understanding what you wanted, mostly because I hadn't noticed the same thing. But I really see it now! I am now picturing Arclo as Spiderman with silken webs shooting from one wrist to stick the Skybreakers to the floor and shanty, but with a special building-morphing oil shooting from the other wrist. I think I'd read the scene as a simple lightweaving at first, but your highlights have convinced me that it could be something significantly different. I know, right? How cool is that? And not only an inanimate mind, but the cremlings seem to be sentient independently, functioning as little cremling spies, which makes it fun to go through and look for them all over the place (I search "cremling" or "legger"), spying on Lift throughout Edgedancer as well as spying on the assassin, the surgeon, the spy, and possibly the highprince, too. One of them laughs at Lift!!! We may already have. Brandon confirmed that, in the epilogue of WoR, Wit waits on Jasnah and blabbers on and on to a group of seemingly innocuous cremlings who are really a Sleepless. That's only the beginning. The whole bit is hilarious when viewed in the new light!

I felt a break within the story. Early on, Adolin's character was very well written, with decent viewpoints, proper reactions. Dalinar and Navani's wedding was a bit odd because I had a hard time believing Adolin could let go enough of his stress to enjoy it, but this was a small transgression I was willing yo ignore. Then, there was the copy-cat murder, the meeting with Ialai and the breaking. It starts more or less when Shallan starts playing at being Veil and it becomes apparent when the story decides this wouldn't be Adolin's investigation, but Veil's. Very early on, when the idea of dark air vents was introduced, with a creature hunting through them, I had the goosebumps. I thought our character would creep into dark tunnels, fighting unknown terrifying creatures, it made me think of Alien 2. But no. It became Shallan's silly arc where she does "everything all by herself", Adolin completely forgotten: we never once get his viewpoint on the investigation. Not once are the clues he left behind... found. And when Shallan goes into a tunnel to confront Re-Shephir, it was under-whelming. It was just Adolin hacking through the creature while Shallan touches it and makes it go away. Where was the tension? Where was the claustrophobia? Where was the fear? Re-Shephir was the most disappointing opponent ever and it literally ruined the tension the early book had manage to create. In all books I have read by Brandon Sanderson, not once have I seen him drop the ball on anticipation and expectations he himself built, but with this arc. I still cannot understand why he thought this was the best narrative nor why no one within his close group of reviewer pointed it out to him. Too much of OB felt like it wasn't written together: you have groups of chapters which fits, then everything breaks away as you move onto another group of chapters. The story had little cohesion and I think this may be the by-product of Brandon not really focusing on OB when he was writing it. He kept on taking breaks, touring, working on other books and I think the end result might be a direct consequence of having taking too many very long breaks while writing the same book. Actually I do not agree. I think not allowing Kaladin to level-up was the right move for his character as making him save the day in a ball of stormlight, once again, would have been too repetitive. IMHO, Kaladin's story arc problem is not the fact he didn't say the fourth oath, it is the fact he has nothing to do all book but talk to minor people, eating stew and basically re-live his WoK story arc. If he was to have so little to do, then he should have gotten much less page time or be given more action. I was personally ripe for other characters have emotional heroic moment. Unfortunately, OB was a pretty non-emotional book, on average. To be honest, some readers thought Shallan's book read like Kaladin's book, hence I wouldn't say OB was Shallan's book, but I will say I find the structure too restrictive. I do think giving Dalinar the largest page time, in OB, was not the right choice because his present day character is just not as engaging as the other ones. What does he do all book? He talks. He repeats himself. He sees visions we have already seen. He tries to convince the same people to join him. Over and over again. It is repetitive and frankly not very engaging to read. Maybe it was required, but less would have been better or at least write those chapters from either Navani or Jasnah's viewpoint to change the pace. The idea the flashback character also needs to have an absurd amount of page time within the main narrative is odd because a character like Dalinar, who's not central to the action, who's not doing much besides talking, really does not need so many chapters. My opinion differs from your because, from my perspective, Dalinar/Kaladin/Shallan all had too much page time for what their respective character arcs demanded. The end result is their arcs all dragged at one point or another because all had chapters being wasted doing nothing or repeating what has already been said or being badly used into narrative not really adding much to the story (Veil in Kholinar). On the reverse, characters such as Adolin didn't get nearly half the page time he would have needed to have a decent arc. Many emotional scenes also went missing such as Jasnah's return, the wedding, Gavinor and so much. At a 1300 pages, there was no reason for scenes to go missing when the story drags so long onto the main characters arcs. Also, epic fantasy such as SA can really carry on more than 3 main protagonists: this tight focus is, IMHO, starting to harm the narrative because each character really does not have enough to do with support their page time. It makes the narrative plunge too deeply into their internal arcs and it makes some readers lose interest when it becomes too much. One of my issues with Shallan is how her arc is basically the same arc she had in her WoR flashbacks. Writing a regression is fine and everything, but you need to pick the right character for it and I do not think it was right for Shallan to regress as low as she did in OB. Why? Because her great moment and her entire arc in WoR was about her assuming her past, re-learning her past. Hence writing her as forgetting it, once again, really felt repetitive and it was unnerving. Well, to me it was unnerving. I agree about Lift, she really does not fit... I like her, but she clashed within the setting. And yes, the characters just did what the plot needed them to do. OB was.... a very mechanical book which is why the most emotional readers are not liking it. I agree, but by the time the book is beta read, no big changes can be applied. Hence maybe it was the gamma read which was done too quickly. I am thinking the decision to have the reviewer review parts one at a time months before the next was to be written harmed the process. Hard to say Part 1 is not working if you have no idea what will come into Part 2. Hard to go back to it when you don't read Part 2 until nearly a year later. I agree with you too. I liked the Bridge 4 perspective, but considering so much was not well-wrapped, explored nor written decently for the more important characters, it could read as wasted page time. I mean, we didn't get Jasnah's return scene, but we had 5 page of Rock teaching how to cook Lopen's cousin... Mind, I like Rock, but a minor character such as him didn't need such a long exposition chapter. I also wonder about the relevant of spending page time on Drehy being gay considering we didn't get one viewpoint from Adolin on his relationship with Shallan. So all in all, had the rest of the book been up to the expectations, I wouldn't mind Bridge 4 viewpoints at all, but seeing at too much was skipped, ignored or removed, I can't sit back and say those chapters were absolutely needed. As for more Kaladin, to get more page time, Kaladin would have needed something else to do, which he didn't. I do not think more Kaladin would have helped the book, I am even arguing his story drags because he had too much page time for what it really needed.

I disagree with this, Bridge Four individuals backstory is interesting for more depth. Rock point of view with his family is heartwarming and also helps with worldbuilding. I prefer to have more secondary point of view like this, or Teft's, than spending extra chapters of characters regression like some of Oathbringer.

Eyes are said to be a window to the soul. I think on Roshar this is literal. I think somehow the color and brightness of rosharan eyes actually reflect investiture in a person's spirit web, both amount and type, and that eye color and brightness is passed down hereditarilly because a person's spirit web reflects the type of investiture in their parents' spirit webs. Possibly because the realms there are closer to each other than on other planets.

I posted it in previous thread but then I noticed this one is more alive, so… Some content back from WoK. Have fun with this! (I can't figure out those glyphs, but they look readable. Their origin involves a polar coordinates filter and the voidbinding chart. They may have flipped left half and right half, can't be sure.)

Spoilers-safe content: Let's go back to WoK for a while, more precisely – to its back cover. I straightened the Void "essence" glyphs from the voidbinding svg some good soul made (I just run it throught polar coordinates filter + vectorization to make them prettier). They turned out to look very much like normal glyphs. I wonder, can we somehow read those or match them to something (the Unmade, maybe?).

Bloodsealer. I really don't want to be sacrificed to enable fast travel for a lazy priest. Would you rather eat a chouta with Kaladin or a five-course meal with Amaram? Also, first General Brandon Discussion post of 2018! Yes, I know I'm silly.

Oathbringer just had too much bloat. I agree with @maxal there was too much repetition of Daliners politics and his flashbacks could have been shorter. Also, I love Bridge Four but really just as a collective group bolstering Kaladins story. I hate to say this but I didn't much care or need their veiwpoint chapters. Trim this and we could of had more character development or just plain good ole dialogue between our characters. I don’t know when I will even do a reread forcing myself to trudge through all the bloat.

I think I have an idea. It's kind of a crazy one. It might even be a terrible one. But hey, here it is: QF: Alpha Complex Introduction Welcome, Citizen, to Alpha Complex!! It is the dawn of year 214 of the Computer, and Alpha Complex is threatened by traitors! Friend computer wants YOU to help fight the commie-mutant-traitor threat! Sign up today for your first mission! The Computer is making a 1 TIME OFFER to promote the first 10 volunteers to RED clearance! The nature of your first mission is above your current security clearance, until you accept said mission. Furthermore, the existence of this mission is above your current security clearance, thus, failure to enlist for this mission would be treasonous. Rules and Regulations 1. Knowledge of certain rules is treason. 2. This mission requires 10 participants. Any fewer and the mission will not run. No more than 10 participants will be accepted on this mission. 3. You are a troubleshooter. Your job is to find trouble, and shoot it. 4. Traitors, mutants, communists, improper paperwork, and [REDACTED] are all trouble. The Computer said so, and the Computer is your friend. 5. Friend computer has generously decided to supply each participant with 3* complimentary clones. 6. Cycles last 24 hours, unless the Computer says they do not. 7. Participants may covertly perform 2 actions every cycle. The following exceptions apply: [THIS INFORMATION IS YELLOW CLEARANCE AND ABOVE]. Please take this time to remember that the Computer is your friend, and hiding things from the Computer may constitute grounds for fining, probation, and/or summary execution. 8. Roleplay may influence the mission. Attempts to unduly leverage this fact are treasonous, and citizens found to be engaging in such activity will summarily be executed. 9. Inactivity is treasonous, and dereliction of duty will be met with summary execution. 10. You have been granted clearance for PMs, even group PMs. Friend Computer would like to take this time to remind you to avoid using this privilege for the purposes of traitorous collusion. 11. You are of RED clearance. Wear red at all times. Do not enter areas above RED or INFRARED clearance. For your safety, please obey citizens above RED clearance. 12. Upon completion of the mission, citizens will be appropriately debriefed. [CENSORED AT YOUR SECURITY CLEARANCE] 17. In the highly unlikely scenario that a troubleshooter finds themselves in mortal danger while on a mission, DON'T PANIC**. [CENSORED AT YOUR SECURITY CLEARANCE] 213. I've never played Paranoia, and I have no storming idea what I'm doing. This information is above your clearance level. Knowledge that this information is above your clearance is also above your clearance level. 214. Fun is Mandatory. *Some of you may have heard rumors that troubleshooters are customarily given 5 clones, and that the Computer is in error to generously grant you 3 clones. Such rumors are obviously the work of the Commies, and should be reported. Any allegations that the Friend Computer may be in error are treasonous. **Unless ordered to do so by a citizen of higher clearance, or the Computer. So... If it wasn't already clear, this game is not meant to be a serious, competitive game. Indeed, it's nearly the opposite of serious and competitive. It would be fastpaced and chaotic (it is, after all, inspired by Paranoia). The bar would be low for concentrated analysis. The sole objective would be fun (see rule#214). It is probable that I am not equipped to design all of this. If the idea were approved I would want to partner with somebody to figure this out. It is my hope that this might be a novel way to address some of the matters recently discussed in the meta thread. Thoughts?

Agreed with a lot of this. I felt disappointed that a lot of the supposed flaws we were being told about over the previous books regarding Adolin (of which there really aren't many to begin with) seemed to never get any screen time, they were never used to explore the character more deeply, or even make him interesting to read. If Adolin has trouble keeping women, well gee, Brandon, I sure would have liked to have seen how something like that would have impacted his budding relationship with Shallan. Isn't that one of the biggest rules of character development? Don't tell me something about a character and expect me to take your word for it. SHOW ME. Show me how this thing impacts the character in their choices, actions, conversations, interactions! I would have appreciated the Shallan and Adolin romance and ending a lot more if either of them had been made to, I don't know, work for it? Same goes for his (supposed) anger issues. If Adolin can be a hot head, then why is he so chill about seeing the one woman he wants to actually be with (again supposedly) leering at a rival, or said rival leering at her. Couldn't we see him get at least a little mad? He doesn't have to act on it and go and punch Kaladin, but geez, at least let me know he is human by actually thinking about it. I think you're right, that Adolin essentially fills whatever narrative need the author has for other characters. I just can't understand why so many people are in love with Adolin as a LITERARY CHARACTER after the end of OB. Especially after the promise and potential of him going into it was so wasted. If I knew him IRL, we'd be best buds, because who wouldn't? As a character in fiction, he is tepid, and boring to read. I'm probably a little more extreme in my view of him than you are, but well, a character who has so many connections to most of our main POVs, and even is the primary romantic partner for our female lead, then I sure as hell expect more character development and thought than what we got.

The words are accepted, you are now a Skybreaker of the 4th ideal, you have picked a crusade worthy of a Skybreaker. Cleaning up the financial system of 2 separate realms is an ambitious and worthy goal. Your first task is to set up a futures trading system in Shadesmar.

I believe these three are linked and refer directly to a pivotal event in Taravangian's future. I present them here not in the order in which they were recorded, but in the ordrr in which I think the future events will play out. Note that the last one recorded was said directly to Taravangian. — Collected on Shashanan 1173, 23 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a darkeyed youth of sixteen years. Sample is of particular note.[24] — Observed circa Ishi 1173 by Taravangian. Subject was King Valam of Jah Keved.[4] — Collected on Tanatesev 1171, 30 seconds pre-death, by the Silent Gatherers. Subject was a cobbler of some renown I think these show three critical, and sequential moments in Taravangian's future. It appears to predict that Taravangian's bargain with Odium to save his city and its people will hinge on killing a baby, or not. The first rattle lays out the choice: kill this baby and give his people "further breath to draw." I think it particularly noteworthy that this rattle is considered "of particular note" by the Silent Gatherers. It's possible that the Diagram helped them recognise this as referring to Taravangian. The second rattle predicts the moment if choice for Taravangian. And it seems that his compassion will win out. A big boost to all those theorists who think the most important part of Taravangian's boon from Cultivation was his compassion, not his intelligence. It's interesting that this rattle was spoken directly to Taravangian. Did he recognise it for what it was? Is it to be trusted? Is it some sort of psych out by Moeloch? And the third one shows the result of the choice. The fall of Kharbranth. The child crying in the background confirms that he spared its life, while Taravangian's tears tell us that this all happened on a compassionate day. Clearly, if my theory here is accurate, then most of the details are unknown to us yet. We don't know who the child is yet. We don't know why Taravangian has been asked to kill it, although it seems safe to assume that it was Odium making the demand. We don't even know if the child is important in their own right, or whether it's more of a symbolic sacrifice. I'll be paying close attention to any new born children in the next book though ...

The Parshendi have gemhearts. The parshmen have gemhearts. The capture of BAM deprived the parshmen, who were linked to her at the time, of part of their spiritweb or cognitive self, and prevent them from being able to transform. The Everstorm healed that split in their minds/spirit and allowed them to transform again. Syl says this explicitly in OB: Note the capitalized words. Connection refounded, Identity restored. Their Connection to the rest of their minds, their Identity as *themselves* was ripped away. There's also the bits about physiological changes, the capturing of BAM, and the unlikelihood of two groups originating from the same culture arriving at a similar belief for independent and separate reasons. A final note: There has not been a single case of a creature with a gemheart surviving once that gemheart has been removed. It's never been inferred, implied, stated or alluded to. While this isn't proof of absence, it does make it very unlikely that they can survive without their gemhearts.

I had an odd feeling as I was typing something else into another thread... I thought of Dalinar being a drunk father, I thought of how he treated Adolin, which everyone assumes is ten times better than Renarin because, at least, he doesn't ignore him and... something clicked. Dalinar rebuffs Adolin constantly, he talks down to him, he criticizes him, he gives him stern orders over stern orders and what does Adolin do? He puts on a strong face and tries harder... And then it clicked: Adolin takes those moments as "attention", as "love", he is constantly being pushed away, nothing he ever does is good enough for Dalinar and yet he never rebels. He just keeps on trying. It made me think of those abused women videos I watched in High School... The husband always started up nice, he seduced the woman, he appeared as the most amazing man in the world (Dalinar and Adolin in Jah Keved). Then, the husband "changed". He was constantly talking down to the wife, always criticizing her, never giving her attention unless it was to say something detrimental and the woman always reacted by trying harder, by promising she'll do better the next time. Then, the husband will do one kindness (Dalinar agrees to go watch Adolin duel) and she beams happily, reassured in keeping on entertaining this relationship as she had proof the husband did love her as she did love him. Storms, it was just the same as the 15 years old Adolin's scene... So identical. I had an odd feeling when I read the scene now I know why, I had seen it before, but within a completely different context. It was the exact same story.

@maxal Reading you is confusing, you seem to want for Adolin the same things you find so annoying in the main 3's arcs. We can already see from his early appearances that he had some trouble handling the immediate aftermath of the murder, being involved in the investigation would if anything show him how safe he was as there was nothing to link him to the murder; why ask for more navel gazing as you call it ? Their world IS ending. Sure, it wouldn't have hurt to add a pov or two to show all this, but all the clues we need are there. To be honest, i would have been bored if any more attention was given to the murder case, and i don't think it was ever presented as any kind of big deal, Sadeas was killed and Dalinar dealt with it in the only way he could, end of story. As far as Adolin's arc is concerned, i reserve my disappointement for the role he didn't play in the third part, Brandon only included him there to get him to Shadesmar. But i wouldn't say that he's got no character development, his arc was all about accepting his place in the new world that is emerging, it may be shallow compared to the main characters ( well it's huge if you consider Shallan .... ) but it's enough for me for the moment. I don't want to go too much off topic and into the other characters' arcs, i'll only say that what you wanted out of this book is pretty much what i got, i think your assessment is tainted by your disappointment in your favorite character's treatment, perhaps some time and a later reread will serve to enhance your opinion of the book.

I read Lift's disorientation in the alley as the prose equivalent of a dolly zoom; letting us know Lift is freaked out without resorting to having her day "I'm freaking out, man!"

Granted, but after you are gifted with these physical manifestations of unimaginable god-like power, you are immediately paralyzed from the eyebrows down. The rest of your life is spent with other people taking care of the unpleasant manifestation of digestion, you have an attendant that even has to manually do the peristalsis that your insensate throat can't accomplish (he forces the food down your esophagus by massaging your throat). Over 30 years, through a complicated systems of binary signs (you do have two eyebrows after all) you are able to communicate that if properly attached the bands of morning or the Edgedancer honorblade would be able to heal you of your current physical decrepitude. Unfortunately, your attendant responsible for peristalsis forgot to do his job as he fetched you the bands of morning and you choked to death on cream of mushroom soup. Cue the sad violins. My wish is that @The Allomantic Metalhead would reply to the boon/curse specifically tailored for him: If someone else wants to keep going with this, I will add this secondary wish. I wish that Unicorns were real, and further that they were very tiny, and that I could have one as a keychain for my carkeys. For real, that would be awesome. Look, check out my tiny unicorn keychain. Yeah, I touch his horn and my allergies are totally cured.

Okay, you will never lose your wallet again because, while visiting a girl you met on an online dating site in Iowa, some jerk falls from the Mesosphere and crushes you. I wish that J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft were temporarily resurrected to write a epic 13-book (each being about as long as Oathbringer) series with Brandon Sanderson and all of the books were extremely awesome (please make the curse effect me personally instead of the series please please please).

Overall I think M-'s part needs a little bit of work, though don't change too much because it's still good. I agree with @kais about the wolves. I didn't find them terribly interesting, maybe that's because of how simply M- ends up dealing with them. Q- on the other hand was perfect, a really good opening chapter, despite not having read the first novel. Again however, the name, the second word, yeah I still don't quite know how to pronounce it. Thoughts as I go: - If M- enhanced in some way? How does he know the bank is exactly 40-degree's? And that it's "9.81ms -2 of Earth gravity"? Is there a reason for the specific measurements? - "Right then, it started to snow again." - The story just began, so can it snow again? The first line of the story says the sky was clear, where did the snow come from? - Yeah, love M- - Yeah, ok, too many specific measurements ... 200cm high, 32cm reach, $179 super-gloves. - Why use footnotes? Add that to the text itself. - "was gasping as the uncurled herself," as she ... There's a couple of these through-out, no doubt you'll find and fix. - I'd work on the resolution to the wolves. It was over so fast despite the build up, I had to read it twice to work out what happened. Also, if she has a N—P and thinks to use it, does she expect the wolves are androids? If that's the case, she wouldn't be worried at all, would she? - The dialogue between Q- and G- is great, top notch. - Tom Selleck... Yes. Please tell me he's revered in pop culture like the Hoff, is Magnum P.I. shown endlessly on whatever is the equivalent of TV in this world? - Good ending, well done.

The impression I got is that the dead eyes had their bonds were broken, they lost a piece of themselves. If placed with in those location where their power pool, I was thinking that it would fill in the empty and lost parts of their beings.

"feet don't require socks" (handler: he usually doesn't go for socks, actually. so none.)

OB Spoiler

Taravangian is a well written character. Each time you see him he becomes someone else. First is a kind old king. Then he appears to be childlike as well. Then he appears to be a ruthless murderer causing chaos and war for no reason. Then he becomes a mastermind with a dark sinister plan. He changes constantly and our opinions change as well. Honestly he's one of Brandon's best written characters.

This isn't mine, but it's pretty great: Exact same situation here: (And it's supposed to be landscape...)

I've been thinking of doing a story where the magic system is time travel, so a race of people have the ability to go back in time (but not forward) and change things. And how far they can go back depends on how much Time they can buy with these coins made from glass. The ability is linked to glass somehow, so if one of these people walk through a mirror or a window they can enter this dimension (for lack of a better word) to communicate with Time itself, and if they have enough glass objects on them, they can literally buy themselves Time to return to the past. I'm trying to think of a way for this time-traveling to work though, and I have two ideas. One is that when you go back to the past, everything resets and you become your past self except for the knowledge you have of the future. The second is that you go back but you exist on a separate "plane of time" so-to-speak. You can interact with your past self, there's a chance people will see two versions of you, etc. Is there one type of travel that's used more commonly than the other? Or easier to do? I like the idea of a character who keeps running into their future self, so I think there's more chance for conflict with the second one. But I feel there would be less paradoxes with the first. Or if there's a method of time-travel I didn't mention, I'd love to hear about it!

I was actually really not a fan of the potential that "triangle" had to lead to super stupid decisions and conflict in that trio... but I really liked the way it resolved. It resolved in a way that involved Shallan making a choice, realizing that Adolin understood -- and where he didn't understand, he accepted. That's something that Shallan has always needed, is someone who understands where possible, acknowledges that it's not always possible, and accepts her as she is. He's encouraging, but doesn't feel the need to try to "fix" everything for her, which would be a major problem from her perspective. The way it turned out made the whole thing a point of growth for all three; in short, I felt it was actually healthy, which is the exact opposite of about every other "love triangle" you see in fiction (and the reason I usually hate them).