Leaderboard

AG4/AN1 - Day 9: Uniter Divided; Dividers Unite Not long ago... Nolan traced his hands over the inscription at the front of his book. “Life before death,” he murmured softly. “Strength before weakness, journey before destination...” His thoughts meandered into meanings and contexts, and for a few minutes he entirely failed to notice that the sphere he was holding to illuminate his work had gone dun. He stared at it. The highstorm hadn’t been so long ago that it should be dun already. “How...?” He pulled another sphere from his pocket, but it was dun, too. And all the others in his pocket. Um... This was in the book. Nolan knew what was happening, it just... couldn’t be. He went to check his pouch, which was hanging by the door. Still bright. Almost fearfully, he drew out a sphere and closed his eyes. What had the book said. Breathe. Nolan breathed, and he became alive. He laughed for hours and hours, later, interspersed with furious rereading. After all this time, he was a Knight Radiant! The very people he had been trying to study, and he could have firsthand experience with them. What’s it called when you’re the source of your own scholarship? he wondered idly. Is it a primary source or a.. zeroth... source? He had so many experiments to do. He heard cries from outside. Another kill discovered. Perhaps he could even use his power to help, to find these storming murderers and rid the village of them once and for all. Tonight... Nolan stood warily across from the murderers, who had chased him down and separated him from the group. He inhaled Stormlight, hoping it would help, somehow. I’m a scholar, not a soldier! he thought. How am I supposed to defeat trained, blooded warriors? Why did the Almighty ever put me into this? I just want to study... But it seemed that the Almighty had a different fate in mind for him. He had been made a Bondsmith, and told to unite. He had failed. Nolan closed his eyes for a brief moment, prayed, and charged. He wished his battle cry could have been something noble - “Life before death,” or “All praise the Almighty,” or even “Scholarship!” Instead, it was a sort of buzzing, wavery “AAAaaaAAAaargh!” Two weeks of studying Stormlight couldn’t do much against murderers with weapons and the training to use them. Nolan was chopped into at least five separate pieces before he touched a single one of them. The glow surrounding him winked out, and only darkness remained. Ivory Dragonfly was killed. They were a Village Bondsmith. Day 9 has begun. It will end in 42 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 9th February. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture - Villager 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin - Villager 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick - Villager 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel - Village Elsecaller 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan - Village Bondsmith 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk - Village Lightweaver 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros - Villager 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - Villager 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl - Villager

"You can't leave." stated the mob. Rose-Mary Tyler paused, looked at the crowd of soldiers, turned back around, and started walking faster. Mr. Klenien put his arm on her her shoulder. "I said, 'You can't leave'" She pushed him off, and broke into a run. "She's getting away!" shouted Mya. The crowd rushed after the quiet woman, blocking her escape. Rose tripped, falling into the dirt. "Why don't you say something? We're trying to find out who the traitors are, and you're just standing there! You're one of them, aren't you?" Rose was trying to say something, anything, to get out of this situation. Her tongue refused to work, so she tried ducking between one of the soldier's legs. Caccoo grabbed her before she could escape. It was all the town needed to convince them of Rose's guilt. Lenny couldn't watch. It was all too much for him. He had never been the brightest man around. How was he supposed to find Forgotten? It wasn't fair. It didn't make any sense. It was starting to rain now. It might wash away the blood, but the stains would remain. There was nothing left. There was only a variety of bribes. He looked at a particularly good bottle of wine. He could take it if he wanted too. It would be better if he was drunk. Sadly, he wouldn't even get that luxury. And as the rain turned into a storm, his blood mixed with the puddles. Vote Count: Budgie (5): Caesura, Devotary of Spontaneity, Orlok, Brightness Radiant, Elenion Elenion (2): Kynedath, Monster Metroid Devotary of Spontaneity (1): Steeldancer A Budgie was lynched. They were a Soldier. Living Legend was killed. He was a Soldier. Items Taken: Camp Supply: Player List: The cycle will end on Saturday, February 10th at 7PM Eastern Time.

Hello All, I come from a massive online history. I love Brandon Sanderson and it would seem that there is a forum for, the massive expanded universe. Do you do RP here?

Uhhhh . . . Sapphire Elephant.

Long time leader first theory post I have a theory about the origin of the unmade and the heralds. I think he unmade we're humans at one point "unmade" into powerful evil Spre when the midnight mother is defeated shallan get the impression she was trying to understand something she lost. In symmetry I believe the Heralds may have been Spren "Made" human which is why they are so dedicated to their ideals. Just a gut feeling

My favorite book in the series so far and maybe my favorite book ever read, answers so much, has the absolute best climax and is breath-takingly well paced despite its length. I've never felt such awe reading a book as I did during the I AM UNITY moment, I seriously considered it possible he'd turn bad. When Evi forgives him I legit teared up. How can I possibly wait for more?

Hello folks! There's a small chance some of the oldtimers here might have run into me before on the old Time Waster's Guide website. I was known there variously as Brian, Atruen, and perhaps a few other, less savory things. Mainly I just wanted to give a shout out just in case St. Ehlers, Spriggan, or any of the other old Timewasters (including EUOL himself) happen to remember me. But since I'm here, I may as well stick around and get to know a few of you newer folks! Well met, y'all. Brian Lacy

I feel the middle ground is pretty vacant at the moment: most readers invested within this discussion are intend on proving how negative the Adolin/Shallan marriage is. I have yet to see readers put the same amount of effort to... prove the opposite, hence the middle ground seems very lonely these days. As an Adolin fan, I have been rooting for an Adolin centrist arc ever since WoR finished. The little arc surrounding Maya, towards the end of OB, was not enough. It however is interesting and is exactly the kind of arc which could pan out into something more meaty within book 4, shall the author wish it. Unfortunately, Brandon's intentions towards Adolin's character are near impossible to decipher: it always seemed to me he isn't agreeing with myself over what makes up for an interesting narrative for him. Thanks. I find it hard to post contradicting views because they are often met with strong opposition and little support. It isn't so much I wish for others to change their minds, but as I said above, there hasn't been a lot of readers coming forth to defend the Adolin/Shallan union. I have seen readers voice out their concerns on how Brandon has made the romance be one-sided. I have seen the posts where readers are complaining, within this thread, over the lack of thought process on Adolin's part, when it comes down to it. It has often been interpreted as him not really caring about Shallan: my thoughts are different. I believe we aren't getting more from Adolin because most of his viewpoints have another purpose. In other words, within Brandon's mind, the romance is written solely from the Shallan angle. Readers have noted, ever before the release of OB, how Brandon has not seen fit to write one date from Adolin's perspective apart from this very short snippet within WoR. OB didn't offer anything different as, still, all of the intimate Adolin/Shallan scenes were written within her perspective and not him. Hence it isn't surprising we aren't really reading it: it isn't in the book. Now why did Brandon thought it served the narrative better to make the romance arc be one-sided, I honestly cannot say. I am baffled this is how he planned it. As for how Adolin can go from breaking up to marriage: this works for me. Adolin is notorious for ruining his courtships. A WoB told us he did mostly out of not feeling he was good enough. OB certainly highlighted how unworthy Adolin thinks he is, how lesser compared to everyone else he feels he is: while he is able to appreciate his own talents, he keeps on thinking they are... not enough. Hence, upon seeing Shallan and Kaladin glow together, it wasn't long he started to believe Kaladin would make the better match. Even if he does love Shallan, he has no intentions to fight for her because, in his mind, he already lost. This is the one battle Adolin never won: the battle of worth. He can step into the arena, beat his foes, be a grand duelist, take command without even realizing he is doing it, but he could never make Dalinar proud, not until it was too late. My perspective is thus, when he breaks up with Shallan, he does not really want to break it up: he only does it because he sincerely believes Kaladin is the better man while thinking Shallan loves him more. He wants to do the right thing which is allowing Shallan to make her choice, removing the obligation to marry him, giving her the freedom to choose, without any ties. He however does love her, so when she chooses him, well, he's happy. I also took note how surprised he sounded upon hearing Shallan lists the things she loves about Adolin: he really never thought he was enough. He voices out his concerns later on, but Shallan insisted it didn't matter if he weren't a Radiant. Adolin's thought process remain, IMHO, consistent with themselves. He has fears, a given lack of self-confidence, perhaps some lack of self-esteem, but the narrative is never strong enough to push him over the edge. As such, with a bit of encouragement, he moves past it, refuses to be the king and marries Shallan. Where Brandon will go from there? Well, it could go down many very interesting paths or he could reinforced Adolin as the one stable character. I find the later would be a waste.

... or something else poetic™. Hey I'm Alex and I have read almost all of Oathbringer, after starting the Way of Kings only a month and a half ago or so. Decided to join the forums as I start to work through more of Branderson's works! How is everybody?

Hi all, just saw this video Mary Robinette Kowal posted on a subject from one of her writing workshops. Lots of really good advice for both writers and people critiquing (i.e. this group).

Welcome to the Shard! You might want to check out Arcanum, as Brandon has answered a LOT of our questions, and crushed many a theory. The Unmade are Splinters of Odium (Splinters being part of his power deliberately separated from him and shaped to do specific things). So they were not ever human. Heralds are humans who went to Honor and proposed the Oathpact to keep the Fused from terrorizing Roshar. The Stormfather drops a few nuggest of info in Oathbringer.

Well, probably because Dalinar's older brother was part of at least one (religious) secret society, and Wit thought Gavilar would have involved Dalinar. Of course, as we now know from Oathbringer, Dalinar was in no fit state to join any secret group after what happened at the Rift (being too busy making sure he was completely drunk for most of the time after that), which all probably happened before Gavilar started working with the Sons of Honor.

Okay, this is embarrassing. I just caught a dumb mistake in my calculations from yesterday. (I somehow doubled Roshar's radius when I graphed it out.) Correction: Now the example orbit is not quite as close: 2R at closest approach (rather than 0.5R). This means it rises in Shinovar just after setting in Alethkar. (So we've gained a buffer of one hour, not two, in our time zone considerations.) The increased distance also means that the change in apparent size, while still substantial, is less dramatic. Nothing is going to triple in size, though it can still come close for some locations. Approximately doubling in size won't be uncommon. The visibility times don't change drastically from what I posted before. Add half an hour for coastal observers, three quarters of an hour for central observers.

Me, and probably pretty much all the villagers right now:

I did expect that Elephant vote to stick longer than five minutes, yes

First off, welcome to the Shard and great first post! I'm going to take a shardblade to its premise, but it was still a very nice bit of thinking. As has been noted, it is (meta)physically impossible for a Shard to break an oath made with Intent (using Rayse's capitalization, not the sense of the driving mandate of a given Shard) for the reason that the Stormfather explains to Dalinar: Adonalsium's power permeates them and binds them to keep their oaths. It's even more impossible for Honor to betray an oath because that's diametrically opposed to the Intent of his Shard. Preservation can't destroy, Ruin can't create for creation's own sake, Honor can't betray. Now, I do agree completely that there's wiggle-room in the nature of the Intents and I have no doubt that it's going to be an ongoing factor, but not like this. Odium has murdered at least three other Shards and while he might argue that going after Devotion and Dominion was because they violated some unspecified agreement about staying apart, he can't use that excuse for targeting Ambition and per Word of Brandon she was first on his hit list. And one of the Shards he killed embodies the idea of love/compassion. So yeah, Odium does indeed appear to deserve his reputation even if we didn't have WoBs on the subject. Or in-universe characters holding similar opinions, chiefly Hoid, Frost and Khriss. Odium is deliberately keeping the whole 'I've picked you as my Champion' thing from Dalinar while subtly trying to manipulate him, so I'm perfectly happy to take anything he says in that exchange wiith a pinch of salt. The difference between Rayse and Ati vis a vis lying probably has something to do with the latter being 1) completely certain he was going to win, so it didn't matter and 2) thoroughly twisted by his Shard so he's not really capable of thinking beyond it. Though he is still capable of deception, see how he manipulates Vin and Spook for example. Rayse is noted by Brandon to be a very good match for Odium and he seems to have his original personality intact, so he's probably better at deceit in general. We also know that Harmony can lie. Oh, and on that note we do have some evidence from Oathbringer that Frost can be wrong. He thinks (per the WoR letter) that Rayse is now more a force than an individual, contrary to Hoid's assertion. OB seems to validate Hoid's take on it, that Rayse is indeed still in control. We don't have much reason to believe that Frost is wrong in his assessment of what Odium's Intent is however. Brandon's also said that he originally planned to call that Shard 'Hatred' for what that's worth. I suspect that wherever the name Odium came from in-universe, they were right on the money and Odium's whole spiel about how he's really the power of Passion is self-serving and more a side-effect of his power than the main focus of it.

I have proposed it on Discord already: What if Azure is actually Vivenna Returned? What if she died and Endowment Returned her and - uniquely - gave her back her memories and sent her hunting for Nightblood and Vasher?

My favorite out-of-context 17th Shard quote:

Only funny if you know the parshendi language.

Report it with the little flag.

Yes, thank you, that was the joke.

This contains vague spoilers for the Stormlight Archives, however I’m only really commenting on Navani’s personality. Am I the only one who thinks that Navani Kholin is a lot like Asami Sato from Nickelodeon’s Legend of Korra? They are both extremely smart women who are developing technology in a world full of magic. They are also both really determined in whatever they do. They both use technology to fight evil guys. Both are awesome (but that’s subjective). Does anyone else think this?

'Getting Yoda'd' could now become a euphamism for being trolled. Frost doesn't just say that, he says that Rayse wanted to become 'hatred'. So I'm skeptical that he started as something else and then changed, especially as all the evidence we have says that Intents Do Not Work That Way. If a Shard can be splintered entirely and still keep its Intent, it's hard to imagine knocking a chunk of power off of an intact Shard (however big a chunk) would have that kind of effect.

So... sorry to make another one of these threads, but I need help on my magic system(s). Here's a basic overview of the magic and its history. Note: The words such as "Galon" are the world's language, based on Welsh. System - Galon My world is split into separate societies, which have different views on what the "essence" or "life" of the world is. The people that practice Galon believe that the world is seperated into four different essences: Blood, Water, Flame and Wind. This shapes their magic system - each branch focuses on one essence and has a passive/healing part and an active/fighting part. It also has an "All Magic" which encompasses all four. Blood Magic - Chnoadi The Chnoadi use their control of blood to manipulate enemies on the battlefield, or kill them by stopping its flow. They are the society's main warriors. Blood Magic - Ichaoli The Ichaoli are the healing part of Blood Magic. They use it to heal wounded people, altering their blood flow to keep them alive. Water Magic - Dymesti Dymesti are soldiers who use water to help them fight, drowning their opponents or enhancing their own motion with the water. Water Magic - Tonnai The Tonnai are in charge of farming, and making sure their people never grow dehydrated. Fire - Tani Tani are the fighting part of the Fire Magic users. Fire - Farvori The Farvori are engineers and scientists who use their fire magic to create inventions that function using smoke and fire. Wind - Erwynti, Anadli Little use has been found for the Wind Magic so far, and so many who specialise in it use their powers to help them only in normal scholarly or fighting pursuits. All Magic - Nerthi The Nerthi is a single person who controls all four branches of magic, and leads their society. History The users of the Galon magic system were the most common of all the various societies on their planet, Aelwe, but after a new magic form - the Derys - appeared, they were almost completely wiped from the earth by the Derys users. Now, they are the last society to survive the take over, and are hiding in the mountains, or on small islands. Inheritance/ How they get their magic Galon is hereditary, and all users are born with the ability to use every branch of the magic. However, after basic training in all four, they choose the specialised area in which they will continue - many show an aptitude for one type from an early age and so find it easy to choose. If a child has one Galon user and one Derys user parent, the child will be unable to use Galon magic, or pass it on. Nerthi The Nerthi represents one of their society's core beliefs, that while the essences make up the world, and are very powerful, none can exist perfectly alone. The next Nerthi is chosen at a young age by the previous one, and will be trained for many years to ascend when their master dies. While they can use each magic separately, they prefer to combine them - something they call using the "All Magic". Unlike us, the Galon users believe Earth is not one of the four essences (elements) but instead the ultimate combination of the four. What I Need Help With: That's everything I really have on the Galon users so far, and Aelwe as a whole. My main things I need help with on are the specific places in society for each of the orders, as well as a better name for those who use Galon than Galon users (I guess I could make Galon the name of the group, not the magic?). Any help on that or other things I missed/could improve would be very much appreciated. Meanings: Galon: Spirit/Core Chnoadi: Pain Ichaoli: Healing Dymesti: Storm Tonnai: Waves Tani: Fire Farvori: Ember Erwynti: Tornado Anadli: Breath Nerthi: Strength Aelwe: Home Derys: Wild

That doesn't work when Ulim had been with Venli helping her find the forms long before the Everstorm came. This actually bothers me, since voidspren seem "maxed" both on the physical and cognitive realm, as we see on Shadesmar. I don't understand why if it is possible to make spren cognizant in all realms H and C would make their spren dumb in the physical world without a human to bond with. It cannot be to force the KR to appear, as it almost seemed like KR were an accident in happenstance when spren copied what H did for the Honorpact.

There's a theory that the Everstorm is a Perpendicularity, and that crossing over through one of those as opposed to "the normal way" lets them keep their minds more intact. Could also be the type of Spren, since Sapient vs Subspren is a thing

Sherrah sat on the edge of the mountain, watching the fires march every closer. They burned bright against the cool evening sky, a mix of bloody crimsons and blazing yellows and dark violets. “Once upon a time, a village called Rennan stood on a mountain,” she whispered, beginning the story that had passed down from the lips of generation after generation. She could barely hear herself over the crackling and popping of the fire. “The world had fallen, and yet that one light remained, surrounded by the growing darkness.” The stories had gotten that wrong. The fires surrounding Rennan burned brighter than anything around else, overpowering the soft Stormlight that illuminated the village. Sherrah could almost find it beautiful, if not for the destruction it heralded. They’d killed Axolotl today. Another villager, dead. Another innocent, dead. “And even within the town itself, darkness began to stir...” That too was wrong. The darkness had been there all along, inside the faces of friends and family, neighbors and lovers, people she had known since birth. Now, Odium’s Sympathisers walked openly in the streets, uncaring of who saw them perform their murderous deeds. Anyone who would have had the nerve to take them down was already dead. Even Sherrah averted her face when they passed her way, knowing that she could buy the townspeople some more time if she attacked, yet too frightened to so much as shake a fist at them. “The darkness grew and grew,” Sherrah continued. “As the villagers fought, day after day, their hope faded, and with it, their strength…” Her voice faltered. She knew how the story was supposed to go; she’d said it thousands of times before the crowds of children that used to flock around her. So why couldn’t she describe the valiant heroes that had risen up and beaten the Voidbringers back? “Out of the ashes,” she forced out, “valiant heroes rose to do battle.” A spark landed on the ground next to Sherrah. She flinched and jumped back, frozen in fear. The spark latched onto the dry grass below it and burst into flame, hungrily consuming at the fuel below. “Fire!” Sherrah yelled. “Fire on the mountainside. Help!” She turned and ran, leaving forever unsaid the ending where the heroes had triumphed over the forces of darkness. She couldn’t bring herself to lie, again. All credit to Mint Heron for the writeup. Violet Axolotl was lynched. They were a Villager. Vote Count: Violet Axolotl (4): Amethyst Scorpion, Azure Mouse, Mauve Crocodile, Sage Kangaroo, Sapphire Elephant Azure Mouse (2): Ivory Dragonfly, Mint Heron, Sunburst Toucan, Violet Axolotl Amethyst Scorpion (1): Fuchsia Ostrich Night 8 has begun. It will end in just under 24 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 7th February. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture - Villager 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin - Villager 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick - Villager 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel - Village Elsecaller 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk - Village Lightweaver 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros - Villager 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - Villager 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl - Villager

I know that Brandon is by design leaving the God Beyond untouched, so to ascribe any direct action/intention to this being would be to cross from the realm of fantasy into the realm of real wold belief. But we can still examine the prima facie evidence of the Cosmere, and build speculative theories based on these facts which possibly extend to parameters beyond which questions will never be resolved. I think this is OK, because inferences can still be drawn from these speculations. Brandon is not going to be directly confirming or denying anything that touches on his personal beliefs or the beliefs of others in the real world, but Adonalsium could be a part of larger Being within the fantasy Universe that the Cosmere resides in, and could just be another link in the Great Chain of Being with this intermediary pan galactic deity being a link between between Adonalsium and the God Beyond. Even if there is no intermediary pan-galactic intelligence, the theory that creation is an act of self-discovery, and that God is in all things, so all things that are created are part of changing living god is interesting enough that it's worth examining in it's own right. Also, I think that this theory has some predicative components as I outlined in an earlier post, so to dismiss it as useless because it is a theory about something that will never have a concrete in world answer is not necessarily productive, because almost all metaphysical speculation exists in the vacuum of proof. Just because something is unproveable doesn't make it less interesting to contemplate as a potential explanation for some of the greatest mysteries of life. We know from some WoBs (spoilered below) that the underlying Realmatic theory of the Cosmere is based on the Ideal Forms of Plato, that spren are based on Animistic religions and that questions without answers are deeply interesting to Brandon, because the process of asking these questions is as important in a lot of instances as the anwers to these questions themselves.

@Leyrann The Reverser doesn't "use" gravity though. It is the opposite of a Spanreed in that two paired Spanreeds will move the same way (move one left, the other moves left; move one up, the other moves up). A Reverser just flips the direction. Two paired Reversers will move the opposite way (move one left, the other moves right; move one up, the other moves down). The fact that they are using gravity to do the moving of one of the Reversers has nothing to do with how the Reverser works. EDIT1: I didn't read closely enough. I now realize you're arguing that it's not necessarily Gravitation that creates the link between the two paired fabrials (of either type). I'll edit my response once I read through this again. EDIT2: Original text left for posterity. I'll jump in and say I don't think it technically uses any Surge. It's just a spren that is linked because it used to be a single item. The splitting of the gem is the important part. There's probably a reason only Rubies and Amethysts work, but I don't think it's related to any specific Surge. Of note Rubies are associated with Dustbringers and Amethysts with Willshapers, which do not share a Surge.

I actually loved this whole paragraph, but I didn't want to quote it in its entirety for brevity's sake. I think you made a good point here (and it is one which I targeted in my...rather lengthy post). Brandon isn't a romance author, but I feel that romances are something he does exceptionally well when you compare him to the vast majority of fantasy authors out there, most of which take the angle of "Hey, these two are together. They like each other--here's the obligatory scene where they hook up to show you that they are an item." Brandon's writing is not like that. Like many of his other plotting and character arcs, he builds toward something kind of like a rolling stone. (Wax/Steris, the Parshendi going into stormform, the revelation at the end of WoA) In my experience, while his romances may seem clunky sometimes (especially compared to the more...intricate...plots of romance novels), I have found them to be quite satisfying and definable, in a manner that leaves very little doubt about whether or not a couple has been established. The fact that there is so much arguing even still, months after OB's release, and that almost every reader I've seen has been dissatisfied with the romantic arc between Adolin and Shallan, tells me that it's not decisive at all, and I don't think Brandon meant it to be. Maybe my opinion will change with a second read-through, but the more I think about it, the more I think we're meant to be dissatisfied about it. As you said, Brandon loves to foreshadow. Why would he drop all of these subtle similarities and hints between Kal and Shallan, if her marriage to Adolin is the be-all end-all? To further that point, as someone who appreciates a good romantic plot (but doesn't read romance novels), I have been, since early in their relationship in Words of Radiance, extremely dissatisfied with how Adolin and Shallan's relationship has been portrayed. It is not romantic. It's not even really cute. I feel that Adolin really does like Shallan, but I've never seen anything in the literature that tells me that this couple is in love. I have, however, seen a lot in the literature that tells me that this couple is trying to act like they're in love, and there's a big difference between those two. Again, great paragraph. It's really because people like Adolin--I mean, really, if Adolin were not in the picture, if he never existed, would people be so upset about Kaladin and Shallan getting together? I doubt it. These same people that complain about "main characters just dither about their relationship the whole time" overlook Elend/Vin and Raodan/Sarene. Both of these relationships had defining viewpoint characters that were in love with each other, yet they never got in the way of the plot, so I don't understand why having Kaladin and Shallan in a relationship is a problem, when those two were not. Below here has nothing to do with anything I have previously commented on. These are my own thoughts. I heard something interesting the other day with regards to this triangle that I didn't understand. People like to tout on here that Adolin is just this perfect guy for Shallan, that he just gets her and he understands her and that he can help her, and that Kaladin is so bad for her and is encouraging her bad habits and fracturing mental state. Based on what I've read in Oathbringer (and to a lesser extent, Words of Radiance), how is that conclusion being drawn? Because what I read in Oathbringer was Adolin actually furthering the problems of Shallan's mental state, not helping them. Kaladin aside, who I think was largely unavailable emotionally to be able to help Shallan, how is Adolin's behavior to Shallan actually beneficial to her mental state, when he is actually encouraging the problem, as Kaladin has been accused of doing?

I suspect that there will be some suring up of regions, and some spying by the lightwevers, working with the windrunners to travel round. Lots of training and planning but not much fighting. I think we will get more radiants over the break. My theory is that one of the POV characters (probably Kalladin) will have been away from Urithiru for most of the gap and will come back and be "introduced" (along with us) to the new radiants. And I think over the time gap we won't have much more than an occasionally lucid Taln.

Anna eh? People in the Stormlight world would like that name.

AG4/AN1 - Day 8: An Honourable Death Aldrick had been a warrior, once. He’d fought and killed and brought peace. But when the new Desolation started, he was too old, already retired to Rennan. And so he could do nothing but sit and watch in pain as villagers killed each other over tiny things, desperately searching for the killer among them. When they came for him, he fought. He couldn’t not - surrender had never been his way. But he was old, and unprepared, and there were more of them than he could fight. He died honourably, struck through the heart by a sword. And another sun rose. Emerald Falcon was killed. They were a Villager. Day 8 has begun. It will end in 48 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 4th February. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture - Villager 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin - Villager 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick - Villager 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel - Village Elsecaller 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk - Village Lightweaver 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros - Villager 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - Villager 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl

Hi, it's good to have you on the Shard, have an upvote and a cookie.

I really liked Sixth of the Dusk as well it is my favorite short story by Brandon behind TES. The world was interesting as well as the future Cosmere implications of the "Ones Above". All in all really solid. Honestly all of Brandon's Cosmere shorts have been good. I hope he continues to write them.

Recently in Theylen City...

AG4/AN1 - Night 5: There’s No Place Like Home Indigo Weasel felt sharp spears poking into his back, forcing him up the staircase to the gallows. He didn’t give their cries the dignity of a response. In silence, he walked up the stairs, and stood where he was forced to stand. Only when the floor beneath him gave out did he panic. I can’t die, I won’t die like this! In a split second, he was elsewhere. Drowning in… beads? He tried not to choke, sinking slowly. The beads started overwhelming him, and he grew tired. He’d always imagined dying in his old age, surrounded by grandchildren, comfortable in his own bed. Not this. An instant later, he was home in that very same bed. Deprived of air, with a sore neck, but home and free. He blinked, and then started laughing for joy. Indigo Weasel was lynched. He is an Elsecaller. Vote Count: Indigo Weasel (5): Ivory Dragonfly, Mauve Crocodile, Onyx Flamingo, Sage Kangaroo, Violet Axolotl Sunburst Toucan (2): Magenta Albatross, Pearl Chameleon Amber Vulture (1): Mint Heron Amethyst Scorpion (1): Fuchsia Ostrich Ivory Dragonfly (1): Amethyst Scorpion Magenta Albatross (1): Sunburst Toucan Night 5 has begun. It will end in 23.5 hours, at 10pm GMT on the 28th January. Player List 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture 4. Charcoal Hyena - Cannoc - Villager 5. Chartreuse Penguin - Villager 6. Coral Swan - Elyle - Village Lightweaver 7. Cream Tuatara - Villager 8. Emerald Falcon - Aldrick 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel - Elsecaller 11. Ivory Dragonfly - Nolan 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo - Quentisan - Village Edgedancer 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo - Squawk 17. Opal Lion - Villager 18. Oxblood Beagle - Jai - Village Willshaper 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana - Emalia - Village Lightweaver 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat - Village Bondsmith 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus - Village Edgedancer 27. Sunburst Toucan - Vanna 28. Taupe Gecko - Villager 29. Turquoise Gorilla - Village Dustbringer 30. Violet Axolotl

Harmony vs. Odium (I'd love to hear Sazed and Rayse' interactions) Kelsier vs. Vasher Kelsier vs. Szeth

So this has nothing to do with your theory(I agree with Calderis, FWIW), but this is a greatly entertaining statistic you've provided us. The Fused in the Thaylen Vaults is in Interlude I-13, so you've gotten that far already. There is only one interlude, nine chapters, and the epilogue after that. Thus, Part Five of the book is nearly 6&1/2 hours on the audiobook, which is patently ridiculous.

Ok, one more because I'm particularly proud of it.

Adolin lets her be her. He doesn't need or want her to be anything else. That's everyone's reaction to Kaladin. It's not Shallan specific. It's what Kaladin is. Sure he's a protector, but even more than that, he's a leader. He inspires others to be better than they were. This will be IMO where his next Ideals will go.

I just love that we find out who wrote the storming epigraphs from part 1...at the very end.

I grant to you, Toasters Stormlight Awards, for Part One: MVP POV: Shallan. She had the most action, bits of lore with Unmade info, a couple of really fun scenes and character development that left everyone worried and intrigued. MVP secondary character: Pattern. He created memes and fandom jokes that will last longer than TLRs lifespan. He is the best spren. Also, some other awards: Most Overhyped Character: May Aladar. This lady caused a lot of discussion, and did this with zero lines, zero actions of importance and zero anything. She is like Stick, except for the fact that Stick has been more plot relevant, which says something. Most Badass Character: Dalinar. He went for a walk in a Highstorm, killed an assassin, and plans to invade everyones dreams. You can be cool, but you'll never be casually-strolling-through-a-Highstorm cool. Funniest Character: Pattern. You can't divide by zero, but you can give two awards to Pattern. Most Dead Character: Sadeas. Cause, ya know, he's dead.

It's just a tiny horse.

After treating myself for Christmas to 7 of Brandon's books, at last I found time for Shadows of Self and Bands of Mourning. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to start into the EPIC proportions the Cosmere is getting. I came here to talk about love. I'm a woman but I never liked what are called "romance stories" much (or at all). I like action, and I like romance within the action, and friendship, and brotherly-sisterly-fatherly-motherly emotions, and epics... inside the action. Those feelings are part of life, not the whole of life itself, and I can't stand a story where romance is everything. I can't stand a protagonist for which romance is everything: I needed to pass exams, find jobs, pay for things, go out with friends... I had a crush, but if it was a bad idea, I could wait until I was over it. Love was not ALL of life. It was a part of life, and art that does not focus in all parts of life is limited... and boring. Plus, romance stories or movies, or especially TV series, were based in the fact that the lovers to be were idiots with ZERO ability to communicate, talk to each other and explain what the problem was. Those stories demanded from me the following of an idiotic plot, or to respect or care for characters that were acting stupidly. I wanted to scream: "TELL HIM!" or "TELL HER!" Booooring... the reason why the most enjoyable romances appeared in action or adventure movies and series is that they didn't have as much time to make the plot stupid and have the characters hide info from one another so they could be separated forcefully. Not to mention the fact that all those stories are about sexual tension or falling in love. It's rare to find a love story. It's easy to find a story about falling in love. Most instances are about unresolved sexual tension. But, love? It's rare. The best love story in a screen I've ever seen is in the first 15 minutes of UP! Wall-E's and EVE's is beautiful, but again, it's a story about falling in love, not about love (unless you count love for life, which is another type). Love goes beyond the falling, beyond the fascination, beyond the magic bubble. Falling is looking at each other in awe: love is looking together in the same direction. When you have a crush, you are on a high when the other person is in the room. When you love, the other person is like your arm or your leg: you are not fascinated by them, but you start feeling bad if s/he's not close. It's a completely different feeling, and it's hard to express or to describe or narrate, and hard to find. Sexual tension is much easier to sell. Love requires frankness, and lots of communication, and negotiation, and admitting the quirks of the other, and learning from the other, and even, whenever possible, looking at the world through the eyes of the other person and see beauty and wonder where you would never have even considered to look for it. I love the action, the magic, the politics and everything that the Cosmere offers. But after finishing The Bands of Mourning, I have also been immersed in one of the best love stories (not the crush, not the falling, not the sexual tension: love) I have ever had the pleasure to live. THIS was love. For real. As it really is, as it really grows, as it needs to be nurtured, as it changes people so they grow closer to one another, as they make little concessions to one another's quirks, as they accept each other's flaws and traits, yet try to learn from each other and become better people. I've rarely seen love in art so well portrayed. And I just had to tell someone.