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hmm I wasn’t active for some time… I can’t really return yet though, because of school and life generally being kinda tough. So hello and goodbye I guess?

Sorry about that, I think I’m back, at least more.

Stormlight Archive

I've been thinking, what if Skybreaker and Dustbringer Division both allow for propulsion? That way, Skybreakers would be like the fighter jets of the Knights Radiant. With Adhesion and Gravitation, Windrunners have flexibility and agility. So it could be that the Skybreakers fulfill another niche, especially once they get plate. This niche of less agile, less flexible, but more destructive and faster-over-distance combatants. Where they would potentially be able to use Division and the more oxygen-rich Rosharan air to generate propulsion and achieve supersonic flight. That way, a group of Skybreakers flying in formation passing a village wouldn't be unlike a flight of low-altitude fighter jets, giving you this idea of where their moniker of Skybreakers might come from. This also helps with the Dustbringers. Where Edgedancers can slick themselves but have to gracefully skate, a Dustbringer could slick themselves with Abrasion, and then be able to use Division-based propulsion to travel quickly over land, giving them this niche of fast, mobile, land corps that can cover ground and deliver destruction where needed. A kind of land cavalry that, 1) brings Division-based destruction, breaking things, and 2) leaves behind a trail of dust and fire, as they use Division on the ground for propulsion, leaving a wake of dust behind them. The Dustbringers.

Air being diatomic in general splittig its molecules apart roughly doubles air resistance. And you are flying through a cloud of oxygen and nitrogen radicals which happen to be quite poisonous. And you would leave a brown cloud of pollution behind yourself.

Dalinar murdered entire families, including children. He burned an entire city. Considering we know from Kaladin, that soldiers could be as young as 12-14 (Tien), we can also assume that Dalinar killed literally countless amounts of children. I think hating Moash no matter what, and liking Dalinar would be hypocritical, to be quite honest. Again, to the point I have read, Moash hasn’t done anything even approaching the evils Dalinar has committed.

It's been a good run, but I think I'm going to be unplugging, throwing in the proverbial towel, bidding adieu, and logging off from the Shard for the last time. The shard was really the only bit of Social Media that I have engaged in, and it was a fun run, but I think that I am just too old and crotchety for this Social Media thing. It was fun giving/getting boons/banes on the Nightwatcher thread, it was fun speculating after the release of Oathbringer, it was fun over at the Cosmere the Musical thread, it was fun doing the Cosmere Character Roasts, and it was great for the most part being part of the nicest and smartest online forum on the interwebs. But all good things must end, right? You all are great, really you are, but I am incredibly uninterested in the Cosmere© now, after Rhythm of War came out, and I fear that I'm not as big of Sanderfan as I used to be, due to the shift in emphasis from creation to marketing that has seemed to have taken place. I wish all you lovely people nothing but the best, and will now have time to read more and draw more, so don't cry for me, as they say. Adieu, Adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow.

Step 1. Ask if the number of words in a Stormlight book can be counted Step 2. Tell the community you're looking for the word "money" Step 3. ??? Step 4. Profit

I mean don't get me wrong here. I don't think Dalinar is done with his atoning, not by a long shot. I expect him to die doing what he's doing anyway, and even then I don't know if I'll consider him completely on the level. But I do regard him slightly higher than Moash still, solely for the fact that he made the choice (eventually) to turn around and actively attempt to make up for what he'd done instead of plunging deeper into Odium's service. If he hadn't, he'd be much worse than Moash in my view.

Similar to my last one, but still good.

I honestly dont know how to reply to this given where you are in the series. At the end of OB, I was exactly where the OP is. I didn't like Moash's actions, but I did feel that they were justified in a very real sense. I felt sympathy for his actions and feelings. I felt that his logic was fairly rational, if misguided. In any sense, he was no worse than Dalinar or Szeth. Then RoW. I don't even want to say why my opinion changed, because I want @Jash to go into it clean, but please ping me when you have read it, because I would love to go in depth with you as to my reasons.

I'm not sure... Szeth's highspren directly tells him he will need to "become the law" to reach the fifth ideal, so that's definitely the ideal. Now whether this directly means the Judge Dread sort of crazy it implies or of there is some more nuance there is up for debate. I think in general that 'becoming the law' could work with the tiny bit we've seen of the original Skybreaker philosophy. From Dalinar's visions (RoW Chpt 47) of sane!Nale. I think becoming the law is supposed to be like becoming a judge (and not Judge Dread lol more like King Solomon). The Skybreaker has shown that they can follow and understand a code, and are have proven themselves capable of interpreting that code. Sort of like the idea of living documents in the real world, the Skybreaker is a living example of the law that has structure but also has the flexibility to dole out true justice. The law cannot be moral but a Skybreaker can be.

DatS 12:

I was just thinking about how much theorising about the Fifth Ideal is based on what we know about the Skybreakers, so I went looking for the passage where we learn about it. Oathbringer, chapter 90 Context: Szeth and a bunch of other Skybreaker hopefuls are asking questions of some of Nale’s Skybreakers who are in charge of training new recruits. Notably, this description of the Fifth Ideal comes from people who have not sworn it. According to them, it is centuries since the last time someone swore the Fifth Ideal - which, unless I’m missing something, means that Nale is the only living person who has sworn the Fifth Ideal (for Skybreakers). He’s the only one who has done it in generations. Presumably he’s their only source for this information. And he’s insane. Couple that with how weird it sounds as a Radiant Ideal (the person who says ‘I am the law’ is usually not the good guy) and it looks like there’s something fishy going on. I think that what Szeth learns about the Fifth Ideal in OB is not actually true. Or if it is, it’s misleading.

How about: I will do anything to save my world, even to LIVE for it. To me that fits better thematically with Kaladin's arc, with his depression and everything. To choose to live every single day. Though it also makes me think of Kaladin potentially taking Jezrien's place in Oathpact 2.0, as that would mean him choosing to willingly live through heck without giving up...which is not necessarily a theory that I love.

Per very brand new information (last livestream on youtube), capturing mists into gemstones is theoretically possible (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A67G4ObX7CM&t=6600s). Since clearly no has yet noticed it, it is most likely not as easy as on Roshar (i.e. leave them lying around and they will fill) but maybe if you pressurized the mist and put the gemstone nearby maybe?

Identity and perception shenanigans might prevent that from ever happening with this design of fabrial. As spanreeds take into account "frame of reference" because of how the spren perceives its surroundings, water attractor might only work with liquid in the air and pools, lakes, rivers, and so on that are in its reach. Now, because blood is one of the essences, you might be able to create a blood-sucking fabrial bomb, but you would have to use a lot more Stormlight to push through the resistance of a human body. Like an Allomancer has to be more powerful to push on metals inside a body.

I think the 5th Radiant ideals have to do with WHY. It’s an ultimate understanding of what the order is all about. For example, Nale talks about “becoming” the Law, but I think what this really means is understanding Law to the point where you can interpret it with perfect honesty and judgement. A second or third order Skybreaker is like a police officer, who makes an oath to enforce/uphold/defend the laws of the land. A 5th order Skybreaker is a Supreme Court Justice (apologies for the USA reference for those outside the USA). Recall the scene in Oathbringer where Kaladin is confronted by two opposing parties and he wants to protect both sides. Obviously this situation was beyond what 3rd ideal Kaladin could handle. I suspect even 4th ideal Kaladin, at the end of RoW, would still have trouble in that scene. That scene would have required a 5th ideal Windrunner, who would understand protection to the level of why. Right now Kaladin doesn’t know why. It’s why he’s no good at large-scale battle/war (remember the side-carry scene in WoK?) or politics. I think all of the orders (I could possibly argue even the Lightweavers follow this pattern) follow this pattern: 1. Basic understanding of what Radiants are all about. 2. Basic commitment to what the order is about. 3. Commitment to push through even when there is resistance. 4. Understanding of the limitations of the order. 5. Understanding the Why of the order. All of the orders we have seen so far fit this pattern (I could make a case for it, at least). Personally, I would like to see what a 5th Bondsmith ideal would look like. They would have to understand Connection and the Spiritual Realm on a very deep level. WHY are people/beings connected to each other the way that they are? Editing to add: remember Nale is not exactly his best self right now, so what he told Szeth is probably a tainted version of what the Skybreakers are really about. Kaladin probably still can’t answer Vasher’s question, but when he can in full confidence, I think he will say the Fifth Ideal. And I think Kaladin IS the character Brandon intends to exemplify the Radiant journey. The other main characters have weird exceptions/situations that make them not the best examples (which also makes the story that much more interesting).

Serious hats off for this! Goethe is great and I too love Faust, but part 2 is just too covoluted. Like a much longer version of the Walpurgisnacht in the first part and this one was largely just Goethe criticizing other autors of his time. And being written about 20 years after the first part it never really fit well for me. My list is not that classy, just the authors I really enjoy for one reason or another: 1. Sanderson - Probably more surprising to me than anyone else here. I really wouldn't have thought that an author I just recently discovered (last december) could move up that fast. 2. Neil Gaiman - American Gods will always be one of my favorite books and most of his other works are superb. The Sandman is still one of the defining works for a whole genre and an absolute must read for any comic enthusiast. 3. Terry Prattchett - I simply loves his Witches Series and I have yet to read a bad book by him. Extremely enjoyable and much deeper than anyone might expect. 4. Alan Moore - I really should not have to write much more here. If you know Moores work, there is no explanation needed, if not, it might not be for you. The only reason he isn't higher on my list is that his stories are a bit too wierd. The first chapter of Voice of the Fire might be a good index for that. 5. Simon Beckett - My favorite crime author. Nothing special, just simple murder mysteries with an emphasis on forensics. 6. Garth Nix - His books are kinda hit or miss, but when they are hit, they REALLY are hit. The Old Kingdom Series is my favorite, followed by The Seventh Tower. I could never really get behind the Keys to the Kingdom, but I'd really love a follow-up to Frogkisser. That one was really amazing. 7. Warren Ellis - Mostly for his work in comics and graphic novels, but I also really liked Crooked Little Vein. Gun Machine not so much though. 8. David Edings - Would be much higher on my list except I just really love The Belgariad and The Malloreon. Other books from him just never clicked for me. But those 10 books are really burned into my mind. I know the characters and places better than the world arround me. Feel free to interpret that any way you like. Noteworthy, but not great authors, no ranking: Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth is actually quite excellent, but I have trouble recommending it to anyone because of the rape fantasies. John Connolly - Another crime author. Very enjoyable, but it drifts into the supernatural very fast after the initiall great Every Dead Thing. Still nice though. J.K. Rowlings - I guess almost everybody likes Harry Potter, but I actually really like her works as Robert Galbraith. Of course, crime again, but excellent setting and characters! Timothy Zahn - If you're ever to read any Star Wars Novel, pick one of his. I probably forgot some, but that's it for now.

Great topic @BenduLuke! Fantasy: Tolkien, Brandon, C.S. Lewis (he wrote more than just Narnia), D.M. Cornish (he was inspired by Mervyn Peake), Brian McClellan (he was a student of Brandon's) [Wish I could put Stephen Lawhead on this list, but he (IMO) does not finish his series well: the final book always disappoints me.] Sci-Fi: Mark Van Name, Jack McDevitt, Andy Weir, John Scalzi I've also enjoyed some of Toby Buckell's writing in both genres: his eco-themed near-future novels are good, and his 2 novellas about a world infested by "the Bramble" were thought-provoking: If it was absolutely proven that using magic caused something extremely harmful in nature, would people give up using magic to save their own lives and the world itself? A few years back I branched out beyond the genre and found a couple mystery writers that I like almost as much as Brandon: Spencer Quinn and Christopher Fowler. Both have new releases this year - and with Skyward 3 also coming up, 2021 looks to be a great year of reading for me!

I suspect that Skybreaker Division will allow hypersonic flight, once someone figures it out. Windrunners have Adhesion, which affects pressure and vacuum. They shape the air, so they're able to do things like push back the storm, or create an air current that keeps the squad together. Skybreakers don't have that. If they fling themselves hard enough into the air, it will push them and slow them. The solution is Division. They could separate the molecules of air in front of themselves and fly without resistance. It's not like they need to breathe while they've got light anyway. And then we'd know what Sky Breaking refers to.

Elantris

Well, could also be that it could be this place Kaladin saw when riding the storm: That would probably be very shadowy. Of course, an Unmade could be possible too, and it would likely be close to where Mishram was captured, so she could very well be there. It seems a reasonable location to me. Just pointing out it's not necessarily the only reason it could be named that.

For regular battle themes: CS1 > CS4 (great but a little too short) >>> CS3 (great first 10 seconds, rest of the song is meh and too short) > CS2 > FC = SC >>> 3rd > Zero >>> Ao.

granted, but you get outer chaos, murder, and war. I wish for the cosmere to be real. *so I can be a wind runner and a world hopper and meet that stormin drifter*

I’m not so sure about this - I think Moash does feel remorse over killing Teft, but he’s deep in denial and the ability to outsource his negative emotions means that he has no incentive to be better or to change. I think the fact that Moash does have that pain, even if he’s refusing to feel it or own it right now, is the reason that a redemption arc is possible for him.

Out of context this quote is hilarious.

RP to be added. -- Archer was killed! They were a Member of the Heritage Faction. Liranil was killed! They were a Member of the Heritage Faction. Szeth was killed! They were a Member of the Heritage Faction. VC: Liranil(2): Illwei, Matrim Szeth(2): Archer, Liranil Player List:

This would make sense if you hadn’t have said even if Moash attempts redemption, you will still hate him. I think he has that potential through what I have read so far. I see Dalinar’s character arc as a pretty clear statement that ANYONE can find redemption through doing the right thing and attempting to atone for their mistakes. Which to be quite honest, I agree with. No one is un-redeamable. They can always start making the right decisions, and I actively hate American tv shows and movies always killing off characters as you describe, while trying to reach their redemption. I much prefer in Japanese anime where they actually reach a point of redemption, and don’t need to die. I guess I am a bit like Kaladin, as I don’t believe in punishment, I believe that turning the other cheek is the right thing especially on an individual level. If you’ve watchrd Avatar, the scene where Zuko apologizes to his Uncle and his Uncle’s instant forgiveness is my moral view on how to treat those who realize they were wrong and start the long and hard road towaed making up for what they have done and doing the right thing. I think if you hate Moash for killing Elhokar, and that sort of vengeance behavior, but want him to die as vengeance for his actions…isn’t that the same storming thing? Like don’t we uplift Kaladin for forgiving Roshone…who didn’t even really attempt to atone for what he did?

I think it makes more sense that T's suspicions about Heleran are there to show he understood via either rumor or analysis that somebody in the Davar house was a surgebinder and T's guesses while generally close they are frequently wrong in the details. On the other side there's also the idea if Heleran was a skybreaker squire a normal shardblade may be impossible for him to carry due to spren screaming.

"You've got to be more careful!" Wendy scolded, lighting a couple candles and holding the finger up to the light. Katie pouted. "I was being careful! Really careful! I think the glass just moved to get me." Wendy looked up, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Sure. Now hold still." "Kay. I'm holdin--ow!" "Got it." Wendy held a tiny piece of glass in a pair of tweezers, dropping it into a nearby dustbin. "No, no moving. We still need to wrap it up." "Wrap it up? It isn't even bleeding!" Wendy shook her head. "It'll bleed if you squeeze it, and we need to make sure it doesn't get infected anyhow. Here... hold still..." she wrapped a bit of cloth around Katie's finger. "There. Better." Crossing her arms, Katie gave Wendy a look. "Okay. Can I go back to work now?" "Only if you promise to be more careful." "I was being careful! Really, really careful!" Wendy smiled and ruffled Katie's hair. "Alright. Get your work done; unless you don't want to come with me and Ara tonight." "I'm going! I'm going!" Katie ran off to go finish her job. Standing up, Wendy put away her medical supplies and took a quick breather. She'd already finished all her duties that day, and had collected her weekly wage from the taskmaster. That combined with the pocket change she'd kept on her was enough to take the three of them out tonight. Hopefully she wouldn't need it for anything else later on. "Hey, uhh... Wendy?" She turned around. "Umm... oh, Sarah? What is it?" "Uhh..." Sarah held up a bleeding finger sheepishly. Wendy furrowed her brow, then sighed. "Alright. Come here. Stars, I didn't ask to be a doctor as well as a waitress..."

And Gavinor will belive him? Even 6 Years old boy is Smart enough to not trust someone who corrupted his mother and gives order to kill his father. He also knows his father was a HERO who was killed fighting against THIS EXACT ENEMY. Also, his now closest family is Adolin. He would not fight against his father. I don't see this without really twisted, complex and unbelivable manipulation. Gavinor even Cannot sign a contract, because he don't know how to write.

Szeth clearly had the training to use it as such. And I'm 99% sure that the Stone Shamanate has an unmade.

Honorblades for one.

I really hope we'll get an explanation of how the Shinovar culture survives. I don't see how they can possibly keep the warriors from rebelling against their low place in society and taking over - if no one else is allowed to learn how to use weapons, it would be super easy. No human society is so strongly culturally constrained that they have no rebels - even the most conformist. And the Shinovar culture seems old, so it must be relatively stable.

Thanks!! You make a great point as well. I like the Deadeye/Shin Warrior symmetry for narrative sake, didn't even about symmetry on Roshar. Awesome catch. This is my favorite of my cosmere theorizing, because I have to wait the least amount of time to see if I'm right (2023 baby!) and it's the one I think has the best chance of being true. I mean, I was able to pick up that Elhokar was a proto-lightweaver so who knows. Two other points that didn't make it into my original posts: 1) Especially with the Adolin/Maya plotline in RoW I think the missing shard blades are more important than people think. It wouldn't just be a fun reveal for shock value or to explain a minor historical plot hole, but something that could have a major impact on the plot going forward. Adolin has shown that he's able to heal a deadeye, but his process relied on his relationship with her in the physical world as a sword. Right now that means Dalinar's coalition could only heal maybe 20 or so deadeyes at max, using the Adolin method. Finding the hundreds (thousands??) of missing blades would massively increase the practical impact of what he's discovered. 2) A reveal that the Shin have hundreds of shardblades just feels so...Sanderson to me for lack of a better world. His style makes heavy use of 'oh rust' revelations that are carefully foreshadowed (Shardblades are dead Spren, Parshendi are the Void-bringers, Humans are the original aliens, etc.). To me, this twist fits into his style. There's been extremely heavy setup for some major reveals with Szeth's flashbacks. I think that this could be one of them.

The Ideal of Law is an Oath of consistency. It doesn't invalidate previous Oaths. Rather, in concert with previous Oaths, it solidifies the Skybreaker as an embodiment of a constant set of Ideals (actually, the consistency of these Laws are in dispute as it's possible that the 5th Ideal Skybreaker can change them over time. I believe this caveat is along the lines of the Constitution being a "living document" that can be changed by legal precedent and Amendment to meet current needs). Previous to this Oath, the Skybreaker was "practicing" with certain modes of Law. This Ideal makes permanent a specific set of Laws that the Skybreaker will follow and enforce forever (see caveat above). To do anything that isn't consistent with the chosen set of Laws is to break the 5th Oath. Nale might be crazy, but he is forced by Oath to follow that craziness consistently. His 5th Oath gave him no choice but to join Odium's side when he interpreted that Odium's side is the righteous side, for instance. Let's put this "solidification" Ideal onto a Windrunner: Life before death, etc. I will protect something ("...those who cannot protect themselves" were the words spoken by both Kaladin and Lopen, but Lopen was copying what Kaladin said the Oath was. It's possible others may choose a different set of people to protect) I will protect even those I was excluding when I spoke the second Oath. ("I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right." by Kaladin (Kaladin excluded those he hated from the 2nd Oath), "I will protect those I hate. Even...even if the one I hate most is... myself." by Teft (Teft excluded himself from protection in the 2nd Oath), "I've got to protect people, you know? Even from myself." by Lopen (Lopen excluded protecting those he hurt with his words). I will accept my failures (Kaladin was the only one we've seen, and he needed to accept those who he couldn't protect. Others may have some other failure or hangup caused by the 2nd and 3rd Oaths that will lead to a different target for this Ideal. Teft, for instance, may have needed to forgive himself for failing himself, Lopen may need to allow himself to joke around again, etc.) The 2nd Oath defines purpose. The 3rd extends that purpose beyond what was assumed when the 2nd was spoken. The 4th is a pressure relief valve, solving an inevitable issue that arises with the 2nd and 3rd Ideals. The journey is obviously one meant to create a constant, functional protector. What is missing to "solidify" that journey? Something simple but all encompassing. Something that anchors the previous 4 Ideals without invalidating them. I don't have a good answer, but there's some setup for someone else.

Is it stupid that I just want to base them all off the Skybreaker one? "I am the Wind" "I am the Stone" And etc. Probably not, but if only it was that simple.

Jassir and Riva from the Masquerade RP! Definitely some of my very best art.

It’s been driving me nuts that I still can’t figure out what city that is where Kal sees Szeth while riding the storm. The gold hair made me think Iri, possibly? Thought it might be useful to have the passage for reference. I don’t think this was the Selay gerontarch from Szeth’s list.

My point is that they tried to capture it before BAM was captured so there’s no reason to think that she is there

Wasn't one of them in Shinovar? Might be Ashertmarn though

Seems like a pretty feasible theory. Glad I could be the one to inspire it I like how you managed to use WoK prime as evidence, even though it seems like Brandon didn’t want us to do that. Didn’t he only release the book when he finally thought there wouldn’t really be any new info? Well looks like you found some. That would probably be very shadowy. I hope this is the case, I just reread that scene, and that description in particular made me a bit surprised. Like, we have a city as crazy as that, and we haven’t seen it in four entire books???? If Brandon is holding out on a setting that cool, it’s gotta be important later. I wonder if we could use the rest of Kal’s storm vision to try and place that city on the map, see if it lines up with Rall Elorim.

Just because he behaved within the bounds of his culture doesn't absolve him. That's a very dangerous trap to fall in. As for Sadeas, that man was universally recognized as a bad person, so not the best benchmark.