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GameOfGroans

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Everything posted by GameOfGroans

  1. Of course - but some of us enjoy reading about romance just for our own pleasure in identifying with it. Most of the time Kaladin doesn't (seem to) think much about relationships - but Syl does repeatedly emphasize that he needs a companion and that being alone is not good for him. Keep in mind that most of what we've seen about him was when he was depressed, in various crises, blaming himself left and right, burdened by his father's disappointment in him (and what he presumed was many other people's disappointment). In such a state, few people would feel ready for a relationship, or believe they deserve to be happy, or that other people could be happy with them. It's pretty much only after this book that he might be actually ready. (I hope I won't have to wait 6 or 9 or 12 years to read about that, but it seems likely.)
  2. It's perfectly possible that honourspren have no idea who actually killed Testament, especially seeing that they don't see eye to eye with Cryptics. Cryptics might know, but we don't see so many around even in Shadesmar, and one wonders what did they see in Shallan that was so special to send her 2 spren as a kid. Maybe it's RAFO. Even Stormfather or Odium don't see and know everything, let alone regular spren. As for generic morality, Shallan punishes herself way harder than any reasonable adult would. Which child wouldn't reject the thing that killed her mother? She didn't know it would result in the spren's death, and the books give no reason to believe that child Shallan meant to kill her mother. To me it sounded like she was desperate to survive, and the spren guided her what to do, without little Shallan realizing what would happen. Every story has to have some things brushed under the rug for the sake of convenience, anyway. SA does better than 95% of them, IMO.
  3. If you really want to understand this part, you need to keep in mind that nature made humans to survive, not thrive. Most of the human history, we were at the edge of extinction. Ever wonder why humans are so sexual all the year, compared to most animals who are only in heat once or twice a year? We had to be hyper-sexual to survive as a species. So, survival and procreation are the two most basic urges of any animal, including people. And many people have an urge to not only procreate themselves, but to encourage others (their tribe especially) to procreate, to be stronger than other tribes. So on a purely biological level, most can feel that cishet is natural and desirable, while anything that doesn't encourage procreation, is a danger to the group survival. They might even be hormonally, on a physical level, repulsed by the latter. I know that's primitive and unnecessary in modern life especially. I also know that queer is natural too, and might even have some evolutional purpose, such as group cohesion or taking care of orphaned young. But our intellect and our hormones are very different things, and most people are still more driven by their instincts than their intellect (if they have enough intellect at all). I know I'm probably irritating you with this, but that's not my intention. I simply believe that if you really want to make things better, you need to understand the other side too, and explain, not blame. Because, again, people are primarily creatures of instinct, not logic.
  4. I find it interesting how you list "quiet" among the unlikable qualities, though - even if there are no specific mentions or hints of that in the books, afaik.
  5. I was thinking something on the line of, before the Recreance Honor was still alive (I guess?), so maybe that made a difference, but I also read a theory where imprisoning Ba-Ado-Mishram caused deadeyes happening as a side-effect for whatever reason (not that deadeyes were caused by imprisoning her, but after she was imprisoned, spren started dying as a result of broken oaths?). I wouldn't necessarily put my spheres on any of that, though.
  6. "Oh, storms, she thought. Oh, rhythms ancient and new. I belong here." (Venli, chapter Songs of Stones) Will come back when I remember the second one
  7. In my language there is actually the name Jasna - translated "clear", or Claire - but it's pronounced as Yasna. I can't make myself pronounce it with jay, it feels SO weird.
  8. I don't read quite everything, but most of the topics that focus on somebody's queer or minority trait seem to be people rejoicing and celebrating representation. In this thread, one person expressed mild concern that Brandon might dilute the individuality of those characters while focusing on their outcast status, and a few people (IMO) misjudged their intentions. Although, I did notice several people who seem to hate Navani with the heat of a thousand splendid suns, and I couldn't not wonder if there are a few misogynists around. To be fair, it might be that they think she's too bland, or too Kholin. There are plenty of threads discussing cis male characters (white doesn't really count here), but it's pretty obvious why their cis-ness and maleness is not discussed. It's perfectly human and realistic when somebody is different than most to at least consider the influence such a difference has on a character, just as in real life. People who fit what the majority expects simply do not have problems with their self-image, or social problems, based on that. Of all the gay people I know, there is only one who didn't feel already since childhood that they don't quite belong and would not be accepted by the society. I agree it's sad and unfair, but it's also reality.
  9. Veil is not gone, Veil is integrated. Which means she is more a part of real Shallan now than she was before. I'm curious what happens next ...
  10. There seems to be a worrying online trend of presuming bad intentions and bad personality traits whenever somebody makes even a small mistake in expressing their thoughts about these things, or simply doesn't have enough experience to fully understand things - or even just bc of small disagreements. It doesn't help anyone, it only pushes people further apart. Personally, until Brandon confirmed that Renarin is autistic, I was convinced he simply had social anxiety. His communication seemed totally fine when he was with his family and presumably more relaxed. In fact, I have mild social anxiety as an adult, not enough to prevent me from functioning relatively normally , but as a kid and a teenager I was maybe even more shy than Renarin. But when I expressed something similar on another forum I was attacked left and right and made look like a villain just because I don't understand all the intricacies of autism So once again, guys: what The Disporportionate is saying is not that they have a problem with multiple "queer" traits in a single character, but that Brandon, in his writing about them, might forget to focus on the more individual parts of their personalities, especially considering how little screen time they get. It is certainly in the interest of any minority to be presented as complex personalities rather than only based on their "queer" traits, no?
  11. Indeed, the longest and the most committed relationship in all of Roshar. What is the cosmere coming to?
  12. Too bad. That would have been funny
  13. It can't be happening. I didn't hear it, that mean it can't be true. I require full quote
  14. Whatever happens, I don't think it can be anything anticlimactic. Brandon wouldn't miss a chance for a long, dramatic, unpredictable battle, spanning at least 5 chapters and including at least 8 long conversations in decisive moments. Especially for the climax of a 5-book story. That said, I wonder if the champions will be allowed to have helpers (like Adolin in WoR - I still can't wrap my head around the rules that allowed him to have help). The only certain thing is Nightblood won't end up in Todium's hands as some suggested - Nightblood was created to destroy evil, after all. Or, hear me out - Todium draws Nightblood, Nighblood consumes him, ascends to be Odium itself - Nighodium?
  15. Shallan's oaths defy both reality and magic, then. They have a plot armor all by themselves. Killing her mother not one of them? Weird. That should be one of the worst. Also, child Shallan: I ate all the jam and blamed it on Jushu!
  16. Where I live, there is a saying, "It's easy to be a general after the battle". My impression is that if somebody doesn't like Navani just because, they will find fault in her no matter what she does. And pretty much anything can be spun if people put their minds to it.
  17. This might be. Just rereading OB after 3 ys and didn't come to that part yet.
  18. What I'm curious about is why in WoK both Jasnah and Shallan are able to enter Shadesmar spontaneously, and exit it just by finding a bead that represents something solid in the physical realm but suddenly in the following books neither can do it again
  19. Taravangian, possibly. Lift, I didn't finish Edgedancer yet, so too early for me to say. Dalinar - she told him clearly what she is going to do to him, including that his memories will return at certain point in future, and he agreed. After that, he was left to make his own decisions. As for all the other suggestions, I don't remember anything from the books that would support them, and without supporting quotes, anybody can suggest just about anything In fact, Sja-anat when talking to Taravangian says Cultivation touched 3 people and doesn't mention anybody else.
  20. In real life, I'd totally agree (except maybe that Adolin's happy early childhood - he was loved by both parents (Dalinar might have been away a lot, but he still loved Adolin and treated him well) and fawned over by all of his environment - and not very sensitive temperament could help him overcome challenges in teenage years and after without being actually broken). But since this is fantasy work and by default can't be 100% realistic, I prefer to go by the book, and the first 3 at least don't give any hint of him being broken. Only the last, maybe, shows his need to prove himself to Dalinar - whether that would count as broken or not, I guess we'll see in future.
  21. If Brandon stays true to the premise that "broken" people become Radiant (similar to Mistborn), then it's not likely to happen. It was described at one point something like this: The Stormlight fills the cracks (of broken people), but if left unchecked it can also widen them. (Something that almost happens to both Shallan and Kaladin in RoW.) Adolin is pretty much the only main character who isn't broken. Even Navani, who generally acts very healthy, was presumably broken by Gavilar's verbal abuse even if it's not so emphasized as with the others. Jasnah, too, was likely broken by something in her childhood - mental illness, or maybe what her parents thought was mental illness and got her locked up (bc she says she learned then that "even people who love you can hurt you"). Makes me wonder what was going on in Brandon's early family to make him so focused on those themes. In OB, he repeatedly calls Adolin (from Shallan's point of view, even): "too clean-cut, too bland, too predictable". (And while I try to avoid presumptions, it is often true that people who had it easy in life can end up less thoughtful and more emotionally simple that those who did not.) But with Maya, he has a chance to play a huge role even without being a Radiant, which I like. Imagine finding a way to revive deadeyes, half of the trouble of the previous books would instantly disappear.
  22. Jasnah is well written for a portrayal of an unusual person who understands people and the world on a systemic level and lives by that understanding. That said, she also reminds of Taravangian on his smart days, except she's like that all the time. I was just rereading Oathbringer, and realized I had totally forgotten how she suggested to kill ALL the parshmen, as well as all the Heralds, in order to prevent worse things coming. So she lives in the attitude "ends justify the means" all the time. It's an interesting scene and I hope BS will expand on this with time. It shows how genius can be tunnel-visioned sometimes. If nothing else, as a historian she should know that such things might patch a problem temporarily, but leave seeds of future problems. (Even if we put morality aside.) Personally, I prefer character with more humanity, meaning less suppression of emotions.
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