Eingradd

https://exmakina.tumblr.com/post/617315772209020928/help-cosmere-fam-trying-to-figure-out-whos-who I don't know how accurate this is, and I have yet to find any official source, but this seems like it could be right? I have no idea what Skar, Hobber, and Leyten look like according to the artist, but the rest seem right. Also, yeah, no Rlain. I feel kind of bad that I didn't notice that until you brought it up, but that's definitely a mistake on their end (by "their" I'm referring to the team in charge of the poster). I can't think of a good reason why Rlain would not be included.

He was worried that, if he didn't trap Odium in a deal right then and there, he would depart and wouldn't come back for another few years, and the Radiants are demonstrably losing the war, even moreso with the technological developments Navani gave to the enemy. I agree that it would be foolish to not consult with others and/or think about it, but Dalinar didn't have that luxury since he is dependent on Odium approaching him, and the entire team still thinks the only way to beat Odium was to trap him into a contest of champions. That has been what the Stormfather has been telling him (and I think Tanavast told him the same in his final vision), and Wit reinforces the idea.

Heresy. We meet with pistols at dawn. My favorite characters are Kaladin and Szeth, and I think a lot of my disappointment with RoW comes from not seeing them interact at all, which is what I was convinced would happen. Taking that a bit further with something I almost forget, I'm surprised that we didn't get to see Adolin telling everyone that he killed Sadeas. Kaladin and Shallan were told during the timeskip, and that really seems like something that was going to be a big point of contention between Adolin and Dalinar. I suspect they had that row in the timeskip, but I can't imagine Brandon would have anything truly important to the narrative and characters off screen.

It would be weird if Rock didn't come back, which is part of why how dismissive RoW was of him irritates me.

We are told that Moash thinks he deserves his pain, he's just cowardly and gives it to Odium so he can be "free". When he's exposed to the Sibling's light, his pain returns to him (just like it did when Renarin appears near him) and he knows he deserves it. I'm not against a redemption arc for him, but that really depends on what you mean by "redemption", ya know? I don't want him swearing ideals and leading the Radiants into a charge, but if he pulls a Hrathen I can see it coming together well.

I personally thought Part 1 was terrible. Like, enough that I was talking to myself in my car on the way home from work about the things I didn't like after reading at lunch. I adored Kaladin cosplaying as John McClane, and everything that happened with Adolin in Shadesmar. I was really disappointed that Szeth was barely in this book, but Book 5 is looking like it will be making up for that in spades. I was more disappointed by Oathbringer. I've read it twice and, aside from Dalinar's flashbacks and the battle of Thaylen Field, there isn't much there that I like.

Make Kaladin's eyes glow white (ever so softly yellow) and you've got it down.

Dalinar still believes that the best way for him to learn more about being a Bondsmith (because the Stormfather has proven himself to be beyond useless in RoW and Tanavast isn't around) is to convince Ishar to join him. I doubt very much that he and Navani are going to sit around Urithiru the entire time waiting for Kaladin and Szeth to bring back Ishar, and part 1 of Book 5 will probably revolve more around them exploring options with the Sibling as a new source of information. Also, Dalinar begins to say, before Kaladin cuts him off, that it was a bad idea to remove Kaladin from the line of duty. Thing is, I think both of them are right in a sense; near the beginning of RoW Kaladin goes into a depression worse than any we've seen from him and it stems from not being able to be a solider boy. I think Dalinar recognizes that removing him from duty did more to Kaladin's mental state than it helped, but we'll never know if him remaining as a surgeon would open up pathways to fully heal him (or get as close to healed as possible with something like depression). Dalinar probably thinks (and I agree) that the best thing for Kaladin is a job like this; where he's not protecting a group of people but is instead needed to retrieve someone, and where he will very likely have to enter combat. I've always thought that combat is to Kaladin what drawing is to Shallan. It's partly a coping mechanism, and partly something they love.

And Rock too.

I do think this was a "loss" for Wit, in the sense that TOdium successfully manipulated him. I would cite what others have already cited; his feeling fear, and his worry about his Breaths. We know he lost these Breaths too, since his perfect pitch is gone. And while he seems worried before, during, and after the second encounter (the re-do for TOdium), he still seems confidant at the end because he still thinks he's dealing with Rayse. It doesn't make sense, if we assume he was the winner in this exchange, that he thinks it went exactly as he thought it would, since he has no way of knowing Rayse was killed and the Shard taken by someone else. That's when his terror sets in, because he isn't prepared to fight against someone who isn't Rayse holding the Shard, and he is in no way prepared to deal with someone like Taravangian holding it. I know Wit has a lot of resources and has lived a long time, but it has been less than a week since the Shard was taken, and unless Wit was literally there watching it happen while hiding from Odium, then somehow teleported to Kholinar, all the while preparing false Breaths specifically meant to trick the new holder of Odium, I have trouble thinking of a way this could be a win.

I was thinking it might be more literal, that Kaladin and one of his parents (probably Hesina, if I had to guess) are descendants of Tanavast. We know that Tanavast and Cultivation's Vessel were lovers, so they could have born a child. I don't know if we know what happens if two vessels bearing a shard mate, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the child either bearing no investiture or a mixture of both shards, and said line growing weaker over the generations. I haven't really put a lot of thought into this though, this is just my initial thinking. I also recall people speaking of Kaladin before he bonded with Syl as though he was an incredible warrior, though the battle at the opening of Way of Kings where he participated in Amaram's army was likely when Syl was already watching him.

In regards to a Mistborn, they could, but it would be uncomfortable and would be rather impractical, I think. The amount of effort expended on pushing and pulling wouldn't be worth the effort to walk on the wall unless you were using it as a form of intimidation or trickery. Now, Kelsier (Mistborn) and Wax (Twinborn, Steel Misting and Iron Ferring) do things that end with them standing on walls, and even moving along them in Wax's case. In The Final Empire, Kelsier is able to brace himself against an in-wall metal safe, feet on either side of it (effectively standing on the wall) by Pulling on it and flaring his pewter to keep himself from collapsing onto it. The text doesn't mention any strain from gravity, only the pewter, but Kelsier doesn't do this for very long (a few seconds, most like). In Alloy of Law, Wax uses his unique combination of powers to Push against metal lamps and lower his weight with his Iron Metalminds to "nearly nothing", then moves along the wall to a nearby window. Since Wax isn't a Mistborn, it doesn't really qualify for your question, but I figured it was interesting enough to include either way.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. I figured just from the Words I would get Edgedancer and, sure enough, 58% Edgedancer. Truthwatcher is at 52% and Elsecaller is at 51%. Lowest is Dustbringer at 11%. It amuses me a little that those three are so close to one another, and there isn't one that's head and shoulders above the others in terms of a match.

Hope I don't miss this. Supremely interested.