Who will be the new radiants

[Ammanas]

11 hours ago, Calderis said:

I honestly don't know. The only ones I know off the top of my head are the Windrunner ones. Although those two things do seem to come naturally to him, only having a single point of reference makes it unreasonable to assume Kaladin's natural ability there is consistent across the attributes for all orders. 

I was thinking about it this morning and thought about a comparison. My church has three goals which can be personalized as three individual goals that every member seeks to obtain. I am not particularly good at them, but strive to become better. For other people these ideals may come naturally to them. Just bc one belongs to a group that idealizes a certain attribute doesn't mean that you possess them. Just some outside the box thinking...anyone can feel free to correct me.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Ammanas

[The One Who Connects he/him]

11 hours ago, Calderis said:

Can't find the chart at the moment though. 

It's the Ten Essences page on the Coppermind. It's got the whole chart from the Ars Arcanum.

10 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

Sebarial was a joke (apparently a pretty bad one). My bad. 

@The One Who Connects I'm pretty sure Moash will get a redemption arc, and become a Radiant at the end. Redemption arcs may be an overused trope (personally I don't mind them if they are well-executed), but I just have a feeling we will get one from Moash.

Wasn't a bad joke, I could totally see Sebarial becoming important later, but I just wondered why you picked Dustbringer as opposed to something like say.. Willshaper.

As for Moash, it's just personal preference. One of the better written characters I've seen recently was Vaylin, whose tragic backstory and rough life had twisted her to the point of not wanting to be redeemed. She accepted that she was evil, felt that she didn't deserve to be saved. Didn't stop her from being an antagonist, but for the protagonist, it sure hammered home the harsh reality that not everybody can be redeemed, even if they were forced into being evil. She was the character most deserving of redemption, and she never got it.

That dynamic gets overlooked a lot in fantasy, where all too often villains are either evil for the sake of being evil or all get redeemed at the end. Even TLR got the "misunderstood hero" treatment after his death, where he was revealed to be a villain with good intentions. The Sons of Honor and the Diagrammists appear to be set up for that end too, as both of them can justify what they're doing as necessary to saving the world.

I want to see more antagonist characters like Vaylin, where misunderstood or not, they can accept that they weren't really the good guy. Characters who can see that they've gone down the dark path too far to be redeemed, rather than expecting forgiveness or sympathy. They have reasons for being evil that aren't "the greater good" or "because I can," which makes their motivations much more interesting to learn about.

It's a refreshing change of pace to see villains whose redeeming qualities don't matter in the end, because for some reason they couldn't be redeemed. Tragic villains made all the more tragic by not getting a happy ending. This might just be because I grew up on Disney films, where happy endings were a dime a dozen, but I don't like those "all-uphill from here" kinda moments/endings. Have your victory, but have it come at a cost. Make the hard choices, get the bittersweet happy ending. Stuff like that puts things in perspective, makes the ending have meaning.

[Calderis he/him]

25 minutes ago, The One Who Connects said:

It's a refreshing change of pace to see villains whose redeeming qualities don't matter in the end, because for some reason they couldn't be redeemed. Tragic villains made all the more tragic by not getting a happy ending. This might just be because I grew up on Disney films, where happy endings were a dime a dozen, but I don't like those "all-uphill from here" kinda moments/endings. Have your victory, but have it come at a cost. Make the hard choices, get the bittersweet happy ending. Stuff like that puts things in perspective, makes the ending have meaning.

I agree and I don't. The "greater good" idea is so prevelant because it's believable. For a character to realize that they are evil, and to continue acting that way, requires some serious dissociative or sociopathic tendencies. Most characters lacking those would either desire to change, or be worn down to the point of inaction or suicidal depression. 

Many of the "evil for the sake of evil" characters you see are very poor attempts at the Psychopath/sociopath. 

The most relatable, and thus in many people minds best, villains don't think of themselves as villains. They see the actions that they are taking and focus on the end goal. In a case like Taravangian, they actively regret and despise the acts themselves and carry on because they feel it is necessary. It's a compelling story that does not require redemption. In Taravangian's case, he seems to accept that he will be damned. 

I don't know the Vaylin character you mention so I won't comment on her specifically, but most attempts I've seen at what you describe fall flat with me specifically because they come across as hypocritical. It's difficult to accept a character that accepts that they are evil and is content with that fact. It can be done, but it requires some mental gymnastics to avoid the question of why they continue on. 

TLR is (in my opinion) not a good example of a misunderstood hero, but more a villain who held a greater evil at bay. He could have changed the world in countless ways, but he chose oppression and cruelty. Holding back Ruin may have been one of his aims, but he does not deserve the title of hero. 

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

59 minutes ago, The One Who Connects said:

It's the Ten Essences page on the Coppermind. It's got the whole chart from the Ars Arcanum.

Wasn't a bad joke, I could totally see Sebarial becoming important later, but I just wondered why you picked Dustbringer as opposed to something like say.. Willshaper.

As for Moash, it's just personal preference. One of the better written characters I've seen recently was Vaylin, whose tragic backstory and rough life had twisted her to the point of not wanting to be redeemed. She accepted that she was evil, felt that she didn't deserve to be saved. Didn't stop her from being an antagonist, but for the protagonist, it sure hammered home the harsh reality that not everybody can be redeemed, even if they were forced into being evil. She was the character most deserving of redemption, and she never got it.

That dynamic gets overlooked a lot in fantasy, where all too often villains are either evil for the sake of being evil or all get redeemed at the end. Even TLR got the "misunderstood hero" treatment after his death, where he was revealed to be a villain with good intentions. The Sons of Honor and the Diagrammists appear to be set up for that end too, as both of them can justify what they're doing as necessary to saving the world.

I want to see more antagonist characters like Vaylin, where misunderstood or not, they can accept that they weren't really the good guy. Characters who can see that they've gone down the dark path too far to be redeemed, rather than expecting forgiveness or sympathy. They have reasons for being evil that aren't "the greater good" or "because I can," which makes their motivations much more interesting to learn about.

It's a refreshing change of pace to see villains whose redeeming qualities don't matter in the end, because for some reason they couldn't be redeemed. Tragic villains made all the more tragic by not getting a happy ending. This might just be because I grew up on Disney films, where happy endings were a dime a dozen, but I don't like those "all-uphill from here" kinda moments/endings. Have your victory, but have it come at a cost. Make the hard choices, get the bittersweet happy ending. Stuff like that puts things in perspective, makes the ending have meaning.

The idea of Sebarial gliding around and blowing stuff up felt like a fun idea :-)

This Vaylin character sounds interesting, where is she from? Might want to check it out. I haven't seen to many of those kinds of storylines. 

[The One Who Connects he/him]

3 minutes ago, Calderis said:

For a character to realize that they are evil, and to continue acting that way, requires some serious dissociative or sociopathic tendencies. Most characters lacking those would either desire to change, or be worn down to the point of inaction or suicidal depression. [...] but most attempts I've seen at what you describe fall flat with me specifically because they come across as hypocritical. It's difficult to accept a character that accepts that they are evil and is content with that fact. It can be done, but it requires some mental gymnastics to avoid the question of why they continue on.

Well, it felt believable to me. She did have those qualities in spades, on account of her background. I'd have to go through the story again to see if I'm right, but I believe her reasons for not giving up was how she coped. She went through hell in her childhood, and it broke her, and she used that as an incentive to move on. Giving up would mean surrendering to that pain and madness, and that was the one thing she would never willingly do.

I suppose I worded it badly when I said "accepted that she was evil." I meant it as she understood how messed up she was, and what that madness had made her do. She didn't think she was worth saving because she accepted that "broken-ness" as a part of her that couldn't be changed.

24 minutes ago, Calderis said:

In a case like Taravangian, they actively regret and despise the acts themselves and carry on because they feel it is necessary. It's a compelling story that does not require redemption. In Taravangian's case, he seems to accept that he will be damned. 

Perhaps that's part of why I like Taravangian's character. He doesn't think he will be redeemed, which changes the character dynamic.
Actually, bringing up Taravangian, I think my original spiel conflated two issues together, as characters who don't want/expect redemption don't necessarily also have to not have that "greater good/because I can" motivations.

---

I've said my piece on how redemption arcs seem overused, but regarding character motivations, I just want some variance. People who aren't evil because it's evil, and who aren't a villain for the sake of the greater good. Most relatable or not, there are so many other reasons out there. To quote another video game character; "There are as many reasons to kill as there are people on Earth." The same should hold true for reasons to be a good or evil character. The most relatable reasons end up being the most common reasons used in media, and eventually it starts to get repetitive, hence my disdain for them.

52 minutes ago, Calderis said:

TLR is (in my opinion) not a good example of a misunderstood hero, but more a villain who held a greater evil at bay. He could have changed the world in countless ways, but he chose oppression and cruelty. Holding back Ruin may have been one of his aims, but he does not deserve the title of hero. 

But holding evil at bay makes one a Hero does it not? /thejoke        Minor Mistborn Spoilers(this is the SA Forum after all)

Spoiler

Brandon makes it a point that none of the Shards are automatically good/evil, and TLR is a good example of how too much Preservation could make him the bad guy too.

Calling TLR a hero may have been a bit too far, but he was, like Taravangian, a relatable villain who wasn't expressly trying to be evil, but "helpful" in a way that works: force. They hid the truth about Ruin/Odium to avoid mass panic, and took charge to prevent the situation from worsening. being a leader means making the hard choices, and sometimes you aren't always the good guy. It's a decent chunk of Elend's character development in HoA.

42 minutes ago, Toaster Retribution said:

This Vaylin character sounds interesting, where is she from? Might want to check it out.

It's from the mmo Star Wars The Old Republic. The two most recent big expansions took the story in a new direction, and she was a character in those, particularly in the second one. You can find several video playlists of the story on youtube if you want to check it out. The names of the expansions were.. "Fallen Empire" and "Eternal Throne" I believe.

[Calderis he/him]

1 hour ago, The One Who Connects said:

The most relatable reasons end up being the most common reasons used in media, and eventually it starts to get repetitive, hence my disdain for them.

I fully agree. I was just trying to say that it takes either a very skilled writer, or a very specific set of circumstances to make a nonrelatable character come off as more than a two dimensional character. 

1 hour ago, The One Who Connects said:

Minor Mistborn Spoilers(this is the SA Forum after all)

Well don't I feel like a chull now. 

[Sylphrena33 she/her]

13 hours ago, Khyrindor said:

I feel like Moash's story would be much more satisfying if he became a bigger minor antagonist, fighting to choose his friendship of Kaladin over his hatred of the king. I don't want a redemption arc either, but some of that inner conflict at a key point wouldn't be amiss. I'd be okay with him having to die in the end as well (though of course Kaladin would feel bad about it).

I agree with you here. I'm not a huge fan of redemption arcs either, and the whole inner conflict thing with Moash would definitely go along with "Sanderson's Second Law" which states that a character's weaknesses/limitations/internal struggles are more emotionally powerful and interesting to the reader than their strengths/powers. Kaladin having to face killing him/him dying in the end would also cause some of that inner conflict for Kaladin. 

[gbazz4 he/him]

15 hours ago, Storming Radiant said:

The only thing I want Moash to end up as is a corpse. Preferably in some very gruesome way. I'll leave it to Brandon to think of an epic death for that storming traitor.

I feel you here. Pretty much crosses the line for me when you choose your hatred of someone else over your friend and would have killed your friend for getting in the way if not for the fact he turned out to say the next oath on his road to becoming a KR. I might be open to him redeeming himself to Kaladin somehow, like saving Kaladin by turning against the Diagram and dying in the attempt. 

It is possible for him to become a KR if he starts living by the ideals. I mean Dalinar was not exactly KR material in his youth but started living by a code after Gavilar's death and that set him on his path to becoming a KR, so it is possible if Moash changes that he could become one too. 

Edited June 30, 2017 by gbazz4

[CaptainRyan he/him]

6 hours ago, Ammanas said:

Just bc one belongs to a group that idealizes a certain attribute doesn't mean that you possess them. Just some outside the box thinking...anyone can feel free to correct me.

It is my understanding that a person has to be living the "standards" (for lack of a better word) of a certain Order to attract the spren of that Order. Kaladin attracted Syl because he showed true leadership and a desire to protect those weaker than himself through his actions as a squad leader. Ym attracted both a Truthwatcher and an Edgedancer spren because he exemplified the attributes of those Orders through his actions. My opinion (and it is just that, an opinion) is that someone who does not exhibit the traits of an Order will, generally, never attract a spren of that Order. e.g. If someone lacks the ability to be a leader they will not attract an Honorspren.

[Calderis he/him]

42 minutes ago, gbazz4 said:

like saving Kaladin by turning against the Sons of Honor and dying in the attempt. 

First a slight nitpick, Moash is with the Diagram, not the Sons. 

I actually feel sorry for Moash. He didn't mean to hurt Kaladin badly, he just wasn't used to his plate yet. He was manipulated by Graves, who used his love for his grandparents and his anger towards Elhokar, to put him in a horrible situation. Yes he was spiteful, and let his anger consume him. Yes he's not a very good person. He fits the rest of the cast well. He showed immediate remorse for having hurt Kaladin as badly as he did. 

Now he's forced to flee, leaving the only people who cared for him, and who he cared for at all, behind. And he's in the company of people who used him, and he's going to see that the motivations they expressed to him were lies. He's got to be feeling like he betrayed his only real friend, for reasons that were never true. 

He's got to be torturing himself. 

Edited June 30, 2017 by Calderis

[gbazz4 he/him]

1 hour ago, Calderis said:

First a slight nitpick, Moash is with the Diagram, not the Sons. 

I actually feel sorry for Moash. He didn't mean to hurt Kaladin badly, he just wasn't used to his plate yet. He was manipulated by Graves, who used his love for his grandparents and his anger towards Elhokar, to put him in a horrible situation. Yes he was spiteful, and let his anger consume him. Yes he's not a very good person. He fits the rest of the cast well. He showed immediate remorse for having hurt Kaladin as badly as he did. 

Now he's forced to flee, leaving the only people who cared for him, and who he cared for at all, behind. And he's in the company of people who used him, and he's going to see that the motivations they expressed to him were lies. He's got to be feeling like he betrayed his only real friend, for reasons that were never true. 

He's got to be torturing himself. 

*Facepalm* Got my secret societies mixed up there. Thanks for the correction. 

I understand where you are coming from on your comments about Moash. That is why i felt like i would be ok with him redeeming himself in someway. But i am also a big on loyalty person and Moash hurting Kaladin was something i felt was crossing a line when it comes to friends. IIRC he hits Kaladin at least 2 times so he would have realized he hurt Kaladin bad after the 1st time and so even though he is not used to his plate he still hits him again knowing he hurt Kaladin with his 1st hit. That is something hard for me to swallow when he is doing it to his friend.

[Calderis he/him]

2 minutes ago, gbazz4 said:

IIRC he hits Kaladin at least 2 times so he would have realized he hurt Kaladin bad after the 1st time and so even though he is not used to his plate he still hits him again knowing he hurt Kaladin with his 1st hit. That is something hard for me to swallow when he is doing it to his friend.

I don't remember a second hit... I could be wrong though. I just remember the one big hit that should have killed him, and Moash's immediate "OMG, that's not what wanted reaction." followed by Graves trying to talk him down with his "you did what you had to" comments. 

[DocHoliday he/him]

7 minutes ago, Calderis said:

I don't remember a second hit... I could be wrong though. I just remember the one big hit that should have killed him, and Moash's immediate "OMG, that's not what wanted reaction." followed by Graves trying to talk him down with his "you did what you had to" comments. 

I second this. It was one hit, and the gut punch was intended to be disabling. I myself am guilty of having done this, so I completely understand Moash striking Kaladin. Moash just wasn't capable of finesse in Plate. 

Granted though, it was an ugly storming spot Moash put him in, in the first place.

[Calderis he/him]

Just now, DocHoliday said:

Granted though, it was an ugly storming spot Moash put him in, in the first place

Agreed, but at that point, Moash thought Kal was on his side. The first he knew he'd be dealing with Kaladin was when he found him with Elhokar. He was at the point of finally getting his revenge and then Kal said no. 

He made the wrong choice. I fully agree there. I can also see his side of things in that his choice was let the person he thought was responsible for the death of his family go free, or disappointing a friend. The plate issue had to be panic inducing. 

[+Extesian he/him]

Yeah I'm amazed at people's disgust towards Moash. He's absolutely no different to Kaladin except that Kaladin changed his mind at the very last moment. The assassination attempt was understandable (Kaladin was into it). The punch seemed to honestly horrify him. And his PoV had him feeling terrible and like he'd chosen the wrong side in the end. He probably chose the wrong side but so did Kaladin almost. 

[Calderis he/him]

1 minute ago, Extesian said:

Yeah I'm amazed at people's disgust towards Moash. He's absolutely no different to Kaladin except that Kaladin changed his mind at the very last moment. The assassination attempt was understandable (Kaladin was into it). The punch seemed to honestly horrify him. And his PoV had him feeling terrible and like he'd chosen the wrong side in the end. He probably chose the wrong side but so did Kaladin almost. 

Yep, and the real villain there was Graves, who people don't know well enough to resent. 

[DocHoliday he/him]

I wouldn't even say panic. Basic adrenaline, combined with increased strength, and wrapped in dense metal as opposed to flesh and bone..all these things add up to a an incident OSHA would be pulling their hair out over lol.

[Storming Radiant he/him]

20 hours ago, Calderis said:

I don't remember a second hit... I could be wrong though. I just remember the one big hit that should have killed him, and Moash's immediate "OMG, that's not what wanted reaction." followed by Graves trying to talk him down with his "you did what you had to" comments. 

If I remember correctly he hit Kaladin once, but then when Graves told him to "finish him" he was actually going to do it. No tragic backstory is going to make up for this. He might have originally been the same as Kaladin, but unlike him, Moash made some very wrong decisions.

[Leafdancer she/her]

I don't know about Eshonai being a Radiant, as she's a Listener/Voidbringer (and I remember something about Listeners historically not forming Nahel bonds).  Personally, I don't think that Adolin will become a Radiant, but if he does, I think maybe he'll be a Dustbringer.  Of Bridge 4, I can see Skar (IDK yet) and Teft ( Stoneward?) becoming KRs.  And I agree with @Luck Spren, understanding more about Horneaters and spren would be really great.  

 

Oh, Moash.  Storming traitor.  If he becomes a KR through a redemption arc, then maybe another Windrunner (I hope not though. I want him dead.)

[The One Who Connects he/him]

6 minutes ago, Edgedancer_01 said:

I don't know about Eshonai being a Radiant, as she's a Listener/Voidbringer (and I remember something about Listeners historically not forming Nahel bonds).

Remember that Spren Bonds aren't permanent arrangements, so that Voidbringer status can change. As for Listener-Radiants, the WoBs only say that they didn't in the past, and that most in-world people would say that they can't. It's more than enough leeway for us.

8 minutes ago, Edgedancer_01 said:

Teft (Stoneward?)

I'm not sure if there is anything to back up this theory, but I certainly like the idea.

Also, welcome to the Shard!

[Calderis he/him]

49 minutes ago, Storming Radiant said:

If I remember correctly he hit Kaladin once, but then when Graves told him to "finish him" he was actually going to do it. No tragic backstory is going to make up for this. He might have originally been the same as Kaladin, but unlike him, Moash made some very wrong decisions.

Considering the state that Kal was in at that moment, I would have hit him again too. He was broken to the point that if he hadn't spoken the oath then and there he'd have died. Not exceptionally quickly, and very painfully. Another hit would have been a mercy in most people's minds. 

I've said repeatedly that Moash made the wrong choice. I'm not defending his choices. But the level of animosity towards him specifically, when he's no worse than half the characters people root for, is excessive.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Calderis

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

6 minutes ago, Calderis said:

I've said repeatedly that Moash made the wrong choice. I'm not defending his choices. But the level of animosity towards him specifically, when he's no worse than half the characters people root for, is excessive.

This is actually pretty fun, because it is so correct. Kelsier does a whole lot of worse stuff. 

Secret History spoilers:

Spoiler

His threat to Hoid for example, sounds like something Ramsay Bolton from aSoIaF might do.

 

[WhiteLeeopard she/her]

For me its about loyalty. You can do a lot of things, but not betray your friends. Kelsier had a million and one flaws, but he never betrayed his friends. 

Spoiler

And he partly died to save Spook and those with him

Kaladin nearly made the wrong choice, but that seems minor to me compared to turning on friends. When Kal stopped him Moash should have cursed him up a storm, then have gotten past him without hurting him or left. There is never a good reason to betray a friend. Yes Moash was sorry immediately, but then he should have returned and said sorry for trying to kill you Kal. Rather than continuing along with the person that just used him and convinced him to try to kill his friend and commander, who incidentally had saved his own life many times. 

[Storming Radiant he/him]

1 hour ago, Calderis said:

Considering the state that Kal was in at that moment, I would have hit him again too. He was broken to the point that if he hadn't spoken the oath then and there he'd have died. Not exceptionally quickly, and very painfully. Another hit would have been a mercy in most people's minds. 

I can't agree with this because I'm religious and my religion is against mercy-killing.

 

1 hour ago, Calderis said:

I've said repeatedly that Moash made the wrong choice. I'm not defending his choices. But the level of animosity towards him specifically, when he's no worse than half the characters people root for, is excessive.

You're  probably right that I'm overhating him. I think it's mostly due to the fact that WoR was the last Cosmere book I read and that whole Moash part is really nasty when you read it from Kaladin's prospective. This isn't the reason I hate Moash, I didn't like him from the start. It's the reason why I'm so passionate about hating him right now.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Storming Radiant

[maxal she/her]

Who are the next Radiants?

This is a rather interesting question... Who indeed?

Elhokar?

I personally hope not. While I do agree Radiants need not be perfectly moral individuals, I do expect them to shine within one aspect of their personality. I expect them to think, if not always, at least frequently, about other people's well being. I expect them not to be selfish about their powers, I expect them not to wish for them, not to want yo use surgebinding with the sole purpose to make their own personal star shine brighter. I get understand why Gavilar was on his way to become a Bondsmith as even if his motives an his means to achieve them sound downright despicable, they still were inline with his order's targets. They also weren't entirely selfish, he did want his kingdom to be strong and united, which is much more than Elhokar can claim to.

In shorts, I couldn't care less about Elhokar's drunken admission over his own incompetence: his reasons to summon Kaladin was 100% selfish. He does not want to be a good king for his country nor his people, but for himself. He wants to be seen and viewed as a hero, worst he feels he earned it just by being the son of a king.

Needless to say I do not support him as a Radiant for all the aforementioned reasons.

Navani?

I am not against it, but I do not see the need for it either. In shorts, I do not see the need for her as a Radiant, I do not see what it would add to the story, hence I am generally against it.

Sebrarial?

I understand why many love his character, but I am not personally sold on him. Sebrarial is... an opportunist. He won't support a faction unless he is convinced it will win and, even then, he most likely has a back-up plan to support the opposite faction. We must not get side-tracked as to think he wasn't playing both side, right here in the end: had Dalinar failed, surely he had other plans. He is a two-faced coins which makes him hard to trust. 

Can he be a Radiant? I guess he is a maybe, he is a possibility, but I am not currently seeing a good enough story around him to make it worth happening. I can change however.

Moash?

I have read the on-going discussion on Moash and my personal stance is I don't like him. He did betray a friend. He did make his anger and his need for vengeance go over friendship, worst against the man who actually saved him from slavery. Obviously, Kaladin entertained the same ideas, he did wish to betray Dalinar, the man who did save him too, but the major difference is Kaladin does not have a personal relationship with Dalinar. The fact Moash was Kaladin's friend does make it worst, just as Jakamav essentially doing the same to Adolin is highly despicable.

Can he redeem himself?

Well, if Szeth can, then anyone can. The question should then be: do I want him to? I am unsure. My initial response would be no. Moash however has an unfinished story and Brandon did say he had large plans for him. I do think he is the mystery Part 2 novella character and I do think he is the next Adolin: the next side character growing out of proportion. Brandon did say there was a third one: first Spook, then Adolin, now... Well I think it may be Moash.

It is thus very hard to say if I think Moash will be a Radiant or not. I have somehow since then entertained the idea he would be a Dustbringer because he sort of have none. This order is mostly unknown, but it does seem as if Moash could fit in there. Well, not really, but that's the thing with putting characters into blank order. I guess Brandon could come up with a good rational for it, so it may be why I thought it may happen.

Adolin?

Ah Adolin... There is nobody else I would rather see become a Radiant but Adolin. I do feel it is the only way for his story arc to remain both relevant, engaging and interesting as no, I do not think "badass normal" is actually all that interesting, not within SA. I definitely think watching this guy fall from so high to reach such a harsh ground level only to pick himself up and become a Radiant through the back door has the potential to be one of the best story arc within the series.

I will not get into the rational as to why Adolin would be an amazing Radiant, but I'll say the story from hero to zero then to a new kind of hero just sounds too compelling to not be explored.

Szeth? Eshonai?

I mentioned them last because I do feel they are a done deal. Sure, there might be leverage for neither to become Radiants, but the story has been hinted towards it so heavily, it seems improbable it won't happen. How I feel about them? I would say... predictable, but I will have to read to find out.