[OB] Shallan

[DarthBathrobe]

As shallan collects more personalities under her belt will we see one that acts entirely independent of the others? With or without their knowledge? Or even against base model shallans goals and interests ?

[DarthBathrobe]

Also is it possible for a person with such a splitting of personalities to bond more than one Spren that is only accessible to the current personality.  

[DarthBathrobe]

Could Dalinar as bond smith use his power in such a way as to "unite them". Assuming shallans keeps creating. Different personas I could see it eventually leading to her breaking mentally ending up nearly catatonic forcing Dalinar to merge all her seperate identities into the one true shallan 

[Irregular]

I'm pretty sure you can edit your original post, no need for questions to be in their own ones

I think she might lose control over her aspects - maybe the new pictures in her notebook are result of this? I doubt she could bond more than one Spren though - shifting personalities would prevent that and if bound, could possibly kill that Spren. I also doubt Dalinar could (or will if he could) "unite" the aspects of Shallan, I feel strongly that this is something she will need to deal with on her own while growing as a person and as a Lightweaver.

Edited October 25, 2017 by Irregular

[Toaster Retribution]

I doubt a spren would want to bond with an already bonded human, who is going mad. Furthermore, she needs cracks in her soul to let the spren in, and that crack is already filled with Pattern. 

[Alderant]

8 hours ago, DarthBathrobe said:

As shallan collects more personalities under her belt will we see one that acts entirely independent of the others? With or without their knowledge? Or even against base model shallans goals and interests ? 

Also is it possible for a person with such a splitting of personalities to bond more than one Spren that is only accessible to the current personality.  

Could Dalinar as bond smith use his power in such a way as to "unite them". Assuming shallans keeps creating. Different personas I could see it eventually leading to her breaking mentally ending up nearly catatonic forcing Dalinar to merge all her seperate identities into the one true shallan 

I think you misunderstand what's happening here.

Shallan is not "collecting personalities" as in individual, separate people inhabiting one body. Shallan is not slicing off pieces of herself and having them become self-aware--she is adopting a persona that allows her to do something that she could not do on her own.

Veil = allows her to move around in rougher circles and among darkeyes without much notice. Also her "Ghostblood" persona.

Radiant = allows her to handle matters of battle, swordplay, and the Patternblade.

HOWEVER (and this is a big however, hence the caps), both of these personas are still Shallan. She is not "shutting off" to allow another personality the use of her body, which is what happens with DID. Both Veil and Radiant are still Shallan--with Shallan's goals and motivations. They simply allow her to do things differently.

The danger with what she is doing comes along with inhibitions and excusability, as well as their use as a coping mechanism. Veil allows her to do things she wouldn't normally do--"Veil" is different from "Shallan," so Veil doesn't have the same inhibitions. Veil can go into the rowdy bars and drink horneater ale. Veil can get away with stabbing a man's hand and showing the Ghostblood's symbol. Because to everyone else, Veil is a different person.

Same with Radiant, though this is more of a cognitive separation on Shallan's part. Radiant is able to do things (like touch the Patternblade without all the angst) because "Radiant" does not have all of Shallan's baggage. Radiant is too similar to Shallan, though, and looks exactly like Shallan, so she has a harder time pretending to be Radiant than Veil.

The big danger she faces here isn't that the personalities will begin to act on their own--it's that Shallan, under the pretense of one of her personas, will do something stupid that she wouldn't have done otherwise because she is lacking "Shallan's" inhibitions.

The other danger has to do with Shallan's own mental state. She's running from her problems. She uses the personas to avoid dealing with those problems. Radiant was a mental side-step to her most recent Truth. That's why it's dangerous.

[OrangeJedi]

I am going to say this again (I posted this on another thread before), is anyone else here reminded of Legion?

[Nebty]

3 hours ago, OrangeJedi said:

I am going to say this again (I posted this on another thread before), is anyone else here reminded of Legion?

God, I hope not. Legion was probably the only Sanderson story I disliked.

It reminds me more of Shai's abilities in The Emperor's Soul.

[Alderant]

5 hours ago, Nebty said:

It reminds me more of Shai's abilities in The Emperor's Soul.

Ive seen that comparison a lot, but the two abilities are completely different. When Shai uses her abilities, the subject itself is changed cognitively. It “thinks” it is something else. And will still be that way if Shai is 3000 miles away unless someone removes the seal. And when Shai uses her abilities on herself her past is literally rewritten and her body changes accordingly—muscles, knowledge, experiences. 

Shallan’s lightweaving only affects the senses. Its imagination made real, per se, but all of the changes Shallan makes are ephemeral. When she leaves her illusions dissipate, because thats all they are: illusions. When Shallan uses lightweaving on herself, Shallan is still the same. She doesnt have any more or less knowledge than she did before. Her physical musculature doesnt change. And most importantly, her personality stays the same. She is just pretending—that makes her wholly different from Shai. 

[Nebty]

49 minutes ago, Alderant said:

Shallan’s lightweaving only affects the senses. Its imagination made real, per se, but all of the changes Shallan makes are ephemeral. When she leaves her illusions dissipate, because thats all they are: illusions. When Shallan uses lightweaving on herself, Shallan is still the same. She doesnt have any more or less knowledge than she did before. Her physical musculature doesnt change. And most importantly, her personality stays the same. She is just pretending—that makes her wholly different from Shai. 

I don't think it's going to be as dramatic as Shai's changes, but I think what's special about the combination of illumination and transformation is that Shallan will eventually be able to go further than illusion. I'm not sure to what extent, but it's been hinted at in her transformation of the deserters. 

[Alderant]

6 minutes ago, Nebty said:

her transformation of the deserters.

Explain?

When did Shallan use her abilities to transform the deserters? She used her abilities (infant as they were at the time) to augment herself, but what changed during that scene, to my knowledge, were their purpose and sense of duty. They had been ill-treated by their brightlord and (Gaz especially) forced into terrible events day after day that were going to get them killed for no other reason than greed. They could have done something terrible to her but she was able to stir the deeply insulted and hurt honor of the men and motivate them to aid instead of assault. As far as I am aware the changes that took place were psychological--not magical.

[Nebty]

51 minutes ago, Alderant said:

As far as I am aware the changes that took place were psychological--not magical.

I don't think it's that cut and dried. Lightweavers have been referred to as having a special ability to do something related to transforming people.

Quote

Yet, were the orders not disheartened by so great a defeat, for the Lightweavers provided spiritual sustenance

That ability being tied to the Lightweavers as a whole makes it sound like it is, in part, magical. It's like Kaladin's connection with his bridgemen, it's something he does naturally but it's enhanced by his abilities as a Windrunner, shown by them gaining some small part of his abilities themselves as squires.

It's all part of the strange, almost philosophical aspect to the Radiants' abilities. Which makes sense if you consider the nature of the spiritual and cognitive realms. Dalinar's role as a leader has mystical aspects to it as well. 

Getting back to Shallan, Pattern basically outright says that her convincing the deserters to go back for the other traders was a transformation tied to her abilities.

Quote

“They listened,” Pattern said, buzzing from beside her. “You changed them.”

“I can’t believe it worked,” Shallan said.

“Ah . . . You are good with lies.”

“No, I mean, that was a figure of speech. It seems impossible that they’d actually listen to me. Hardened criminals.”

“You are lies and truth,” Pattern said softly. “They transform.”

“What does that mean?” It was hard to sketch with only the light of Salas to see by, but she did her best.

“You spoke of one Surge, earlier,” Pattern said. “Lightweaving, the power of light. But you have something else. The power of transformation.”

“Soulcasting?” Shallan said. “I didn’t Soulcast anyone.”

“Mmmm. And yet, you transformed them. And yet. Mmmm.”

The philosophical basis of Shallan's abilities are "truth and lies" and the interplay between them. Pattern keeps coming back to this. It reminds me strongly of Shai's abilities for that reason (I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both artists). Shai makes art because she wants to make things better than they are. She transforms things, and people, into what they could be, or could become. I have a feeling that this is how Sanderson thinks of artists, and it's why I love The Emperor's Soul. Shallan does the same thing, both consciously and unconsciously. A great example is the chasm scene. In a way, even though she didn't realize it, she helped transform Kaladin as well. He saw in her someone who had gone through similar hardship, but was able to smile, meaning that it may also be possible for him. She shows others a version of themselves that they can aspire to, and it's deeply tied to the way she transforms herself. We're starting to see the dangers in her doing that without having the truth to anchor herself (like Shai reforging herself as someone completely different, without the memory of who she truly is). However I think this is all ultimately part of her abilities as a Lightweaver.

One last quote, from when Gaz asked Shallan to draw him.

Quote

She tidied up his uniform, smoothing out his paunch, taking liberties with his chin. Most of the difference, however, had to do with the expression. Looking up, into the distance. With the right expression, that eye patch became noble, that scarred face became wise, that uniform became a mark of pride. She filled it in with some light background details reminiscent of that night beside the fires, when the people of the caravan had thanked Gaz and the others for their rescue. She removed the sheet from the pad, then turned it toward him. Gaz took it reverently, running his hand through his hair.

“Storms,” he whispered. “Is that really what I looked like?”

“Yes,” Shallan said. She could faintly feel Pattern as he vibrated softly nearby. A lie . . . but also a truth. That was certainly how the people Gaz saved had viewed him.

“Thank you, Brightness,” Gaz said. “I . . . Thank you.” Ash’s eyes! He actually seemed to be tearing up.

It's a lie. A white lie. Gaz isn't the man in the picture. But the man in the picture is what Gaz is starting to become.

EDIT: And I just realized how significant the interplay between the use of the words "forge" (to produce a copy or imitation for the purpose of deception), and "reforge" (to remake something) is. Lies and truth, once again. I love The Emperor's Soul.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Nebty

[Alderant]

3 minutes ago, Nebty said:

I don't think it's that cut and dried. Lightweavers have been referred to as having a special ability to do something related to transforming people.

Quote

Yet, were the orders not disheartened by so great a defeat, for the Lightweavers provided spiritual sustenance

That ability being tied to the Lightweavers as a whole makes it sound like it is, in part, magical. It's like Kaladin's connection with his bridgemen, it's something he does naturally but it's enhanced by his abilities as a Windrunner, shown by them gaining some small part of his abilities themselves as squires.

You're mixing magic with religion here. "Spiritual sustenance" is a phrased used by the religious. "My bishop is responsible for my spiritual sustenance." It means that many of the Lightweavers were seen as theological or idealogical leaders--responsible for keeping the Radiants from being consumed by the darkness they faced. It's why many soldiers turn to religion after being in the battlefield.

But I agree with you to a point--I think that Lightweavers are certainly capable (perhaps with magically augmented natural abilities, such as windrunners with leading men) of helping others to see their best selves, but I would argue that this is hardly surgebinding at work--this is just the magic augmenting what is already there.

5 minutes ago, Nebty said:

Getting back to Shallan, Pattern basically outright says that her convincing the deserters to go back for the other traders was a transformation tied to her abilities.

Quote

“They listened,” Pattern said, buzzing from beside her. “You changed them.”

“I can’t believe it worked,” Shallan said.

“Ah . . . You are good with lies.”

“No, I mean, that was a figure of speech. It seems impossible that they’d actually listen to me. Hardened criminals.”

“You are lies and truth,” Pattern said softly. “They transform.”

“What does that mean?” It was hard to sketch with only the light of Salas to see by, but she did her best.

“You spoke of one Surge, earlier,” Pattern said. “Lightweaving, the power of light. But you have something else. The power of transformation.”

“Soulcasting?” Shallan said. “I didn’t Soulcast anyone.”

“Mmmm. And yet, you transformed them. And yet. Mmmm.”

You can't take Pattern's words literally after telling me I'm being too literal. Pattern is very figurative in his analyses. His entire culture is Sprenworld is related to the lies humans tell each other--even small white lies like your aforementioned situation with Gaz, which I'll address in a minute.

8 minutes ago, Nebty said:

It reminds me strongly of Shai's abilities for that reason (I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both artists). Shai makes art because she wants to make things better than they are. She transforms things, and people, into what they could be, or could become. I have a feeling that this is how Sanderson thinks of artists, and it's why I love The Emperor's Soul. Shallan does the same thing, both consciously and unconsciously.

Agreed to an extent. As an artist myself, I LOVE how Brandon represents artists and their desires. It's awesome, and I'm not ragging on Shai--I think her abilities are pretty cool. However, Shai's abilities literally change an object. In this respect I would actually say her abilities are closer to Soulcasting rather than Lightweaving, because both involve the literal changing of something into something else. Shallan's Lightweaving, as I previously mentioned however, are temporary. We don't have a single instance of her Lightweaving lasting without her active focus on it (even if that is just through the providing of stormlight).

12 minutes ago, Nebty said:

A great example is the chasm scene. In a way, even though she didn't realize it, she helped transform Kaladin as well. He saw in her someone who had gone through similar hardship, but was able to smile, meaning that it may also be possible for him. She shows others a version of themselves that they can aspire to, and it's deeply tied to the way she transforms herself. We're starting to see the dangers in her doing that without having the truth to anchor herself (like Shai reforging herself as someone completely different, without the memory of who she truly is). However I think this is all ultimately part of her abilities as a Lightweaver.

Again, we're talking about two different things here. Yes, Shallan may have some extra help from a magically augmented latent ability (such as Kaladin's battle-prowess), but the changes on Kaladin were very much tied to the emotional connection the two were able to share. She showed him definitively, through herself, that not all lighteyes were like Sadeas or Roshone. For him that was a big revelation, and ultimately what led to his decision to save Elhokar at the end of WoR.

When Shallan transforms herself, all that changes are the things applicable to the senses. What she is going through is not the danger of possibly losing her sense of identity through constantly pretending to be someone else--it's that she's deliberately trying to do so. She is trying to erase "Shallan the wretch" from existence, but her Truths aren't letting her. She's afraid of that part of herself. She's afraid of how the others will see her. So instead of facing it, she tries to run from it. Hide it. Bury it. But she can't, because of her Truths.

When Shai transforms herself, as I mentioned before, she literally changes herself. She rewrites her entire history, and her body changes accordingly to reflect those different experiences. This doesn't happen with Shallan. With Shallan it's pretense. With Shai it's true, until the seal wears off.

20 minutes ago, Nebty said:

It's a lie. A white lie. Gaz isn't the man in the picture. But the man in the picture is what Gaz is starting to become.

Yes it's a white lie. But it's also the truth, as she points out in the quote:

Quote

That was certainly how the people Gaz saved had viewed him.

This is something that we as humans do. This is not a magical phenomenon. As humans, when we try to help others see their best selves we augment their good qualities to urge them on the path that they could be. We tell small children how beautiful their artwork is, even though its just a mess of scribbles and lines with no comprehension to it. We downplay bad things so that others don't feel so badly about a mistake. Shallan may have had some augmentation to help convey those things to the men, but what changed for them was the chance for redemption, to gain their honor back. They had been beaten down and abused, and here Shallan was telling them they were needed and honorable. Any good man in that situation would feel the same, especially after seeing the gratitude of those they saved.

When Pattern says she transformed them, she did. But it wasn't through magic--it was through her actions, and her deliberate attempt to see the best in them. To Pattern, that is a power. She made the lie (that they were honorable men at the time--they weren't, they were deserters intent on harm) into the truth (they became honorable and saved the caravan).

[SpeakoftheDeval]

But as for the original intent of this post, I feel like one of shallans personas could become sentient because of the investiture she is constantly using to fuel the illusion. It would have to be one of the personas that people think is not actually her as I think that would at least give it its own bead in the cognitive realm if not making it a spren. So it's the two things, other people seeing it as a different thing and the sheer stormlight being channelled into the illusion that could make a sort of veilspren. Now as a side note, imagine that veilspren bonding with someone and giving them powers

[Alderant]

1 hour ago, MadhavDeval said:

But as for the original intent of this post, I feel like one of shallans personas could become sentient because of the investiture she is constantly using to fuel the illusion. It would have to be one of the personas that people think is not actually her as I think that would at least give it its own bead in the cognitive realm if not making it a spren. So it's the two things, other people seeing it as a different thing and the sheer stormlight being channelled into the illusion that could make a sort of veilspren. Now as a side note, imagine that veilspren bonding with someone and giving them powers

In which case the veilspren would become an external entity, not part of Shallan herself. It is an interesting idea that illusions, as they are made of Investiture, could potentially become sentient, but the problem is that Investiture does not become sentient while under the direct influence of a will, which Shallan provides. In order for a "veilspren" to become sentient, Veil would have to be so universally recognized that she became the equivalent of a force of nature or human emotion. That would be very difficult to attain before the stormlight "ran out".

We're also talking about Shardic level splinters left without a will of their own and cosmically recognized aspects of existence (human aspects/emotions that are so prevalent that they have left imprints on the cognitive realm, and forces of nature so prevalent they have also left imprints on the cognitive realm through millennia of human perception). We're not talking about the infinitesimally small amount of Investiture of stormlight usage in comparison--I don't think Shallan could channel enough stormlight for long enough for that to be a real possibility.

But for the sake of argument...I would be very worried about anyone bonded to a veilspren. Those things are violent and all too keen on the stabby-stabby.

[teknopathetic]

I would like to know if Shallan is capable of Forging - she can lie to herself, create a history, and enter the cognitive realm; seems like forging her soul and gaining skills isn't completely out of the question. 

[Alderant]

Just now, teknopathetic said:

I would like to know if Shallan is capable of Forging - she can lie to herself, create a history, and enter the cognitive realm; seems like forging her soul and gaining skills isn't completely out of the question. 

Not unless she were to somehow become Connected to Sel and gain the Identity of a person born and raised in Shai's neck of the woods. Sellian Investiture is very much restricted to physical location, and even people born there can't use Sellian magic foreign to their native home.

[Nebty]

8 hours ago, Alderant said:

However, Shai's abilities literally change an object. In this respect I would actually say her abilities are closer to Soulcasting rather than Lightweaving, because both involve the literal changing of something into something else.

Again, I believe the line is fuzzier than you seem to think. Do I think that Shallan can permanently transform a physical object into a different physical object using lightweaving? No. But I do think that her transformations of herself and other people are, in some way, tied to her surges. Pattern's job is to tell her how her powers work. Why would he exclusively speak in metaphor? Words of Radiance spends so much time reinforcing how Shallan has the ability to transform lies into truth. And even if the illusions of lightweaving are temporary, the effects they have on people linger.

Plus, we just don't know yet how soulcasting comes into the mix. Shallan does have the ability to permanently transform things, after all. We just haven't explicitly seen her use it yet. But the way a lightweaver uses illumination would differ from how a truthwatcher uses it because of the interaction between the two surges. You might not be able to separate the two so wholly. 

Edited October 26, 2017 by Nebty

[Alderant]

34 minutes ago, Nebty said:

We just haven't explicitly seen her use it yet.

Well, we have...twice. She turned a goblet to blood and a ship to water through soulcasting, which is the Surge of Transformation.

37 minutes ago, Nebty said:

Again, I believe the line is fuzzier than you seem to think. Do I think that Shallan can permanently transform a physical object into a different physical object using lightweaving? No. But I do think that her transformations of herself and other people are, in some way, tied to her surges.

I’m not drawing a hard line between the surges. I just think that there is a more natural reason than purely the magic system at work. I will consent that the surges (or rather the bond that grants those surges) might augment the natural ability, such as Kal’s battle prowess is augmented by his bond with Syl, but I refuse to ascribe magic as the cause of everything a character accomplishes.

There was also a lot of emphasis in that book (especially during tbe segment in question) on people reacting to you based on how you presented yourself, and that confidence came from within, not without. I prefer to think that even had Shallan not been a radiant-in-training she would have been able to effect that change in the men. Thats all. 

[Elena]

On 10/26/2017 at 4:46 AM, OrangeJedi said:

I am going to say this again (I posted this on another thread before), is anyone else here reminded of Legion?

If you mean Legion the TV show... quite a bit, yep. Though it's a less dramatic case here.

[kari-no-sugata]

21 hours ago, Alderant said:

Ive seen that comparison a lot, but the two abilities are completely different. When Shai uses her abilities, the subject itself is changed cognitively. It “thinks” it is something else. And will still be that way if Shai is 3000 miles away unless someone removes the seal. And when Shai uses her abilities on herself her past is literally rewritten and her body changes accordingly—muscles, knowledge, experiences. 

Shallan’s lightweaving only affects the senses. Its imagination made real, per se, but all of the changes Shallan makes are ephemeral. When she leaves her illusions dissipate, because thats all they are: illusions. When Shallan uses lightweaving on herself, Shallan is still the same. She doesnt have any more or less knowledge than she did before. Her physical musculature doesnt change. And most importantly, her personality stays the same. She is just pretending—that makes her wholly different from Shai. 

With regards to Shai's abilities, there's an interesting comment from Brandon at the end of "The Emperor's Soul":

Quote

 

The concept was so striking, I began playing with a stamp magic in my head. Soulstamps, capable of rewriting the nature of an object’s existence. I didn’t want to stray too close to Soulcasting from the Stormlight world, and so instead I used the inspiration of the museum—of history—to devise a magic that allowed rewriting an object’s past.

The story grew from that starting place. As the magic aligned a great deal with a system I’d been developing for Sel, the world where Elantris takes place, I set the story there. (I also had based several cultures there on our-world Asian cultures, so it fit wonderfully.)

 

Why does he compare it to Soulcasting? Was that purely the aspect of changing objects? Or does it include the ability to change living things as well? Brandon has talked about there being common underlying principals in the magic of the Cosmere, so if Soulcasting and Soulstamps are related then maybe their range of abilities are also related?

So it's quite possible that when Shallan does Lightweaving upon herself to change into Veil or Radiant that she's also doing some Soulcasting at the same time. But since she specifically ties it into her Lightweaving then when the Lightweaving drops so does the Soulcasting.

[Alderant]

3 hours ago, kari-no-sugata said:

The concept was so striking, I began playing with a stamp magic in my head. Soulstamps, capable of rewriting the nature of an object’s existence. I didn’t want to stray too close to Soulcasting from the Stormlight world, and so instead I used the inspiration of the museum—of history—to devise a magic that allowed rewriting an object’s past.

The story grew from that starting place. As the magic aligned a great deal with a system I’d been developing for Sel, the world where Elantris takes place, I set the story there. (I also had based several cultures there on our-world Asian cultures, so it fit wonderfully.)

Neat quote! I haven't heard that one before. Have a cookie!

Spoiler

 

3 hours ago, kari-no-sugata said:

Why does he compare it to Soulcasting? Was that purely the aspect of changing objects? Or does it include the ability to change living things as well? Brandon has talked about there being common underlying principals in the magic of the Cosmere, so if Soulcasting and Soulstamps are related then maybe their range of abilities are also related?

I've thought for a while that the two were related in some way. The powers were too similar in that they effected a cognitive change on how an object perceives itself.

3 hours ago, kari-no-sugata said:

So it's quite possible that when Shallan does Lightweaving upon herself to change into Veil or Radiant that she's also doing some Soulcasting at the same time. But since she specifically ties it into her Lightweaving then when the Lightweaving drops so does the Soulcasting.

I have no problems with this idea. What I oppose is that Shallan's Lightweaving is affecting permanent changes on the people around her, and that's why people are "changing". Which I just don't believe is what's happening. I believe that the powers are augmenting an aspect of Shallan, but they are not the cause of the changes in those around her--Shallan herself is. Certainly that augmentation could be through the result of a combination of Lightweaving and subconscious Soulcasting, though every example of Soulcasting we've had so far has been quite specific in its requirements and actualization, so I don't know if it's something that can be done subconsciously at this point in time. I think we'll just have to wait and see--hopefully the coming Jasnah sequences will give us more insight into what Soulcasting is capable of, utilization-wise.

[Subvisual Haze]

Pattern declares Veil to be a good lie, because she is a distinct role that can be picked up and set down.

He doesn't like Radiant though, because Radiant isn't a complete illusion, just an avoidance mechanism.  She creates Radiant as a way to avoid confrontation with Adolin regarding her past and her discomfort with using the shardblade.  The problem with doing this though, is that Shallan herself can never progress emotionally with her issues or her relationship.  

Avoidance mechanisms aren't 100% bad things, indeed overly ruminating on negative thoughts can be damaging, but Shallan's setting a bad pattern in using Radiant as a mechanism to avoid self-growth.

[Alderant]

17 minutes ago, Subvisual Haze said:

Pattern declares Veil to be a good lie, because she is a distinct role that can be picked up and set down.

He doesn't like Radiant though, because Radiant isn't a complete illusion, just an avoidance mechanism.  She creates Radiant as a way to avoid confrontation with Adolin regarding her past and her discomfort with using the shardblade.  The problem with doing this though, is that Shallan herself can never progress emotionally with her issues or her relationship.  

Avoidance mechanisms aren't 100% bad things, indeed overly ruminating on negative thoughts can be damaging, but Shallan's setting a bad pattern in using Radiant as a mechanism to avoid self-growth.

Nice. You have concisely made the point I've been trying to make for weeks. Have a cookie.

Spoiler

 

[OrangeJedi]

8 hours ago, Elena said:

If you mean Legion the TV show... quite a bit, yep. Though it's a less dramatic case here.

I actually was referring to the book by Sanderson...