SzethIsBadAsHell he/him Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 So the common theory about Lift is that she is 13. She visited the Nightwatcher 3 years ago . Was granted a greater boon/curse like Dalinar , and Teravangion . It Seems that she is cursed to never grow up , or at least she believes ! But I have a hard time believing she is just 10. “The Stormfather rumbled in frustration. That woman! This is a creation specifically meant to defy my will! “Woman?” Dalinar asked, shaking his head. That child is tainted by the Nightwatcher.” Excerpt From Oathbringer Brandon Sandersonhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/book/oathbringer/id1198279804?mt=11 This material may be protected by copyright. The Stormfather first refers to her as that woman . When Dalinar remarked the Stormfather changed it to child. Brandon Too good an author to make reference like that for no reason . Also I have a hard time believing a 10 year old girl , would have the ability to search out the Nightwatcher . I suppose it’s possible but I mean really 10 years old , even if she was an urchin ! So I was thinking what if Lift was older When she went to see the nightwatcher? As part of her curse she was reduced to the age of ten and was told she would have that mentality forever? Everyone else that has sought the Nightwatcher was older and facing enormous problems , where they felt the only way was to go to the Nightwatcher as a last resort . What do you guys think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis he/him Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 (edited) She's thirteen. She asked not to change and believed she got her wish... And then in Edgedancer at the beginning, she's freaking out and running away, and Wyndel's words imply it's because she just had her first period, which totally shattered her illusions. Edit: For reference. Quote “Is this about what happened to you?” Wyndle asked. “I don’t know a lot about humans, but I believe it was natural, disconcerting though it might appear. You aren’t wounded.” Lift shaded her eyes. The wrong things were changing. She was supposed to stay the same, and the world was supposed to change around her. She’d asked for that, hadn’t she? Had she been lied to? Edited August 11, 2018 by Calderis 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philomath she/her Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 I think the "woman" the Stormfather referred to is Cultivation, not Lift. Although I do wonder at Lift's age and backstory a lot too. I won't argue that she isn't changing/growing up/getting older now, but I just have this sense that it is more complicated. My theory is that she is actually hundreds of years old and Cultivation made changes to her like we know happened to others and only recently started reversing them when the time was right. But you do have a good point about a ten year old making a journey to the valley. Though Lift seems very resourceful so I wouldn't exactly put it past her. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SzethIsBadAsHell he/him Posted August 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 9 hours ago, Philomath said: I think the "woman" the Stormfather referred to is Cultivation, not Lift. Although I do wonder at Lift's age and backstory a lot too. I won't argue that she isn't changing/growing up/getting older now, but I just have this sense that it is more complicated. My theory is that she is actually hundreds of years old and Cultivation made changes to her like we know happened to others and only recently started reversing them when the time was right. But you do have a good point about a ten year old making a journey to the valley. Though Lift seems very resourceful so I wouldn't exactly put it past her. My point is I don’t think Lifts curse boon is as simple as everyone thinks it is. I personally feel that she will always stay the sane mentally , she will have the mind of a 10 year old as her body continues to mature. As Calderis pointed out she just had a period. An event that commonly takes place around the age of 13. By the time of the Back 5 books she will be a woman In body but child in mind if my theory is correct. I also could be right that she was older when she first arrived at the Vally seeking the nightwatcher. Brandon has already said that Lift is one of the special characters that will be in both series. I guess we will have to RAFO and see if my theory has any merit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis he/him Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 I honestly hope you're wrong. If lift is the same mentally in the back half as she is now I'm going to have major issues with her as a focus character. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmnsquirtle Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 On 8/11/2018 at 1:51 PM, Calderis said: I honestly hope you're wrong. If lift is the same mentally in the back half as she is now I'm going to have major issues with her as a focus character. Me too, honestly. I'm looking forward to seeing her as a woman who has really come into her own and matured a lot, and it will be really disappointing if that's not the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RShara she/her Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 I think her decision to go back to Azir, and to help Dalinar, shows that she has matured mentally. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymeros Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 She's been 10 for 3 years so my awesome math skills tell me she is 13. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanaton he/him Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 I think it's in the Baxil interlude where they mention that visiting the Nightwatcher isn't a game, she doesn't trick you, so you can't "phrase your request perfectly." You ask for something, she gives you what SHE thinks you need and a curse to go with it. Lift may have asked to stay the same and never grow up (a la Peter Pan), but I don't think that was the boon granted. Also, I think she visited with Cultivation, not just the Nightwatcher, so I'm not convinced she actually has a curse. Dalinar believed his curse was not being able to remember Evie or even hear her name...but with the revelations in Oathbringer, that seems to be what allowed him to develop to the point where he could deal with what he had done in a healthier way than by crawling into a bottle and never coming out. With Lift, she gained the ability to metabolize food into stormlight and (perhaps this is linked) to exist physically part way in the cognitive realm and part way in the physical realm all the time. If she has a curse, I don't think we've seen it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis he/him Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 (edited) 25 minutes ago, Juanaton said: If she has a curse, I don't think we've seen it. Only drawback, that hasn't been explicitly shown in book but the hints are there, is that she can't breath in Stormlight like everyone else. She can only get it from food. Quote Questioner [PENDING REVIEW] Why does Lift need stormlight? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] Lift went to see the Nightwatcher, and got a Blessing and a Curse in that she can metabolize food to turn into stormlight, but she can't use regular stormlight. And there is something else, as well. Questioner [PENDING REVIEW] So they have the same surges or different surges for Cultivation? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] She uses the same surges, but they are powered differently. source Edited August 14, 2018 by Calderis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanaton he/him Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 1 minute ago, Calderis said: Only drawback, that hasn't been explicitly shown in book but the hints are there, is that the hat she can't breath in Stormlight like everyone else. She fanonly get it from food. Which explains why she asks about food in the middle of the battle at Thaylenah...so yeah, it looks like she did get a curse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julio Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 I don't know how common this theory is, but it seems incredibly clear to me. How Lift defines herself is by needing to steal food, which is partly why she left Azir. Everyone was just giving her food. The Nightwatcher(Or Cultivation, in all likelihood) recognized that. Her take on "Never change" is "Always have what Lift defines herself by, the search for food, be essential to her." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vissy Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 Well, if they ever need to raid Odium's kitchen, they have the perfect person for the job... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Extesian he/him Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 13 minutes ago, Julio said: The Nightwatcher(Or Cultivation, in all likelihood) recognized that. Her take on "Never change" is "Always have what Lift defines herself by, the search for food, be essential to her." That's... I'm in danger of really liking this idea. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philomath she/her Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 51 minutes ago, Julio said: I don't know how common this theory is, but it seems incredibly clear to me. How Lift defines herself is by needing to steal food, which is partly why she left Azir. Everyone was just giving her food. The Nightwatcher(Or Cultivation, in all likelihood) recognized that. Her take on "Never change" is "Always have what Lift defines herself by, the search for food, be essential to her." I like this idea too. I wonder if Lift has a really strong self perception (so cognitive strength I guess) so when she asked to not change, Cultivation moved her closer to the cognitive realm which lets her cognitive view of herself change who she is physically. She strongly thought she was ten and stayed that way until something in her mind changed that grew her up a bit. Food is important to her so it remains extremely important to her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmnsquirtle Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Philomath said: I like this idea too. I wonder if Lift has a really strong self perception (so cognitive strength I guess) so when she asked to not change, Cultivation moved her closer to the cognitive realm which lets her cognitive view of herself change who she is physically. She strongly thought she was ten and stayed that way until something in her mind changed that grew her up a bit. Food is important to her so it remains extremely important to her. This is also a really cool thought. I can totally imagine her as a viewpoint character who just eats a lot in her free time, and stays crazy slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SzethIsBadAsHell he/him Posted August 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 Another ability Lift gained from the nightwatcher / Cultivation was the ability to touch wyndle. I’m not sure if this is the ability or a byproduct of another ability . I’ll explain . What if what she gained was the ability to partially exist in the Cognitive realm? This would explain how she physically touch Wyndle. And this would also explain how she entered the Stormfsthers Visions with Dalinar and the Aziz emperor. So theoretically she can touch all spren and not just Wyndle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoolofwhool Posted August 15, 2018 Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, SzethIsBadAsHell said: Another ability Lift gained from the nightwatcher / Cultivation was the ability to touch wyndle. I’m not sure if this is the ability or a byproduct of another ability . I’ll explain . What if what she gained was the ability to partially exist in the Cognitive realm? This would explain how she physically touch Wyndle. And this would also explain how she entered the Stormfsthers Visions with Dalinar and the Aziz emperor. So theoretically she can touch all spren and not just Wyndle Yeah, that's what Wyndle proposed in the interlude. Touching Wyndle might be more than that though, also a product of being bonded to him, since she hasn't made any note, that I recall, of her touching other spren. Quote “Somehow, you are partly in the Cognitive Realm,” Wyndle said, coiling beside her and raising a twisting mesh of vines that could make a face. “It is the only answer I can find to why you can touch spren." - Words of Radiance, I-9. Lift Edited August 15, 2018 by Spoolofwhool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScavellTane Posted August 15, 2018 Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 Are we certain her ability to touch Wyndle was because of her trip to the Valley and not something she was born with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoolofwhool Posted August 15, 2018 Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 Seems unlikely to be something natural since it involves such an extreme deviation in realmatic nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 he/him Posted August 18, 2018 Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 In the next planned books Lift will be older, I wonder what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts