kaellok

I think that's a rather rude and unsympathetic way to talk about TenSoon's problems with bulimia.

Long ago, Moogle pointed out something that has stuck with me ever since: The story would be much, much stronger overall if there was a competing worldview to the Radiants that was actually capable of being successful. Mr T believes that the ends of "survival of the human race" justifies the evil of wanton slaughter that he has engineered and the chaos he masterminded to deliberately weaken the nations of the world enough that he can be declared their benevolent leader. Radiants believe it's better to live well and honorably and stand tall against death itself no matter the consequences. Two competing views that have the same goals. Two Truths struggling for supremacy is much more interesting to read, talk about, and think over than one Obvious Truth vs. one Obvious Falsehood. Mistborn spoilers:

They can definitely turn into anything that occupies the same kind or type of dimensions and complexity as a sword, spear, or hammer. This would imply they could also turn into windows, shovels, a brick with a face in it capable of speaking, a slipper (singular, not a pair), and possibly the most comfortable (and yet really, really uncomfortable to wear) pants ever. The list above is far from complete, but I feel confident that it is also 100% within the capabilities of spren. That said, should spren turn into weapons? Well, if the world is literally facing destruction, you should use whatever tool you can to stop that. If it means a hammer and nails, use that; if for some reason the answer is a flamethrower, then thank god and use it. Spren versatility is limited, but we're not sure on what the physical limits are. So far what we've seen are limits of inventiveness and imagination. Presumably, at some point during the duel with Szeth at the end, Kaladin wished for a death ray to just kill him already damnit, but Syl did not comply (I guess it's possible that he didn't, but if so that means Kal is weird because how can you be flying in a magical storm of death fighting the incarnation of chaos and death in your world while wielding a magical talking sword who happens to be your best friend and not wish for a death ray? Or does that make me the weird one somehow?) But I digress. The answer is cheetos. I forgot about the actual question, so now you have asked what I am going to eat for my midnight snack, and the answer is cheetos. The poofy kind, because cheesy poofs are awesome. I love me some fake-cheese flavored styrofoam.

The Nightwatcher is of Cultivation in similar, but not necessarily identical, ways that Stormfather is to Honor. The Broken One reigns; Odium reigns; night will reign. Makes sense to me that Honor had a chance to end it all by killing a child, but didn't--because to choose honor is to choose life. Because Honor didn't, Honor died, and Roshar is hosed. (Not necessarily Honor himself, but the side of Honor.) On topic, OP seems to--not really understand torture. Which is a great thing, really. But in common parlance, to break under torture means just that: to be unable to resist anymore, to be willing to do or say anything just to get it to bloody stop. It doesn't even necessarily have to involve physical torture, or threats, but can be psychological. It can be as simple as have one drop of water hit your head every second for years, and nothing else. Of course, hooks and chains burning through your skin would likely do the job a bit faster, especially in conjunction with whispered threats and dire warnings bleeding straight into your mind and all you have to do to make it stop, all you have to do is just say, "stop," and it will all end; it will all go away; no more pain, or torment or agony; you can have peace once more, if you would just say "stop." To go on is to serve no purpose, as all you've done is prolong the war a few thousand years, and seen how despicable and pathetic the humans are; they do have of the job of killing them all on their own; why suffer for them? You are the only one who does, you know. All the others? Jezrien, Ishar, even Nalan have given up. Why do you linger on so? Just say "stop" and let it all. End. Finally. And. At. Last.

Glad you enjoyed it! It was my version of an ELI5 (Explain Like I'm 5), and I try to make them entertaining and relatable. Or entertaining and ridiculous. Or on fire because I did it wrong and now it must be destroyed.

Except that armies listen when Dalinar speaks, while Kaladin sulks so hard he gets thrown into jail.

Unfortunately, the accidental boat sinking was only an omen of things to come, as I continued to not quite think through any repercussions of what I was about to do before doing them, but only if it would end catastrophically for everyone. Perhaps a better motto would have been, "...oops. Do...do you think anyone noticed that it was me? No? Phew!" It culminated with me accidentally causing the Apocalypse we were trying to prevent, and ending life as we knew it on the planet. I thought that the clues were so blindingly obvious that they had to be a trap (from a GM that likes his puzzles without clues at all, it was far too neat and pat).

The most deadly utensil of them all--the SPORK! What is your favorite Pixar movie?

One gaming group I had we ended up with the motto: "Spoiler alert: We're the bad guys." Poor GM didn't know what to do when we were worse than his villains. Having us all start in super-prison and not knowing each other kinda sorta resulted in everyone thinking everyone else was a supercriminal, then some demigod shows up and takes credit and so I tried to kill him and then the city exploded and it wasn't my fault it wasn't but we could never go back. Another session, my GM's motto was: "Damnit James, why did you light the boat on fire when you were in the middle of the ocean?!" There were abyss tentacles turning crewmembers into zombies; I didn't stop to think about us being on a wooden boat, so I used my balls of fire. But that changed the entire course of literally everything he had planned about 30 minutes in, and he never stopped yelling about it. My personal motto: "I will break things until they get better." It's not really intentional, but I break everything. In at least three different jobs in different fields I was at least a temporary legend for my ability and skill at accidentally breaking things in ways that no one had ever seen before. Fortunately, I'm also super-quick at picking up how to fix things that are broken. Umm...occasionally I need to like, break three or four more just to figure out how I broke it the first time, though. They, um, they get mad at you for breaking tanks. So, Basic Training was fun. Still glad they never figured out I was the driver who broke three tanks on the Advanced Driving Course within a 2 hour timespan. But I definitely learned what not to do!

Everything Kipper posted is absolutely correct. Honor is the Shard, Tanavast was the Shardholder. By the end, they could be thought of as the same entity, but they didn't start out that way. Shards will change whoever holds them; being unwilling to change who he is is why Odium has not taken the power left behind after Splintering no fewer than 4 other Shards (Honor, Dominion, Devotion, and one that we are as yet unaware of.) I also do not recall the Almighty/Honor/Tanavast (all same being), or the Stormfather for that matter, ever saying that he created humans/mankind. Do ardents? Yup. So, the religion based on the worship of Honor believe that he is responsible for their creation, but they believe all kinds of other wrong drek, too. Without spoiling too much, we know for a fact that there are other Shards out there that have worked together to create life, including humans, even though they started their own lives as humans. You know, the age-old story. Pick up a piece of glass; yay! Now you're a god! But what to do? Hmm. Take your friend who also picked up a shard of glass and is now a god, too, and fly across the galaxy to a barren rock floating in the void. And play! Bwahahaha!!!! But, it'll get boring creating different kinds of grass after a billion years, and it's kinda lonely with only one other person to talk to. So the two of you work together to create sentient life, using what you know exists elsewhere as a template. And thus a human became a god and went on to create humans. (And that is canon, not just a plausible story.) Since we also know that Honor and Cultivation worked together previously, even if Honor did mention creating humans at some point (which I still don't think he did, but I've been known to be wrong at least two or three other times before ), it's very possible to be true based on known example above.

I numbered some of your text, so I could respond to it easier! 1. Ugggghh.. NO. Kaladin shouldn't hide who/what he is to that extent. He is so close to functionally immortal at this point, so long as he has Stormlight. I fear you may be right, but it will be stupid of Kaladin. People think he's a deserter? Pull out a Shardblade and be all, "SURPRISE!" Done. That's all he needs to do to what, be on same rank as Roshone? Where he is then legally protected to tell everyone to go stuff themselves. Given that he'll probably be arriving in a time of great panic, pretending to be anything less than a Shardbearer come to help is a waste of precious time that they quite frankly do not have. 2. Yup! Something to subvert the typical hero's journey/path tropes that Kaladin is following would be great, and having that be someone else saved Hearthstone is the perfect point for it to happen. So much of Kaladin's baggage is tied up with events that happened there, that he fled from, that him coming back in the nick of time to save everything is just too neat. Making him face up to other people being capable of doing good/useful things would be nice, especially if it's a lighteyes. 3. Like maxal, I think your little proto-scene here is amazing, for its poignancy and simplicity. On the other hand, I think Kaladin's parents not being there at all--Kharbranth is my personal choice for so many, many reasons.

"The goat, the goat, the goat is on fire." -- Fire Water Burn by The Bloodhound Gang "No sign of the morning coming You've been left on your own Like a goat in the dark A goat in the dark." -- Rainbow in the Dark by Dio "I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy goat." -- Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free goat should be our first object." -- Thomas Jefferson "To every complex question there is a simple answer and it is goat." -- H.L. Mencken

I didn't buy their friendship at all. I mean, one line in WoK from Kaladin thinking to himself, "This guy's my best friend!!!!" Even though he spends almost no time with Moash when others are around, and even less when others aren't. Actions speak much louder than words or thoughts, and I just don't see that being a real friendship. Even in WoR, I don't see the actions to back it up to create the dichotomy between the two of them that Sanderson wanted to show us. On the other hand, I thought the chasm scene was absolutely brilliant, from beginning to end. Even the POV shifts were done correctly to maximize the emotional payoff for various things. (Just imagine what the scene would have looked like with the POVs flip-flopped. Am I the only who does that? Is that something a crazy person does?) The outline of what happened is good; I just think the execution fell a bit flat. Towards the final climax--the climax of WoR wasn't discovering Urithuru, or defeating the Voidbringers. It was Kaladin realizing the Ideals of a Windrunner, becoming a Radiant in truth, and thus slaying the Truthless. Shallan's actions towards this were, honestly, nonexistent. If you argue that it was all part of the same thing, then that's fine; my point that there was still more time spent with Kaladin in climax, in a more exciting/engaging/active (rather than reactive) way is also true. I think that if Shallan had gone off to be an active hero, and Renarin was left to discover the Oathgate, it would have been beneficial for both of their characters. The Renarin-as-Radiant reveal would have happened during a useful time, rather than an, "Oh, hey, by the way, now that we're not in danger of dying, I see things" and freed up Shallan to be interesting and a hero that helps save the day in the book devoted to explaining why she is a sympathetic character we should care about. What this action might be is largely irrelevant so long as it would have kept her in the spotlight that I feel she should have had. Towards Renarin and the discussion Maxal and EvilNuff have had-- Coming to the boards and reading many posts by Feather and others helped me to actually see him in another light. It's easy to say he's selfish and unlikable and etc. -- because that's honestly kinda what we see. Understanding what's going on in his mind that causes him to express himself that way makes him a stronger character. This should, hopefully, be reinforced significantly in further novels (Case in point--in the arena, he goes in to try and save Adolin, while wielding a Blade that is screaming in his mind. He's not able to act well, but he can still act at all, which is incredibly powerful. I mean, the one guy touched the blade for a second and fled and he was a trained, disciplined fighter.) Acting in his family's best interests or not, endangering them or not, foolish or not, Renarin's love for family is so powerfully there that I have to respect the guy.

Second time writing this post, because reasons. Disclaimer: I loved WoR. The parts of it that were good were amazing. The parts of it that weren't good were only bad in comparison. If the entirety of the novel had been of the caliber/quality of the parts that I don't like or would have done something differently, it would still have been a great book. What I would have done differently all involve, or revolve around, Kaladin. He was super-angsty Broody McBrooderson. I had finished a re-read-through of WoK around an hour before I started WoR. The first 1/2 - 2/3 of WoR, he seemed to be following the exact same character arc as in WoK. Issues that I thought were fairly well addressed by the end of WoK were suddenly the only thing he lived for. I wasn't expecting him to be throwing fetes for Lighteyes, but Harmony, I figured there'd be less active as well as generalized/non-specific hate. The Kaladin-Moash thing didn't feel organic or real to me. It felt like there was a scene Brandon wanted to write, and he started there, and tried to force a path that had that scene as the end. Even if this works many times, it was not a great success here. The book was supposed to be Shallan's. And while she had great moments, she had nothing to do with the climax. Her role in the climax was solving some riddle/puzzle to the Oathgates. And relatively little time was spent on that, in comparison to Adolin's fight against the Parshendi or Kaladin vs. Moash and later Szeth. Kaladin gets another glowy explosion after saying an Oath, where we immediately start learning more about this whole Radiant business. Shallan gets forced to see a vision that isn't the root cause of her becoming a Radiant, and this isn't explored at all except for her to tell Pattern that she hates him. (Possibly in earnest, possibly not; we can't even tell how she really feels, because it's not explored at all. Hard to explore it in a few paragraphs as an anti-climax, though.) Really, the last 1/8 the book or so. For me, nothing after the chasm scene (literally nothing) worked quite the way it should have. Still, the book is brilliant. I was re-reading some of the Shallan flashback scenes for a post a couple weeks ago, and I was still struck with how strong they are. (I felt mildly invested in her as a character after my first WoK read, but after WoR--extreme resonance between her and her past and mine own. That is probably a large reason why I am so frustrated with how small a role she played in the ending; as this was her book, the odds of her having a large role to play in a climactic way in future novels is vanishingly slim.) I simply don't like Kaladin as much after WoR as I did before, and it's rather clear that he is the central character in the SA. (Yes yes, there's plenty of other main/important/critical characters. Sanderson may throw a twist at us. Blah blah blah, doesn't change my stupid feelings because they don't listen to logic for some damnation reason )

Odium is evil. I'll skip most of the morality arguments I want to make, and jump straight to the bone! The Parshendi. They are sentient, sapient creatures. And they can be forced to bond a spren against their will, which then hijacks their control of themselves. Odium, or his Splinters, are then in control of the person's actions, and to a large degree even the way that they think. This is evil. For me, it's very nearly the actual definition of evil--an action that destroys or prevents another's ability to choose (it's more complicated than that, because of reasons, but that's the core of it. That's where my definition starts.) Odium isn't mindless destruction or hate or what have you. A hurricane isn't evil, even though it kills/maims/destroys/etc. But Odium is sentient, sapient, and intelligent. If the force or power compelling Odium is strong enough that he literally cannot stand against it (back to your Mandates), then he is very much a victim; but that doesn't change the evil-ness, because the Shard and the Shard-holder are the same. (Similarly, I feel Szeth is evil, much as he is also very much a victim. Eshonai is, as well. And probably there should be forgiveness for them when they regain their ability to choose. Odium/Rayse is unlikely to have that ever occur, and after a few thousand years of periodic annihilation may be a classic case of beyond redemption.) Specifically to the bolded comment of tobar14, there can absolutely be good without evil. I've deleted around 500 words of philosophy discussion on this subject because it's a fairly minor and off-topic point. So, I disagree! Good is the primary/natural state, evil is what happens later. By evil we are able to define good, but good would exist with or without that definition. I do like the idea of the Mandate. I'm not sure that it's important or matters, but I love speculating about things (I tried speculating for gold a few times. And once for diamonds. Turns out a creek-bed in Kansas isn't a great place to look for them, but meh. I had fun, and didn't really think I was right, but OMG what if I had been?!) However, I do think that the name of the Shard is very closely tied into whatever their Mandate might be, so their Mandate should incorporate or satisfy it. Honestly, I think that GROWTH would fit better than survival. More specific and narrowly defined, while in keeping with the actual name. Without knowing more about Cultivation, hard to say for sure, but survival just seems really weird to me. When I was reading through, I also had a problem with Odium's Mandate being Intensity. Interestingly enough, something that I was considering even as I continued reading through the thread was Aggression. I mean, unless you would accept "Slimy Hate" (You know, the kind that splashes and sticks to everyone it's even near. The kind of hate that one person can have that can ruin an entire team's dynamic, even when it's pointed in a completely different direction.) Another possibility might be Destruction. Not intelligent ruin/decay/entropy, but the overwhelming desire to break things just because they are there. Not necessarily focused, either, but lashing out at whatever is nearest and easiest, OR whatever has brought attention onto itself. Still seems not quite right. Towards Honor, I agree with much of what you've said (I disagree about the multi-celled thing and how it relates to Cultivation), but Relationships isn't quite right. And yet, once again, I'm struggling to think of what it might be. Maybe just Binder? Binding? Seal? (Not the adorable sea burrito, or the singer. The other kind.) Glue? Oh, Harmony, of course! Duct Tape.

Yay! Lots of new posts to read, and a lot with some fascinating stuff. Love it! Give us POV chapters of Szeth, by all means. Let us learn about what happened, yes. I don't think that it's going to be anything amazing that surprises many people, though. I know we're in disagreement here, which is fine, but I think that the present and future for Szeth are of far more importance than his past--and more importantly, would add significantly more to the story than telling what happened in his past would at this point. Wow, that sentence sucked, let me try again. This time with an entire paragraph! Point of view in third-person limited (where we're outside someone's head, but we only get to see inside one at a time, usually broken by chapter) is used as a storytelling device to help the readers relate to, be sympathetic to, or understand a character. The flashback chapters we have had so far have been entirely to make us sympathetic to the characters, so I'm assuming that will continue to be the case, especially given who the flashback characters are expected to be. Szeth is in a weird position of being a major character who has seen relatively little screentime, limited development, and whose actions are entirely unsympathetic at all (which wars with his thoughts, which, especially in WoK, are incredibly sympathetic.) All we really know about his past is that he believed something to be true, was told that it wasn't, and due to reasons now has to obey whoever is holding a specific rock--because to do otherwise would be to deny his faith (yes, yes, simplistic explanation and not respectful, but that's really what it boils down to.) Nothing more about his past is needed for him to be a great character--just screen-time. And I think that filling in the blanks of the past would help to destroy what he could be as a character, just as it would destroy the Joker as a character. At least, for the person he is now. He needs time to travel and develop more into something other, if that's Brandon's intent; or, at least, giving that time and development would make the rest a whole lot easier a sell to people like me. Regarding Shallan, how many people actively disliked her going into WoR? From my very unscientific survey of 0 people, and just based from what I remember, most people found her boring in WoK. So, there's a difference between disinterest and active dislike. I'd also like to say that if Szeth's past is as important as so many of you keep telling me (which is possible; I really really really need to know who sent Szeth to kill Galivar, after all), then it still makes the most sense for him to be Book 5. To see the very beginning meet with the very end (of the 5-book arc, at least.) (also, as a side-note: Sanderson has some great characters. I feel more strongly and passionately about them than most, and am far more willing to spend hours discussing ones that I don't like, because even if I don't like them, I don't for strong reasons, and I also enjoy how I don't like them.)

I was going to mention something about how the timeline of the Cosmere means that Vashar cannot be Ishar, due to Vashar being on Nalthis while Ishar was lounging about in a hot tub (unless it was a hot tub time machine?), but I had a more interesting idea. At least, more interesting to me. The WoB about Oathbringer suggests to me that it's not named after a book. But! Books are hardly the only thing that contain stories. So, I'm thinking that the in-world Oathbringer is a song or chant of historical importance to someone. Maybe a poem. I'm thinking vikings and skalds! Or maybe a little bit of the Listeners. (We know the Blade is the same one as when he was younger; do we know when it was Named?)

Don't feel bad, at least not on my behalf. I happen to like conversations where people are passionate on one side or the other; and believe me that I know Szeth is one of those about whom people feel strongly. I only said something to hopefully provoke a lurker into speaking their views, if that was the case, just because i like talking. Since this thread introduced an aspect to the conversation about Szeth that's new to me (the placement of Dalinar's book before Szeth, and Szeth's taking up the end) i was excited to recruit more people into talking. I understand if you don't want to, or don't feel comfortable with, continuing the conversation. And you shouldn't feel bad or sorry regardless. For the comparison, I like the Joker; the Joker is the reason why Batman is as interesting a character as he is. So, the comparison itself wasn't supposed to be insulting.

Fair enough, and I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. I'd like to want to care about Szeth's past, but at this point I just don't. I can see how there would be symmetry with showing Shinovar-in-the-past and Shinovar-in-the-present, and Szeth's viewing both very differently due to the path he's walked. If I cared about Szeth as a character on a deeper level (as I did with every character after WoK, Szeth included) then I would look forward to this, too. The changes that happened in WoR took him to a place that is alien and chaotic to me, with the implication that it is because of the culture. A culture that is capable of producing a creature like Szeth is one where we (meaning them and myself) differ at a fundamental level of what it means to be alive--and I dread reading about that for 55,000 words, because there will be no "aha!" moment for it. It will just be trudging through things that make no sense to me, in an effort to make me understand a character that will become something I despise. Or, at least, that is what I fear. And when I see how the character arcs of Dalinar and Szeth seem to be currently inversed, I have hopes that I'll be able to relate to Szeth's journey more when it's finally told. Besides, if, as you say, Szeth becoming Truthless really is one of the defining moments of the SA--wouldn't it make more sense for its realization to come about at the end? Tying the beginning up with the ending, etc. etc.

I hope that people that are downvoting me for hating on Szeth are among those that are posting why they disagree. If not, please feel free to join the discussion, if only to offer support to one of the voices offering counter-arguments that you may actually agree with. I don't care too much about upvotes or downvotes, but if you're going to send negative votes towards someone you simply disagree with, then I think you should be adding your voice to the discussion, too (no need to say, "Arrgh! I downvoted ye, an' now I'll be stealin' all yer treasure! Arrr!" unless you are a fan of pretending to be a pirate.) To the points I've bolded: Of course it'll add to the story. If Sanderson wrote "I am a stick" 50,000 times, it would add to the story. Maybe Joker isn't the perfect example, but I still say it's pretty darn good. Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all-time, and yet has never had (to the best of my knowledge) a storyline dedicated to his origin. Would it add to the story? Would it add to Joker as a character? Yes, inevitably. But the time, story, and space that it would take wouldn't be as meaningful as if they told a different story instead. The same is true of Szeth, as he is right now. Where the story, and Szeth in particular, are at--would having flashback scenes of Szeth add as much, as easily, as if they were delayed a bit? I've specifically said that showing the course of progression that Dalinar has made will make it substantially easier to show Szeth in a sympathetic/relatable light; am I wrong? (Sympathetic and relatable don't mean "good" or "redeemed." Mr T is largely sympathetic, and probably the most evil human alive in Roshar right now.) In order to write these scenes in a believable way that continues to track with the result of the Szeth we have now, Sanderson would have to pull off some incredibly risky moves. The chance of failure would be, if not high, much greater than the alternatives, while the payoff for success would be exactly the same. Why bet $100 for a chance to win $10 in profit, when you could bet $10 for a chance to win $10 in profit? Further, if Szeth is a major focus character in SA3, some much needed character development can occur, it remains possible to learn things about his past without having specific flashbacks to it, we will learn more about the Shin regardless, etc. I am not, and haven't been, saying "Not ever" to his flashback story; just "not yet." I'm pretty sure that why Szeth is a Truthless will not be a big deal; it will be about a group of scared humans grasping at retaining power for as long as they may. Remaining blinded to the truth of things. I'll be utterly astounded if it's anything else.

I compared Szeth to the Joker for a reason. Knowing what made him as he is does not add to the character or the story much; and to do it true justice would take significant time and story space for relatively little return that I can see at this point in time. Given another novel where we get to see more than a few interludes of him, this can absolutely change. And again, this is coming from a place of fear, because while it could be good, it would be very easy to mess up without a greater reward at the end for success. @judging Szeth: i don't need to know his background or culture. He knows what he is doing is wrong and evil, has little or no idea why he is commanded to do so, and continues doing it anyway. I judge him by my values, knowing that they are mine and not his. Were he a god, a spren, or a blade of grass, i would judge him the same. What he has done so violates my own personal code of ethics and morality that there is literally nothing that can justify his actions for me. Which, again, it's that space of fear I have. I'm hoping that SA3 will make him interesting enough that I won't dread his flashbacks. But right now dread is what i have, because they have so far been used to build sympathy for the characters. Szeth is the only one for whom i have none. Seeing the contrast of who Dalinar used to be, and now became, could be an incredibly powerful tool to contrast with Szeth, who seems to have taken am opposite path.

I love Sanderson as an author, and the Cosmere specifically. And even though he's one of my favorite authors, and his books generally improve in writing from one to the next, I'm glad Book 3 isn't going to be the Szeth flashback book--because of fear. I don't care about Szeth's history. (I am keenly interested in the Shin, deeply and desperately so, but I could give two figs about Szeth's childhood.) There is nothing under the sea or in the sky that I can imagine that would make me sympathetic to how Szeth turned up--a psychopath who (absolute best-case) felt it better to live in agony for all eternity for his crimes than to do what is right and cease existing after he dies. His journey, his struggle, none of that which we saw in WoR endeared him to me even a little. Even by the end of WoK I was being actively turned off of him as a character, even though I had loved what I saw at the beginning. So, I was afraid that the book would focus over-much on why we should really like this character and it's all fine and understandable how he turned out--when it's not. He's a bloody psychopath and a force of chaotic destruction in the world. And that's cool. Knowing the Joker's history doesn't deepen the character, or make his current actions more poignant. It's what he does now that matters. And, honestly, there can be no atonement for what he did in the past (Joker or Szeth). So don't make it about that, but that's what I'm afraid flashback Szeth would be about. Let Szeth be the viewpoint character driving Book 3, but let the flashbacks be literally anyone else. Why? Because I'm afraid that Szeth's would be terrible--but that can change with more books, and time. And I don't want to go into a Sanderson novel afraid that it's going to be worse than the one I read before it.

Aww, OK, I'll play for real (sorry, my inner troll/minor jerk sometimes hits post before I can hit cancel.) I would create something artistic and enjoyable, probably a novel. I am currently very very good at ruining and breaking things, but creating them is HARD. (And i DO try, but the results are generally poor or worse.) Oooh, it would also be fun to not fail at being awesome. Or to fail at falling.

Darth Vader: General Veers, prepare your troops for a goat assault. The power to destroy a planet is nothing compared to the power of the goat. If you only knew the power of the dark goat. i find your lack of goats disturbing. Obi-Wan: Use the goat, Luke! Han: It's not my goat. Yoda: Do, or do goat. There is no try. Judge me by my goat, do you? Admiral Ackbar: It's a goat!

I think that i would be boring and simply succeed.