kaellok

I was actually born in early 80s, but we didn't have TV for a long time. I had a Voltron raincoat, though, and I wore it everywhere. It didn't even rain that much.

There are plenty of writers who don't do much, if any, research on their subject material. On the other hand, Brandon is a very good writer, so I suspect you are correct haha. This is especially true since the Attributes should reflect the character's story arc in rather substantial ways. I'd honestly be more curious if he came up with the Attributes before the characters, or after, or if they developed at basically the same time.

Maybe it's because I'm a child of the late80s/90s, but I would love to see a bunch of KR fly up and join together to form MECHA-KR (like Voltron or Power Rangers) and do battle with giant voidspren that make chasmfiends look tiny and insignificant.

Interesting counter-points, maxal. In my post I wasn't trying to find fault with the definitions you found (as I found the very same ones myself), but rather with the source; I have literally never seen the word or its variations used in some of the ways the dictionary says it can be used. The connotation (or contextual situation) a word is used in can greatly change its meaning in the English language (I have a poor grasp on other languages, so I won't comment more), and the connotations can change from year to year and decade to decade. Mostly, I was curious if the definitions that seemed...odd...to me were leftover relics from a hundred years ago, and not really relevant to today. Apparently French has something similar that is still in use today, which would explain why the concept is still alive in the dictionary. Regardless, whether it's my interpretation or yours, I think we can both agree that Dalinar is pious--even if it doesn't really come across that way at first.

Emphasis added is mine. Completely and utterly off topic, do you think this may be what happened to "Taln"?

There's a WoB I'm searching for that somewhat, tangentially, sort of comes close to addressing this. We know in-text that the cut or shape of a gem can affect how much Stormlight it can hold. The WoB is that the color also plays a role, and that if it is off too much then it would be like a bad Allomantic blend and not work (this was specifically in regard to questions regarding gemstones that can come in multiple types of colors.) This would allow for some crazy things with Soulcasting/Transformation (since the type of gemstone is specific to the type of transformation in Soulcasting), but I'm not sure how or if it would apply to Stormlight in general.

Yup. Clear misunderstanding/confusion on my part between Body Focus and Essences; I blame severe overwork and undersleep. Looking at the chart, then, I think that the important columns are the Gemstone, the Essence, and the Soulcasting Property (since Soulcasting is dependent on the type of gemstone used.) Lucentia's root can mean shining with a glowing light, translucent or clear, and also clarity (of thought). This means that it has very strong denotation and connotation for light. The meanings of illumination are directly tied to those of lucent: the act of lighting something up to make it more visible, and also the act of making something easier to understand. Diamonds are also clear, or translucent, and are the gemstone associated with Lucentia. This means that, based entirely upon the table in the Ars Arcanum it would make logical sense for the Essence Lucentia to be tied with Illumination. I don't remember what the names of all the Heralds are and how they relate to the Orders of KR. Vev is the number associated with Lucentia, and is based on one of the Heralds. Do we know which one? (I'm assuming the Edgedancers, but if it were Truthwatchers or Lightweavers, I think that would be more evidence in favor of your theory.) My brain is having difficulties with non-concrete thoughts, (as in, it keeps saying that Illumination doesn't work the way you say because Lightweavers use it differently, even though if Illumination were paired with a different surge it would operate differently. It's just being difficult like that, which is annoying, so I'll toy around with this idea more tomorrow.) I do have two more questions though: 1. Do we know that Honor and Cultivation were romantic partners? I don't remember reading anything like that from WoB, but it hasn't been anything I've searched for either. 2. I thought the Polestones referred to the 10 gemstones that are capable of holding Stormlight. Just wanting to make sure that I'm right.

Piety, which is what pious people demonstrate (courageous people have bravery, pious people have piety), is from the Latin pietas, which roughly translates as a man who respects his responsibilities to the divine, to country, and to kin, especially parents. It was considered a complex and highly desirable virtue. I have absolutely no idea where the hypocritical element came from, nor could I easily find its insertion to the definition in a quick Google search. The synonyms provided for that particular entry do not relate to piety or piousness in any way or element that I am aware of, or that I have ever seen. It's also not applicable to Dalinar; just because he acted one way in his youth and another now, and deplores those who act the way he used to does not make him a hypocrite. It makes him a man who learned from his mistakes. I also do not trust the addition of 'vain, doomed, hopeless' and etc. That is not in keeping with the context of any time that I have ever seen it used. While I am not an authority on the subject of word meanings, I tend to read a lot. And I have been reading for a very long time. I would think that one of the thousand of books or tens of thousands of articles I've read or hundreds of games I've played would have used it in that way. I know that you are simply using what search pulled up, and I found the exact same as you--I just reject the idea of it being accurate. What I always saw as the defining characteristic of piety, or those who are pious, is that of Faith. A belief in oneself, and in others. Dalinar certainly exemplifies these. Edit: added clarity

NO clue why someone in this thread got a downvote--I'm assuming it was on accident (it happens, especially with storming touchscreens and scrolling through) and have corrected this. To the theory! Can you please elaborate on exactly why you think the Surges have been messed with? I'm more than a little sleep deprived right now, but reading through this thread and your other, all I can come up with is that the Essences are weird, and you're choosing to ignore the in-text argument from the Ars Arcanum that the Body Essences shouldn't be taken literally due to that being the more boring option. You've put considerable time, thought, and energy into creating and developing this theory of yours, so I'm sure that there's more to it than that. I just can't seem to find the actual foundation for your argument, and so everything built upon those basic premises seem like (super-interesting and well-detailed) fan fiction (of the best sort), rather than an actual explanation or theory of how things came to be. Like one of the old What if...? comic books (What if...Ghostrider killed Daredevil? What if...Spiderman Joined the Fantastic Four? and the like). I loved them, and they were great, but they were also clearly separate and distinct.

Possibly. If not, then it would be due to Plate being made of Investiture, which makes it hard to be affected by other forms of Investiture. For instance, Plate protects against Lashings and Lightning, as well as Blades. The more Investiture something has, the harder it is to affect. WoB has it that Blades are very difficult to affect, but it may be possible to Push or Pull one with a Duralumin-fueled Push. Blades presumably have more Investiture, due to their nature, than Plate, which is why Plate will eventually give 'way to them.

I will be the light that banishes the darkness of ignorance. I will eat ALL OF THE ICE CREAM. I will always be honest to myself, even if I deceive others.

Although I wish I had seen your essay sooner so that I could offer you suggestions of improvement, it is quite well-done. Most of my suggestions are simply of rearrangement, so that some information occurs first. While Julius Caesar is a well-known work, and one that you can likely expect your target audience to be familiar with, Words of Radiance isn't; I would have suggested front-loading brief descriptions of the characters and themes in WoR, instead of introducing them throughout the essay as you have. (If you were comparing two well-known works, then your current setup would be preferred; it's merely because one is likely not well-known by the audience that I make my comment.) I would also have suggested re-writing your final sentence as a statement, rather than a question. You have done a lot of things really well, though. You found common links between two radically different works of art, and convincingly proved their similarity. If your teacher gives you less than an A, let me know, and I'll file a protest and appeal on your behalf.

I stick, therefore I am.

I...I don't know? I've never loaned it out before... But anyway, here's Batman firing a chaingun, while riding a T-Rex shooting lasers out of its eyes.

One doesn't ask to become a Stick. Know that being true to oneself, regardless of the pressures applied by others, is of the Stick. As is beating people with a Stick. Contemplate on these lessons as you strive towards the Truth of Stick.

Towards the ball and chain argument: If we assume that it's the sharp, pointy or edged things that cut through people so well (like a Blade), and if we also assume that a Shardbluntweapon performs better than a normal weapon of its type (as seen with Kaladin v. Szeth in the Final Battle), then what happens when you combine the two? I present to you! A ball with spikes on a chain with razors and edged spikes. Completely ludicrous for mundane combat, yet terrifyingly effective as a Shardweapon. It will cut through your soul with the spikes, and the heavy ball will knock you out of the way so that your corpses don't pile up near me. Focused accuracy would only be needed when fighting someone with Plate (or its equivalent), and at that point you could change it to something more useful, like a chainsaw.

I'm not really sure what I think Midnight Essence is. And I'm still at cursed work without the books. We know that there are the Ten Essences, which are the easiest to Soulcast. Maybe ME is related to that, somehow? That would explain how a person can create it, and be held responsible. A weak idea, since we don't see or hear of even rumors to suggest that Soulcasting can create living/autonomous analogues anywhere else, though. Actually, storm it, did Dalinar's Radiant friend say "create" or "release"? Regardless, I do remember that 1: it was a person that was believed to be responsible, and 2: ME may appear during a Desolation, but are not themselves Voidbringers. They did not seem particularly intelligent, but were instead cunning. I think that I would equate them to an Awakened object, but different; and while they are almost definitely of Odium, I do not think that they are of Odium, if you know what I mean. Definitely not on the level of a Splinter or spren, etc. Moogle's arguments seem very definitive that Gavilar knew he would be bringing about the return of the Parshendi gods. I only remember Eshonai saying that he would, but not specifically that he necessarily knew about this. So, I could be wrong or have missed something there. I'll have to search through the books later, unless someone provides a quote before then.

Hmm, I'm at work so don't have my books now...but I thought that the "destroyer" was from the back of WoR? Edit: Apparently not. So, I will ret-con my previous post to say that Szeth is obviously the destroyer! He slices, he dices, he kills without hesitation! And he can be yours for the low-low price of obtaining his Oathstone! That's all it takes, folks; he's thrown kingdoms into anarchy, his actions have destabilized the world, and now you can have him for your very own...but only if you act now! Supplies are limited. Limit one per customer. No refunds. Not responsible for world being destroyed. Buyer assumes all responsibility for the results of Szeth's actions. As the wielder of Nightblood, he may no longer be bound to the Oathstone, and may instead kill you if you order him around. Buyer assumes all risk for this regard. Void where prohibited by law, and in the state of Massachusetts. Employees of Nalan may not participate in this one-time limited offer.

I thought that it was pretty blatantly clear that Eshonai was the 'destroyer.' You know, summoning the Everstorm and all of that.

I think you're missing the thrust of king of nowhere's argument. Even assuming that gemhearts are incredibly vital and necessary for their very survival, why were they going after the same ones the Alethi were? Given the vast space in the Shattered Plains, and the relatively small area the Alethi had control of, they had no need to contest the gemhearts the Alethi were after. Their people were slowly being wiped out fighting a war over a resource that they should have been able to get without competition if they had just looked elsewhere. Imagine Iraq ignoring its oil reserves, mostly ignoring them, so that it could go to war over Iran to get its oil reserves instead. It just doesn't make sense. That's why I thought there was something else going on, and while I was wrong about what that something might be, that's the only way it makes sense--unless their military and political leaders are criminally bad at basic tactics and strategies, to the point of condemning themselves and all of their people to death. I can see that at the beginning of the war, but the Parshendi are capable of changing their thoughts, plans, etc., so if a strategy is failing hard, you would expect them to change it--unless there's something preventing that change.

They gain sentience while in the Physical realm. Why would they care about that? Good question! Although, it seems that they have something to fear from an Odium victory. If Roshar gets evaporated, or turned to dust or whatever, like Dalinar saw in his vision from the Almighty, then the portion of Shadesmar where the spren live will suddenly become very, very different. Minor WoR spoilers

In a KR civil war, there would be no winners, only losers.

When reading WoK, I always thought that they usually weren't really 'dying,' based on their reactions of the dead, and that they were launching fewer assaults on the Alethi warcamps because fighting them on the plateau was more effective for their plan: long-term disruption of the Alethi, draining them of strength and resources all while convincing them that they were slowly winning the war. Meanwhile, after a Highstorm or four, I thought that the 'dead' Parshendi would get up and go back home--if they had been given enough time undisturbed by others. If that makes sense. The reality, though, as you say is--quite a bit different. WoR Spoilers of a more direct nature.

@RadiantNights: WOR Spoilers! (Relatively minor, but just realized this isn't in the WoR forum, so hiding them anyway.) My personal theory is that Hoid was either directly or indirectly responsible for Adonalsium's shattering, and is working to rectify that mistake.

Shallan is awesome, and deserves to be in all of the threads, so I don't think it's unfair for her to have one of her own. That said, I think Shallan and Adolin will be great together, and I'd like to see that work out.