Kingsdaughter613

Mistborn: Era 1: I figured out Vin’s earring as soon as enough Hemalurgy stuff happened, long before it was removed. I did NOT expect Saze to be the HoA, though I knew it wasn’t Vin at a certain point. Did not expect Kell’s sacrificial death plot. Era 2: Did not expect the Lessie is a Kandra thing, but I figured it out before Wax. Her being the governor surprised me. I figured out the Sovereign was Kell as soon as Allik started talking about him. Threw my kindle down and started jumping up and down in delight. (My FIL was dying at the time, so the revelation happened exactly when I needed it.) I had read the annotations, so I knew he was around, but had not expected him to physically return that way. I did not figure out where the Bands were, but I knew it wasn’t in the temple. Too obvious. Elantris: I figured out what was wrong with the city once the reveal of Aons being maps happened. I also figured out the earthquake was responsible before the characters. I figured out the real villain fairly early too, but not the motive. Did not expect the other magic system. Stormlight Archive: Did not expect Dalinar to create a perpendicularity or to bond the Stormfather. Did not expect Taravangian’s ‘clinic’ or deal with Odium. Did not realize Cultivation chose to interfere directly with Dalinar. I did not recognize the three worldhoppers, but I wasn’t paying enough attention to them. Did not expect the Dyssian Aimians to be those weird bugs who’s name I’m not remembering. The Recreance was a let down. I... never understood why Kaladin was so enamored with Moash and the betrayal was obvious. I did not expect whatever is going on with Jezrian’s death. (What IS that weapon?!) Nightblood was a shock. Jasnah’s return came out of nowhere, and I found it annoying. It should have been better foreshadowed. Maya waking up a little was a pleasant, but not completely unexpected surprise. The scratched out eyes thing WAS. (And freaky.) White Sand: I was UNpleasantly surprised by the loss of the sub plot involving a power shift in the non-human religion. Also disappointed in Ais’ gender swap; she should have faced additional cultural issues for not only being a Tracht, but also for defying female gender roles. This bothered me. Even in the prose I knew the obvious bad guy wasn’t the real one though. Pleasantly surprised by Kenton choosing to stay on Dayside. VERY surprised by Baon being able to use Sand. Disappointed not to learn more about sky colors. Shadows for Silence: I don’t think much surprised me in that story, actually. It was cool though. Can’t think of any more right now.

It is worth noting that Red, Green and Blue are the three types of light we usually see... BUT: we can also see Violet light, separate from the other three. Considering the three light shades we commonly see are associated with specific Shards, it does seem interesting that Voidlight correlates to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_light

English does not. Third person gender neutral singular is IT. For some reason people have an issue with this for reasons incomprehensible to me. Lois McMaster Bujold used it correctly for her hermaphrodites and it worked really well. (Pun intended.) I don’t see why we need to misuse another word, or create a new one, when we HAVE one.

I’m good with that.

I’d call it debating. There really should be a place for reasonable debate. We could always PM if we want to continue the discussion.

Then we should specify ‘on Scadrial.’ Otherwise it’s an indictment of the real world people as well. Everyone wealthy I know is descended from Holocaust survivors who built themselves up from less than nothing within three generations. No family, major trauma, often with badly interrupted education and major physical and psychological issues as a result of, I don’t know, going through Hell on Earth? You really want to imply they don’t deserve what they earned?

Yes, she split into Shallan and ? (probably a child) Note that that split occurs as she transitions from child to adult as well. Formless is a completely separate thing. It’s a potential alter and Shallan’s refusal to split again is a good thing. She wants to split because of all the reasons you stated. She’s holding herself in triad (quartet) form. https://did-research.org/did/identity_alteration/splitting.html This is a pretty good overview of how and why splitting occurs. If it sound familiar, which it should, it’s because Brandon did a good job.

I think Stormlight causes abortions due to how Cosmere healing works. Women do not see their ideal selves as pregnant (except with regard to certain mental illnesses.) And I’m saying this a mom of three, who’d love to have more eventually. Odds are, Stormlight is ‘healing’ her pregnancies before she can become obviously pregnant. Before she even misses a cycle. It will probably prevent menopause for as long as she views herself as fertile though...

There is a fourth, from the initial split that created ‘Shallan.’ (Split equals two at a minimum.) All four contain aspects of her identity, which has been disassociated.

My issue with calling people with money the elite is that it makes it sound like they didn’t earn it. Most wealthy people worked hard to become wealthy, and it isn’t right to denigrate that just because they had the good fortune to become successful. (Yes, I know a lot of first generation millionaires. You’d never guess because more than half live in walk ups and they don’t flaunt it.)

Alters are created for a purpose. Formless is not an alter, but a potential Alter. When does Shallan feel like splitting again? When she’s near Adolin and feels like she isn’t doing right by him. Formless is a potential ‘Perfect Wife’ Alter. Shallan’s refusal to split again is a great step forward for her, btw. That said, there is definitely a fourth Alter, probably a child. Why? Because when ‘Shallan’ was created, the other was too. Remember, the Identity fractures. So Shallan split into ‘Shallan’ and ?. We see the split into Veil and Radiant, so it isn’t them. Which means there is a fourth, whom we still need to meet. And no, none of the four is the ‘real’ Shallan, because they ALL are. The ‘real’ Shallan is the whole identity, and we won’t see her until she’s finished her journey to become whole. @RShara Marsh and Kell’s mom (and dad.) Also Alriane’s mom, if I’m recalling correctly.

That was kind of the point. It’s not magic that heals her. Her Truth is said whenever that merger happens. Speaking the Truth does not heal her and I don’t think she can say it until it IS true to her - which only happens after her identity is whole again, however long that takes. First she undergoes Catharsis and Sublimation to become whole, and then she can say her Truth. The Truth is just a recognition of the reality with benefits. It doesn’t ‘fix’ anything, and I’m not sure why you’d think it would? Nothing we’ve seen indicates that’s the case...

Shallan’s last truth seems pretty clear to me: I am Shallan. ‘Shallan’, Veil, Radiant, (Formless?), the one we haven’t met, are all one person. Singular, unique. Who is cunning and smart, an artist, capable of running cons and using a sword. To complete her journey, Shallan will undergo Catharsis, and her identities will merge into a single, cohesive, whole. The personae will be sublimated and psyche will be whole. All that will remain is to acknowledge the truth. I am Shallan. (Note: the repeated usage of the term Persona with regard to the alters leads me toward a Jungian take. There is a lot of Jungian imagery involved with Lightweavers in particular and the Cosmere in general. So the terminology used is in accordance with a Jungian interpretation.)

So, for me, I don’t see the issue. You’re forgetting the first Oath: Journey before Destination. For me the tension isn’t in not knowing the end result; it’s in how we get there. For example: my all time favorite Georgette Heyer romance is A Civil Contract. The couple is married in the first few chapters of the book, eliminating the will they/won’t they question. The rest of the story is how the husband comes to love - and recognizes he loves - his wife. The end is inevitable... but the journey is one of the best walks through married life, and the exploration of marital love, I’ve ever read. (Should be noted: except in bait-and-switch partners, Regency Romances always end with the Alpha and Beta couples together. There really isn’t much suspense on that end. Getting there...) I honestly feel this is the perfect relationship for SA, because the end point isn’t what’s important. The relationship itself is the tension and the story is their journey through it. Will they/won’t they are a dime a dozen. They have, but how do they go on from there, are far harder to find. For me, the real question is whether or not Brandon can pull it off. It’s one of the trickiest romances to do right, because - as you noted - all the obvious tension, and nearly all suspense, is gone. It’s ALL about the Journey now, and Brandon is not the best with writing romances. He’s no Georgette Heyer; Wax/Steris and Siri/Susubron and Navani/Dalinar are the three best romances he’s done. Oddly, that gives me hope. The former two take place within an established relationship, as does Shadolin. So he may actually find established couples easier. But I’m still wary. I’m glad to see this kind of romance being done, because it’s a rare one. But I am worried about whether or not Brandon can pull it off well, because it can be dull if it isn’t done right.

He’s had sexual abuse before though. It’s in the background - and sometimes foreground- of Mistborn. He may just mean it won’t be explicit, because he’s definitely covered it.

Welcome to how most arranged marriages go... And this is basically how most relationships in my community work. We date for a brief period, and marry soon after. The drama comes AFTER Shanah Rishon. (The first year.) Admittedly, most of us are parents by then... So I found the romance very relatable, because it wasn’t especially romantic. It was two people, with mutually compatible goals, who liked each other. That’s more than enough for marriage. I expect lots of drama now that Shanah Bet has begun... The Kal thing was stupid, though.

Well, I missed it, and was mostly confused when she suddenly reappeared.

But there was very little and it was too vague. Brandon acknowledged this as an error and that he should have left it more obvious.

No woman I know of views pregnancy as her natural state. Capable of conceiving, yes (which probably effects menopause!) Cosmere Magic would ‘heal’ a pregnancy regardless of the parent’s readiness or desire. Yeah, I definitely think the development of a fetus’ cognitive self would impact the abortion debate. Personally, I think it would be awesome to watch that self develop. At a certain point I think healing could force an early birth, as the mother’s ideal self says ‘not pregnant’ and the child says ‘I exist.’ The real question is: when does the fetus get its own spirit web? Even more than a Cognitive self, that would determine existence in the Cosmere.

Did you not note the words ‘not-death’? She didn’t die, but we were led to believe she did. I wanted some foreshadowing of her survival.

Generally speaking, DID is associated with long term sexual abuse. It can be caused by other forms of abuse, and it is caused by prolonged abuse/ extensive childhood trauma. While childhood sexual abuse is no longer the only recognized cause of the condition, it is still the most likely determinator of it. More specifically, I’ve yet to come across a case of DID that didn’t turn out to involve sexual abuse. If I had a minor client exhibiting those symptoms, I’d call ACS as a mandated reporter. The odds such a child is experiencing/has experienced such long term abuse is extremely high. DID is a very rare disorder in general; I’d find Shallan’s condition very hard to accept if she not only had one of the rarest psychiatric disorders, but also lacked the most common predictor of that disorder. She’s already missing the depressed primary, which is a common factor in DID. Fun fact: she can’t actually be diagnosed right now. Her illness is not interfering with her life, nor does it upset her unduly. This will probably change, but right now she’s good.

Worth noting: that entire end of WoT is a discussion in Judaism, that basically ends with ‘we only want the Messiah to come for God’s glory because without temptation we can’t grow.’ The whole debate was basically taken wholesale from a Talmudic discussion, and isn’t quite as original as people think. (I thought it was obvious but, then, I’m Jewish. I knew the original debate.) Note that this same religion, after extensive debate, concludes that we’d be better off if we hadn’t been created (but since we were, let’s make the best of it.) Then we point this out repeatedly on the Day of Atonement. (See God? If you hadn’t created us we wouldn’t have sinned. This is your fault, so you have to forgive us!) Judaism has an... interesting... relationship with God. As an aside, with an official DID diagnosis for Shallan: she was almost certainly sexually abused. Possibly by her mother, which would be a nice twist from the usual. (The first sex abuse victim I ever met was abused by his FEMALE kindergarten teacher. The lack of female abusers in most literature irritates me, as it feels too much like ignoring these victims because ‘it doesn’t fit the narrative.’)

I’d upvote, but I’m out. This is an awesome catch!

Just a theory, but... I suspect Cosmere healing does not go well with pregnancy. My perfect self does not include being pregnant, and I’ve never viewed my babies as part of my body, but as a separate being I’m nurturing. So going by that, I suspect Cosmere healing may abort early pregnancies and cause issues with later ones. (The difference, btw, is caused by an older fetus having a cognitive self, which would occur once brain development got far enough. This has ZERO to do with the real world, and real world issues.) Ergo, Cosmere healing is worse than useless when it comes to pregnancy... Oh, and it explains why Shallan hasn’t gotten pregnant - she has, but Stormlight keeps ‘healing’ her pregnancy by terminating it, since her ideal self is not pregnant. This happens within days of the pregnancy beginning, so no one realizes. (And yes, she should have gotten pregnant. Most women get pregnant within a year of regular sexual activity (which we can presume is happening) provided no birth control or reproductive issues. Pre-birth control, women got pregnant a lot.) So... you need Obstetricians. Possibly virologists too, (viruses seem rather resistant to Cosmere healing) but that would probably be a big one.

Adolin’s hair is WHITE and black. So blond = white? Interesting... Are we ever told his shade of blond prior to this? (I actually knew someone with that shade, but usually authors make a point if it is.)