animalia

I seem to ping pong between the two.

I’d like to add to this with a link to a Tumblr post on Jasnah and Autism https://myqueenjasnahkholin.tumblr.com/post/170352519803/autisticjasnah-masterpost/amp While the post isn’t mine I hope it can revitalize the discussion Since it’s difficult to acess the full post I will copy and paste what I can Autistic!Jasnah: Masterpost Okaaay, so, as you might have guessed from the title, this post is a long list of reasons Jasnah Kholin is autistic af. The short version: Jasnah is autistic because I, a Known Autism, say so. Have a nice day. The long version (format): A long series of chronological quotes that all follow this pattern: Quote. *Insert ramble about why this is an Autistic Thing* *Possible and probable further ramble about why I’m emotional about that. That’s literally it, people. Buckle up, I’ve picked through all three books(yes all three) to compose this post for y’all. It’s not going to be short. To business: The Way Of Kings: Introducing Jasnah ‘I don’t have time for social niceties I’m busy’ Kholin. From the first interaction she’s…Bad at interacting. Iconic. Jasnah is both blunt, direct, and honest in her speech as she is in her expectations from others. She doesn’t have the energy to deal with manipulation/lying/tarting up the truth to make it more socially acceptable bc she is a busy autistic lady with rust to do. (really, though, what she’s literally demanding here is the first rule of the autistic’s guide to easy conversation. Clear. Simple. To the point. To frills, no fuss.) People do what people want to do and Jasnah doesn’t waste any time pretending she cares/that it matters to her for the sake of appearances. Again, this woman has a vendetta against typical social niceties and I love it. Do I need to point out the lack of social niceties again or are y’all sensing a pattern at this point? *King lovingly embraces his darling granddaughter that Jasnah just saved and orders a feast prepared in her honour* Jasnah: ‘Thanks but no I’m too busy to socialise.’ Jasnah feelings>>>>>>logic. This is a fairly common theme, of Jasnah being ruled less by emotions/sentiment/societal pressures/expectations and much more by logic/her own reasoning. She has her own way of looking at the world, her own rules for how it works, and she won’t be swayed by anyone else’s opinions on how she should feel/behave. Jasnah not being very self-aware in how people actually perceive her is also an autistic thing. Shallan notes several times that Jasnah is actually nowhere near as harsh/stern as she’s reputed to me, and, more importantly, she’s nowhere near as harsh/stern as she perceives herself to be. She also fails to note that Shallan actually enjoys the work/the challenge. This also implies that she takes what people say about her at face value and doesn’t have the necessary social skills to refute them. Again, this is a fairly common autistic trait. We struggle to read other people’s body language, but they often struggle to read ours as well. A part of this is probably Jasnah deliberately cultivating this kind of persona, but even so, she’s too unsure of how she comes across to have completely mastered this. Oh look, it’s one of the world’s biggest Autism Stereotypes (which I’m totally guilty of too): lining all the things up neatly, and making them Orderly. Jasnah of the straightforward, blunt honesty and ‘what you see is what you get’ strikes again. And here we see the Autistic Jasnah in her natural habitat: hyperfixating on her special interest. This much you should be able to easily see from the link. I will try to add at least a bit more that is harder to see. Jasnah had elegant handwriting, of course- Jasnah rarely did anything without taking the time to peerfect it. Jasnah not doing anything unless done Properly and Right according to her? Also Jasnah being ndiffenr towards things she hasn't put any time into perfecting (such as drawing). "I always forgive curiosity, Your Majesty," Jasnah said. "It strikes me as one of the most genuine of emotions." Again, Jasnah encouraging/reacting positively to to genuine/honest emotions because she doesnt Understand the whole guile/lying.not being honest thing because honestly what its the point?

New thought Now that I have had more time to think about it. I don't think Autonomy is a reflection of Hinduism per say. BUT I think as Autoonomy spread it's investiture and avatars. It's Avatar's and investiture got mixed with that of the other shard. If you were to study religious history and comparative religion for example. Autonomy MIGHT be the concept that relates closest to the proto-Indo-European religion for example. But as it spreads and it interacts with other shards and takes on new forms. For Example In Eleantris THERE in probably where we get what we see with Hinduism. and buddhism (maybe the teachings of Raoden?). The fact Brandons Sanderson said that he needs to write the Elantris sequals before the third era of Mistborn books can happen might have to do with the way that Buddhism lost influence in its native India as got reabsorped into Hinduism but went on to spread to other areas including China where it share influences with other philosophies and religions including Taoism. Taoism is also known as the the WAY for those of you who don't know. I could go about this for awhile. But this is worth at thread in it's own right. And I basically just wanted to correct my own misconception that I had already provided. But I will leave this with two thoughts. One Brandon prefers allegory over interpretation so you know that there will be NO one to one interpretations. And TWO Brandon said that as devout as he is in his faith, he feels that NO religion has a monopoly on the truth. Let's leave it at that.

Neat. Building on this how much do you want to bet Autonomy’s various Avatar’s interfear with each other? EDIIT: Speaking of is anyone here familiar with Hinduism? While I am NOT an expert. My limited understanding of it is that all of what we westerners would call “gods” are all AVATARs of the creative force called BRHAMAN. And IF my google-fu is accurate, avatars CAN fight each other. But since as previously stated I am not an expert in Hinduism I could like some back up on that. P.S. In case it’s not clear what I am getting at it’s POSSIBLE that problems caused by ONE avatar of Autonomy may end up being thwarted by another. P.P.S. What was the name of Trell’s brother again? Maybe we look for him to appear in the lost metal? But that’s just a theory. SECOND EDIT: Brandon did say that he doesn’t believe any religion has the monopoly on the truth. So IF my theory is correct you can guess that the Autonomy and it’s Avatars have done a lot of good. Don’t forget that Hoid has his own biases, and Brandon has that Bavadin is one of the more interesting shardholders. Though, to be fair, that can be interpreted multiple ways.

My bad. I need to reread the series.

Oathbringer aldo gave us a lot of new information on how warfare works on Roshar. Who ever it was who made the prediction on seige warfare not being practical, and that walls tend to be batterd down gets a cookie. But we also get the bit on how “shardbearers can’t hold ground.” It shows that for all the fabled might of the shardblade, it really has a limited use. The dead ones anyways.

Another thought. I just noticed today that the word for the followers of Harmony’s religion is PATHIANS and Taoism based on Yin and Yang, two opposite but interconnected forces is also known as THE WAY. Knowing Brandon I doubt this is a coincidence. That being said I would love to hear others thoughts. Edit: of course I doubt it’s a one to one thing either. I could be wrong. But Brandon seldom does one to one. BUT he does seem to borrowing from it.

I think this thread needs to be updated with Oathbringer release. I also had a crazy idea that I hope happens. I hope Jasnah with her crazy ways of thinking as the new Queen as well as about how so much of power is about perception can invent paper currency if it’s needed.

Speaking of Nalthis, I could be wrong but doesn’t Renarin’s name seem like a weird attempt to combine the Nalthis double consonants mentioned here (and the Vorin near symmetry? And because of the misshapen attempt at cultural fusion it comes out sound weird? Let me know what you think? EDIT: I was wrong. Reread the scene as I probably should have done to begin with. WAY of base here.

I also want to point out even if the SHARDS are infinite, the MINDS they are tied to are not. I think there is a WOB about this somewhere.

I admit I have a hard time understanding anger when it gets to the point when it ends up just causing it to destroy everything, even as I an sympathize with the causes of it. That's why I figured that Dustbringer might be so obedient. They need to direct their anger towards a POSITIVE direction, (Think how Scars character from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood evolved. Thought to be fair he wasn't obedient he DID learn to channel his anger in a positive direction that broke the cycle of vengeance) so that they can channel it in a way that bring destruction and devastation to everything in their wake. But can get read of gold dead growth that hinders new growth instead. Does that make sense. Basically I'm saying that while Anger can be USEFUL it can also be DANGEROUS. Hence the need for a proper way to channel it. I also suspect just like in many case anger and the motivation for revenge can cloud one's judgement (the need to take things apart as it is) and one can't begin to move on until the begin to deconstruct their own motivations for revenge. The Dustbringers oaths work with channeling that motivation into a POSITIVE direction and making them QUESTION WHY they are truly doing this. I should point out I have come from the Tor reread and someone pointed there that Moash novelete began with the sigil. And it made me think. About not just Moash but Dustbringers in General. In a way I hadn't thought about them before Moash has a lot of anger, and it HAS blinded him, but if he could channel that anger in a positive direction it might do some good instead of bad. For ways that it has blinded him someone in the reread pointed out that Moash starts The Way Of Kings just wanting to turn things on their head. He would still have the discrimination continue but with Lighteyes on the bottom but with Dark Eyes on the top. It DEFINTLEY starts of being all about him. Not being about justice. Yet the way he tells the parshmen to do better, then humans, who knows. what the future holds for him. It could be good or, it could be belly up. I AM NOT saying that Moash will become a dustbringer. Brandon is too hard to predict for to be willing to place money. But I do think that the idea of Dustbringers being people who have to find a way to channel their anger in a positive direction to do good IS something that I see happening.

Fun fact: Brandon doesn’t say there is NO linguistic connection what so ever between Nalthis and Roshar. Just that it doesn’t apply to the tranquline halls connection. I can’t help but wonder if other areas of Roshar of a linguistic connection to said place.

Has anyone heard of the real world concept of Emergence? I feel like that is a good way to talk about resonance.

To be fair Rensrin also saw that the city was one big fabrial so it’s possible he could do both. Don’t forget that the future is in motion. I.e. the future CHANGES. What’s more it possible that he acted to change it without realizing it. When he gave his father the prod to seek out the Nightwatcher for example, it set in line a future where he wouldn’t fall to Odium. This is just my own speculation but I think that by accepting Jasnah being willing to kill him THAT is what made her be unable to go through with it. And it’s not even a deliberate manipulation. It’s just by being who he is.

I am just guessing here but I think that normal Truthwatchers may be philosophers?

I was thinking about the Dustbringers. How they like “taking things apart” How the traits of their herald are Brave and OBEDIENT. And I got to wondering. Maybe Dustbringers were people who had taken themselves apart metaphorically and didn’t like who/what they found. Maybe the reason they are so obedient is that they don’t trust their own judgment on things. Possibly they themselves have proven to have had bad judgment in the past? I know it sounds crazy but I have a feeling about this.

I didn’t realize that Raven’s were a symbol of the final empire. Nice. Thanks for pointing that out.

Well IF we are going on that angle I have a sneaking suspicion (Nothing to justify it, other than a weird feeling) that Renarin knew the truth about his mom and dad. He saw the bad in his dad, he knew it for a long time, BUT he ALSO saw the POTENTIAL for good in him. (To be fair this COULD EASILY be a flaw in my theory on the meaning of his name, either way just bear with me.) I didn’t mean to imply that perspective doesn’t matter at all. How do I explain this. Let’s say if your past determines present then your present determines your future. Similarly, if your past outlook determines your present outlook then your present outlook determines your future outlook. And HERE is where perspective matters, and how it can shape lives. To give an example, you can look at history and look at all the horrible things people have done and still do and say that things are awful. But at the same time you can look at the same evidence and see that as bad as things are, humanity has continued to move forward. It happens on a glacial scale AND there is backsliding but moving forward IS something we do. Both ARE reasonable conclusions based on the evidence. BUT here I bring it back to the part where that perspective DOES play a real world role. Who is more likely to try and move humanity in a positive direction, someone who takes a look at that evidence and sees the negativity, or someone who looks at that evidence and sees the hope?* Did I explain that accurately. *I think that’s why for as realistic as I insist on being I am able to keep a positive outlook on things, (or is it that I try to keep a positive outlook?) despite how life wants to me beat me down. Also while I find the truth can be brutal and harsh sometimes, I ultimately find it beautiful. Another thing that I noticed about Renarin, though this doesn’t seem to play into his name, is that he has a gift for inspiring HOPE in others, even when he is in despair himself. I just thought this was worth mentioning.

Is it just me or is Kelseir beginning to take on Odin parallels? There’s the fact that he has a spike through one eye. As a result he has one eye similar to Odin. We know as of Mistborn: Secret History that he wants to gain knowledge, Odin was also obsessed with the aquasition Of Knowledge. The Spear that’s associated with Kelseir. While it’s true that the Lance Of Longinus that peirced Christ’s side IS part of Christion mythology, it’s NOT a big part, However the Spear is ALSO associated with Odin particularly how his spear never missed his mark. Even the way that Kelseir simply doesn’t disappear, and how he “survives” when he dies could be a unique take on the way that Odin didn’t want to surrender to his fate. IF the parallels are deliberate on Brandon’s part it makes me wonder how Mistborn Era 4 will play with Kelseir’s charcter? Obviously it’s impossible to say. So much time will have passed by then and there are so many ways Kelseir can change MULTIPLE TIMES. That any prediction I make could be thrown out by one book, only to be put back in play by another. Still I thought the parallels were worth mentioning.

I have a guess, the only problem is the guess feels more like something that would fit with Cosmere Endgame than Stormlight endgame so I don’t think I am QUITE there. Still it’s interesting enough that I guess it’s worth posting. Basically if I were to pick one real world thing that was like unto itself, it would be TRUTH OR REALITY. Many people talk about “versions” of reality and how it changes according to person but I find tgat to be crem dung. Our PERCEPTION of reality can differ from person to person, but reality itself simply IS. And one thing we must always be careful of is to try and not get our perception of reality confused for actual reality. (I do not hold myself to be immune from this danger by the way. Simply being aware of said danger doesn’t in and of itself decrease your vulnerability to the danger.) Also while there may only be one reality or (I suppose you could call it truth), paradoxically there may be many PATHS (or I suppose I suppose you could call them journies) to get to the truth. So my theory is that by Renarin’s name saying he is born into himself, is that Renarin restrists all attempts to define him, like reality of truth. So in a way you could say he is “born into the truth” Heck he is even a TRUTHwatcher of sorts. The biggest problem with the this theory as mentioned is that it feels like something for the Cosmere endgame rather then the Stormlight Archive. So I do NOT think I got everything and something MUST be off. Nonetheless there is enough here. That I felt it was worth posting.

There’s another way of reading the same evidence. Jasnah might have had a bad romantic relationship, possiblly, even an aranged relationship with Amaram, and worries about entering into potential relationships, because she worries that all others see her for is her power and position. (Possibly it’s how Amaram viewed their relationship even though she had genuine feelings for him. Brandon DID say there was more to their relationship than had been let on) If so she would also aware that these type of things are a danger with any political relationship, which is why she is hesitant to do such a thing even if she is distasteful, but she doesn’t deny that reality makes them necessary at times. I would also like to post this thread here to give some speculation on Jasnah that applies IF this speculation is correct then Jasnah probably WOULD always be questioning her morals. And I always try to imagine what I would feel like if I were in the other person’s position. I sometimes have difficulty noticing when others are in pain, but when I DO notice I tend to care MORE then the average person. But just as Kaladin said that “sometimes no amount of logic or reasoning can make get in the way of that overpowering desire to get what you think you deserve” a statement that was eye opening for me, I sometimes have the opposite problem, sometimes no amount of empathy for a person’s situation can help with my frustration with their inability to see logic and how what they are doing is making their situation worse. As such I sometimes feel like I am stuck between two sides of a situation and banging my head against a wall in frustration. I realize that a lot of what I say about Jasnah is speculation and personal opinion, but at the very least I wanted to throw out another opinion and/or possiblity.

You are who I meant to quote to begin with. I am on a phone so editing capabilities are limited, but see my above post.

Whoever came up with this idea doesn’t understand how Cultivating things works. Remember when Cultivation mentioned “pruning” Dalinar’s memories. Do you know what pruning is? Is basically removing growth you don’t want. Cultivaion Does BOTH death AND Growth. That’s how cultivation works. For example, you burn dead grass so that’s the ashes can as fertilizer for new growth. Cultivation doesn’t NEED to be part of a change cycle because that’s how her whole intent works to begin with. The only question is would she want to stay as cultivation or Cultivate her intent to something else. If it changes to something else my guess would be Hope, but that assumes it needs to change.

That’s part of it but I wonder if there’s more to it, sense Sanderson as said before tends to work on multiple levels. OR maybe this is Sanderson’s way of warning us that Renarin is SIMPLY Renarin. I think I like it that his name can mean that he is simply himself. It’s like his name his saying no matter how others may try to define him or shape him Renarin is simply himself. That gives me an idea actually but I want some time to think over it.

I was just thinking that the meaning of his name seems interesting. “Born unto himself” That seems like a name chok full of meaning and potential foreshadowing, ESPECIALLY for a Brandon Sanderson novel. But I have no idea what such a name could be getting at. So I wanted to ask you all if you had any ideas.