Subvisual Haze

He encouraged his best friend to commit suicide. This isn't a complex character anymore like he was before RoW, he exists purely so you can hate him. Dalinar is good person because he accepted the pain for the bad things he's done. Moash is bad because the only thing he wants is to never feel pain. Such seems to be the moral framework of SA.

I don't think in previous eras this would have killed the spren, merely ended the bond. This seems like another manifestation of imprisoning BAM, something is broken in the magic of Roshar that isn't allowing bonds to dissolve peacefully.

One important fact I would remind others: Testament is a name of convenience given to Shallan's first Cryptic only at the very end of RoW. Her original name was Pattern, because all Cryptic's names are Pattern (referring to different patterns, but to human speech their names are all the same). Thus when reading Shallan's dialogue and thoughts in the earlier books, any time she says or thinks "Pattern" there is intentional ambiguity about which she is referring. Thus, when Shallan activates the Oathgate and calls out to Pattern, this doesn't necessarily mean she wasn't using Testament. I'm of the opinion that Shallan is using Testament as her sword all throughout WoR. In fact her first time summoning Pattern as a sword is in Oathbringer Chapter 15 when Adolin requests to see the sword and Shallan has a somewhat unexplainable panic attack. Pattern initially comments Implying something important was being done when summoning Pattern as a sword for Adolin. Eventually she creates the Radiant persona to abate the panic attack. The panic attack and generating of a new persona make more sense in the context of RoW: Shallan is about to summon a shardblade that is distinct from the one she was previously using, and she can't confront that reality yet. This is also the same chapter where Pattern drops his disturbing line: “It’s because you hate me,” Pattern said softly. “I can die, Shallan. I can go. They will send you another to bond.” e: Another point. Testament's spren friend mentioned finding her on an island far to the east. It's the Shattered Plains Oathgate platform, the last location Shallan summoned Testament.

I guess it was to emphasize that Rlain was (unintentionally) overlooked by the other Bridge 4 members.

The Heralds can't really discern the passage of time. Ash says as much, and Nale thinks it has been several generations(!) since the last Desolation. They sort of live their lives in a blur. Kelek calling him "old Thaidakar" could mean they've been butting heads for 5 years or 5,000 in Kelek's mind.

Thanks! Ishar is incredibly paranoid at the moment though and interprets everyone's actions as proof they are out to get him. I think the Unmade comment was just the current narrative his mind has embraced to justify stealing back his Honorblade and meddling in Shin society. If anything I would pin the weirdness of Shinovar currently on Ishar. Ash commented that she left Shinovar because they started worshipping the Heralds like Gods. Thus they would be naturally apt to follow Ishar's irrational directives, even more so once he retrieved his Honorblade and got back the ability to manipulate Connection (basically forcing others to trust him).

Why are we sure there are Unmade in Shinovar?

I think the things we thought were extremely important aren't anymore. Rayse dying completely reshuffled the deck. The contest of champions is practically a sideshow. The eternal war is going to end because it's in nobody's interest for it to continue. There isn't going to be a planetary apocalypse or mass extinction of either humans or singers caused by war between the shards. Even the Oathpact itself will soon be superfluous now that Fused can be killed with Anti-voidlight. The future will be cold war on Roshar. Everyone will coexist in an awkward peace during the timegap between the front 5 and back 5. The growing threat on Roshar will be the lack of Honor's previously enforced "limits" on surgebinding. Ishar currently personifies the problem that will soon become widespread amongst Radiants in general of higher oaths - how do we stop Surgebinders from nuking the planet like they did Ashyn?

Dalinar's a fool and caved to high pressure sales tactics. I don't care how good the deal from the god seems, you give yourself a night to sleep on it before you finalize the deal.

He's the only character to be called the Son/Child of Tanavast by the Stormfather. And what's more the Stormfather has called him that once in every single book (thanks ebook search!). Son/Child of Honor seems a more generic title that multiple characters are given (including Kaladin). I think it comes down to the difference between the Honor shard's pure intent (follow rules, keep oaths, letter of the law etc.), and how Tanavast the person expressed that intent. I think the point is that Kaladin as a person reminds the Stormfather of Tanavast. Not just honorable, but also passionate.

Every time Dalinar and Taravangian are having an ethical debate they're actually taking the viewpoints of Honor versus Cultivation. All of Taravangian's "I must be the one who is willing to sacrifice some for the survival of all" is pure Cultivation worldview.

"I wish for blind person representation in the Stormlight Archive" said the fan holding the monkey's paw

Puppy kicking mustache twirling hate receptacle.

My point was that with depression even relatively mundane events can push you down. When you run Kaladin repeatedly through the grinder of objective emotional suffering every book to what extent are you really representing the struggles of depression anymore?

If anything the excessive trauma and abuse that the narrative conspires to throw at Kaladin every book mangles the depression metaphor. Depression is an irrational response. You feel terrible for no good reason, and then you get mad at yourself for your inability to just be happy. I thought Kaladin's depression was much better represented in the earlier books in that regard. Despite things going well Kaladin would still feel unhappy (and Syl would directly call him out on it).

I feel like Odium needs a couple more colors attributed to him, red yellow and purple is only half of the color wheel after all. Like maybe if his power crosses with Cultivation it forms a nice shade of teal. Or if it blends with Harmony's investiture it becomes poop brown like when you combine all the crayons together. Maybe if you combine Odiumlight with itself it forms a rainbow. That way we could attribute every possible color in some way to his theoretical influence.

All the limits and safeguards on the surges that Honor put in place after Ashyn was destroyed are gone.

Kal's already practicing the job of being a Herald thanks to Moash forcing him spend his dreams on Braize being tortured.

We learn that Hesina's home city was Tomat, which is on the map of Alethekar. It's the far southwest corner of Sadeas' territory, very the border with Vamah's lands, and also very near Herdaz and Jah Kaved.

It is noticeable how much his control degraded just over the course of the book. My hope is that he was breaking a cosmic rule in hijacking Kaladin’s dreams via Moash, and that weakened him.

Sometimes Odium is gold, sometimes he's violet, sometimes he's red. Because why not.

Are soulcasters inkspren in particular? I know there was a passing comment in this book that there are a numerically small number of Inkspren relative to other higher spren. The relative shortage of Inkspren could be explained by many of them manifesting in the physical realm as soulcasters.

Roshar cannot escape Toddposting

She also almost Lightweaves for Hoid when she encountered him in a flashback at a fair. For currently unknown reasons, her bond to her original spren wasn't quite as dead as we would expect.

Yep, everything can be explained by Pattern nervously asking for advice from Wit, but Wit was himself under observation by the Sleepless. This mixed with Radiant not wanting to admit she killed Ialai, and the whole conspiracy gets unraveled as nothing.