robardin

"Explor(ation) before adventure" as an Ideal.. OK "Discover(y)" before "Timeless(ness)" though, doesn't seem to Cosmere-scan. Unless it's Kelsier related, eh? "Travel(s) before wonder" - sounds Worldhopperific

"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. Speak again the ancient oaths and return to men the Shards they once bore." But based on this strange object I unaccountably discovered in my office supply room at work today, perhaps there are more Words beyond "journey before destination"...?

You just blew my mind! One of my favorite self-referential terms is to comment on the overuse of TLAs in tech or business jargon, which intimidates people into going along quietly until they figure out what it stands for, or just never bother to figure that out and just use the term based on contextual meaning. And if eventually asked what "TLA" means, I explain that it stands for "Three-Letter Acronym". (I didn't make that up.) And now you're telling me that it's actually an initialism? BOOOOOO! (Even if you're right!) "TLI" will not sound nearly as good (plus, will sound like "TMI")

Sorry to reach back to this OP to settle on this point, but I just remembered hearing about this from my wife a while back. She's gotten deep into the romance novel genre in the past few years, and she's commented on how there are huge fan bases for particular authors' "universes" (frequently, the book series expand outwards based on side characters from earlier novels now getting their own book or books), and that there are many sub-genres of romance novels catering to sub-groups of readerships, splintering on things like historical setting, how graphically sexual or violent they get, whether pre-marital sex happens, how religious and what religion they are... And of course, sexual orientation. She's gotten into the genre not just as a fan and reader, but has also joined some FB groups with the authors that will discuss "writerly" issues. In one of those groups, she learned of a cautionary scandal in the romance writing world from a few years back: someone had been quite successful, for some long period of time, as a writer of M/M gay romance novels, selling over half a million "self-published" works on Amazon numbering over fifty books -- some (all?) of which turned out to be thinly veiled ripoffs of existing best-selling mainstream M/F romance novel series (from multiple authors!) edited to make the female lead character male. The baldfaced chutzpah of it all relied on the nearly complete lack of editorial policing in the realm of Amazon's "self-published" works, which is what mainly what the romance writer's group was discussing (how to detect and combat "freelance plagiarism" of their books or characters); but of course, this scheme also presumed a complete lack of overlap in the M/F vs. M/M readership groups. That someone eventually DID notice was traced to someone who was both bisexual and a voracious romance novel reader who was in multiple reading groups, and who was recommended one of of these altered M/M books by a gay friend after having already read the original M/F one. A pretty small set of people for Amazon to rely on for self-policing... Ah, a bit of Googling turns up the details: Prolific romantic fiction writer exposed as a plagiarist

OK, in terms of what magic would I love to try out, it's probably being a Coinshot. (Or being a full Mistborn, which would include being a Coinshot.) But what I'd actually use the most, day to day, if I could, would be a zincmind. My other concern about Surgebinding, aside from availability of Stormlight, would still stand, too: having a sentient spren around me 24/7 seems like something I might find unsettling. I assume I'd get used to it, and of course part of the Nahel bond is probably having a deep Connection that helps smooth things over, but I'm often introverted and want "alone time"; the idea of never being guaranteed alone time is pretty distressing. If I could get over that, I think I'd like to try being a Truthwatcher - not a la Renarin, but the "real deal" (I guess like The Stump?). Having the ability to heal others, and also to spin illusions with Illumination. (I kind of think I'd be temperamentally inclined to "see things" than to "do things", as well.)

Only if you attain H5, at least in terms of IRL applicability. Life sensing, perfect pitch, or perfect color sense would be kind of neat, but not particularly life-changing for me. Awakening stuff would be very cool, though. Any of the Rosharan Surges would require both access to Stormlight and bonding a spren, the former of which wouldn't exist and the second of which kind of freaks me out (remember when Kaladin reflects uncomfortably on just how far Syl's interest in his love live might end up going)? Elantrian? I would have to move to Elantris, and then stay there, more or less! For this kind of discussion I think being a full Mistborn or Feruchemist is clearly OP, as in Era 2+ having "one power" means one Metalborn ability in one metal. Logically it should be Allomantic pewter - a net positive, "power for free on tap" ability that makes me stronger, more dextrous, quicker, and recover faster from injury... But really, F-zinc would probably be the #1 most useful thing in my life, and I could even use it surreptitiously and not risk gaining the attention of the Powers That Be that might want to experiment on me, or threaten me or those I love to force me to serve them, or something like that. See, if the government noticed you flying around, you'd lose your freedom pretty quickly, I'd think, for all intents and purposes.

Yes, I thought of him as well but blanked on his name... Bingo! Also, Kliss the informant who tells Vin about the plot on Elend’s life.

So in this sub-category, off the top of my head, some of the contestants are: Highprince Turinad "Turi" Sebarial of Roshar Camon the Crewleader, late (very late) of Luthadel Edgard "Breeze" Ladrian, "Counselor of Gods" Lord Jackstom Harms of Elendel Hmm, 3 of 4 from Scacrial (two from the Final Empire, one skaa). Surely there are more!

Oh, no mention of Venli, is it? Even in mateform? Humans only, eh? RACISTS!! And what about Arclo the Dysian Aimian. If you think the Marshquisitor will win votes through intimidation, what about the judges feeling, just as they are about to vote, like a few teeny tiny creepy-crawlies are going up their legs. *shudder*

I would recommend the Valdemar series of books by Mercedes Lackey, many of which include a gay main character - especially in The Last Herald-Mage, a prequel trilogy to the original set of books set in Valdemar (which themselves have "notable" characters who are openly gay, but not what you might call "main protagonists"). In the original Heralds of Valedmar series, there are "Heralds" who are kind of like the Knights Radiant of Roshar in that they gain power from being spiritually bonded by a supernatural Companion to help protect the realm of Valdemar, with different Gifts; but no "mage-gift" has been seen in hundreds of years, since the enormously powerful and now-legendary "Last Herald-Mage" of Vanyel Ashekvron. I see someone else beat me to the rec! That prequel trilogy explores his life, which includes his being openly gay, and not in a token way. I am not gay myself and read these books as a teenager, and it was pretty eye-opening to gain that alternative POV on a number of fronts - as well as illuminating to see that in the end, love is love is love, regardless of orientation. (Including one-sided, unrequited, and abusive love [OK rape... like RShara said, it can get "pretty dark" at times], as well as true love.) If you read further in the series, the Mage Winds trilogy of book that are sequels (not prequels) to the original trilogy feature not only multiple gay protagonists, but IIRC, a gay antagonist. Or at least bisexually evil, shall we say.

Well, unless that fork really is more than it seems, Lift's Shardfork has a distinct advantage...

That was certainly my take

In a way that is what happened, but in reverse. I believe Brandon backed off on using a title of Stones Unhallowed after Patrick Rothfuss announced his long-awaited third and final book in the Kingkiller Chronicles would be titled The Doors of Stone. Back then, Szeth's book was going to be Stormlight 3, and also back then, Rothfuss said Kingkiller #3 would be released "very soon", and everybody agreed two major works of epic fantasy with similar sounding titles coming out in the same year would be a Bad Thing. Ha ha ha. Uh-oh. With Stones Unhallowed getting bumped as the title because The Doors of Stone as Kingkiller #3 was "supposed to" come out when Stormlight 3 came out, it'd be just Brandon's luck if he decided on a title featuring the word "Wind" and found it bumped because GRRM's long-awaited ASoIaF #6 book (The Winds of Winter) is "supposed to be released" in the same year.

For the same reason that Rashek chose not to, even though as one who had touched the power of a Shard, the Beyond could not take him if he didn't want to go (as post-Ascension Kelsier realized about himself in Secret History). Vin could have chosen to stay on as a shadow, for the same reason and in the same way, but refused - heck, both she and Elend turned down the offer from the newly Ascended Sazed not just to become Cognitive Shadows, or even something physical (but Shardically bound) as the Heralds and the Fused are on Roshar, but to full on recorporate. As Preservation said to Kelsier when Rashek departed: It takes a special kind of motivation, combined with the right knowledge and amount of Investiture (being a full Mistborn helped Kelsier "stick" in the Cognitive Realm long enough to reach the Well and leap in), to become a Cognitive Shadow. And evidently for Nazh, such an act has a proper way to go about it!

Hmm, I thought the Nightwatcher might not visit off-worlders. Felt the Scadrian and onetime spy for House Venture recalls trying to visit the NW himself but she did not appear to him, which he believes is because she "doesn't like foreigners" (and then he adds to Dalinar, "You're a little less foreign, sir.")

That... Is not at all how I pictured Shardplate. Though the more I look at it, the more sense it makes... All those segmented joints look crustacean In fact, how is Taln in Shardplate? Is it "deadspren" Plate? Did the Heralds have "Honorplate" to go with their Honorblades (never thought about it)? Or does Taln follow suit with Nalan in "joining his own order" and bonding a Stoneward truespren (whatever kind of spren that would be)? I mean, this can't be a Vorin (imagined) depiction of Talenenat the Herald, since he's shown as darkeyed.

Stop that!!! Foretelling the future is of Odium!

Interesting... In this interpretation, then, a non-Scadrian lerasium Mistborn, such as Hoid, would not be able to burn atium? Based on the comment that even a full Mistborn such as Vin could not burn a piece of Rosharan Shardplate, if ingested, because it was Invested with an inaccessible (for Vin) kind of Investiture. Which would then also mean, accessing godmetal powers via the Metallic Arts would require Connection with those Shards. Native Scadrial Mistborn = has some Ruin in them = can burn all metals accessible by the Metallic Arts, plus godmetals they're connected to, including atium Native Scadrial Seer (atium Misting) = only existed because Preservation put it on the "Table of Metallic Arts" that spun out 16 versions of Allomancers (Mistborn not being "natural", requiring lerasium or similarly direct act of the power of Preservation upon someone, if only in one's ancestry) Non-native Mistborn (e.g., Hoid) = no Connection to Ruin, cannot burn atium What would this imply for Bleeder's ability to use presumed "trellium" spikes for hemalurgy?

I wonder what any kind of fabrial spren would look like in the CR, now that we've seen the Oathgate spren. Especially the "half shards" that Taravangian said were made by trapping spren "that otherwise might have blessed a Knight Radiant" - i.e., they're "true" sentient spren, not just flamespren or painspren. Or what about a fabrial that's worn, like a painrial, when entering into Shadesmar?

Ahhh of course! So would any "perfect gem" of sufficient size serve to imprison even so great a spren as an Unmade?

Interesting point... Oh, it was. It was in Chapter 115 of Oathbringer, after Teft was fleeing in shame from the discovery that Bridge Four had been betrayed, and the Honorblade of Jezrien taken from its bearer, because an enemy agent (apparently human... Which they haven't thought too much about just yet) was disguised as a Bridge Four member with the coat he'd sold for firemoss money. His as yet unnamed to us honorspren followed him: Whatever Sja-anat did to send Shallan, Kaladin, and Adolin into Shadesmar when they tried to use it, it worked properly for the forces of Odium to reach Urithiru. Maybe it's just under her direct control now or something. One more comment of some potential interest: when Dalinar tells Lift to go after the Fused who took the King's Drop ruby at Thaylen Fields (in Ch. 117 of Oathbringer), Odium comes up to him with Venli and Nergaoul and a couple of Fused. Before engaging Dalinar in parley (where Dalinar will once again demand a contest of champions), he gives orders to the Fused who were with him: What is "the prison" that Yushah (presumably a Fused) is supposed to guard? Kai-garnis appears to be the name of the thunderclast that was going to the Oathgate that Renarin dispatched. The Tisark, then, appear to be the name of the group of Fushed that Renarin found at the Thaylen City Oathgate, that Teft and Bridge Four burst forth from. What happened in Urithiru with the attack through the Kholinar gate? If the Fused withdrew after securing the Honorblade, did they re-seal the Oathgate with Sja-anat's influence? And relevant to this discussion, one can destroy the Oathgate structure, but the gemstones therein are critical to rebuilding it, and the spren (the big white/black ones) cannot be "compromised"... Which I guess doesn't count for whatever it is Sja-anat did/does to them.

But the Oathgates were locked from use from the Cognitive Realm. No reason to protect them, it would seem. Unless Team Odium didn't know that? But you're right, it could just be that those Fused were sent there after the Fused on their tail in the CR their tail tracked them to the spren market and to the honorspren ship, and realizing their destination, sought to meet them there. Basically they were cornered with the Oathgate inoperable from the CR... Until UNITY happened.

There was a minor character I seem to recall from The Way of Kings who was a one-armed slave consigned to a Sadeas bridge crew. Not sure if he was enslaved before or after losing his arm, of if he was Vorin - probably not, as I think he was Herdazian? Not sure. But he was a slave in Alethkar at any rate. They used him to carry waterskins and then we kind of never heard about him again.

We don't know how Sja-anat does what she does, or what "it" actually is, or if her ability to corrupt Oathgate spren is something new (why hasn't Odium made her do this in any previous Desolations?) or something only possible under specific or extraordinary circumstances. Evidently she was expected to be able to "reprogram" the Oathgate spren to kill any users, but she instead claimed she only managed to get them to redirect users to Shadesmar, and implied that was a lie that Odium believed (i.e., Odium doesn't know the exact limits or mechanism of her power, and she COULD have made it a fatal passage but did not). So why have her modify just the Kholinar Oathgate - does Odium have to control the territory in the Physical Realm somehow first? And why were the Fused were guarding the Oathgate to Thaylen City in the Cognitive Realm when Oathgates can't be used in the CR any more (but it still worked normally to transport Radiant Teft and Bridge Four to Thaylen City)? Read and Find Out is the only real answer here.