StrikerEZ

I know this isn't the point of the topic, but I felt like responding to this. Timbre was probably bonding Eshonai since all the way back in WoR at the latest. There's a scene in the chapter where she becomes a Stormform Singer and she mentions a little comet-like spren zipping around her, which is almost definitely Timbre. Eshonai definitely fits the Willshapers far more than the Dustbringers, plus Timbre doesn't seem ashy at all, so it's unlikely that she's an ashspren. So, I think it's safe to assume Venli is a Willshaper. As for Kaladin getting a love interest, I don't like the idea of it. Kal doesn't seem like the kind of person who can give away enough of himself to ever truly love someone and form a meaningful relationship with them. Plus, he doesn't need someone to date anyway, not everyone has to get a partner.

The reason that the Fused (and other Cognitive Shadows) stay behind is because they were highly Invested before death, so that Investiture permeates their soul and either becomes the soul or preserves (Brandon has been unclear which is the case). It wouldn't be that surprising if Eshonai was Invested enough due to her Radiant bond and was able to become a Cognitive Shadow herself. Well, it doesn't require direct Shardic influence. It only requires the person to be highly Invested. There's a theory that says the reason that there is a myth about reclaiming the Tranquiline Halls is due to the fact that the Knights Radiant are Invested because of their nahel bond, so they become Cognitive Shadows. I don't think Eshonai will ever become a major part of the story again because I believe that Venli has taken her place, but I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes a CS and has a minor influence on the story

Well, we know that Singers can become spren because of the Fused. I think it's unlikely that Eshonai will stay behind as a CS, but it's possible.

On my first read through of the book, nothing made my cry, but there were several moments where I whooped, yelled, almost cried, etc. The only time I've ever cried because of a book was in WoK when Tien died. That entire scene got to me because all I could think about was what if my little brother died? I had to actually close the book for a couple minutes in order to recover. On my reread, even though I knew everything that was gonna happen, all the moments weee even more impactful. I almost cried when Elhokar died, when Evi died, the Taln moment, the Renarin/Jasnah moment, the Wit/Shallan moment, and both times Adolin talked to Shallan about the multiple personalities. This book was so good, I've never almost cried that many times before.

These aren't in any particular order, I'm just gonna be listing them off as I think of them. Venli: I'm putting Venli first because something about her character arc really, really surprised me in this book. It just was so unexpected (rip Eshonai), but it was absolutely amazing. I never really liked Venli all that much in WoR, but that was because we only got to see glimpses of her from Eshonai's perspective. The interactions between her and Timbre throughout the book were freaking awesome, and the progression of her character throughout the book was so satisfying to read. It's weird because we all expected Eshonai to be our Willshaper, because she basically fit the description of loving adventure, novelty, or oddity. Now though...I see that Venli almost fits it even better, in her own unique way. Her version of adventure is the discovery of power. I'm tired and can't explain this very well, but I just really loved how Venli progressed in this book. Elhokar: I never thought I'd someday actually like Elhokar. But storms, Sanderson somehow made it happen. And then proceeded to crush my hopes and dreams by getting him Elhokar'd (a term I have been coining in the discord server). Elhokar went from a man who complained about being less than people expected him to be to becoming a man who tried so hard to live up to those expectations, even though he knew he couldn't. He was a man who just wanted to be something better, and it pains me that he had to die. His arc in OB was beautiful, though less explored than others, and it's frustrating that he was killed. Moash: I was surprised by Moash's character arc in this book, but not in a good way. There's not really much to say about him except that I feel like his path to the "dark side," so to speak, was pretty pointless. Plus, I'm still mad at him for killing Elhokar. Though, I guess it will be cool to see how Vyre develops. I really hope he doesn't get a redemption arc. He had his chance and he blew it. He doesn't deserve another one. Shallan: I really did not like how Shallan progressed in most of this book. It didn't even feel like character progression but more like regression. She just kept getting worse and worse with her split personalities, and it was just not something I enjoyed reading. Maybe it was good for her to go through this, so it wouldn't happen to her later when she really needs to be just Shallan, but I just felt like it was handled pretty poorly. Though, I do like that she choose Adolin over Kaladin; I shipped Shadolin from the start over Shalladin. Adolin: I've always been an Adolin fan, but this book made me love him even more! (*fights with Shallan over Adolin*) For some reason something about Adolin this book just really spoke to me. He's a man who tries his absolute best to be the best he can be, and he always puts up a good act for the others. He may have his own problems for himself, but I feel like Adolin feels like he has to be the rock for the others to hold onto. Adolin never complains about anything that happens to him, never complains when something goes wrong. It's storming awesome. And MAYA!!!! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy he's actually on the path to reviving her. While Adolin does bring a special point of view to the story as a non-Radiant, I think he'd be storming awesome as an Edgedancer. Plus, he fits the Ideals so well. He talks to all of the soldiers of the army whenever he can, he helped that prostitute way back in WoK, when he was in the middle of fighting a storming thunderclast, he risked getting himself killed to save the little boy hiding under the table. Ughhh, it's so perfect, I'm gonna be so mad if he doesn't revive Maya. Like, he's already got her name, he was able to summon her early, and he fits the Ideals almost perfectly. Okay, that's enough mini-ranting for me. These are the characters I was surprised by, both positively and negatively. I'm so excited to see more of Adolin in the next book, and I'm storming pumped for the Eshonai flashbacks in the next book as well. That will help us understand Venli so much more.

StrikerEZ: Voting for Alvron.

I want this.

Voting for Haelbarde.

Removing vote from StrikerEZ. Voting for A Joe in the Bush.

Voting for StrikerEZ.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/116-general-reddit-2017/#e4392 This one isn't transcribed yet, but the picture of the posts are there.

Variel was shocked to see Riri so scared, but before he had a chance to even say anything to calm her down, and hooded man with a knife emerged from the mists and began to walk towards them. Before Variel could grab his knife, Riri had already started scrambling for the knife. The man stopped, pulling his hood down and holding his hand out towards Riri. "Hello, sister dear. What's this about a guy with a knife?" He said. Variel pulled Riri closer to himself, reaching to take the knife from her. He didn't recognize the man himself, but he figured this must be her older brother, Galen. He sighed, pulling his own hood down and looked at the man. There was no use hiding now. Variel didn't even bother trying to come up with a good excuse for why he was with Riri, he just looked to her to see what she'd say about the man with the knife she saw, and, eventually, why she was with him. @Ookla the Rae

Variel smiled, reading the simple note from Riri. He could still hardly believe that he and Riri had begun to court each other. The fact that some noblewoman had finally managed to get him to love again after.... He sighed, shaking his head to clear those memories. He didn't want past mistakes to cloud his current relationship. As Variel got dressed, he started thinking about the announcement he'd heard earlier today. Could there really be even more skaa in the noble houses? The thought baffled him, how would a skaa even manage to blend in with the nobles? Variel himself had a hard time fitting in with the nobles, though of course most people didn't know that. He kept to himself most of the time, so they wouldn't know how insecure he felt around most of the other nobles, but he'd long grown used to their political games and fancy ways. He just wasn't particularly fond of them. Variel grabbed his cloak as he snuck out the window of his room, being very careful to not rip his suit as he climbed down. He wouldn't want anyone of his house questioning where he was going at such a late hour. They couldn't know he was courting someone from their rival house. The mists enveloped him as he walked through the streets of Luthadel. He had never been afraid of the mists, like most people. Some considered them unnatural, almost creepy, but he felt right at home amongst them. Variel heard something behind him, so he quickly turned around and crouched down, reaching to his side as if to grab something. Instead, he slipped out a little knife from his sleeve, and creeped towards where he felt the sound came from. After a few minutes of searching, he decided that he must've imagined the sound...but he couldn't shake a certain feeling of uneasiness that something was wrong. He finally reached the square Riri had told him to meet her in, and sat against the wall, waiting for her. @Ookla the Rae

@DroughtBringer Where do we choose our foci? In our GM PMs?

Sorry, I was just trying to join in on the fun. I wasn't actually trying to cheat the game, just wanted to make a joke.

@Wyrmhero Which of these is allowed, or are all of them okay: Voting for StrikerEZ voting For StrikerEZ Voting For StrikerEZ Voting For StrikerEZ. VOTING for StrikerEZ

I really like this theory, because it actually makes sense, plus I like to figure out which gods Bavadin is. I just think that it's highly unlikely that she managed to make two Perpendiculaities. I guess her different personas could all actually be Splinters of the original Bavadin, and she just managed to make sculpt them into being like her, but I'm not sure if I really believe that a Splinter could create a Perpendiculairty. Plus, Khriss said that there's not a Shard on First of the Sun.

I don't even get what this is supposed to be. Oh...whoops, took me a while to get it lol

Sign me up.

Ugh, sorry for being so inactive in this game. I wasn't that interested in it for some reason, and I guess a huge part of that was the role I got. I kept meaning to jump back in, but I could never find the motivation to.

@Drake Marshall That was awesome. I can't believe I almost killed you. I'm pretty glad I didn't, because this game was pretty dang cool. Also, thanks @TheMightyLopen and @Steeldancer for running such an awesome game! It was so much fun to play (or watch in my case :P) and those write-ups were awesome. You two make a great pair!

I think this theory relies too much on the idea that Odium was trapped due to the Oathpact, which is not true. https://wob.coppermind.net/events/160-words-of-radiance-dayton-signing/#e2898 Besides that, this is a pretty good theory, good job!

Variel was a strange nobleman. He was very susperstitious, though also very loyal to The Lord Ruler. He always made sure to keep his 32 best suits in pristine condition, and made sure to wear them in a cycle so that he'd only ever wear one of his suits in any given month. He always had to adjust his glasses so that they were balanced on his nose perfectly, and he always kept a pocket watch in his left suit pocket, never his right. He was yet to be married, which was slightly uncommon for his age, and he didn't quite seem to care about producing an heir anyway; he spent most of his time dealing with house business or studying in the libraries.

I'm still not sure why everyone says I'm so suspicious, I gave a reason as to why I voted on Jondesu that first cycle, which was because I had no suspicions at the time and knew I wouldn't be able to get on later to vote, and I would've removed my vote later if I had been able to get on. I'm gonna vote on Drake as a poke vote, partly because he's been slightly inactive and partly because I don't want to put myself on the bridge. @Drake Marshall

Hey, sorry for the inactivity lately, band got really crazy from this past Wednesday all the way until yesterday. In other news though, we won the contest yesterday! I'll try to be more active now, but don't expect a whole lot, honestly. Okay, so, I think it's pretty obvious that Rae is an elim. I'm still skeptical if she's the Seer though. It would've been a good gambit to gain village trust by spearheading the discussion of the game as the Seer for those few cycles where she did, but I don't think that necessarily means that she's the Seer. I think it's a lot more likely that she's just a converted thug. She could be the Seer, but I'm not gonna bet on it. And since Rae told El, Orlok, and wilson that she was the only really active elim, I guess that mostly clears them up.