Calyx

Yeah, Kaladin is very likely to blow it - which will be even more depressing, as a reader.

I absolutely love the broadsheets printed in the Mistborn era 2 books, they really help create immersion. (Unrelated: if you like newspapers from this era, I strongly recommend the game 'Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'). As for this, my reading was that it is just a nice pool with a masked southern scadrian sitting by it. I think the illustration (presumably based upon the woman's memory) supports this, as it looks somewhat like descriptions of the masks the southern scadrians wear. While it is possible that it is a shardpool, I think we can rule out Harmony being the source - presumably Harmony knows the location of his shardpool(s) and the Kandra would likely be watching. Though I suppose it is possible that the 'inhuman creature' is actually a Kandra.

My assumption was that they were just locally controlled by the bomber - still remote, but without the need for FTL communication that Spensa can intercept.

Completely agree with this - they are supposed to be brave and obedient. I guess Malata might have both of those traits, but she certainly hasn't demonstrated them yet.

Yeah, I'd love to see Vathah and Ishnah - I think they have a lot of potential for growth, and I really hope they remain loyal to Shallan. It bodes well that they stuck with Skar and Drehy off screen in Oathbringer to rescue Elhokar's son and escape Kolinar. Other than that, I really hope to see more of Rysn! I love her determination, and obviously also her Larkin.

I think computer technology based on identity-unlocked metalminds is going to be super interesting. The mind (and therefore presumably metalminds) is way better at storing/accessing information than even modern computers. Not sure how processing would work, but storage should be very advanced quite early.

I honestly don't really see Kaladin winning as long as Dalinar has shardplate, and that is without even considering Dalinar's bondsmith abilities.

Rock and Dalinar know Kaladin well, like him, and trust him. But I wouldn't say they are friends of the type discussed by the OP, largely due to the difference in rank. Can you really imagine Kaladin confiding in either one?

I think the most likely choice is Adolin. Kaladin and Adolin are already friends, though not to the emotionally connected stage you reference in the OP. Adolin (eventually) supports Kaladin, and frequently gets him to take himself a bit less seriously. Adolin is also one of the few people that have been able to get Kaladin to reconsider some of his prejudices, and has repeatedly gone out of his way to protect people (i.e. prostitute in Sadeas' camp, taking on the Thunderclast). Things will need to line up correctly, since neither one seems to open up to others easily, as they both have 'faces' they present to the world, but I think they could do so to each other.

Yeah, he would be terrifying.

Yeah, I guess there are a lot of books between now and the last one. I just think that Lift hasn't really been important yet, and she - along with Renarin and I think Jasnah - is supposed to be a big player through the back half. Related, I think Jasnah dying before book 10 is also highly unlikely, but I'd probably only give her a 90% chance of survival.

I like this theory about her telling people about Ivory as a child and then being treated for insanity. I think I remember Dalinar worrying about her 'madness' at some point in the past.

I would add Lift to that list.

See, we know these things about Moash and how he explicitly rejected trying to become better, because we've seen inside his head. As unenjoyable as those chapters are, I'm glad we have them - at the very least it allows me to hate Moash more. In the case of Amaram, I'm genuinely curious why somebody with almost every conceivable advantage would betray his country to essentially fight alongside crazy seeming parshmen. Up until the moment of his decision to side with Odium, he could have asked Dalinar for forgiveness and would in all likelihood have received it. Instead he... doesn't, and I don't know why. Was he just a douche with no redeeming qualities? Was his secret plan as a Son of Honor for some reason to gain power from Odium? Did he actually view things he did as bad, allowing Odium to take responsibility for them? Was he throwing a tantrum about not being as respected as he thought he deserved? We don't know, and that is why I wish we had Amaram viewpoint chapters. Moash was in a similar situation. Up until killing Elhokar, he could have asked for and received forgiveness from Kaladin. He didn't, but chapters from his perspective allow us to understand how his past with Roshone and Elhokar and his anger underpin his decisions. Amaram doesn't get the same treatment, despite being far more important and his betrayal having far more immediate impact.

Yes, now that Syl actually knows Adolin from their time in Shadesmar, I can totally see this happening. It would be hilarious.

I love Rysn and hope that her POV returns! I would love to see her try to get her legs healed again and interacting with Renarin.

Does Kaladin actually need a love life? He'd probably be better off on his own for the time being, despite what Syl thinks. Though, I can totally picture a newly married Adolin setting Kaladin up on (highly unsuccessful) dates - probably with help from Skar and Drehy. I now definitely hope this happens.

Soldiers are often depicted as being able to sleep anywhere at basically any time - probably explaining Tonk Fah. I also believe there are some instances where he seems to be napping but is actually alert.

In "Defending Elysium" we see that humanity is clearly being infiltrated by alien dissidents. These aliens-in-human-form probably hate their species governments, and not without justification. It is plausible that these dissidents would have attempted to use humanity's superior technology to attempt to change things via warfare, which then escalated to a general human vs alien conflict.

Given that in "Defending Elysium" renegade aliens seem to be infiltrating humanity, its possible these rebels actually started the war. So... aliens, except they are humans... it could get confusing. Regardless, I doubt humanity just decided "lets go conquer some stuff" - if humanity actually started the fight, it was likely in response to the aliens demanding humans that were not deemed to have "prime intelligence" be contained. In that case, I think its pretty hard to cast blame on humanity.

Just imagine a Lift / Wayne / Lightsong party... chaos.

"Hello, humans!" - MeLaan

Renarin seems like the obvious choice.

Yes, I really hope that Shallan's brothers die. They all seem to be completely useless and represent a huge liability for her. I hope their deaths, and her inability to prevent them, causes her to really examine who she is and begin putting herself back together (though I, unlike you apparently, hope that she is supported in this by a very much alive Adolin). If Adolin dies attempting to protect her useless POS brothers, I'll be very sad.

It is unfortunate that we don't get more insight into Amaram and why he switched sides, though it never seemed realistic that he and Kaladin would Reconcile - and with Kaladin being an important Lieutenant to Dalinar, there probably would never have been much a place for Amaram. It is almost as if he had to be on the other side if he wanted to be someone important, which I agree that he very much does. I think the clearest example of Amaram's character comes from his interaction with Jasnah. They are peers and presumably know one another fairly well, and he has pursued a relationship with her for years with her father's blessing... and she clearly detests him. The character who knows Amaram best hates him more than anyone except Kaladin! We see what Amaram is really like when, rejected by Jasnah, his first impulse is to reach for a weapon. I can't help but imagine that Kaladin and Jasnah would be on much better terms if Kaladin had witnessed that exchange.