Ashspren

So, let's talk about Hoid. Wow Ashspren, I hear you say. We've never heard that one before. But now let me make this a bit more intriguing: let's talk about Hoid and the Stonewards. At first, this seems like a strange combination. Hoid, given his Yolish abilities, seems to be more compatible with the Lightweavers–– storms, he even bonded a cryptic. However, there are two main facets to Hoid's relationship with the Stonewards that I wanted to explore. The first idea is the Ten Essences. I'm going to start with the role of gems, especially within the plot of the Stormlight Archive. As we all know, stones and gems play a huge part on Roshar. They power fabrials, reside in the hilts of blades, and are the cause for Greatshell hunts. Thus, whenever a gem is mentioned, it's generally a good idea to take a closer look. Take a look at the following table of the Ten Essences, spoilered for size (because it's a lot bigger than I expected, wow). I'm associating each row of the column with its respective order of the Knights Radiant, which I believe is a pretty safe assumption: The stones all seem pretty generic. Sapphire, a blue stone, goes to the sky-centric Windrunners. The Dustbringers are associated with rubies, as they invoke an image of heat and sparks. But, Number 9 on the table really caught my eye. The gemstone of the Stonewards is Topaz... where else is that stone used? The answer: that was one of Hoid's aliases, possibly even his given name. Spoilered for length, here's the WOB to back it up: (We could get into a whole other discussion about the "words on a page" deal, but let's not for right now.) So we already have this connection between the stone and one of Hoid's names. On top of that, though, let's examine the body focuses of Hoid's Radiant associations. Hoid is most prominently mentioned with regards to the Lightweavers, so the body focus there is blood. For the Stonewards, the body focus is bones. To demonstrate a prominent connection with both, I looked at The Traveler and specific imagery in that scene. For a color scheme, we're given lots of white, accentuated by red. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but there is an overwhelming amount of the colors of bones and blood shown in the scene. Additionally, the surrounding trees are described as "skeletal," and the juice from the pomegranate is "like blood." So, let's review before we move on: in accordance with the Ten Essences, we have determined that one of Hoid's aliases and the Stoneward gemstone are both named Topaz, and imagery from The Traveler reflects blood and bones, which are the body focuses of the Lightweavers and Stonewards, respectively. Next, we move onto human-to-human relationships. What is the significance of Taln, the Herald of the Stonewards, with respect to Hoid? An important thing to note is that Taln is introduced during the epilogue to The Way of Kings. Thus, Hoid is the among the first to hear that Taln has succumbed to the pain on Braize, and the Desolation is soon to arrive. However, it's clear that Hoid knows what is about to happen. We know why Taln is the one to announce the dawn of the Desolation; the other Heralds left him to suffer on Braize alone, as he was the only one who had not failed in enduring Damnation. However, why is it Hoid that receives him at the gates? Personally, I think that this was Brandon's way of alluding to a deeper connection between their characters. Specifically, I see many ways in which Hoid and Taln are painted as opposites. In the aforementioned epilogue, the differences are mostly superficial. To condense the key parts of the passages: Eye color: Hoid has blue eyes and is therefore high-class, while Taln has brown eyes and appears to be low-class Positioning: Hoid is comfortably perched on boxes, while Taln is cannot walk straight and is tripping over himself Material objects: Hoid carries an instrument, while Taln carries a giant Shardblade Beyond this, though, there are major points of contrast within Hoid and Taln's personalities. If we assume Taln to be like his fellow Stonewards, he is "dependable" and "resourceful," according to the chart of the Ten Essences. This is further affirmed by his long years of pain on Braize and how he was able to stand firm to protect Roshar. Therefore, the argument is not if Taln is dependable and resourceful, but rather if Hoid is the opposite of at least one of those qualities. We all know that Hoid is very resourceful, and this is virtually inarguable–– as someone who operates alone, going any way the wind blows, he has to be. But as to the question if Hoid is dependable, the answer is a resolute no. Here's why... Reading back through The Traveler, we witness a conversation between Hoid and Frost the dragon, who reminds him of his past wishes. Hoid and Frost reflect on the former's change over thousands of years, and why his involvement in universal affairs is an issue. Through this passage, it can be inferred that Hoid has changed his mind from an earlier conviction. This means that he is not sticking to what he has previously said, whether or not that statement was a true promise or just passionate words. Additionally, Frost describes what Hoid wants as "dangerous," and Hoid's response–– or lack thereof–– demonstrates that he knows that his behavior can cause harm, yet he continues to do it. I'm not arguing that Hoid is a villain. What I am trying to say, though, is that you wouldn't be able to ask him for a favor and reliably assume that he would follow through. Again, this isn't a good or bad thing, it's just the way he is. Couple his lack of dependability with surface-level differences, and you've cracked the mystery of Hoid's relationships with the Knights Radiant. He essentially twins with the Lightweavers and heavily contrasts with the Stonewards. TLDR: Brandon's given us one of Hoid's aliases, Topaz, to imply a deeper connection between Hoid and the Stonewards. Through the body focuses of the Ten Essences chart, we can conclude that Hoid has connections to both the Lightweavers–– as we already knew–– and the Stonewards. After an analysis of Hoid and Taln's characters, it's clear that they are basically opposites, so Hoid's strongest relationships within the Knights Radiant must be the Lightweavers (similar) and the Stonewards (different). I know this had a lot of explanation and less of an actual theory, but I wanted to open up the theorizing to everyone else. What are your thoughts? Just saw a connection and ran with it, so I want to know what everyone else thinks about Hoid, his relationship with the Knights Radiant, Taln, the Stonewards, and anything involving all of them.

Lopen, skipping and singing: "La la la la la, and the gods live in the lake––" Lopen: *trips* Lopen: "Okay, which cousin was it this time?!" Cousin #726: "Um... no comment, but are you hurt?" Lopen: "Besides my dignity? Nah, don't think so."

I’m probably misreading things, then. Or you are. One of us is usually wrong (with a 50/50 chance).

If you don’t have any plans for her, don’t force it. That being said, she seems like a very interesting character who has seemed to make an impact on the main character’s life— there are a lot of different ways that you could incorporate her into the story, especially if you have a major role which needs to be filled. ( @Ishar, you agree?)

I agree with Ish, but if you have an idea for her, run with it!

@Nathrangking, the story seems incredible! I’m excited to see where this goes. Like some of the previous readers have said, you do go a bit heavy on the adjectives in the beginning. They’re great descriptions, so it would be a shame to get rid of them— my advice would be to spread them out, or tell them in an indirect manner. For example, instead of saying “xyz was warm,” someone could write “he felt the warmth of xyz spreading across his fingertips.” I personally like using the noun form of a lot of adjectives, just because it seems more tangible to me, but it’s really up to preference. You have a few places where you could add some commas, such as the following: They’re not huge grammatical errors, but just something to help out with the flow. Overall, I’m honestly just so excited to see where this goes! The amount of creativity and depth you’ve already reached by creating a blind character is amazing. We so often use sight as the only way to display the world in writing, and by eliminating that sense, you are doing something so incredibly original. I really enjoyed reading this, Nath. Good luck!

Hey, it's not as bad as when I was running this. That being said, I'm super excited to see a non-Cosmere round! Try to spread the word, everyone... it would be a shame to keep this tournament from happening.

That’s so true... for Jasnah and Elhokar, it’s the dad who dies, but that fits every other character to a T.

I LOVE THEM ALL. Don't make me choose. Please don't make me choose.

Yes, just yes. Talos is such a mood.

Okay, honesty, I loved Far From Home. I don’t cry in movies, but I came back home and literally sobbed into my pillow because I NEED ANSWERS, MARVEL. Peter and MJ. So cute. Just... the best. They’re so awkward and wholesome and their relationship makes me internally weep tears of joy. And to think that they almost got their happy ending... that killed me. Cue the sounds of intense agony. Half of the duration of the movie, I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. Everyone was like, “Oh, remember when Tony...”, and I was thinking, “YES. Yes, I remember. Because he was— and still is— my favorite character, so of course I remember every little bit. Thank you for bringing that up, but at the same time, how dare you make me relive my pain.” ...especially when Peter got EDITH. “Even dead, I’m the hero.” It’s just such a classic, Tony-style line. I loved it, and I loved the idea of Peter becoming the next Iron Man. The father-son-teacher-mentor parallels between Peter and Tony are amazing. Speaking of, I almost screamed when they started playing “Back In Black”. I don’t think I was the only one, either. The way that Happy looked at Peter when Peter was designing a suit... he loved his boss, and working with (not for) Peter is bringing him back, in a sense. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal is awesome. Just going to throw that in there. I hate Mysterio with a passion, but Gyllenhaal did a really good job with the character. When the next Spider-Man movie comes out (which is way too long, in my opinion, but I seriously can’t wait for the Black Widow movie), here’s what I want to see: The scene opens, and Peter knocks on the door to the Stark residence with Happy standing behind him. We hear a chair screeching against the floor as it’s pushed against the door, and a little girl looks through the eyehole. “Mommy!” calls Morgan Stark. “Uncle Happy’s here, and someone else, too!” Pepper opens the door— after ensuring that her daughter is safely out of the way, don’t worry— and immediately crushes Peter in a hug. “Are you okay?” she asks with concern. She’s seen the news, and even if she doesn’t know the kid that well, Tony talked about him enough to the point where she absolutely knows that he would never murder Mysterio in cold blood. “I’m fine,” says Peter, even though he’s clearly lying. Pepper invites him in before greeting Happy, who’s been incredibly busy, so she hasn’t seen him in a while. Edit: I forgot to mention my love for Tom Holland. He makes the perfect Peter Parker, and he’s adorable and gorgeous and I could talk for hours about how amazing he is. Sorry, I’ve gotta cut this rant short— going to see the movie again.

The horror. It burns.

Hero, you’re amazing. Excellent music taste, by the way. @Paranoid King and @I think I am here., those roasts were incredible. That was an extremely hard choice... Because of both @Herowannabe and @John203, this thread has become the best it’s ever been. I can’t thank you guys enough for how much you’ve done— you’re the real champions here.

Can someone Nahel bond multiple spren? If so, given that someone could bond with Kelsier, I really want Hoid to bond Kelsier, just as the biggest cosmic joke on each of them.

Wow, thanks Ish.

As a softball player, I appreciate this way too much.

Not to mention, I kinda became a gossip columnist for a while... not something I would consider IRL, but on the Shard? Yes. Oh, yes.

Because @Kidpen is the only one who submitted a name... congrats, Kid! ~~~ I have some important news. It’s sad, but it’s also a good thing— for everyone. IRL, a lot has been going on lately, and I won’t be able to spend much time on the Shard. Therefore, it is not ideal for anyone if I continue to run the tournament. Starting in this upcoming round, @Herowannabe and @John203 will be taking over! I’m so grateful for both of them. It’s been a lot of fun to run this, and I’m so glad that I got this opportunity. Hopefully I’ll be back soon... as a contestant.

And the winner of this round is... @John203 with Hoid, and @ILuvHats with Frost! @Kidpen and @Arky-boi, go ahead and post your Returned names. I’ll send out the survey in advance. https://goo.gl/forms/In5zTmGFTQGa08Ag2 Also, I will be off the Shard for 1-2 weeks starting tomorrow. Good luck to everyone, and sorry again for the long waiting periods.

I'm so sorry, everyone. Here's the link for this week: https://goo.gl/forms/uGUaqis4LutmBZV82 Recently, life has really picked up. I have a lot of time-consuming commitments that are stressing me out, and there are a few things going on with friends that I'm worried about. Starting now, I'm probably going to be on the Shard a lot less often, so having someone help me with this is a great idea. If anyone wants to volunteer, I can send them the document and form. @ILuvHats, @John203, @Kidpen, and whatever Ark is currently going by (I have no idea, sorry), I sincerely apologize for stretching out the voting for this long. And actually... that brings me to an announcement. After this tournament, I'm going to have someone else take over the Cosmere Character Roast Battle Tournament altogether. I am getting less and less time to make this work, and that's really unfair to everyone else involved. If anyone would be interested in doing so, please PM me and we can discuss the details.

Sure, go for it. Valley Pits of Eltania

Lastport @MistCLOAKed Mountains Let’s start with Patji, if that’s good with everyone.

Sorry, I’ll get to that in at least 24 hours (I hope). Like I’ve said before, it’s been a busy time for me...