Trons

I could be wrong, but after reading OB, I actually thought that i was the amount of time required to "wake" the dead spren, kind of like waking somebody up. I got the impression because: Waking them up may not be the correct wording, i mean it more as an analogy.

Yeah, that's kind of how I was envisioning it. I hadn't thought of this aspect of it. Thank you.

So, I'm rereading TWoK's and I came across a bit that may or not be foreshadowing by Wit. It's when Wit is talking to Dalinar on the Kings Island at the feast the night Sadeas is going to report the findings of his investigation and Wit is telling Dalinar he's leaving. Since I recently read OB, this struck me as what Dalinar did when Odium was trying to recruit him. Dalinar pulled himself apart and put himself back together again when he was forgiven. Could be reading too much into it, but thought it was interesting. I'm not sure how to add the reference point, but it's page 933 of the paperback version i have. I did search and couldn't find another topic on this, so if I missed it, I'm sorry. Be nice, first theory.

So I went back and reread this section and I think this is interesting. The quote from Kaladin to Dalinar is: "Dead," Kaladin said, hefting the blade and sticking it down into the rock before Dalinar. "We need to talk. This--" and then he is interrupted by Navani asking about Elhokar. In this context, I think the "we need to talk" is more about the sword and assassin because he'd just stuck it in the ground and started to say something like "This sword belonged to the assassin..." I don't think it means he wanted to talk to Dalinar about his role in the attempt. The quote is on page 1267 of WoR paper back. I also went back and reread the section where Kaladin says "He'd have to face his friends betrayal -- and near assassination of Elhokar -- at some point. For now he had more pressing wounds that needed tending." I get the impression that 's more an internal facing, then him admitting he needs to tell Dalinar or Bridge 4. I get this because it does say there are more pressing wounds, and those wounds, at the time, appear to be his, not Bridge 4's or Dalinar's. I can't find it, but I remember him telling bridge 4 that Moash just wasn't around anymore, so I see it as him deciding they don't have "need to know." As far as Dalinar is concerned, I got the impression that maybe BS wanted to have the conversation on paper, but, probably decided, eventually, that there was no good way to do it and it could create more problems then it would solve and didn't fit into the narrative as he wanted us, the readers, to see it. I think the part about Kal saying he probably doesn't feel that way when asked if Elhokar would be a problem is BS's way of saying "this has been resolved and no reason to worry about it any more." As far as using modern social standards, one thing I actually like about SA is that it takes me to their world. I think BS does a great job of saying "there's a different morality here, and it's okay to view the characters from that morality then from your own."

Fairly new to the Cosmere and just finished OB. My understanding may be limited, but I joined because of this thread. I believed, when I read the book, and nothing in this thread has changed my mind, that We = Odium and Dalinar and you = Evi. To me, it just fit. As other had mentioned, BS started the long game back in TWoK and Dalinar's story being closely related to The Thrill. We find out, during this sequence, that Odium is feeding The Thrill to Dalinar and has been, for a while. We learn that Odium pushed Dalinar to kill his wife, through The Thrill. We know that Odium believes he is aware of how much pain Dalinar is under and is supremely confident that his plan will work. To me, it was obvious that Odium had seen the future, way back then, and "knew" that he had to get Dalinar to kill his wife because the guilt he would feel, years later, would be compounded with all the other things he had done while under the influence of The Thrill, and that would push Dalinar to his side, when he (Odium) offered to take responsibility for all those acts. Evi saying "I forgive you" could not had been anticipated, much the way (as also previously pointed out) that Renarin couldn't see Jasnah sparing him. So, the only thing against that I can come up with, that makes sense, on the surface is, if Odium "knew" Dalinar was going to join him because of the pain that The Thrill and killing Evi has caused him (Dalinar), why/how did Dalinar not give the pain to Odium before Evi forgave him. If this all rotates around Evi, then Dalinar should have not been able to fight Odium until he was forgiven. EXCEPT, if we are going with the idea that Odium saw the future before Dalinar killed his wife, then he may not have known that Dalinar would seek out the Nightwatcher and lose his memories, allowing him to grow in a way that Odium may not have been able to foresee. I liken this to playing chess with my best friend. He hated playing against me because every so often, I'd do something so stupid it would up-end his overall strategy and give me the victory. I'm a very mediocre player, and he was pretty good. Dalinar going to the Nightwatcher may be that one move, in the game that Odium didn't anticipate so didn't bother to check on, ect. Since Dalinar was still experiencing The Thrill after that visit, Odium may not have been aware of the changes. Almost everything above has been mentioned above, at this point I'm just adding that I, too, believe that. The WOB that is quote, referring to a RAFO, imo, doesn't cloud the issue any more than it's already clouded. I also believe that this was purposely put in. As I've heard other's say, BS is a very specific writer and it seems like, to me, in this particular instance, he's purposefully playing the pronoun game so we specifically have to ask and since he doesn't give us an answer by the end of the book, it's going to be bigger than we expected...