Use the Falchion

In terms of entertainment or just in general? In general...I love snuggling into a cold bed that I know will warm up and make me comfortable. I love putting on clothes right out of the dryer. I love that feeling of being really full but not bloated, and knowing that you can just take a nap because you don't have anything else to do that day. I love seeing my friends happy, and I loved singing in my choir when I was able to do so. In terms of entertainment...I love stories where the cast consists of genuinely good people who are made better by them knowing each other, or those who become awesome because of their experiences together. That's why shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks & Rec are some of my favorite. It's part of why the Mass Effect Trilogy (read: ME 2 & 3) are some of my favorite games of all time. I love shipping in games, but I love it even more when it feels like the characters have a true connection and go on a small but meaningful arc together. I just love the idea of characters having a "crew" or "squad."

Saw it yesterday. My review and experience: This has been an interesting experience. I always try to see MCU movies as soon as a can. That's usually Thursday nights, and on the very rare occasions I couldn't make the showing, I'd settle for Friday evenings. (Friday showings were usually reserved for parents, as the order has historically been: Friends, Parents, Extended Family that's in town.) This has been a tradition of mine since I watched Iron Man 1 in theaters, which I didn't see opening night, funnily enough. It's the sort of Event Movie mindset. Since then, I can count on one hand the movies that I haven't seen Opening Night: Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and maybe Cap 2. All of these were during my college days, and I didn't always have a car then. Now, Shang-Chi has been added to the list. This wasn't for a lack of care or desire, but simply due to the lack of energy, trust in the movie theater I'd be going to, and time. Friday was off the table since I'm visiting my parents and it's a 4-5 hour drive to do so...and this time was a 5 hour drive. (Had Shang-Chi been on D+ I would have EASILY stayed up to watch it with my parents. But alas...) But I wasn't NOT going to see it, so a Matinee showing in a small, empty theater was the compromise. Anyways, onto the movie itself: Part epic, part family drama, part Wuxia film, and all Marvel, Shang-Chi is the best Marvel movie I've seen since Endgame.* It's funny, well acted, and incredibly heartfelt. The action is well-paced, well done, and creatively shot. The CGI monsters look better than many other Marvel movies, and its final battle is slightly different. Overall, Shang-Chi is a win. The movie does address Iron Man 3's Mandarin character and plot in surprising but authentic ways, as well as the Ten Rings organization itself. However, it doesn't really address the use of the Ten Rings in Iron Man 1, which was one of the things I was really hoping for. Simu Liu shines as the titular character, giving off a air of charming authenticity with Millennial humor and mindset. Awkwafina - who is always a treat - does the same with Shang's love interest and best friend Katy, a third-gen Chinese high-school friend of Shang. The two have undeniable chemistry as solid buddies and the best of friends, while also showing how much they deeply care - some might say love - each other. It's more organic than many of the other MCU loves, but also not nearly as explicit, which feels weird. The role of Shang's father is incredibly authentic and convincing as well - and to say any more would be a spoiler. The set pieces were GORGEOUS, and both the score and the soundtrack were really well done. This makes it a nice tie to Black Panther (Rest In Power, Chadwick) in a way. Overall, despite the "stakes" of this movie, and how it plays into other parts of the MCU, Shang-Chi stays very intimate and isolated, which lets its story and character shine. The characters weren't always used to their fullest potential, but they were used far better than most, and I look forward to seeing where they go next. I hope Shang-Chi inspires the Asian and Asian American community and brings forth new and previously unknown superheroes of that nature like how Black Panther has done for the Black community. YOU MAY LIKE THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE (in descending order of "liked the most" to "liked the least): Avatar: The Last Airbender (there were scenes where I legitimately thought "Aang, you're not alone!") Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; House of Flying Daggers, and possibly Curse of the Golden Flower (I haven't seen the last one yet) All things Marvel and MCU Crazy Rich Asians Star Wars Arrow Seasons 1-3, and many things Batman, weirdly enough Spoilers for Why: Other notes: THERE ARE TWO POST-MOVIE SCENES. ONE IS MID-CREDITS AND THE OTHER IS POST-CREDITS. This movie makes me sad that T'Challa will never meet Shang-Chi. The two would probably get along hilariously well, and I can imagine them having really interesting talks about their fathers, their younger sisters, the nature of their destinies, and what their roles are in life. I say this as someone still saddened by Chadwick's passing as well as someone annoyed at Marvel for not recasting the role. (Or a three-way crossover between Shang-Chi, Black Panther, and Aquaman, if Marvel/Disney and DC/Warner Bros were game.) There's an easy potential connection between this movie, Falcon & the Winter Soldier, and Black Widow. It's not the one you think it'll be, but it's one that can be made pretty easily as well. I didn't rank this movie since I'm not sure what to rank it just yet. It's currently a step below my Tier 1 MCU movie list, but it doesn't really fit into the Tier 2 ones either. Give me time to see it a second time, and I should know by then. This year has also been REALLY good to superhero stuff. We've gotten three D+ shows, the Black Widow movie, Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad movie, and Shang-Chi. And there's so much more stuff to come! *Which is saying a LOT because I loved Far From Home, and Spider-Man is easily my favorite superhero.

Evershore Brandon Draft at 100% Wax & Wayne Draft 2 at 50%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fus4Xb_TLg

I've always thought that Navani was at least a second level Radiant. While she only on-screen swore her first ideal, her mantra of "Order from Chaos" in Oathbringer felt very much like an Ideal to me. So much so, that I could see that Book 5 sort of stating that Navani more or less speed through those first two ideals in an instant, despite only really stating one. (I think this has some credence with Szeth, who more or less sword his Second and Third Ideals within a short timeframe, and would be used to foreshadow what would happen to Dalinar and/or Kaladin later in Book 5.) So I think for Bondsmith Oaths: 1 - Knights Radiant Oath 2 - Oath about their declaration/purpose as a Bondsmith Dalinar - "I will unite instead of divide; I will bring men together." Navani - "I will bring Order from Chaos. I fill find the structure and build upon it." (Or something similar.)

Dalinar isn't the king of Alethkar though, and while he's the Highking of Urithiru, it's not really a nation in and of itself. Dalinar is Alethi by birth and culture, much like how Sazed is a Terrisman by birth and culture, but both had to be separated from their people after a time. Dalinar owns no lands in Alehkhar, and he is no longer the head of House Kholin. So yeah, that fits him. In terms of the nation and Fused thing, I can see Dalinar as a Fused setting up nations, but then moving onto the next one. So he himself can't be claimed by the nation because he 1) serves a "higher" power, or 2) he simply doesn't want to be tied down when he has other work to do. Or maybe the Knights Radiant, bringing honor and unity to those on a different planet, despite no longer being a Radiant/Bondsmith himself? Again, I like it fitting our Hero of Ages on Scadrial better, but I don't think that it's unthinkable for Dalinar to be the HoA.

Interesting! I can see that fitting Dalinar, but I still like it applied to the context of our Scardian hero. That being said, I'm a sucker for alternative and multiple interpretations and fulfillments of the same prophecy.

Probably Shallan. In TWOK, I found her sections to be distracting on my first readthrough. WoR made me like the character. But the Oathbringer came out, and I was...confused. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. After giving it some thought, hearing some WoBs, and thinking about it some more (along with a later reread), I've come to like and respect Shallan's arc in that book. Rereads - and the right music choice - have also made Shallan's arc in TWOK more interesting as well.

I...I think this is a joke, but I'm going to take it seriously (if only to play along). I don't think Adolin would be a willing champion. I think Moash is a pretty decent example of how someone (relatively) pleasant and balanced, when dealt a bad hand, can become evil. But even if Moash isn't, Adolin's decent would feel far too fast to be pulled off convincingly. Also, Adolin is in Shadesmar, and his current arc with Shallan seems to have little to do with the Contest at large at this point.

That's actually part of my contest theory. I fully believe Dalinar will do exactly that.* But to do that, Dalinar needs to know how to do this, have the power to fully do this, and know who to do it to. To me, that reads as Dalinar being put in a situation that forces him to swear an Ideal or two, gaining the ability to manipulate Connection freely (and not just linking people to something they're already Connected to), and then sacrificing himself...because that's what Dalinar does. But to get there, Dalinar needs to be put in a situation where he can swear and Ideal, and if that's like most other Oaths, it will be in a climactic moment. And what is the most expected climactic moment in Book 5? The Contest of Champions. Which potential Champion would most likely push Dalinar to his limits though? El, a virtual unknown? Gavilar, the brother whose death and life before that Dalinar has already come to terms with (and would be even MORE motivated to defeat if Navani mentions anything about his abusive behavior)? Or Gavinor, the living embodiment of the childhood of Renarin and Adolin that he forsook for warfare? Gavinor, the last living memory of Elhokar? Gavinor, whose situation would be the inverse of Tanlan Jr's role in the Oathbringer flashbacks? Gavinor, who Dalianr wouldn't be able to kill because of his own past, history, and connection to his family. Not really, because the "unharmed" aspect is only applicable to getting to the Duel - and again, don't forget the fact that they must be allowed to reach the duel's location safely. Shards are bound to Intent. If Odium the Shard is bound to that Intent of allowing a peaceful travel to the duel, then trying to get out of that by playing the "foul" card would result in him breaking his Oaths. And once a Shard's Vessel swears an oath, even the new holder is obligated to honor it. Otherwise Taravangian would just escape. Gavinor is anything but whimsical. Whimsical implies a level of playfulness that Gavinor has explicitly shown to be lacking. See the above and below quotes for extreme proof of that. *I think the most likely outcome for this scenario is that during the Contest - because again, the Champions MUST make it to the Contest, as is agreed upon in the rules - Gavinor is the Champion, Dalinar swears and Ideal or two and uses the power of Connection to switch Gavinor's Connection to the role of Odium's Champion onto himself, his Connection to the role of Honor's Champion onto someone else (I think Taln is the most likely candidate), and then hoists his Connection to the Stormfather onto a third person (I think Kaladin is likely). From there, Dalinar dies, and things go haywire. Technically, Honor won because Honor's Champion won the Contest...but despite Dalinar being a willing Champion of Odium, Odium wouldn't have chosen him. So what happens? Honor gets a chance to wound and strike Odium, while Odium breaks his shackles to Roshar and escapes. Or he is shattered, and pieces of him are picked up by others. It could honestly go either way here. These events would rupture something necessary on Roshar, and ultimately highstorms would stop, leading to the Night of Sorrows, a long period of time with no highstorms. This would lead to the back half of the books focusing on either fixing the problem (Books 6 & 7) and/or leaving Roshar (Books 8-10).

And Leshwi and her group challenge that, because they broke free. Or they're the truest heirs, as they're not following the ways of the human-brought god. The point is that now Nale has a choice - he can side with the rebels, or he can side with Odium's forces. You believe one thing, I think another.

Szeth isn't exactly the sterling definition of sanity, so sound logic to him isn't sound by any measures. The focus of the speech has two allusions to Odium, yes, but the focus of it is on the Singers in the form of Szeth's metaphor. Nale's mention of the god is more of in-passing. He's updating Szeth on the scope of the situation, but he's not focusing on it. It's like when Odium corrects Dalinar about how many Shards there are/were - it's important information but it's not the focus of the argument. To me the above has always read as Odium may have won the war, but the Singers are still the ones Nale follows, because they're the ones who were invaded. Singers aka the original owners side with Odium, ergo Nale sides with Odium (who also has the right to rule with the Singers as he is the god by conquest). If Singers by form of the Listeners don't side with Odium, then Nale doesn't have to side with him either. At that point, it's his choice. Nale's appearance in RoW doesn't confirm or deny this, as his only real line about his loyalty is interrupted by Cord. In the above quote, Nale could have easily been trying to say "you must submit to the laws of the one true/living/victorious god, Odium" as easily as he was trying to say "you must submit to the laws of the rightful owners of this land/world, the Singers." I'm personally a fan of the latter interpretation, as not only does it fit into Navani and Rebonial's struggle thematically, it also ties in very well with Nale's previous conversation with Szeth.

From TFE...for the quiet scene, I'd keep in Vin's rant to the crew and her talk with Kelsier afterwards. It's such a powerful moment, and done right, it could be one of the highlights of the movie. For action...I'd probably do Vin tracking of Shan and the assassins from the informant to the fight itself. Of course aspects of this would have to changed since Shan is Elend's sister in the current screenplay treatment, but I think the rest could work pretty well. (And replacing Shan wanting to assassinate Elend with a former friend like Jastes* and you've got a solid idea.) I'd imagine as a one-shot. Vin finds out about the assassination and starts moving through the hallway with purpose, first taking off her shoes, and then jogging as she rips the dress, and then gets into a full-on run as she pushes the frames of the window and flies into the night. The assassination wouldn't be happening too far away, so we'd follow Vin as she lands and takes out the first wave. If I had the power, artistry, and skill, I'd make that entire fight a one-shot as well, so we'd have a full 15-20 minutes of pure, exhausting emotion and action. Entire days - if not weeks - would be devoted to this fight while the other actors get to go home for a break (and while Kelsier's actor practices his stunts and whatnot for the Inquisitor Battle). By the time Vin gets back to the hideout, the audience would be as exhausted as she was, and it'd be awesome. (In theory. Probably not in practice.) But movies also have ways of making scenes feeling like a one-shot when they aren't - the Raid movies in particular are masters of that. *Jastes could work as an upgraded villain for the first two movies or for the entire trilogy, depending on how one wants to play it. Imagine Jastes as a friend of Elend and a suitor of Shan. (All we need is for Daniel Radcliffe to play that part.) We'd see hints of his ambition in earlier scenes where he talks about ruling with Elend, but it would be ramped up when he catches wind of Shan's plan to prove her capability as the Venture heir. Jastes' first idea was to expose Elend's treasonous political theory, but since it's not outright treason, nothing happens. Instead he resorts to assassination, which is where the scenes in question come into play. At the end of the movie, Jastes would escape in the chaos, and would show up in WoA as a major villain. His survival in WoA is...less certain to me. I think replacing or combining his role with Yomen might be a good way to streamline his roles. I could easily see Jastes as using the Koloss as a move of desperation for power, but when it fails, he retreats to the undefended Fadrex city (this part needs work) and sets up the regime Yomen had in HoA. Elend's goal in the HoA adaptation would have the undertone of one man trying to appeal to a second man he once called friend. But at the end of the day, even if the two are forced to work together, there's too much bad blood in between them for forgiveness or friendship. Or he could die in the WoA adaptation and we get Yomen proper. I'm not in charge.

Nale would certainly be interesting, but I don't think it's going to happen. Nale is sworn to the Listener people, not Odium himself. So once he finds a certain group of Listeners free from Odium's influence, he's free to fight for them, and not for Odium.

He also has experience with traumatic sounds and visions from his burning of the Rift, and those FAR predate any visions. So your (step)-grandson went through some trauma and is acting weird and having nightmares that are different than the ones he had before, but aren't necessarily different symptoms from the ones he's had for the past year - is it more likely trauma acting in a different way due to slightly different circumstances, or an Evil God? Dalinar is probably going to think more of the former, not the latter. But even if you say goes, wouldn't that be a kick in the teeth to Dalinar if the Bondsmith thought it was Rayse? Dalinar would have been telling Gavinor not to talk to Rayse, but Gavinor kept insisting he hasn't been, and then on the day of the Duel, it finally clicks in Dalinar's head that it was never Rayse - it was always Taravangian. That's the point. No one on Dalinar's side knows that Taravangian is Odium right now. Hoid did know, but he most likely doesn't anymore. Everyone is assuming that they're playing against Rayse, which means that Rayse's MO is what they'll be looking at and looking for. Any time Dalinar or Odium doesn't allow the Champion to meet at Urithiru - anytime Dalinar or Odium tries to get out of the death of their Champion - they lose. There's no storing them away or waiting for the competition to end unless one or either of them wants to lose on purpose, and neither side wants to lose. Dalinar wants to win, while Taravangian seemingly wants out. Both of those things mean that at least for a while, the two have to play by the rules. That's fair. It's not public, at least not yet. - Rhythm of War, Chapter 116 "Mercy" Odium doesn't need Future Sight to see who Dalinar is going to pick, and he talked to Hoid in the Epilogue for this exact reason, as @Bejardin1250 noted. Besides, Dalinar is pretty predictable regardless, and process of elimination is still a thing. Szeth will most likely be in Shinovar with Kaladin in order to help Dalinar learn about his Bondsmith powers from Ishar, who they are trying to heal. Unless they free and/or cleanse Shinovar, heal Ishar, and then get back in time for the duel that's in less that two weeks their time, then I don't see Szeth being the Champion. Besides, Dalinar all but told Kaladin that he was going to be the Champion when he said that "there are some things a man must do himself." (I'll find the exact quote after work.) Dalinar letting Jasnah be the Champion is a poor idea and a sudden overcoming of a major personal flaw of his - Dalinar is a tyrant and a control freak, along with being pretty conservative. Again, see the above quote; and our guy didn't even consider Jasnah as the ruler of Kholinar before Shallan brought it up. Dalinar may agree with the abolition of slavery, but that doesn't mean he's going to act on that anytime soon (in contrast to Jasnah's idea of using the chaos to get her changes across). Lastly, Jasnah is NOT a fighter. Her fight in OB was with an open Perpendicularity, and was against what amounted to mindless hordes; and if she was fighting the Pursuer - a Fused who specialized in killing Radiants - then she absolutely would have died. Dalinar as a contrast is a trained soldier and a veteran warrior, which means that the component of fighting to the death isn't too much of a problem for him since he has the experience (and the ability to open Perpendicularities in order to refresh himself). Oh, and let's not forget that Jasnah isn't always one to do the cold, hard purely logical thing either. Jasnah saved Renarin's life when killing him was not only what Renarin foresaw, but what would have been the pragmatic choice. Jasnah had assassins on watch for Aesudan, despite not having them act right away. Jasnah is human, and cares about those that are hers, of which Gavinor ultimately is. So saying that she would kill him in cold blood isn't a set-in-stone outcome. Ultimately, out of our core cast, by process of elimination, Dalinar is the best choice: Wit can't hurt anyone. Jasnah and Navani are too important as leaders; the former has limited battle experience at best and isn't suited for 1v1 combat against a good opponent, while the latter is a noncombatant for all intents and purposes. Kaladin has outright been denied the position and neither he nor Dalinar really want him there; not to mention he'll be in Shinovar. Renarin is ultimately isn't a fighter, despite his (limited) training. But he's also weird in terms of his powers and visions, and that's not something Dalinar would depend on. Adolin would actually be a solid secondary choice combat and moral obligation-wise, but he's in Shadesmar. Shallan isn't a fighter and is in Shadesmar. Szeth will be in Shinovar, and I don't think Dalinar would actually want Szeth as his Champion. (That being said, he'd make a very good secondary choice due to his battle experience, knowledge of the Surges, lack of moral compass, and NIGHTBLOOD.) Lift is a laughable thought, and we all know it. (I LOVE Lift, but she's not a fighter, nor is she a killer.) The Heralds are insane.* Venli can't fight and doesn't seem to want to. Leshwi thinks herself too corrupted by Odium to fight, and doesn't really seem to want to. Who does that leave? Rock, possibly, but he's MIA for the moment. Bridge 4? Yes they're good, but they're not as good of fighters as Kaladin overall. (And remember, by fighter, I mean trained and experienced in fighting multiple battles. Shallan, Jasnah, and Renarin have all fought before, and have Shardblades, but against trained fighters like Leshwi, Kaladin, Adolin, and Dalinar, they're as good as dead.) So really the only one left is Dalinar, who is Honor's representative in all other matters for all intents and purposes. Dalinar, who has had the most time with Odium AND Taravangian. Dalinar, who has the fighting experience and is the most focused on figuring the rest out for this exact fight. So with the fate of the world in this duel - with the fate of his homeland in this duel - would Dalinar truly give that task and responsibility to another? So now that you've limited it down through what options were available and Dalinar's own flaws, you have to dive into Taravangian's perspective. Taravangian knows Dalinar, his strengths and weaknesses. Taravangian also has the advantage of not being known as the new Odium to his enemies, meaning that if he hides his actions carefully enough and keeps on Rayse's plans for the time being, no one would know the switch until it's too late. But Taravangian also wants out of the deal from what I can gather. But most importantly of all, Taravangian doesn't want to lose. That means setting his enemies up against something that inherently goes against what they know...which also works out great because the few Radiants that might not fall for the trick are out of the picture. (Jasnah is a 50/50 on falling for it, and she won't be chosen; and again, Szeth is in Shinovar.) *That doesn't mean they don't have a major role to play in the conflict, but that's my endgame theory.

Nice playlist! My three songs to describe Kaladin have been: "We Rise" by San Holo - the lyrics are simply "We rise, we fall, we rise," but I always felt like that accurately described Kaladin's arc and struggles. He rises, falls, and rises again. "Drown" by Bring Me the Horizon - This is Kaladin at his darkest emotionally. "Who will save me now? Dive in when I'm down? Save me from myself? Don't let me drown." That's the first half of the chorus, and it hurts to hear. But at the same time, we know the answer to that - we have Syl. And later in the series, we have Shallan and Adolin too. Kaladin may feel this way at his lowest, but there's always hope at the end of the tunnel. "Throne" by Bring Me the Horizon - This is Kaladin's hype song to me, and the sort of "recap/credits" song of The Way of Kings IMO. (The cover by Halocene and Ai Mori due to music conventions is the chosen version though.) "So you can throw me to the wolves; tomorrow I will come back, leader of the whole pack" is basically the story of Bridge 4 summed up in two sentences. Not to mention that the song is all about triumph over adversity, and that's where Kaladin shines.

Evershore Second Draft - now retitled the Brandon Draft - is at 43%.

My original Book 4 theory had Shallan bonding Sja-Anat, making her a Double Radiant and a weird sort of mishmash of Dalinar and Renarin (and then Odium's influence would spread to her unborn child, turning said child into the Champion), but that clearly didn't happen. Still, I believe bonding an Unmade is still possible and may even be done onscreen at some point. For now, I have no idea how that'll happen or what it'll be.

Revisiting this just to say that Season 8 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine has confirmed to me that Rosa is a Lightweaver. I think her Truths would be: 1. I can let my friends in. 2. I am attracted to both men and women 3. MASSIVE SEASON 8 EPISODE 1 SPOILERS

They would still think it's Rayse, not Taravangian. Not to mention that Gavinor has nightmares. Who's to say that Dalinar or Navani wouldn't just say "they're just bad dreams. Go back to sleep and we'll be here in the morning," to Gavinor. The child is traumatized, and any dreams mentioned would more likely be a reflection of the trauma in their minds than active manipulation. Dalinar is more likely to think along the lines of other members, and think that he'll be fighting some great enemy or ancient enemy, or someone more like him than not. Any mention of dreams won't set anything off because it wouldn't fit with Rayse's M.O. (Dalinar first thought Amaram was going to be his Champion, but then it was supposed to be Dalinar himself. Both are/were great fighters and leaders. Next on the list was Kaladin, another great fighter and leader and paragon.) It'd instead match with Gavinor's trauma. And if Gavinor still agrees to be the Champion, Dalinar would be obligated to bring Gavinor back, lest Dalinar break the rules by not allowing Odium's Champion free and safe passage on the day of the Duel. Why would Dalinar allow Gavinor anywhere near the duel on the day of? Or even tell Gavinor anything about it? And can TOdium actually Riot people? His main emotion-manipulator is locked at the bottom of the sea, and none of the other Unmade seem to have that power. Nor do any of the Shards, from what I can remember.

First off, welcome! Secondly - Interesting theories! I think for Adolin becoming Honor, there certainly is credit for that theory (and I understand it's appeal even if I don't really believe it myself), but it's far less likely due to meta-information we know about Adolin's characterization, and some unexplained in-book stuff about Kaladin. Brandon has talked pretty openly about how expanded Adolin's role has been in the books. We can see this clearly with Aredor's character in The Way of Kings Prime, but even in the 17th Shard interview earlier this year, Brandon talked about how the books kept getting larger in no small part due to Adolin's increased role in the story. This to me reads as an unnatural increase due to a new character rather than this being planned ahead from the beginning. As for Kaladin, well, the Stormfather refers to him as "Son/Child of Tanavast." After listening to the Cosmere Conversations podcast earlier this year, it really felt like that this was talking about Kaladin in the same theme as calling a missionary or someone a "Son/Daughter/Child of God/Christ," in that they are doing the work of their "Father." I personally think Dalinar is the Red Herring you're searching for, not Kaladin. Dalinar is the one receiving the visions, and is the one bonded to the Stormfather. Dalinar is the one who has had the most interaction and connection with Odium. Dalinar is the one who will be Honor's Champion. All of this is being used to distract us from Kaladin, the one who brings people from all walks together as comrades in arms and learns while doing so. (Bridge 4, the Wall Guard, and the Voidbringer escapees.) Kaladin, who holds a connection to one of the last original* Honorspren. Kaladin, whose Order of Radiants also shares "Honor's truest Surge." Kaladin, who is called the "Son/Child of Tanavast" by the Stormfather himself for unexplained reasons. Kaladin, whose first chapter is titled "Honor Is Dead," and explicitly tells us "Honor is dead, but I'll see what I can do." Not only would this feel like an epic line before an epic (and many fan's favorite) fight, but it'd seem like some of the most blatant foreshadowing Brandon's used. ALL OF THAT SAID, THERE IS A SOLID CHANCE THAT BOTH ADOLIN AND KALADIN ARE SIMPLY OPTIONS, AND ADOLIN WILL BE HONOR AT THE END OF THE DAY. (Not unlike what happened with Odium.) As for the other stuff, I'm not focused enough of the overall realmatics to really critique or add anything, nor am I sure I completely believe it, but I like the theory!

Assuming he even believes he has to fight his Grandpa. If Odium predicts that Dalinar would rather kill himself than kill Gavinor, than he can accurately and truthfully tell Gavinor that he wouldn't have to fight anyone. Because why would Todium appear as Odium to Gavinor, or even state his side is evil? Isn't it more likely that he'd come to Gavinor with the kindly, grandfather facade he cultivated (hah) when he was alive? Sort of like the facade Rayse had when he first visited Dalinar, but with even more control? The battle is to the death, and sticking Gavinor to the ground and having him die of starvation or dehydration (aka thirst) is a FAR worse and FAR more sadistic fate. Even at his worst, Dalinar wasn't sadistic. And I get that the main point you're probably trying to make is that Gavinor doesn't stand a physical threat to Dalinar, but the physical fight isn't the only component to this duel, something Dalinar himself noted. Gavinor would represent the ultimate innocence to Dalinar, along with his own mistakes and actions. Assuming one views it as a change of sides in the first place. The only things Todium has to convince Gavinor of is that: 1) This will help Alethi and Alethkar 2) This will help end his Grandfather's war (and that they can be together afterwards, since, you know, Odium would rule Alethkar probably with Gavinor present, and Dalinar's sould would belong to Odium anyways). Add in a promise for revenge, and you've got a sweet deal for any 5-6 year old boy in Gavinor's shoes. Remember, the Champion must be willing, but no one said anything about fully comprehending of the moral complexity of the situation. That's what makes the Gavinor theory far more heinous and far more evil IMO. Rodium wasn't really Connected to Kaladin, but found a way to influence our lead Windrunner via his Connection with Moash/Vyre. And we know that Odium is very Connected to Dalinar, who is easily more Connected to Gavinor than Moash/Vyre was to Kaladin. Not to mention that Gavinor went through a lot of traumatic stuff at a young age, and it's not impossible to think that he may have some Spiritual Web cracks that can be pried open. (Not unlike Vin's mother or Zane.) Interesting! I honestly hadn't thought of that, and I like the implications. But that would mean that Todium has a way to influence Gavinor to do something - the exact point against my argument you made earlier. It would also mean that Todium was risking a LOT on Gavinor's reaction and access to his own Champion. If Gavinor doesn't reaction like Todium wants, then Todium's plan fails. Wouldn't it be better to manipulate the morality of the morally just instead of relying on the hatred of one child? (Although your plan does sound like something Rayse would indeed do.)

W&W 4 Draft 2.0 at 40% (So about 60k words into the book.)

Copy-Pasted from the other Lux discussion page: I think this was the second best of the Reckoners book, with Steelheart in first place. And that's saying something since I'm not a fan of audiobooks AT ALL. I have maybe four total, and none of them are finished. (Dan Wells' Zero-G audio-novellas, and The Original are exceptions; but those were built for audio, which is a very different beast than something like Lux that's really made to be both print and audio.) Listening to this made for a weird experience. Had this just been a book, I probably could have knocked it out in a single day and have put on a nice soundtrack for the experience. But the audio form meant I had to sneak in almost fourteen hours of listening time, which was far more than ever before. I guess it wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't a Sanderson book, but still... I really liked the science-y aspect of this book, but it felt a lot like Rhythm of War in a way, where Sanderson had characters discover secrets, explain the secrets, and then use the secrets. There were times where this became repetitive, but it all worked out in the end. Jax is a solid leading man. He's a lot like a Science Hero in an Action Hero's world, contrasting David's Action Hero with a Science Hero's demeanor. Zeff (which I couldn't help but think of "Szeth" until I saw the spelling), Abigail, Hersh, and Wade were all solid characters as well. Each had their own flavor and dynamic with Jax, and none felt too cartoonish, like the side characters in the original trilogy sometimes felt. Paige was the heart and soul of this book, and I'm very excited to see where her story takes her. Lastly, leading up to this book, Brandon kept saying that the story of Lux takes place during and after Calamity. This is a technical truth at best - Lux takes place at the same time of Calamity, with their endings lining up pretty well. If the Reckoners was a series, it'd be easy to imagine the two books' finales happening at the same time.* (YMMV on whether or not this would be a good thing, considering the stakes are different in each, but it's food for thought.) Overall, Lux was a very good addition into the Reckoners fold. It's a lot darker in tone than David's story, and I like that aspect of it. I'd love to see this turn into a complete trilogy over the next few years, because Jax and Paige's story is far from over. The twists and turns in this novel are pure Sanderson, and the writing is world is crisp and distinct from other Reckoners locations. I'd give this a solid 8.5/10. Other notes: I know it's not stated, but I imagine Jax as black. *While listening, I kept thinking about the Reckoners as a television show, and how to balance both stories. I currently have it as two dual stories being told. Season 1 would deal with David's story in the present and Hersh's backstory in the past. Season 2 would begin with Mitosis in the present and Jax's backstory in the past, and then the two would ultimately sync up. Season 3 would be the dual stories of Calamity and Lux. This is all subject to change, but that's how I have it now. I still worry about The Apocalypse Guard and how it'll fit into all of this. I really want to see the book someday. Given Dan's reading of it last year, it'd probably do really well as an audiobook. But I honestly don't care about the form so long as it comes out. And who knows, maybe we'll get that Mizzy story too. Lux's first novella's working title was Deathrise. I kept wondering why that was when the book came out, but it makes some sense as of why by the end. Not really related to Lux, but as much fun as this surprise drop was, I think I'd like something of a scheduled window for future Mainframe drop dates. Maybe not specific days, but something like "Coming, Spring 2022" or whatnot whenever possible.

W&W 4 Draft 2.0 at 27%