Frustration

This is kind of off topic, but I think it's the best place to do this. I'm writing a book right now and I came across a problem that I'm working on solving. What I'd like to do is describe my problem here, with my solution in a spoiler box. I'd like to get some responses from people from various religious backgrounds, both their own attempts to solve the problem(if desired), along with their thoughts on my solution. Problem: In the story I'm wanting something that has a decidedly religious feel to it, holy symbols, blessings, and so on. However I don't want to confirm to the reader that there is a deity behind it. I want it to be something that is up to interpretation, but also being respectful of various faiths. My solution(so far): Any thoughts?

Korean actually, as Brandon lived in Korea for two years and learned the language.

I agree the ending was probably the worst part of the book. And honestly I agree with @Elegy. If Brandon had committed and killed Yumi this sub-forum would be a lot more lively. The fact that I can count on one hand the number of threads made more recently than two years ago is quite telling. That's white sand levels of irrelevance.

It was probably my second favorite secret project. Despite a couple of flaws it was really solid. I'd probably rank it above WaT but below TSM.

Spoiler period for Cosmere books is only 9 months, it's fine now.

I despise postmodernism with all of my heart. Truth is an absolute. However, value is subjective, that's not philosophical. It's observable reality. People make different decisions based on the same circumstance because they value different things. This is why two people can read the same book and come to two completely different conclusions about it. Not because the book is relative to them, but because they have different values that the book either did or did not appeal to. I'm afraid that isn't any clearer. You haven't explained any benefit of judging a book exclusively on how it appeals to the human condition other than stating that it's objective. However all definitions I've found for the human condition are themselves not objective. And even if there is an objective definition out there that I have been unable to find that still doesn't explain why it is the only measure of quality for a book. As stated above value is subjective, while you might hold relation to the human condition as the most valuable thing a book can do that is not universal. You didn't respond at all to what @Returned was saying.

PR space is in three directions. Scadrial for instance could be dozens of lightyears closer to the place where the image was taken than Roshar is, and First of the Sun would be in the middle.

I have a few friends who know about this place, none of them know about Sand Mastery however.

I remembered that there is one other high level foot soldier that we have seen in the cosmere, Kalad's phantoms. Being made of stone they're probably the most durable of them all, while also having superior strength and speed to a human, but likely less than Koloss or Direforms. I'd still probably go with direforms for a foot soldier, but I think phantoms may win a 1v1, depending on what weapon the other was using, and how much the bone needs to deform before the phantom stops working.

As an opinion, thus with each individual allowed to value whichever part they so desire That doesn't change the fact that you still claim that those with an opinion different from yours don't understand the reasons for their own feelings. Whether a particular individual or in the aggregate, that's what you claimed. You didn't answer the question. Why is the reflection of the human condition an objective quality of a given work? Why is literary analysis the only way to determine this? Superior based on what exactly?

I love how this formed an almost perfect bell curve. My stats brain is very happy right now.

This one was interesting for me. I both loved and hated TSM. As a standalone book I think it was terrible, as while the plot was interesting the character and emotional beats felt really flat. As a part of the cosmere it was amazing and I loved it, as it revealed so much about how investiture works and how to look at the cosmere. I've honestly decided to just think of it as a canonized WoB rather than a book unto itself.

Possibly, but Scadrian humans are good comparisons to the standard cosmere humans, so on an average they'd work there. That also assumes that singers can be made into Koloss which we can't be sure of yet.

Not Retribution opening or closing the perpendicularity. He probably can't do that, but he could move it. However I was referring to the Listeners having the ability to open and close the stone tunnel that leads to the surface, as otherwise the perpendicularity just leads you to a small room completely surrounded by rock on all sides.

And why is that? Just because you prefer one to the other doesn't mean that your way of viewing things is correct. I don't think it's a good faith argument to say that anyone who dislikes WaT is incapable of articulating their own feelings and opinions. Doubly so to assume you know why they actually feel a certain way better than they do.

What questions do you have?

In a comparison I'd say intellect is obviously on the side of the direform. As is defense as they basically wear the equivalent of steel armor at all times, while also having feet strong enough to be immune to caltrops with intense heat and cold resistance. Strength is an interesting one as koloss start similar to humans, at least similar enough that Elend was able to kill a small one. However they get bigger and stronger. They only have four spikes but with hemalurgic construction they might end up more than five times as strong as a person. Direforms on the other hand are Singers. We know that warforms are much stronger than a normal human, possibly 2-3 times as strong. We also know that most regals are stronger than that, with Direforms being even noticeably stronger than even some already strong regals like storm forms. I'd say they'd be around 4-6 times stronger than a human. That would put them at about the same strength maybe slightly leaning towards the direform as Rosharan humans are larger and therefore slightly stronger than Scadrian humans. Both can be made rather obedient, with direform psychology making them more dogmatically loyal to their leaders even than other regal forms. Koloss however can be directly controlled, however this is also a potential weakness as someone else could take control of them. Additionally as we saw in HoA if Koloss are attacked and they can't fight back they will simply start killing each other even if someone is controlling them. One undisputable advantage Koloss have is that they can survive on literal dirt if they have to. While if warform is anything to go by Direform will need a lot of food. I'd take direform for both, the few advantages koloss have I don't think make up for the fact that in every other way direforms strictly outclass them.

There are classrooms set aside for external agencies to do observations, I've been to some of them, they have the one way glass and everything. One of my language instructors brought it up, but I suppose that's still hearsay.

I'd argue that literally nothing happened until the last 20 something pages of WaT. If I had to say what changed from the start to the end of OB I'd have to talk about a lot, RoW would have less, but it would still have some. On the other hand, with the exception of Moash, Kharbranth, the Listeners and Theylenah, each of which occurred in a single chapter or Interlude and were relatively minor, I honestly can't think of anything in WaT until the contest of Champions. You've said this a lot and I have to disagree. While dialogue has never been Brandon's strong suite("Stretch forth thine hand" and Kaladin and Shallan arguing in WoR come to mind), WaT was particularly bad. I honestly don't think bloat became an issue until OB, and it has gotten worse since then. The change in formula might have had a part to play but other than yourself I've never seen anyone complain about it.

I don't think so. I think it's just a power Brandon didn't think out very well and he's tried to make it only do the things he wants but that results in a patchwork that doesn't fit together.

While two people can disagree as to what is bloat and what isn't I have to ask how WaT is low on bloat compared to the other entries?

Well BAM did something with the Well that shields her from Odium's touch Crap I was going to put that in but forgot, to put that in. That's what I thought when I first read it, but when I did a second look it never said one way or the other. I personally still think she left, but she could still be on Roshar. There's also the people of the Origin that Puuli mentions, they could do something assuming they exist

Wat leaves off with a deadlock: Odium's forces staying in his lands, Urithiru locked down with a massive crystal sphere keeping everyone inside, the Azish and Listeners in their lands, and no reason to leave, the Heralds locked on Braize with their minds in the SR. That leaves everyone locked in their current location. So, what ends the deadlock at the start of SA 6? I can see a few options The Heralds break, this would seem to be the easiest solution, but at the same time it would also cause problems as that would leave the spren vulnerable. The Well of Control, the Listeners take up the Well of Control, which was foreshadowed quite interestingly in WaT. This would be the most interesting but I doubt Brandon will go this route Hoid comes back, I don't doubt that he will, my only question is how he breaks the deadlock. BAM or Sja-anat does something, I think this is the most likely. And honestly I'm quite excited to see what happens.