LuckyJim
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Everything posted by LuckyJim
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It changes depending on the orders, Skybreakers don't get surges until the second and third ideals, and Dustbringers access greater and greater powers as they progress. Shardblade and Shardplate seem to be constant across all the orders, although it's possible Lightweavers get their blades earlier, depending on how the whole timeline stuff with Shallan works out. Aside from that, I don't think there's a specific benefits for each oath. You get a closer bond with your spren, better stormlight retention and can use the surges to a greater degree, but no real "unlocks". I've said this before and I'll say it again, but I think a cornerstone of the Radiant progression is that being able to speak the ideals, becoming a better version of the ideal Radiant, is its own reward.
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According to Mraize, Helaran had never actually become a full Skybreaker. My take on the matter is that the Skybreakers are in possession of a number of shards of their own, possibly for use by squires and trainees, which were given to Helaran while he was in training. Another benefit would be that bonding a dead blade could help prevent a potential Radiant from completing their bond with a spren (which the Skybreakers believed Helaran was close to doing). With the shards, Helaran would be able to complete more advanced missions that other squires couldn't, and gain the attention of a potential master or highspren to bond.
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People probably got into the ship after reading Rhythm of War. Like Brandon said, it wasn't confirmed but it wasn't meant to be a secret either, and a lot of people had already figured it out as we saw in the live chat.
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It's not something that's been totally confirmed, but in the recent Stormlight livestream it's been all but confirmed that one of the major characters has a crush on another man. Minor Stormlight spoilers
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Does anyone still want a Moash redemption arc?
LuckyJim replied to Elsecaller_17.5's topic in Stormlight Archive
I'm really not a fan of redemption through death/sacrifice, it's too easy and really weak. I don't know if I want redemption, but I just want something interesting to come out of this character. Something to justify all the viewpoints he's gotten, something to make his development from slave to monster to... whatever happens next worthwhile instead of just ending up the same as Amaram. If he's just a voidbringer in the truest sense, then I don't understand why he didn't just die on that mountain. -
Maybe "could Moash use voidlight" would be a good question for the livestream tonight.
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What were the Skybreakers doing for crusades while operating in secret?/Did the Skybreakers know about Jasnah?/How effective were Nale and the other Skybreakers at tracking down Radiants, it seems like a lot slipped past (Zu, Shallan, Kaladin) Did Vyre and Leshwi have a falling out between Oathbringer and Rhythm? It's hard to imagine Leshwi would be cool with some of the stuff he gets up to in this book. What kind of truths would Tien tell if he had progressed as a Lightweaver?
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theory (THEORY) Moash becoming Bondsmith squire
LuckyJim replied to mbondy's topic in Stormlight Archive
I have complicated feelings on the topic. I originally found Moash interesting because it seemed like a major theme in his character was trying to fight back against oppression. The idea of Moash redemption appealed to me because it would involve validating his criticisms on the systemic injustice, and how everyone who supports this system without question is complicit in in that oppression. Now that it seems like he's just a evil guy only out for personal satisfaction, I don't find the idea as appealing, because it would probably be a more straightforward villain redemption. On the subject of what a Moash redemption would even look like, before Oathbringer, my ideal future for Moash would have been one in which he joined the listeners. Rather than submit to a tyrannical god or tyrannical kings, he joins Venli in seeking true freedom. After Rhythm though, it doesn't seem likely to happen. -
I don't think there can be a "reverse" Nahel bond, I think the nature of that bond is always two ways, with both parties helping each other. Obviously, the nature of the bond is different, since Maya is a deadeye at this point. I think Adolin is providing more than a typical Radiant because of this, and that seems to be what's happening when he sends her his strength to allow her to speak, but I don't think the roles can really be reversed. One is a being of sentient Investiture and the other is a physical being, I don't think their roles in a Nahel bond can be interchanged. Also, I'm pretty sure Adolin does have a cracked soul. I mean, by Rhythm of War he's found out that his dad killed his mom, and he doesn't really know how to deal with that. But more to the point, I'm pretty sure everyone has a cracked soul. That seems to be the implication from one of Phendorana's quotes. "Life breaks us Teft. Then we fill in the cracks with something stronger" (or something like that, I don't have the book on hand). I really don't think it takes much for a spren to be able to bond a human. The spren we see don't really seem all that concerned with whether or not their Radiants have gone through enough trauma, but whether or not they can uphold the oaths. A lot of the time they bond purely out of convenience. It seems likely that they won't be able to really form a bond until after she's healed, (possibly by restoring Ba-Ado-Mishram) at which point they'd be able to just form a normal bond.
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theory (THEORY) Moash becoming Bondsmith squire
LuckyJim replied to mbondy's topic in Stormlight Archive
I dunno, if we're going by actions alone, Moash is nowhere close to the worst character in the series. That being said, it's pretty clear at this point that Sanderson has no interest in making Moash anything more than a vessel for the audience's hatred. Moash is depicted as evil incarnate, when even the Lady of Pains and the new god of hatred have had moments for the audience to sympathize with them. Regardless, even if Moash were able to develop as a character, I don't think it would work out. The Alethi are notoriously unforgiving of regicide, and I don't think Navani would appreciate her son's killer being her husband's new squire. Not to mention, the core of what drove Moash to become a villain in the first place was his betrayal at the hands of kings and nobles who abused their power for personal gain. He's become completely disilusioned with a society that elevates one population at the expense of the other based on nothing but eye color, something serious would have to happen for him to be able to reconcile becoming a subordinate to one of the kings of the monarchy that allowed his grandparents to be thrown away so easily. -
Does anyone still want a Moash redemption arc?
LuckyJim replied to Elsecaller_17.5's topic in Stormlight Archive
Oh god, I don't even know anymore. By the end of Oathbringer, I thought Moash was one of the most interesting characters in the series, but by the end of Rhythm of War I legitimately just wanted him to die because I just wanted it to be over already. His characterization is so insane that I'm convinced I totally misread him when I believed there was ever any nuance to the guy at all. I can't even guess why he's still alive at this point, villains in the cosmere rarely overstay their welcome, but Moash is just a joke at this point. There must be some purpose he still has to serve, but his character is probably just gonna get worse from here. It sucks, because he could have been a really interesting character, but he's only used as the hate-sink of the series. I can't ever get on board with the "storm Moash" crowd, because I take more issue with the way he's written than the character himself, but I feel like he's been broken beyond repair at this point. I'd kind of like something good to come out of his character, but I feel like expecting anything at this point is just setting myself up for disappointment. -
He knew there was a surgebinder in Amaram's army, but didn't realize there were two. However Nale seems to find potential Radiants, it seems to be flawed, as Shallan and Jasnah seem to have evaded notice as well. (Possibly Zu too, if I have my timeline straight).
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I think "negative emotions" is too general a term. in this case, "giving away your pain" seems to be meant to rid a person of feelings that would get in the way of their passions, and help them "reach their potential". In this case, Moash is rid of his guilt, shame and sadness, so he can focus on his passion for vengeance (and hauling stones, I guess).
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I agree with you that wanting revenge on Elhokar isn't petty. He's not just the guy who killed his grandparents, and he's not just a corrupt lord either. He's a king (well, prince at the time). What he did wasn't just corrupt or petty, it was a profound betrayal of the people he's supposed to lead. He killed two people for no other reason than that their lives were inconvenient to his friend's business. There's no excuse for what he did, and yet, when Moash confronts Kaladin during the assassination, Kaladin just says "it wasn't his fault". I don't see Moash's motivations as petty, but I think that was the intent when he was written. After Rhythm of War, I'm not sure that Moash was never meant to be a nuanced or complex character in the first place. He was always meant to be a guy only out for his own satisfaction, and develop into the audience hate sink. He's written to do the most pain to Kaladin and the reader, so he does whatever he needs to do to achieve that. If he needs to be Kaladin's closest friend to make the betrayal sting that much more, we'll be told he is. If he needs to be undisturbed on an active battlefield so that he can kill a guy and salute his captain, no one will notice him. If he needs to be a cartoon villain who dresses in black and taunts his victims, that's how he's written.
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Jaxlim bonded a lightspren at the end of Rhythm of War, becoming a Willshaper and healing her mind. Thude is a good possibility, I'm not sure about Leshwi, since being a Fused might complicate the process.
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He stayed at the tower though, he said that his home was with the humans (and he wanted to make sure they didn't try anything that could significantly harm the humans like in the false desolation).
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So after Rhythm of War, we know that there is a possibility of humans becoming Fused, as this is one of the conditions Rayse sets for Dalinar if he loses the contest of champions. Now that Taravangian is the new Odium, however, I do not think Dalinar will be the only human Fused. In El's musings in part 5, it seems pretty clear that he is excited by the possibility of humans gaining access to voidbinding. I don't think there's any way to interpret his epigraphs aside from a new army of Fused being created from humans. While Rayse never elevated any other Fused, I think Taravangian would find the idea much more appealing. Most of the singer Fused are either drooling messes, tired of the war and want it to end, or idiots like Leizan. If he wants power, it makes much more sense to elevate a new batch of Fused. El certainly seems to think that he would be open to the idea. Right now, humans have plenty of passions that could be used to bring them over. Anger at the singers, at having their lands taken, at the changing social landscape. It could make for some powerful changes to the series, depending on which humans become Fused. Also, this is just a side theory, but I don't think the human Fused will have access to the surge of Progression. Without carapace, it would be difficult to create a human version of the "Magnified Ones", moreover, it's possible that Progression is the surge of Cultivation. Instead, the human Fused might get a new brand, one with access to Odium's personal surge.
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I'm not sure if attacking the people Kaladin loves would really work anymore. Moash tried it, it almost worked, but through intervention by Dalinar and contact with Tien, Kaladin was able to surpass himself and swear the fourth ideal, he can no accept that he can't save everyone and start to move on from his grief. Kaladin has surpassed Moash, he's proved him wrong in that caring about others isn't futile and that giving up isn't the only choice, you can be better. Whatever Moash could throw at Kaladin, it would hurt him, but it won't end him anymore. Moash may understand Kaladin, but Vyre's world view is too warped to actually fight him. This is the main reason I question his role in the future, if Moash/Vyre can't fight Kaladin, then what is he supposed to do now?
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I think it'd be hilarious if Moash was responsible for the conflict that lead to three of Kaladin's ideals, but at that point it would feel just a little silly. Personally I don't think the fifth ideal is going to be about killing, I know everyone wants the purpose of the final ideal to give Kaladin a reason to kill Moash but I just don't think it fits with his arc. I think the fifth ideal is going to involve empowering others to protect themselves, leaning in to the "leading" aspect of Windrunners.
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I think it's generally a neutral thing. Ardents were basically slaves, but that's mainly due to the fact that they can't own property, otherwise they were well respected and taken care for, especially in Jah Keved. Additionally, people could only become ardents voluntarily, and it seems like they can leave the ardentia easily enough (although it would probably be difficult to create a new life from scratch).
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That explains it, but it doesn't make it less disappointing. Moash offers a unique perspective on the story with his relation to class struggle that's basically discarded. Honestly, the way he's written in RoW makes me wonder if he was ever meant to be a nuanced character in the first place.
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Dalinar wanted Taravangian to live, but Szeth kills him. Szeth had sworn to follow Dalinar's will, and his dialogue in this scene seemed to kind of acknowledge that he was breaking his word, saying that he wasn't going to let Taravangian take advantage of his honor anymore. Skybreakers are eventually supposed to surpass the third ideal, but Szeth hadn't even started working on his fourth, so I wonder if this is going to have any negative consequences for him.
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Songs in singer culture are a part of how they pass down information. They don't seem to have a substantial written language, so their songs are a sort of oral tradition, like how Venli was learning the song that had all the information about the various singer forms. In this case, I think she means she knows the song that contains the instructions to create paper.
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For one possibility, you could have a "be careful what you wish for" moment, where in asking "to see", the Nightwatcher makes him able to see in more ways than one, cutting off his Connection to Odium so that he can see everything he's done with full clarity.
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Everything AWESOME about ROW
LuckyJim replied to Truthwatcher at the Rim's topic in Stormlight Archive
My favorite scene was in chapter 34, when Adolin takes Shallan to see the starspren. It's a pretty cheesy romance scene, but it works for Adolin and Shallan. What really makes this scene for me is that it's a scene where Adolin is helping Shallan when she's feeling a bit overwhelmed as usual, but she also gives him a shoulder to lean on as well, letting him unload some of his own stress as well. Just a really wholesome moment of the two characters being emotionally vulnerable with each other, which is exactly what I want out of fantasy romances. Adolin in general was pretty great in this book, I feel like his character got fleshed out a lot more and he had a much more concrete role.
