jamesbondsmith

There were some vegetable wraps in the first Mistborn, and Kiin does a whole bunch of cooking in Elantris.

A lot of these will the Stormlight related, because I'm currently re-reading. Also, I'm assuming this is a spoileriffic discussion but just in case:

There's heaps of examples of non-subtle emotional allomancy. Pretty much any duralumin-boosted Riot or Sooth is the definition of unsubtle, and TLR is pretty quickly revealed to be using it on a mass scale in The Final Empire. Vin using it on Straff, and a certain character near the end of Alloy of Law using it are more examples (I'm not sure how much you've read).

I like how Moash looks shady as anything even then. Also, I assumed the second from the bottom on the left hand side was Drehy, what with being a balding blonde.

To paraphrase Syl, the last person you'd want to gain Radiant powers and a Shardblade is someone who has no checks and balances on that power. About the only restriction on Szeth was that he would kill only whoever he was told to and that he wouldn't give his Blade up, and look how that went.

Considering this is a forum for fans of a book series, I'm pretty sure most guys wouldn't choose Vorinism. Given I have no religion or desire for one in real life I doubt I'd go for any of them, but I suppose the Path or the One if I was forced to do a hypothetical.

As the title says, which medium to you think works best for which kind of story? I have several projects in various stages of writing/brainstorming. One is a superhero novel series set in the 'real world', and another novel/series is a little closer to the epic fantasy mould. I'm working on a graphic novel script which was partially inspired by Bioshock, and I think the emphasis on the architecture of the main cities means it needs a visual medium (or perhaps it could be an illustrated novel similar to the Stormlight Archive). Another idea which has gone to the backburner is a tv show which can be boiled down to Sanctuary/Primeval, if a Buffy-wannabe was going around trying to kill all the creatures they're trying to save. Obviously, different media have their own pros and cons. Literature gives more access to the internal workings of a character, but visual media are more immediate, and film/tv allows you to follow the characters movements and bring music into the equation. To use the Bioshock example, games also allow you to almost tell yourself the story.

So what you're saying is, if Adolin revives Maya he's in for a road trip/fetch quest.

Isn't there a whole thing about having a duty to refuse a blatantly illegal orders from superiors? I know our laws are not Roshar's, but we're already referring to Earth conventions of what an order is, and killing a drunk beggar (who let's be honest is not about to be confused with the Herald of Kings) seems like the kind of thing that a reasonable person would think is beyond the acceptable. As for Elhokar supposedly being able to fight back against Moash, I don't see how that's the case when he's carrying a child and quite obviously escaping rather than facing him in combat. It may not have legal standing, but I can certainly understand Adolin's response to someone who has attempted to kill both him and his father (not to mention actually has killed thousands of other soldiers in that attempt, but no-one seems to care about them) admitting that they intend to do so again. If pre-emptive self defense existed, this might be the textbook example. As for the whole 'how dare Moash salute Kaladin' thing, it seemed to me that it meant 'we are on opposite sides, but I respect you and the conviction you have' not the 'haha storm you now I'll twirl my moustache and cackle' that people think it is. As I've said before, I can accept Moash being redeemed (hell, I'd wager the only reason people don't hate Dalinar this much is because we met him after he was already midway through his redemption), but it needs to be more than the 'you had a bad childhood so any crimes you commit are instantly forgiven with a half-assed apology' that seems to be prevalent in fandom lately.

So, a dad whose overprotectiveness is justified, but still 'disliking Kaladin' =/= 'everyone he likes is a Bondsmith

As for your question about other unorthodox uses of magic, I like the idea of Skybreaker sandstorms/smokescreens (decay the surrounding rock into dust or sand, then use gravitation to fly them wherever you want).

I can kind of see him being a Bondsmith, although he could also be a Windrunner who puts a lot of emphasis on leadership. I don't think the Stormfather liking him is definite proof he's a Bondsmith though, as his dislike of Kaladin seemed more along the lines of being Syl's overprotective dad and the general fear among spren that the Radiants will kill them en masse again. As for having Taravangian's boon/curse, that seems a little more of a stretch. Ruthlessness doesn't necessarily mean he's got the same inverse relationship between intelligence/empathy.

I think you've said multiple times that Kaladin is not omnipotent, and that is absolutely true. However, one of the main points of his characterisation is that he feels he should be. He feels that he should be able to save everyone, and can't accept that he is not living up to the obligation he feels he is under. Also, I think the Windrunners do not have as purely a black and white notion of sides as you imply, and in any case it would be inaccurate to compare them to real life militaries. It's been a little while since I read Oathbringer, but from memory it's all but explicitly stated that Kaladin's time with the singers meant that he had trouble distinguishing between who to protect (i.e. which side to take). Admittedly, there's a difference between 'Roshar vs Odium' and 'singers vs humans', but he is still conflicted between who to protect. As for real world armed forces, the Windrunners are in an entirely different world and culture, even if you ignore the obvious fact that real world militaries aren't magically bound by oaths to protect/enforce law/whatever on pain of losing their superhuman powers. Plus, it just feels a little war-crimey to suggest that killing the enemy is 'desirable' in warfare. For what it's worth, I used to be super on board with the idea that the Fourth Ideal was to do with having to 'make a conscious decision to save some at the expense of others' (whether that is killing them or letting them die/fend for themselves, the latter of which ties into other theories of letting others make their own choices), but I'm warming to the idea that it is to do with protecting himself so he can protect others in the future (similar to how rescue personnel won't put themselves in a position where they will add to the people who need rescuing).

I saw that and was like... now I know what happens to Vivenna in the Warbreaker sequel.

Has Brandon ever shown his pitches/synopses for his work? I'm struggling with mine, and it would be cool to see how he does it. I get he wouldn't have published whatever he used to sell publishers on the whole Cosmere or the entire Stormlight Archive, but it would be cool to see it for individual books like Elantris or finished series like first era Mistborn. Additionally, does he even need to pitch stuff anymore (especially for the Cosmere)? Or do they basically let him write whatever he wants and wait for the next manuscript to appear in their inbox?

Maybe, if the theory that the 4th ideal is about letting others make the sacrifice, this is how Kaladin swears it. Moash sees he's done wrong, and opts to make the ultimate sacrifice to fix it. Kaladin is there, but lets Moash make the sacrifice and redeem himself.

I could see why Killmonger would do the things he did, but it infuriates me to no end how people use villains' tragic pasts to justify their villainous actions. This happens with so many stories, and I'm hoping that any Moash redemption arc isn't just a 'grandma and grandpa died so it's ok that you went on a murder spree'. I found Kylo Ren (or at least the concept of him) incredibly interesting, as he's the same kind of Darth Vader fanboy we have in the real world, except he lives in a universe where Vader was a very real dictator. I can't think off the top of my head the kind of parallels we might have in the Stormlight Archive, except perhaps someone modelling themselves on Dalinar as the Blackthorn, rather than Dalinar as the Bondsmith.

Some more that I came up with in the process of discussing/arguing other theories on the forum. I won't be too devastated if it turns out I'm wrong, though. Bondsmiths are in charge of drafting laws in Urithiru/generally for radiants, and Skybreakers enforce them. This is why Nale holds so fanatically to Ishar's word. This one is really out there, but at least three orders have oaths that differ between each individual. Lightweavers effectively have no set oaths, and the Windrunners and Skybreakers (who are the only ones whose oaths we have seen from more than one person) have different wordings of the same ideals. This made me wonder if Dalinar's oaths were similarly personalised. I always did find it odd that his 2nd and 3rd Ideals were both two sentences/clauses, where most of the others are singular. So, a wacky theory is that the basic 3rd Bondsmith Ideal is 'I will take responsibility for my actions', and Dalinar merely added the part about become a better man for himself. So, if Gavilar had become a Bondsmith, he would have sworn to take responsibility for heinous actions in the same way that Thanos takes responsibility for killing half the universe. This allows him to create and rule a theocracy by causing a desolation (stated to kill 90% of humanity), without violating the Bondsmith Ideals or principles of 'guiding' and 'pious'.

Sounds like a lesser version of Lift, with her ability to climb on Wyndle. I just reread the part where Adolin uses his shardblade as a platform to jump up a cliffside, and it'd be a cool bit of foreshadowing if Maya ends up being able to partially manifest physically and she can basically give him a double jump in fights. Although I think one theory for Lift is that she partially exists in the cognitive realm, so it might be a bit redundant to have two Edgedancers who straddle the realms. Unless there's a 'theft and mischief' archetype with Lift and a martial 'crash and bash' type with Adolin.

The thing is, creating and ruling a theocracy are perfectly valid interpretations of 'guiding' and 'pious', as far as I can tell. We also don't know how much of Dalinar's oaths were personalised for him. At least three other orders have oaths that are personalised for each Radiant around a theme. Gavilar certainly united people, even if it was by bloodshed. If the third ideal's 'if I fall I will rise again a better man' was a little add-on in the same way that Teft's requires him to protect those he hates, especially himself, then perhaps simply taking responsibility for reprehensible actions would be enough for Gavilar to advance. Much like how Thanos kills half the universe to protect the other half, and he takes responsibility for the death toll without shying away from the fact that it needed to be done (or so he thought). I'm just really concerned about Gavilar being a potential Bondsmith when he is trying to start such a devastating war, when as far as I recall Dalinar's maturing from his previously monstrous characterisation is what helped him onto the path.

Gavilar was on the Bondsmith path, and he was actively working to bring about a desolation. Sure, it was for what he thought were good reasons, but one of those reasons was essentially a Vorin theocracy. I'd say actively causing a disaster that kills 90% of the population disqualifies you from being a 'good leader'.

More ideas: The same tracks in the parent post could also apply to Galladon's reinforcements in Elantris. This track for Sazed or Vin after Tindwyl or Elend's deaths. Possibly Sazed, as there's not much time for reflection with Vin and Elend. Dream Catch Me for Vin and Elend's pewter-enhanced dance in Hero of Ages. Whole Lotta Love/Money For Nothing or Killing In The Name for Dalinar refusing to submit to Odium (first two for the energy of the riff, third for the 'storm you I won't do what you tell me). Sweet Child O' Mine solo for a montage of Adolin's duels (at least when they're going well). If it starts at the solo, it's a little more parental lyrically. Back in Black for Susebron's incredible arse-kicking at the end of Warbreaker (pretty sure he's in black too). I've always imagined the organ solos in House of the Rising Sun for some sort of charge/race, it might work for Vin racing back to Luthadel. Edit: I didn't realise the forums automatically changed the f-bomb to 'storm'. That's kinda cool.

So some late night Cosmere reddit browsing found a thread which had Crazy Train playing during Kaladin and Adolin's duel in WoR. That got me thinking: which well known music can you imagine playing in pivotal scenes in the Cosmere? Personally, I can imagine Forge (especially 3:05 onwards) or Portals during Bridge 4's rescue of the Kholin army in WoK. Let's me honest, Kaladin's Stormlight blast landing is the equivalent of Thor's Bifrost entrance. I guess this could apply to any genre, but I really like the approach of A Knight's Tale, which used modern rock music to illustrate how people would have felt about their music back in the Middle Ages.

The Alethi have degenerated to constantly fighting among themselves and have structured their entire culture around justifying war, to the point that settling conflicts peacefully is considered utter cowardice. Not to mention that at least once in the past they killed 10% of a conquered people, and Dalinar himself destroyed an enemy city completely. That would keep at least their own population down. Plus, there's numerous cases of people dying by accident, hunting, crime, disease, and among the lower darkeyed ranks I'd wager that poverty would lead many to starve. It doesn't matter how much food Soulcasters create if you can't pay for it, or if it is withheld from you as it was from the people of Kholinar by Aesudan.

If he visited the Nightwatcher, maybe he just asked to be happy, and the loss of the arm was the curse. That would explain how he was so chipper as a bridgeman. Edit: I also just realised that the Nahel bond may have occurred due to breakage before he asked to be happy, and the Nightwatcher's boon covered it over without fixing it