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AquaRegia

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  1. AquaRegia
    The Cryptics decided to send Wyndle to bond with Lift because of the weird power granted to her by Cultivation, so, admittedly, another weird realmatic event. As far as trauma goes, Lift lost her parents as a very young child... just like countless other orphans. Sadly, there is nothing particularly special about that trauma. I think Brandon's words, quoted above, make it clear that "trauma" (or being "broken") is not the real issue. EVERYBODY has trauma; whatever is the worst thing that ever happened to you, it is, by definition, the worst thing that's ever happened. Just being alive is traumatic. Regarding Shallan, I agree the influence of one or more Unmade on her family could be related to her early Radiant Bond. But I feel that the "Shallan's mother was a Herald" idea has been pretty thoroughly debunked.
  2. AquaRegia
    Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think "popular" may be an oversell for this idea. I don't think any amazingly supernatural realmatic events are needed to explain Shallan's bonds - Lift also became Radiant as a fairly young child. Sometimes it happens that way.
  3. AquaRegia
    Loved it the first time I heard it, oh, 6 or 8 months ago... love it now. I have absolutely no doubt that Gavilar is coming back to play an important part in SA5, and I completely agree he makes an extremely dangerous (and satisfying) rival for Dalinar. Gavilar, more than anyone else, has all the right history to swing a figurative emotional wrecking ball at both Dalinar and Navani. More top-notch work, @Jofwu!
  4. AquaRegia
    milliBreaths microBreaths nanoBreaths I can do this all day. Or, at least, until I run out of prefixes. ;-)
  5. AquaRegia
    My intention is not to muddy the waters... but it seems to me that there is another factor nobody has considered: the RATE at which your Allomancy consumes Investiture. Is it possible that a small person, like Vin, "cashes in" the pewter benefit at a lower rate than a more massive person? Maybe the small person can, given the same amount of pewter, burn it twice as long. The ability multipliers may scale for both strength AND time.
  6. AquaRegia
    All we need to do now is figure out the conversion relationships: 1 Breath = x Perfect Broams 1 Breath = y grams of Standard White Sand etc.
  7. AquaRegia
    Here in central PA, we put chicken on our waffles. Also gravy and mashed potatoes. https://www.goodfoodstories.com/amish-chicken-and-waffles/
  8. AquaRegia
    Some very interesting speculations here. I agree that we get a "too perfect" vibe for Jasnah so far, largely because her character has been illuminated predominantly from others' points of view. I also agree that seems intentional on Brandon's part, and could very well foreshadow some big challenges for her in upcoming novels. I will mildly disagree with this: Jasnah is supremely - even pathologically - rational. I don't think she would ever do anything more important (or permanent) than trim her nails based on a "mood". In every case mentioned, she has thoughtfully considered a course of action and made a decision whether to carry it out based on what she feels will result in the most good for her people. As with any of us, her knowledge is imperfect, but she decides as best she can using reason, not emotion. I definitely don't share the feeling that she has been, or will be, a traitor.
  9. AquaRegia
    I will try... but it might take some doing. I only have a flip phone, so I don't have a good way to take and post pictures. I'll have to borrow my wife's phone and figure out how to make it work.
  10. AquaRegia
    I have joined the sophisticated crowd. My wife just bought me a Hongdian pen and a bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue ink. Still getting used to it, but I love it already!
  11. AquaRegia
    Another VERY important difference between the Lost Radiants and Shallan: the Radiants of old and their spren jointly agreed to end their bonds. All the "normal" deadeye Shardblades we've seen were made by bonds being voluntarily and deliberately broken from both ends. Testament (from what we've seen) did NOT agree to break her bond with Shallan, and there is ample direct evidence in the text that that bond continued to exist, and still does. One obvious example is her last chapter in RoW - "Shallan had not one BUT TWO Shardblades." Nobody except Shallan ever had the ability to claim Testament. The TestamentBlade was NEVER in the safe; she spends the entirety of her time as a spren in Shadesmar, with the exception of the times Shallan summoned her again (to kill Tyn, for example). Regarding Lin... I can't agree with the classification of any person as "good" or "evil" - that's simplistic and honestly childish. Even the phrase "good people can do bad things" requires the postulate that "good people" exist. There are only people, and we are complex. Every choice we make might possibly be classified one way or another (although I doubt even that), but everyone is capable of making a good or bad choice each time. Lin Davar was in a position where he had to make some VERY difficult choices, and I do find him both flawed and sympathetic... as I think we ALL are.
  12. AquaRegia
    Previous relevant discussion:
  13. AquaRegia
    Agreed. I never thought the Set's agents were kandra, although I understand why some readers were confused by the use of the term "Faceless Immortals". Makes sense to me that a Scadrian like Suit would naturally use that term to describe an immortal bodysnatcher, whether kandra or not. "Your service is accepted; you will be allowed to serve in the next Realm" is also not a very kandra-like (or Harmony-like) promise to make. While my feeling is that the red-eyed entities are likely powered by Trell, others have speculated that Odium might be involved. It certainly can't be ruled out at this point.
  14. AquaRegia
    I really did enjoy and identify with what you (both) said, this part most of all: Every time a new Cosmere story comes out, I get a feeling of anticipation, as if "oh, I finally get to go HOME again for a while!" Brandon's worlds feel more like home to me than any place in this crappy so-called "real" world. How can we be homesick for a place we've never been, and doesn't even really exist? Books ARE magic.
  15. AquaRegia
    New marketing campaign: "The Unmade are watching... EAT MORE CHICKEN"
  16. AquaRegia
    As a scientist, I normally dislike the way the word "theory" is used here in the 17th Shard forums. Typically applied to "random ideas someone had while reading a Cosmere novel", it offends my sense of scientific pride; a much better word would be "hypothesis", meaning a guess that could very simply be tested and disproved, if false. THIS, however, deserves the word "theory". It 1) describes and relates multiple pieces of evidence we've seen in the Cosmere, 2) explains how things have come to be the way they are in a new and interesting way, and 3) makes multiple predictions about what kinds of things may happen in the future, and WHY. A terrific work of observation, deduction, imagination, and insight. Well done, @Kingsdaughter613! Alas, if only we, like Navani, had the ability to perform our own in-world experiments! While I'd guess very few in-world characters are in a position to do useful experiments on the Cognitive/Spiritual aspects of immortals... although as I type this, I find myself thinking we may have already seen multiple examples of just such research. We, as mere outside observers, are forced to make do with new works as they are published - and, of course, the cleverly constructed questions which produce useful WoBs.
  17. AquaRegia
    Koalas of Western Terrain Kittens on Wife's Tummy I know nothing about Dan Wells... but I can see why he doesn't name most of his own books. :-)
  18. AquaRegia
    I think the true revelation here is that it's PATTERN, rather than SHALLAN, who brings up the idea of a broken spren bond. Shallan doesn't seem to really know what a deadeye would be like ("not exactly, I'd guess"), or to consciously recall what happened to Testament... but we now know Pattern was fully aware of both of these things. Even back this far, Pattern is trying to lay the groundwork for Shallan to remember what happened with her first spren. He really has become one of my favorite characters, as shown in this topic: And I'm in full agreement with Brandon's 100-level author sneak! LOVE IT.
  19. AquaRegia
    Totally fair - nitpicking is what we DO! When I make a mistake (and boy, do I make mistakes) I EXPECT to be corrected. You are of course correct, I said "Alendi" when I meant "Rashek". Thanks!
  20. AquaRegia
    Hard agree with @Nameless: It's MAGIC. Investiture allows users to do impossible things, in the same way it gives them resistance to disease and tooth decay. I try not to overthink it.
  21. AquaRegia
    Well, obviously not a LAW (Sazed and Alendi as counterexamples); just that "three weird syllables" is a very common pattern. As soon as I saw the name "Axindweth" I thought "must be Terris". Could be. I wouldn't overhype the ancient wisdom of the Shin, though - I won't be surprised if they are just as ignorant and self-deluded as anyone else on Roshar. My guess will be that while yes, the Shin remember some specific pieces of history that have been forgotten in the East, there will also be an awful lot they DON'T know... and they will have misinterpreted or misconstrued some of what they do know.
  22. AquaRegia
    Well, I like them both just fine. I do tend to be more interested in character than in plot, although of course both are needed to make a truly great story. I loved Dalinar's flashbacks and getting to see the journey that has made him who he is. This may be an unpopular opinion, but my least favorite part of the Stormlight Archive is the time spent in Shadesmar. After teasing the Surge of Transportation for two books, and building up expectations of the Cognitive Realm, the payoff, to me, was both disappointing and vaguely silly. A Realm of pure thought where objects from the Physical Realm are represented by spheres...so what reason is there to expect AIR there, let alone air with the exact same composition our human friends are used to? How is there both air and water vapor, but no clouds or weather? What is the deal with the tiny cold sun that never moves? Way too much about it strikes me as random and nonsensical, Alice-in-Wonderland-style, which is something I've never felt about any of Brandon's other work. Too many spren seem to be just a little too cute or funny. It feels like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", when they finally go to Toontown and everything is zany and hilarious; the vibe just doesn't match the rest of the novels. This applies to RoW as well as Oathbringer.
  23. AquaRegia
    Lots of interesting questions... almost too many for one topic! My thoughts: I agree that this felt external somehow. I interpreted it as the influence of Cultivation on Taravangian... but Valor is also an interesting speculation. I'm betting that Cultivation's "gifts" to Mr. T are going to turn out to be extremely important at some point. I simply filed it under "stuff the Diagram knew"... they did have an extensive spy network covering much of Roshar. But it's also possible Mr. T was paying special attention to Shinovar, and perhaps even had some direct contact. That's how I read it, yes. Not an expert, but with the proper metalminds, Fortune, Connection, and Identity can be stored, so many possibilities can be inferred. Regarding Axindweth's Terris heritage, it seemed obvious to me. Other Terris names we've seen: Vwafendal Asinthew Idashwy Handerwym Not disagreeing with anyone else's observations, but to me this simply demonstrated that appearance (or "ethnicity" or whatever) is not as important as some in-world characters make it out to be, and that cultural norms have changed many times over the long years of Roshar.
  24. AquaRegia
    Thanks. I looked at the relevant WoB: I agree that the groundwork was NOT properly laid in the book. I'm fine with the whole "in-world characters don't really know the rules, and sometimes what they think is wrong"... but I guess this was back when Brandon was still getting the hang of it. ;-)
  25. AquaRegia
    I was having a conversation about Warbreaker yesterday and realized I'm unclear on the rules for Returned giving away their Breath. We are told that the reason for Returned existing is to find the right time to give away their Breath. Common understanding is that when a Returned gives away their Breath, they can bring about a healing, and then they themselves die, as we see with Lightsong. I had the impression that while you can store some Breath in external objects, you can't give SOME of your Breath to another person - it's either all or none. Yet Vasher does not die when he gives all his Breath to Denth. Help?
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