JohnnyKaizen

Honestly with Brandon, it could go either way. My spideysense tells me that he wrote it that way for a comeback. That's just my belief, but I don't think Aux will come back the same way Maya is. Either way, it'll probably be 5-15 years before Im proven right or wrong. *chuckle and sigh*

Again, for me..two words was all it took. It spoke to me on a visceral level. I don't feel that I need to go into all of the reasons why, simply that it did, and that made it feel like a very intentional choice. You clearly want Brandon to have written this part in a specific way, and he didn't, and you have negative feelings about that. I get that. That still doesn't mean he did a bad job on this specific thing. It means he made a choice you disagree with, and it's totally ok to disagree with that choice. I don't think it's ok to accuse him of being a bad writer, of slacking off, or whatever else. Sanderson is probably the most intentional writer I know. He most definitely knows what he's written. Not to mention all of the people he has to alpha read, then beta read, then whoever he had be the editor for this book (I don't recall if that was his regular person or not) and then whoever that person had read the book. I find it difficult, in the extreme, to believe that all of those sets of eyes crossed over this book and nobody brought up, "Hey..this seem super brief for such a devastating loss" to Brandon, and that he didn't have a reason for writing it that way. I suppose there is that 1 in a billion chance, but I'm going to fall on the side of, he made that choice. I am sorry that this bothered you so much, and/or ruined that part of the story for you, because that really sucks. That made the writing bad for you, and I accept that. I don't except that that makes Sanderson a bad writer.

I cannot speak for anyone else but myself. I have found (quite literally) hundreds of times that Brandon's neurodivergence speaks directly to mine. I rationally understand how this line could throw you for a loop, but for me, it was an absolutely normal thing to happen. Sigzil/Nomad/Zellion was in so much grief that he disassociated from it, and forgot. My Uncle died three years ago..and I had to remind myself twice this week that he's dead. I forget all the time. As a writer, it is exceptionally difficult to write things that everyone can relate to, and I think that is especially challenging for Brandon (and the fact that he succeeds at doing so, so much of the time speaks to his monumental talent) but I don't think it's at all fair to say that he is bad at writing grief because you personally didn't connect to the manner in which it's written (or even if a lot of people didn't ... as long as there is a group that does?) If it's just me that connected to it, then what I'm writing here would be applied to me instead. I feel that it's easy to jump to a conclusion that we ourselves don't have a personal connection to. Just my thoughts on this specific thing, for what it's worth.

Im not crying, you're crying! Yeah..that was truly special. He truly loves his friend, and wanted the best for him.

And that is exactly Sanderson's bread and butter. It could mean nothing, it could definitely mean 2 or more things, or he could have written that to give himself space for later books, or it could be the latter two things together. I feel like BS's middle name is RAFO.

The thing is..he is constantly referring back to his friends..in the present tense. Granted, he could just be speaking of them that way even though they've died. I often have of dear family members who have passed, but Nomad speaks of them that way repeatedly, often, and always as if they are a hop, skip, and a jump away. I can't decide if Sanderson is toying with my hopes of immortal radiants, or just being tricky because he can't resist the urge.

That also implies that the timeline between Era 3 and 4 is 100 years or less. Since Sigzil/Nomad/Zellion clocks spaceships as a thing that's happened in the last 100 years or so from his perspective. I guess that makes sense with the pace of technology exponentially growing.

just sitting over here gasp-laughing at this

I can say this with certainty, Taravangian has considered all of those angles, because obviously Brandon has. I dunno. I think most of the ideas in this thread are valid. And there is a big part of me that expects Brandon to pull some kind of amazing voidlight rabbit out of a hat we didn't even consider, so idk?

I get that, but he wants out of this contract...ANNNND...it's just the sort of thing that will piss off Dalinar to no end. It would also force Dalinar back to the negotiating table where he can "prove" how much smarter he is than everyone. I could be wrong, but that feels very Taravangian to me...that he'd be looking for the shortest line to showing off his big brain energy.

Quoted from @alder24

Currently, Maya tops the list. She has come a long way to get where she is. It is an odd sensation to be proud of a fictional character, but I am very proud of Maya. Syl will always be a favorite..she is truly amazing. Pattern goes up and down, but that's more my issue than his. The Stormfather is growing on me, but that's a product of his bond and his willingness (begrudgingly) to change. Ivory can be annoying, but he is a very logical person and I didn't really understand him very well initially. Blended's actions really gave me some much needed context on Inkspren in general, and I really enjoy Blended. Wyndle...poor Wyndle. Nottum is growing, and that's great. It's not great that he had to become a victim of the same prejudice that he dished out with alacrity, until recently..but growth is growth. Design is hilarious and amazing, and I do hope to see a lot more of her in the coming years. Glys, I feel like I know about as well as I know Renarin, which is to say, not much. I look forward to getting to know them better, with great interest. The Sibling is very similar. Even though we've gotten to see and here from them a lot "on screen," almost all of it was in a survival situation where they were very weak. So, I don't feel like I know the Sibling well enough yet. Timbre I like, Venli I didn't for a long time. I am enjoying their story because I really didn't want to forgive Venli for a long time..and it's been a good experience to do so as I walked along with her through her development. All of my favorite characters move up to the top spot and down, as the story rolls on. I can't ever pick just one favorite (at least, not for very long), and I don't plan to start now.

That's correct. That character is better described in Dawnshard, but what you're referring to happens offscreen in between DS and RoW, and it only described after the fact.

Ok thanks. It's one of those things that I was really confused about and expected to come back to later, but had forgotten. It just popped into my head today, so I wanted to check.

So, am I just missing something really obvious, or is it known why the Bands were in the state they were in, in TLM?

This makes me think it will be something along the lines of "I will lead those I protect, even though I don't think I can/deserve to/etc." We all know how many excuses Kaladin has given for why anyone else but him should be in charge..only to be ignored by his followers who just keep following him.

I am pretty sure this could only be used once (at least on someone important), before nobles the world over came up with precautions when using spanreeds. So, while it is certainly an intriguing idea, it wouldn't work as a viable long term means of assassination.

I love this so much, it made me happy

Welp..Now I have to reread a good chunk of RoW because this is just the sort of detail that Brandon would slip into a single encounter.

Those look AMAZING! OMG Theyre so GREAT!!

Oooooook, then that shoots that assumption to pieces. Yeah..I have zero idea how dull form Listeners acquire 8 sets of shards.

I have always assumed that the Singers walked away with the shards on, and became Listeners. They defected from the rest of their nation and went into hiding in the Shattered Plains. If they cut themselves off from Odium's influence, then he couldn't just locate them..and they knew that if they were found they'd have to fight..so planning your flight while 8 of your best warriors happen to be wearing plate and are bonded to a blade seems like a excellent tactical choice. I think it moreso with the way Sanderson gave us the inside look into Venli and her plans to leave and all the prep that went into it. She isn't the first, not by a long shot, but that planning is, and was, essential. So I assume the Listeners have had those 16 shards since they became the Listeners, before BAM's capture.

Not that this actually played a part or not, but it's at least possible. Kaladin had known the words since OB. Syl knew he knew the words, and that he wasn't saying them. While I know that many windrunners didn't progress past the 3rd oath, and Syl was rationally aware of that, she had no Honorspren mentors to walk her through what that would mean or be like for her. On top of the suppression fabriel..and Kaladin's extreme uptick in depression that she shared through the bond..and the time she was too far away from him hiding in the well. Syl suffered a lot in RoW:(