JohnnyKaizen

Having dealt with a lot of mental issues personally, and with others close to me, I feel a lot of what has happened/is happening to Shallan. In the last few years, I've learned more about how my own brain works (or sort of doesn't) and came to the assumption (when I recently reread TWOK) that the concept of Veil had long existed in Shallan's mind, but that it was in Kharbranth that her form probably first started to take shape. The Veil of the Palaneum is a significant place for Shallan, and the sturcture of it (the public place people can visit/see, but behind it hides all the knowledge) is, at the very least to me, an analogue of who and what Veil is for Shallan. A gateway and guardian to the knowledge that lies beyond, but also deceptive as to just how much knowledge there is to access and find. There are comments that Shallan makes about the Veil, and about just how much written knowledge there is and how she could never find it all..that lead me to this feeling in the first place.

Also keep in mind that at least one Truthwatcher could foresee the future (Unless Brandon threw that in there as a red herring, which maybe, but I doubt it with Truthwatchers being so tight lipped about what they could do pre-Recreance).

Or instead of "define" possibly "understand" or better accept what protection is and isn't? But if they become protection as Skybreakers become the law, then that would track.

But Sanderson points out in Kholinar (and Later in Urithiru) that pikes and glaives give better reach in the air. Kaladin also trains with various weapons "on screen" but never with any other weapon does he sense a connection with it like with the spear. Sanderson does have a habit of making seemingly insignificant things into really big things..but that also leads to little things seeming big when they're not. And this could be the latter.

I have always thought that as an unrestricted Bondsmith, bound to the remnants of Honor..Dalinar simply took the Connection Kaladin had..combined it with his unusual Connection to the Spiritual Realm, and allowed Tien to communicate with Kaladin. That doesn't explain the horse though.

Ya know...Syl made a point that all of Kaladin's spears have spren. (Which means Brandon wanted to make that point "out loud" on the page) A spear is a weapon (unlike some other weapons) that can be used explicitly in a non-lethal manner. A weapon someone who wants to protect and respect, could use. The way you wrote that makes me wonder if Kaladin has a Connection to tools he sees as tools of protection, but specifically the spear? Almost like a personal oath. I mean, he goes on and on and on in his head about the need to protect, the ways one can or can't protect, if he is right or Lirin is right..etc. And, he many many times talks about "the spear" as if it is a living thing. Perception from sentient beings changes how objects feel about themselves, we know that much to be true. Can a Radiant form Connection with someone/something other than their spren, and utilize that Connection for something greater than when it is absent? Or is Kaladin just so intensely focused on "The Spear" that when he had broken his oaths, he was also breaking his perception of what the spear meant to him, and how it was to be used? Or am I getting too spiritual/fanciful on this?

Ok, yeah..that's totally fair. His comment struck me so forcefully as hilarious that I missed what he was saying. He seemed super-human in the way exceptionally talented athletes do..without actually being super human..until later when he was super human.

I mostly meant once he got to Amaram's army. He didn't really have much experience, but he took to it like a fish to water. So much so that the others were jealous of him until he was punished, and then he became a squad leader at, 18? I feel like Kaladin started around the level of MJ's second season at the Bulls, and not freshman year at NC. This is all up for debate..mostly I was just pointing out how hilarious it is, that Brandon said that Kaladin didn't have any more talent than say, the most talented athletes on the planet.

A one-armed Herdazian goes to apply as a bouncer at a bar in the Breakaway. Barkeep asks, "How are you going to break up fights?" Herdazian smiles and says, "Easy goncho, single-handedly!" **** A one-armed Herdazian walks into a pub, orders a drink, and happily tells the server, "I just bought my first house today!" Server asks, "Really? How much did it cost?" Herdazian looks at his missing arm and says, "About half as much as I expected!"

I would not say Kaladin is any more naturally gifted in that than your average [Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Joe Montana] is naturally gifted in what they do. Sure Brandon, that's a low bar. Kaladin was just the MJ of spear wielding, when he started.

I do remember that, but I just mentally glossed over it as it being his bones since TenSoon still had them. I never even considered it being a mistwraith..but that makes a lot more sense to me now that I get it.

I mean, nature consumes and repurposes all the time, so I don't find it to be particularly morbid. Assuming everyone who died got to go to the Beyond and wasn't doomed to oblivion because Yumi ate them..if that's the case then yeeeesh.

Ok, I just had a moment of inspiration, but I don't have the skills to actually put it into effect. So, I'll just share it and if anyone wants to do it, that would make me happy. Anyway..the idea was that you dress as zombie Yumi, and when people ask you who you are, you tell them you're a Spooky-hijo. *bows regardless of cheers and/or boos*

I guess I had never considered that Adonalsium's investiture still existed whole, anywhere. In my head, I just automatically assumed the shattering shattered investiture everywhere in the Cosmere..but there is actually no reason for why an invested object (no matter how large like a planet) would have to change. It's just an assumption I didn't consciously So...how did Yumi become so much more invested over the centuries? There is a net gain of investiture somewhere, and I don't know where that's coming from, since she is giving and not taking, as you pointed out? This is true, but with Cosmere aware people (more and more) using the same terms for similar effects of investiture..this point could actually prove the opposite of what you're saying. And, we won't really know which way it means, until Brandon canonizes it.

Absolutely the first time I've heard this. I always just assumed the spike made him more corporeal.

Boooooooooo hiss. But I also want to read all of that..so I guess i'll wait lol

That was in 2015..How many years is "many" to him I wonder. I hope less than 10

Im sorry, what? There is "natural" investiture that is separate from the Shards? Just on Roshar? On every world? That seems like an important detail to me.

Wait...what? What have I forgotten and/or never understood? Also fair point about Dalinar up to now. Now that you mention it, she literally rewrote Painter's body..or soulcast it..or something. Yeah, that definitely tracks.

I feel that Shallan would be a lot more capable too if she suddenly had the realization she was thousands of years old and had been practicing her art all that time. I am pretty sure Shallan is, ~18-19 atm in SA. I would think if Shallan were able to live as long as Yumi that she would be beyond a force to be reckoned with in the Cosmere. Were they random? Or, where they by the Intent of those wielding the Dawnshards to shape the Shards into those 16 aspects for whatever purpose? Does anyone know if there is WoB about that? That feels like RAFO territory to me though.

Ok, that makes a lot of sense. I also conveniently forget that the Nightmare was Liyun, which may or may not had something to with it as well. At the very least, as Brandon confirmed, the spirits were already interested in Painter, and when he went out of his way to paint the stable nightmare..it made a difference in Intent. I think that tracks pretty well for me. Thanks for the WoB as well, because that cleared a lot of things up for me. But two people sharing one body? That's more extreme than anything I've seen to date in the Stormlight Archives..granted SA5 may leave this sort of thing in the dust, I dunno. But that they were sharing a body seems next level to me. As @alder24 reminded me of as well, Yumi had been practicing her particular flavor of investiture usage/manipulation for something like ~2,700 Earth years (if their year is 52 weeks long, and there are 11 days to a week) and had become someone extremely unique as well so that clearly is part of the equation. The body swapping may indeed have been a side effect, but if so, that's pretty wild and still seems...extreme, I guess? But it's possible that the strength of the connection had a lot to do with how extremely invested Yumi is and that could go a long way in explaining it? I dunno for sure.

How or by what process did Painter and Yumi connect in the first place? I realized today reading through posts that I don't understand what the mechanism was in the first place that allowed them to be so deeply Connected? Because that seems like some Unchained Bondsmith level stuff, now that I'm really considering it.

THANK YOU! It was just that I didn't remember needing to hit the + in the corner once I'd uploaded it. I was sure that it was something simple like that, but I was missing it completely. Seriously, thank you.

Working on it Ok..I will give this another whirl. RoW Spoiler:

For text, I know I can type it inside the spoiler field after clicking the eyeball. I had wanted to post a picture inside the spoiler field, and I had thought that all I needed to do was open the tag and upload a picture and it would put it inside, but it doesn't work. Clearly I've forgotten a step or two along the way?