Argent

Yea, my jaw dropped when Batman stepped out of Luthadel...

I was. Pretty much in every way. I am pretty bad at catching Brandon's foreshadowing...

It has to be hatred, it's what the word means. It could be specific though, I say nothing about that.

This is one of the main reasons we have interludes

Not to my (considerable, but incomplete) knowledge.

I find it hard to believe you struggle with Brandon's original works...

Odium's intent is odium. Profound hatred.

I am not entirely convinced on the basket thing. What defines "exposure to the highstorm?" The air? The rain? Some energy bound to the storm itself? Each one of those sound like it would be possible to build your house to have a tiny room, or even a small compartment, fully inside except for a small hole somewhere stormward - something that would allow the rain / air / energy to flow in.

Eh... None of those facts point towards your conclusion. Moash being the bastard son of a lighteyes is something the fits the data, but not something that's derived from the data.

This is a very good point. Strictly physical speaking, the highstorms shouldn't be able to differentiate between a sphere put in a closed basket outside, and a sphere sitting inside a house. But they do. I was thinking about this a couple of weeks back, wondering why people can't just build small pockets on the outside walls of their houses or something... but I never made the connection with the mists refusing to enter buildings. +1

Probably. It's possible that the Shards make a (sub)conscious decision about this. I would like it better if it was the planet's Cognitive or Spiritual aspect that determined this, but I wouldn't call it a fact.

I am sorry, but there is very little I can agree with in your post... Let me explain why: I am not sure Kaladin belongs to the academia. Was training as a surgeon involved mostly route memorization, and this is not what academia is about. Academia is about research and the pursuit - and discovery - of new knowledge. Does Jasnah explicitly state her respect for honorable people? I think she referred to Taravangian as "a good man." But even if she called him honorable, he is only one man with one trait; Jasnah has made it clear that she respects... scholarly qualities. The brain over the heart, per se. And while Kaladin is far from stupid, I already said that I don't see him as a scholar. Kaladin loves peace? Last I checked he was still pretty convinced that the only way to talk to Amaram and Sadeas was with fists. He is also still a warrior - don't mistake his honor for peacefulness or pacifism. Plus, Captain of the Cobalt Guard is hardly a title Jasnah will associate with dislike of war. This entire line of reasoning about Jasnah's possible abuse in the past, and how Kaladin will redeem the male gender in her eyes... that's grasping for straws. Maybe Jasnah has a history of abuse. Maybe it was sexual. Maybe Kaladin (and not some other good man) will make a strong impression on her. Maybe she will grow to love him. My thoughts are similar about Kaladin's flute and Jasnah's hypothetical secret skill in music. Kaladin's mistrust can be lifted by Shallan just as easily as by Jasnah. Or Dalinar for that matter - there is no reason to require a woman and a sexual partner for this. Not all Radiants were fighters. The Elsecallers even feel like one of the less warrior-like Orders - they would have to rely entirely on Stormlight to fight their enemies, which could be difficult, impractical, and / or expensive. Much easier to send a, say, Windrunner who can still do a lot of damage with relatively little Stormlight. Now, if you still haven't decided to find me and rip my throat out, let me say that I am notoriously bad at giving negative feedback. I don't know how to make it not sound almost like insults. But I do disagree with your theory, and the bullet points above are why.

The Shard of Motion. The Shard of Metabolism. I am also torn between the Shard of Interest and the Shard of Desire.

This is this Botanica, by the way, folks. You know, in case you've been living under a rock lately. A boring and deprived rock with no Internet. Now, this being out of the way... Hello, and welcome! I can assure you that the only people who will not be delighted to have you here are the ones who don't know you are here. Their loss, I say. Our gain I can relate to the feeling of not reading Brandon in English (first) though. Although I've only read him in English, I've leafed through the pages of a few of his translated works, and it just doesn't feel the same. It's interesting, of course, but it doesn't feel like him. It's not just language specific jokes (I can't even begin to imagine Wit's mocking translated in another language) and compound words (Shardblade was translated roughly as "Spell Sword," for example). It's different. But! You've read the originals, and that puts you in a wonderful position to appreciate his work to its fullest. That's what matters (liking and appreciating his work, not reading it in English)

Hmm. This feels much better. I think - and keep in mind, I am no artist! - that the next step should be to make the "seams" between the "scales" very difficult to see. It feels like I should be able to see not the "seams" but the change in the Plate's curvature caused by them. I can't find an example (and to be honest, I can really visualize what I am saying...), so let me back off for a moment and say this. I very much like the mesh and the solid pieces work together - mesh for the mobile parts (e.g. elbow), solids for the stationary ones (e.g. forearm). It's good (though maaaybe there is too much of it). But then, oddly, I like the first design too - I look at it, and it speaks mobility and flexibility. But it also looks like cloth, and I believe a Shardplate is supposed to be flexible and bulky. It makes me think a little bit of Samus... sigh I ramble. This feels much more like brainstorming than feedback. I think I'll need to reread a couple of scenes before I can make sense of all this. But I do like the mesh. On a side note, I am happy with this Kaladin. His... features feel right. I had to look twice to make sure they match his racial stereotype - which means that he didn't feel out of place, his face is not Asian, it just has some features. Which is awesome. Though you keep drawing him with straight hair Finally, a question. Did you know that cheekbones (and more specifically, how high or low they are) very strongly define the race we attribute to people? I can't tell from Kaladin's sketch (because it's a sketch, durrr), but if I recall correctly the farther East you go, the higher cheekbones you will see. I don't know much about this, but I was watching an open hangout with Pat Rothfuss a couple of months back, and the artist he was talking with mentioned it and showed a few examples. I could dig it out for you if that's something new / interesting / useful to you.

Brandon mispronounces his names all the time - as he readily admits every time somebody asks him about pronunciation

I was happy with it. Didn't think too much about it. I guess after seeing how low he has gone, even a trivial reason such as "because of love" seemed good enough. Plus, Lews Therin's love for Illyena has been kind of a big deal throughout the series.

I don't see how it could be related to Soulcasting at all - her experiences with the goblet are very distinct (the cryptics, Shadesmar, the truth). All those were new to her during her tutelage with Jasnah, so it's safe to rule them out as related to her father's death.

I thought it was 10...

I think Vev kind of fits, and I'd be curious to see how the others obey (or don't) the Ideals, but I am not entirely sold on this. It's interesting, but I'll be conservative about it.

The Emperor's Soul

It's difficult, and often unproductive, to try to convert people to Sanderson / fantasy by using The Way of Kings if they are not serious epic fantasy readers already. I would try one of Brandon's smaller books (for complete newbies) or Mistborn (for more advanced readers). Now, finally on topic: World / Setting. Medieval Europe as a liiitle overdone for a fantasy setting. This is a point in favor of any of Brandon's books, but The Stormlight Archive is the best example. It not only steers away from the Middle Ages fantasy, it takes place in a planet very unlike Earth. The highstorms and the landscape are the obvious ones, and the unique (and sensible) flora and fauna complement them very nicely. It is actually surprising non-shelled animals (e.g. horses) even exist on Roshar. The grass has to be my favorite here though - Brandon's attention to detail is unparalleled here. On a related note, much about Roshar is stunningly visual and dynamic. The planet, much more than Earth, is alive. Everything is in constant motion, the world itself lives - you can see it in the non-sedentary plants, you can see it in the colossal armored animals, you can see it in the highstorms, and you can definitely see it in the spren (which probably deserve a bullet point of their own too...). Cultures. Similarly to the setting, the cultures of Roshar bear very little resemblance to Earth's. The fact that pretty much everyone is at least part Asian is something I still struggle with - it's going to take a lot of fan art before I stop imagining Kaladin and Dalinar as anything other than Caucasian. Characters. The viewpoint characters are exquisite. Adolin might be the closest thing to a normal character we have; everyone else displays a unique touch. Kaladin has to deal with a very real depression (which, if the Internet is any indication, Brandon has done a spectacular job at describing properly). Jasnah is such a convincing atheist (and scholar) that it's hard to imagine she was not written by Richard Dawkins. Shallan is an amazing mix of shyness, demure, determination, hesitation, and... well, murder. Dalinar shows incredible character development and growth, doing an almost full 180. And the villains are equally compelling - Taravangian is shaping up to be the perfect antagonist (or is it anti-hero?), Sadeas is insanely despicable, yet not truly evil, and Szeth has such a heart-wrenching internal conflict I could weep for him if his situation wasn't so impossible to relate to. Hell, even Amaram is nowhere near one-sided - I don't fully share Kaladin's hatred for the man, I think he genuinely believed the Shards Kaladin won would help the army more. "Odium has killed me." How is that not the most surprising thing in literature? We live in a world where it is largely accepted that divine intervention doesn't happen a whole lot. Whether it is because there is nothing supernatural about the world (as I believe), or because everything is a part of a divine plan set in motion (as some religious people believe), or because God intervenes through natural causes (as some other religious people believe), or because it's not His business to hold people's hands (as yet another group of religious people believe)... Roshar, and all of the cosmere, are full of magic, however - atheism is a little more difficult there. But the idea that you don't see God's (Shard's?) hand moving things because that God is dead? You just don't see in fantasy. Magic. Needless to say, the magic system is awesome. It still feels a little... rigid... compared to Brandon's other magic systems (Awakening, for example, looks like it gives the Investor much more freedom and room for creativity), but the series is young. I am a little concerned that we might end up with a system where each Investor can do only a limited number of things, without much variation (e.g. the Three Lashings), but Szeth's creativity dispels much of this concern. Plus, magic based on people's actions is a pretty fresh idea - and it's definitely several steps ahead of any generic-based system. The book. I have to add this one - the hardcover of The Way of Kings is a work of art. The chapter headers are probably the smallest of the things that impress me about it. The in-world art, including the front- / end-sheet drawings give it a very nice feel. The fact that the books' names form a ketek, which might even have a significance in-world meaning is one of the nicest touches here. And a ton of other small things. Shallan's witty comments. Jasnah's cold reason. The interludes as a means of exploring the world...

I think you've made the Shardplate look too much like ordinary plate armor - which it really shouldn't be. I would probably try to make to make it look a little more like a chainmail (fluid, with uniform texture), quargon has the same issue, I think, in spite of the gorgeous designs and the interesting chest piece. mighty5cent has the right idea though - the entire armor looks futuristic and fluid. If it were real plate armor, it would chafe insanely, but because of its magical nature, none of those pieces bite. My only beef with this design (aside from the fact that Dalinar's armor should be slate grey, which is irrelevant here) is that the whole thing should be much more seamless. Shardplate is not supposed to have so many potential opening where an opponent could slide a blade under the pieces. It should be... well, every two pieces should fit together like bricks in a wall. Touching tightly, but not overlapping. Maybe I am describing something impossible. I admit, I don't have a clear picture of how the Plate should look like. But I know the word "seamless" should pop into my head when I look at one, and I haven't really seen anything on the Internet that makes me say that. Then again, Shardplate is not concerned with structural stability - all it needs is to cover the Shardbearer, it is not necessary for it to balance mass, or be bothered with softer spots. In a way, it doesn't matter whether the armor fit as tightly as cloth or bulked as much as plate armor.

I am actually not sure this is all that effective. At least not much better than just a bunch of lines behind one another. The corners still feel weird, though yours are stronger than the sides - but only because you've drawn a ton of diagonal lines. You also have those V-shapes I am not at all convinced are doing you any good - their sharp pivot points sounds like an excellent attack point.

Is it clear that there is delay? I always assumed the Blade appeared as soon as its owner died, and delay Szeth might perceive can easily attributed to the fact that determining the exact time of death is not very easy without sophisticated medical equipment. It's not like Szeth was sitting there, measuring Gavilar's vitals...