Ninth of the Night

I'm not so sure this is the case, at least not entirely. We have very limited exposure to non-enlightened Truthwatchers, but the Honorbearer that Szeth briefly fought didn't use illusions in the same way as a Lightweaver. The ball of light is the biggest clue here (which Renarin also does), and the fact that the illusions in question are manifestations from Szeth's past, which is information that the Truthwatcher probably wouldn't have full knowledge of. So it seems to me that their version of Illumination involves less art and creativity, and looks more geared to bringing someone else's imagination to life instead of their own. Basically every Order uses their shared Surges a little differently. As pointed out in the post above, Skybreakers don't have the same grace as a Windrunner when flying, because they don't have Adhesion to sculpt the air around them. They quite literally break through the sky. Additionally, the name makes even more sense if you really imagine someone crashing through the air with a blazing trail of flames behind them. To a regular person on the ground it would certainly appear like the sky is breaking. Turning things to dust definitely sounds like a good reason to be called Dustbringer, yeah. Back to Truthwatchers, they are generally obsessed with discovering the truth, they watch out for it everywhere they go. Which is why, if my assumptions are correct, their Lightweaving centers on revealing the deeper secrets of another person. Their name makes perfect sense in that regard. Willshapers are all about liberation, freeing people from shackles, whether they be physical or cognitive. Shaping the will of those they save to fight for their own personal freedom (including themselves). Admittedly, I don't know enough about their specific Surge combination to bother with any speculation on how it applies to their title. I'm confident it'll make thematic sense once we learn more about the Order though.

Just took a glance at Nightwatcher's Coppermind wiki and the single piece of trivia provided me with some amusement: Also I doubt she's confined to the Valley. Much like the Stormfather she can probably travel if she wishes to. Someone can correct me if there's information to the contrary, but I don't believe her essence is what maintains the Valley where she resides. The Sibling is Urithuru, which is why their Bondsmith has to stay within range to access their powers. The Tower is the physical manifestation of said spren, I don't think the same applies to the Nightwatcher.

Easy choice then. I'll live in Silverlight, full Feruchemist (although it's a toss up between that and Mistborn), Odium as my enemy since he can't leave Roshar nor can any of his followers. I'm perfectly safe from him. And by the time he becomes Retribution, the whole cosmere will be his enemy, so I'll be in good company.

What are we counting as Shadesmar, just the region on Roshar or the entire Cognitive Realm? If it's the latter then that will easily be my choice, I'd just live in Silverlight. Although if it's the former I don't see much reason in splitting that up from Roshar altogether.

I think it's bit ruthless to call her a monster. Jasnah clearly has some deep seeded trauma that she's likely struggled to keep burried all her life. Her lack of empathy is almost certainly a result of that, not because she doesn't want to be empathetic, but because she has been conditioned to believe it would make her weak and susceptible to betrayal. No I wouldn't consider her a hero, but that doesn't automatically make her an irredeemable monster. People are more nuanced than that. She's still learning and healing, give her time. Dalinar was also a rather heinous individual in his youth, look how he turned out. Jasnah is probably following a similar path.

We don't know how much time will pass for Kaladin and the other Heralds. They're in the Spiritual Realm, and Roshar is stuck in a time dilation bubble. So 10 years will pass for Roshar, while 100+ will pass for the rest of the cosmere. As for the Heralds, it could be anywhere from 1 to 1,000 years, since time has no natural flow in the Spiritual Realm. We simply have no way of knowing which it'll be yet.

You forgot Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: Nightmares and Painters gone Sunlit Man: Gone (away from Canticle where the title was earned)

It isn't that complicated, the story is basically being translated twice. Hoid translating in-world for his audience (where he does not use the word December), and then Brandon translating for his irl audience. It's really just that simple. No need to overthink it or let it ruin your enjoyment of the surrounding story.

The whole point of the Unoathed is not to be bonded. Hence the name. That way they can lend their Radiant power to anyone they choose, not just for one person, and still maintain their freedom. So yes they could join with another Radiant and be just fine. Deadeye Blades are always screaming, even when a non-Radiant is wielding them, the person simply isn't Invested enough to hear it. Deadeyes are essentially fixed now though, no longer screaming in pain.

Coincidentally I have the first ideal tattooed on my chest. I've always been meaning to add more to it but couldn't decide what. Crossed Shardblades was my original intention but I don't quite think they would fit too well. "Journey Before Destination" are words I like to live by. There are many good quotes to choose from, try to pick one that truly connects with you. The words will be close to your heart, quite literally, so be sure they reflect what's in it.

I had the same impression when first reading the description of the entity, it evoked similarities to Cusicesh. Now that I'm more fully thinking about it, I believe it's likely that it's a splinter of Ambition. One that has long been "domesticated" so to speak, much like the Dakwara. The Iriali, long long ago, shaped the entity into what they now know as their guardian or guide. Not the Shard itself, a splinter. A bound entity. And your description fits considering the Iriali are known for changing location a lot. There's also no indication that it isn't anti-Investiture. We haven't seen anyone get close to the thing to tell. But if it is indeed a splinter of Ambition then it's most certainly made of anti-Investiture.

Please try to avoid double posting, it's against forum policy. As for Cognitive Shadows, there is no definitive answer and likely never will be. Much like with the Beyond, Brandon intends to leave it up to personal interpretation. If you want to believe they're a copy of the original, it's your right to do so. Many others, myself included, believe it's the original soul (or Spirit Web) that continues to persist. Note that in the WoB included in your opening post Brandon says it's an in-universe theory. It isn't concrete evidence one way or the other. He simply states that some characters (like Vasher) take the Investiture copy stance while many others disagree with that assumption. It's also possible that both answers are true and it just depends on the process used to create the Cognitive Shadow.

To be fair, I think Dalinar was originally planned to become a Fused. Based on a WoB we know that one of the characters ended up making the opposite decision from what was initially outlined. This would explain why the Blackthorn Shadow comes off a little messy narratively. It was always the intention to turn Dalinar into a Darth Vader type, but by the end of WaT it didn't make sense for him to make that decision. So instead he "dies" while we still get a version of the Blackthorn who'll work for the enemy. Brandon trying to have his cake and eat it too. It works well enough I suppose.

Quite a few fantastic moments, I'll just add a couple for now. Hoid commanding the Dawnshards to stop with a simple "No" was incredibly awesome. I like the amount of cool-guy exposure he got in this book overall. His mastery over Investiture is fun to see, even in just little snippets. Another small moment that I thought was great, in a humorous way, was Szeth chucking a spoon at his spren's head. Perfect comedic timing from someone so serious.

The 10 year timeskip between books 5 and 6 will take care of that. The second arc isn't gonna cover 80 years of Rosharan time. Also I feel it's important to note that a flashback character doesn't need to be alive for their book to happen. While I doubt she'll actually die before then, it is totally in the realm of possibility that she'll be gone from the present day by the time book 10 occurs.

Brandon has played the souls games, or at least Elden Ring. There are a few examples of his stories being influenced by various video games, mostly Souls and Final Fantasy. Yumi spoilers Not saying that Lezian was exactly inspired by the Pursuer in DS2, considering it's a basic title with obvious implications, that anyone could come up with. But I do like to think there's some correlation there.

Heralds obtain new bodies when they Return, made entirely of Investiture. They have no true body, this was why Kaladin had to leave a corpse behind. His "mind" is in tact but he no longer has an original organic body. This is and has always been true for the other Heralds, as far as we know. So the torture they experienced on Braize was mental trauma, regular torture as we think of it shouldn't have any effect on them. Their body is basically a mental manifestation, no separation between the two. If their mind is protected, then so is their "body". I said body a lot in this post. Word has lost all meaning.

Moash: "I'm doing the right thing!" Stick: "I am a stick." Moash: "No! I'll make you understand, and then my friends will finally see that my way is the correct path!" Stick: "I am a stick." Moash: "Elhokar had to die! Anyone who makes an ignorant mistake that inadvertently hurts others deserves death and nothing else!" Stick: "...I am a stick." Moash: "Of course I work for Odium now, he's the only one who's ever truly understood me. I feel like I'm in good hands with him, no way he'll ever let me down!" Stick: "You're crazy, dude."

Kaladin has Herald powers that he doesn't yet have any experience with. Like at all. Nale does. A lot of experience. An unimaginable amount of practice with said powers. This is no contest. Nale wins. It would be a repeat of what we already saw. Ask this question again in 10 years when it won't be completely one-sided. Seriously, and sorry if this sounds rude, these vs topics need a little more thought behind them sometimes. The cosmere just isn't really condusive to power scaling debates.

Except that we don't even know if Sigzil can summon his Plate anymore. He was unsure how his relationship with it stood in the end of the book. The only reason he was able to use it was because of Aux's sacrifice, which he can't do again... It was a one-time brief burst of power. Besides, Plate alone wouldn't aid him all that much in this situation, as he still wouldn't have access to any Surges. The only advantage he has is all the extra experience he's gained over the decades of traveling the cosmere. Which might not be much of a difference maker. He still has a Torment to wrestle with, but even without that I don't think he'd have the means of defeating Kaladin. Sig is more of a scientist while Kal has significant innate fighting skill. He was practically born with a spear in his hands. He has proven time and time again just how good he is, even before gaining powers. And let's forget about his Herald status for a minute, he's still a 5th Ideal Radiant, and his spren is still alive. Sigzil has no Radiant bond at all as of now. Sure he can still wield Aux's corpse, but that's not an advantage against Kaladin, it would barely put him on even footing. With Herald powers, it's not even a contest. Sigzil wouldn't want to partake in such a challenge, he's smart enough to recognize when he's outclassed. And this is all without taking their personalities into account. The simple truth is this fight would never happen since these two are best friends. Sigzil still views Kaladin as a legendary hero, as made evident by his deep seeded refusal to even consider the possibility that his idol is dead and gone even though it's been decades since he last saw him. He still holds onto that Bridge 4 belief that Kaladin will always return. And Return he shall.

Highly implausible, considering the Taln we know now is the most mentally broken a person could conceivably be. He still got up and became an instant recognizable threat to a large group of Fused. And I believe that was just him running on pure instinct. So hindering his mind with emotional Allomancy, if it's even possible at all, would most likely do virtually nothing to Taln.

No way, Adolin and Szeth are gonna be cyborg-lite from now on, Shardleg and Shardarm respectively. But there is a chance Adolin will be able to Regrow his leg if he can manage to be like The Lopen. Just have to hold on to the correct self perception, I don't know if he's truly capable of that though.

Also Rashek actually doesn't try to talk Vin out of killing him. Once the full realization of his failure sets in he just has some words of warning for her. Otherwise he seems to accept his fate right there on the spot.

My point was that with enough Investiture anyone can survive the vacuum of space relatively easily. Raboniel also mentions sending Heavenly Ones to try it out once but they died within hours due to the strange pressures and not bringing enough Voidlight. Living Shardplate would likely mitigate the dangers even more. Plus Voidlight isn't as potent as other forms of Investiture due to Odium being stingy. And please excuse my nitpick of your nitpick, Sigzil's survivability is due to always being Invested. The Dawnshard presumably gave him the ability to absorb any type of Investiture to sustain him, but if he runs out he's just as vulnerable as anyone else. He flirts with death a few times in Sunlit Man, heck he almost dies in the first chapter. It's effectively no different than a Radiant with Stormlight.

Great topic! Gaz is one of the characters I feel for, and it's great to see him growing and changing. It could have been so easy to just kill him off earlier without anyone caring (like Amaram, poor guy), but instead he's given the time needed to heal. It's beautiful, and I hope the members of Bridge 4 eventually come around and accept him as a changed man. They don't have to forgive him of course, simply some understanding on their part would be nice.