The_Milkgod
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I am presently unable to listen to the reading, could I get a description of what happened?
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- WoR
- WoK
- RoW
- OB
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On 9/23/2023 at 0:26 AM, Pruning the Blackthorn said:
Kaladin and Szeth road-trip bros! Also, learning more about the Shin in general.
So excited to see ma boy.
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I'm really sick of this theory oh my Lord.
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22 hours ago, alder24 said:
Here:
Headpat_Thot
The Reshi King from Rysn's interlude is probably trans. This statement is based on a few points
1: Everybody but Rysn (who's whole thing is that she's extremely green and unaware of the world) uses He/Him pronouns to refer to the reshi king.
2: When Rysn first meets the king, She genders him as a man, until she notices that he has breasts. This suggests that he has taken measures to present more masculine.
3: When Rysn refuses to call the king "king" his son loses his temper and tries to send her away. Up until then, he had been firm, but that was the point where he outright tells her to leave.
There is one line in the text where The king's son says "gender is irrelevant" in response to a question Rysn has about the king's gender.
I will say that this was written before the Author stopped using Gender and Sex interchangeably according to the WoB database.
Beyond that, I doubt the language they were speaking (thaylen) would have a robust understanding of sex and gender.
Credar
/u/mistborn was this your intention with the scene if you can confirm it? Or was it more the Egyptian style Hatshepsut-like others are mentioning?
Brandon Sanderson
I love Hatshepsut as an interesting quirk of history, and have long thought about ways to incorporate something similar. I did have that partially in mind when I was writing this, but more in the way that the culture was trying to understand him, rather than his own view of himself.
The king sees himself as male, and wishes to be treated that way--not just in title. In fact, in the coming months, you will see this character again briefly in some scenes I've already written, if you keep an eye out.
Jacky_Ragnarovna
ooh are we going back to the Reshi Isles? Will we get a beach episode?
Brandon Sanderson
Ha. RAFO.
pelolep
So the Reshi King canonically trans, right? I was hoping so when he was first mentioned, and I know it's been asked before if a trans Radiant would "heal" towards their true gender.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. And this is what happened.
That's because of how healing works in Cosmere. It matches your physical body to your spiritual ideal filtered by your cognitive perception. If you can change the way you view yourself, you can change your physical characteristics.
Questioner
I notice that Stormlight seems to be a bit volatile in how well it heals or who it heals. Because it seems like Renarin's eyesight would have been a long term problem, kinda like Rysn's legs maybe and Lopen's arm. But Lopen's arm got healed, Rysn's legs didn't and Kaladin's scars didn't. So I didn't know if there was a reason for those things.
Brandon Sanderson
So Stormlight healing, there's a couple things that have to be considered. But in reference to what you're saying, the person's perception of themselves is a huge part of it. The way healing works in the cosmere is, you've got the three versions of yourself. You've got your Physical version, your Cognitive version, and your Spiritual version, And a lot of Stormlight is taking your Physical version and matching it to the Spiritual version which is your ideal self. But it has to be filtered through the lens of your mind, and things like this.
I almost always--probably should say always--am using it to reinforce some sort of character attribute. The fact that Lopen never saw himself, even though he only had one arm, as being disabled, as a big influence, versus whether Kaladin feels deserves his brands or not. Does that makes sense? And those are two very different things that influence how the healing works. And you will see that as a metaphor and theme, if you watch what heals and what doesn't.
Edit: Theoretically, a human can heal into a Singer if some specific circumstances are met.
learhpa
Given that Stormlight healing matches to mental self-image (as shown by both the Lopen and by the Reshi monarch), could a really powerful hypnotist change someone's self-image in a way that would affect Stormlight healing? Could a powerful hypnotist use Stormlight healing to change a human into a listener?
Brandon Sanderson
Theoretically possible...to an extent. There is a limit to this, but the limitation is the amount of Investiture you have and access to Stormlight—or you know, Voidlight—can evidence this. Transformations that are happening in the storm to the listener forms are involved in this. That could theoretically happen to a human as well. But you would basically—what most likely would happen is it would have to involve a specific set of circumstances and then entering the storm, and then exiting as a listener—that could happen. You guys ask some farfetched things—that one's not so farfetched. It does require some specificity, but it could happen.
Interesting. This is from one of the interludes in WoR right? I should have I knew about the whole spiritual perception with Kaladin but hadn't thought of how it could change someone to such a large extent.
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6 hours ago, in Truth,watcher of tv said:
even as far as to change a person's sex.
Where is this confirmed? if at all.
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3 hours ago, Jn819 said:
Wait is this confirmed? She certainly likes looking human, unless that's just to make the Rosharans less uncomfortable in her presence.
Pretty sure it was confirmed in a WoB.
10 hours ago, Bigmikey357 said:Well Cultivation is a Dragon, naturally immortal and thus probably better able to deal with the effects a Shard imposes on its Vessels. If she's better able to wield Fortune then color me not surprised.
This has never popped in my head, interesting. i wonder what other implications her being a dragon could have =.
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1 minute ago, alder24 said:
Related to RoW is the revelation that Spren chose to break bonds as well, together with their knights.
Now more or less speculations: both knights and spren chose to break the bond, but because Ba Ado Mishram was just captured, ripping of her connection to everyone in Roshar, especially Spren, which hurt them so much that them breaking the bond make Spren unable to remain "alive", turning them into deadeye.
Ahh, I don't know why I didn't think of that when reading this. Thank ya lol
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So it's been about a year since I've read RoW so the details aren't fresh in my mind.
QuoteJurble
Dear Mr. Sanderson,
Given the motivation per the books that the Knights believed they were giving up their Surgebinding powers to prevent the destruction of Roshar à la Ashyn, in practical terms how did e.g. Windrunners break their bonds?
Since they believed they were doing the right (honorable) thing wouldn't simply deciding "I'm breaking my oaths for the good of Roshar" not damage the bond (especially if Fifth Ideal Windrunners have [attitude] similar to Nale's comment regarding his bond)? Or can one break the bond by force of will or decision as opposed to betraying oaths in a practical sense?
Brandon Sanderson
There is an explanation to give here, but it would have spoilers for Rhythm of War and Book Five, so I'll RAFO for now. Ask me in about three years and four months.
Does anyone know what this could be referring too? Obviously we don't know what it could spoil for book five, but I can't think of anything in RoW that relates to this.
General Reddit 2020 (Aug. 24, 2020)0 -
people like that don't change, they just dig their feet in and suffer for it.hopefully Sanderson will keep it that way.
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11 hours ago, Treamayne said:
All he has said about the Shattered Plains can be found in the WoBs found here.
Man I wish we had more info about how the shattered plains came to be.
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On 1/19/2021 at 8:50 PM, Kyn said:
That’s what it feels like, to me, to be in the almost-apathetic state where inability to sleep effectively, horror from impotence in the face of friends being hurt, and the crushing weight of everything, all compounded over months leaves you distanced from yourself. Like you’re left kind of watching your life numbly instead of doing and wanting and feeling things.
haven't seen this put to words so well.
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i'm presently re-reading but so far its still WoR, but ay it could change
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1 minute ago, Frustration said:
Not necessarily
Ghost2352
Would striking a chime or bell made of a God Metal produce a similar note to that God Metal's corresponding tone?
Brandon Sanderson
Not necessarily.
Unfortunate.
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1 minute ago, lacrossedeamon said:
I assume a Spren could form the strings as part of that single solid piece. I’m not sure about the acoustics of a fully metal guitar though.
Steel guitars exist. Strings probably wouldn’t be in any type of tuning… although maybe the spren could form it at the right tension.
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42 minutes ago, TheSurvivorofDeath said:
You'd need to carry the strings with you since spren can only form a single solid piece.
That’s what I was wondering about. I wonder if any music produced would have some sort of affect with investiture? I doubt it from my understanding of things.
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Now the question is… shardguitar and or some stringed instrument? Not a weapon but I’m just curious.
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6 hours ago, KaladinWorldsinger said:
I don't know
The wait kinda looks a the result of a problem not being fully solved and instead a temporary solution was found. Like maybe an oathpact that lasts for the gap. A delaying tactic. It is not set in stone, but is based on the ideas like will Odium lose in book5 of 10? Especially this will be the first book of taravodium. Will he lose immediately? That will be boring a little. But it's just a theory, not a fact
It could be anything. To me it seems more like something may go wrong with the contest more than anything. However your thought I could see happening as well.
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Just now, KaladinWorldsinger said:
Because Dalinar keeps thinking about it.
And there is a 10-15 year gap between first and second half of Stormlight
Yeah I mean why does he think about it? He’s seen what it does to the heralds etc. I don’t see why the thought is in anyones head at this point in the story.
What does that have anything to do with it?
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There have been talks in the books of a new oathpack being made and I see it discussed here in the forum. Personally I think its a stupid idea. We have had it hammered into us the failing of the old one with heralds over time going insane and the shortening of returns. So why is it still an idea?
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19 minutes ago, Returned said:
That's my point, though. As described in the book, it can't be twisted. That's what "letter and spirit" means-- the only thing it means. A contract including both letter and spirit can either be kept or broken. The deal is to end the war (or at least Odium's participation in it) through the contest. A loophole would involve not doing the contest as outlined and/or not ending the conflict, and so would be breaking the contract because it seeks to violate the spirit of the deal on a technicality in the text.
Such an outcome may well happen, but since it's functionally the same as breaking the agreement we might as well talk about what that would entail and how a specific method of breaking the contract might be relevant to events. So if we're talking about the contest not ending the war because both combatants die at the exact same instant, for example, then the letter and spirit of the contract are not upheld even though it's nobody's fault (and the contract doesn't specify what would happen in such an edge case).
I just don't see how it would matter, in itself, if the contract were technically adhered to or not (even though I think it clearly would not be, because no twisting is permitted). That outcome would still be really important: nobody gets what they'd hoped for if they won, the war continues as it has been, there is no mechanism for dealing with Odium any more, and the terms of the deal can't even potentially help anyone any more. It would largely be as if the contract had never existed.
So then whether or not the contract itself was upheld or violated seems irrelevant at that point. Like, if we were to game out that specific outcome, what difference would the contract being upheld, blamelessly broken, or voided make?
I'm not intending to discourage anyone from theorycrafting about possible plot developments, but "I think [X] could happen" doesn't strike me as fundamentally different from "I think [X] could happen and uphold the contract somehow" or "I think [X] could happen but only by breaking the contract". I think that there are interesting discussions to be had around what consequences might follow from a specific conclusion to the contest, but only in the context of those consequences. Arguing about whether or not that conclusion satisfies an arbitrary interpretation of an arbitrary standard, in a vacuum, seems to be both upsetting to people and also blocks off those discussions. It seems obviously possible that the contract be unable to perform through any number of mechanisms (say, the champions are both delayed by traffic and can't make it to the arena on the appointed day no matter what they do, but the contract fixes the fight for a specific day, so what now?). But what of it?
But that's just my perspective on the issue. If it is an appealing one to anybody in the thread, I'll ask this: what do you think would the impact on the plot would be if the contest failed to end the war as it was intended to, despite not being broken by either party?
It’d likely make Odium a much greater threat to the wider Cosmere. The struggle on Roshar itself could continue as is or perhaps if Odium is no longer chained then he could go and gather more forces. Or alternatively he could just leave and take his forces with him, though Roshar seems too valuable to just leave.
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16 minutes ago, Returned said:
I think that this entire discussion is has gotten off-center. Following the spirit of an agreement is also following the letter of it. What the "spirit of the agreement" phrase indicates is that there is no wiggling into a technicality (or loophole) which is technically within what the wording of the contract lays out but which is obviously contrary to what the agreement is intended to be. The very concept of a loophole which can be exploited to get out of what the contract has established is the exact opposite keeping the agreement in letter and spirit, and if a loophole is a viable option then the whole "spirit of the contract" element is totally irrelevant. To look for a loophole is to explicitly and specifically discard what we've been told about the deal.
The alternatives people have posited (so far, and that I've seen) fall into a couple of categories. The final two are my own ideas that I don't recall having seen before (though I'd be happy to give credit if I've forgotten where I saw them):
- The spirit of the contract is functionally irrelevant, so we can lawyer away at the text of the agreement. This is a necessary assumption when looking for a loophole.
- The contract will be adhered to but one side (usually assumed to be Odium) will do so in a way that makes victory far more likely for them. The specifics vary based on the particular theories of what that way is, but this is equivalent to a strategy for winning the contest, not a way of weaseling out of the deal. It's not a loophole.
- The contract is not relevant to the new Odium's goals, so it's an irritation for him but not as consequential as it was for the old Odium. The ideas of winning or losing the contest have a totally different context and meaning for Odium now compared to when the deal was struck, so keeping it or breaking it are now different considerations and we don't know how to evaluate the implications. Finding a loophole is probably not an issue in this case (though we don't know enough to say this very confidently).
- The consequences of breaking the contract are not what we've assumed. Being "in someone's power" is not a clearly defined state, though there are obvious assumptions that we've been making so far about what that means here. Another issue, separately or relatedly, is that the presumption that Odium can't break his word has been over-interpreted. He can't break his word without risking consequences from other Shards-- it would leave him vulnerable in some poorly defined way. A strategy to deal with that risk, generally or in this specific case, would change what we've been assuming are inviolable rules.
The spirit of the contract is to end the current war between Odium and the humans (and their friends) on Roshar via a fight to the death between champions selected by Dalinar and Odium, respectively. I think that what people are really looking for in discussions like this is a plot twist that might subvert our expectations.
There may not be one. It's not exactly uncommon for an epic fantasy story to have a conclusion driven by a hero fighting against a villain in a climactic event. The way that such an event plays out will still have implications for future Cosmere works even if it occurs exactly as the contract suggests. A twist could be interesting but is not the only interesting outcome that is possible.
People can, and should, theorize to their hearts' content about how the first SA arc will end. But when the possibilities we're entertaining are unlimited, like the range between the contract being perfectly followed and the contract being irrelevant, arguing specifics gets overly precise pretty quickly. For example, if you think that the conclusion will involve both champions quitting the contest, then what does it matter if the contract is kept in the process or not given that that's already how you think it will end? Why not talk about the consequences that might follow from the posited conclusion rather than debate minutia in an undefined space?
I agree, however it is fun to try and see if there would be any way the contract could be twisted. The current argument is definitely not really doing that unfortunately.
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2 minutes ago, Frustration said:
Contest ends as soon as one champion dies.
Anything after that is no longer part of the deal, and thus cannot impact it in any way.
Contest ends when one champion walks out alive.
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Some fun SA 6-10 predictions
in Stormlight Archive
Posted
other than Adin and Kal points all of this I agree with and see happening