CtrlAltDepressed

I would strongly recommend that you bring an adult with you to the convention. I have never been to Dragonsteel Nexus specifically but I have been to other conventions and for your safety (and a number of other potential reasons) you should have an adult present - even if you are technically allowed to attend without one.

Might want to remove any spoilers from the title....

Hello all, This was an idea that popped into my head that has little to no evidence and is purely for fun. We know that Lift and Vasher are going to be hanging out. We know that Vasher is on Roshar for easy investiture. Now, I think Vasher will just pray to Retribution like everyone else - but I could also seem him refusing to do so. Heres the idea: A buddy comedy style book of grumpy, centuries old Vasher moving through the cognitive realm with Lift, the child who refuses to grow up, while they search for a new planet. I know this wont happen but it was fun to think about.

Agreed. Though I don't know if that conversation is truly relevant.

You can copy a quote from a new submission and then paste in into your edit. Its a bit wonky but it works. Steps: highlight desired section hit quote selection click on quote box that appears in new submission ctrl + c (or equivalent) close new submission and open edit post ctrl + v (or equivalent) you should now have a quoted section that you can add to an edit

I think because to a lot of people, there isn't anything to think about. Can they willingly consent? Are they cute? That is the thought process of a majority of people when seeing this in media. It's kind of human nature. We did this to other humanoid species in our past and there is no doubt in my mind that if we encountered a humanoid sapient alien species that it would not take long at all for people to start dating them. Unfortunately Brandon is a human that has only ever talked to humans. He has no idea what an actual alien would be like, no one does, so the best we can do is make them human. Even in Star Trek, where there are very inhuman species, they are all still very human in a lot of ways. Needing community, mental stimulation, love of art, intense emotions. I think its good that you are thinking critically about this, and I dont want to imply that we should just accept every relationship we see as good, inter species or not. You have to evaluate on an individual level. Like Hoid and Jasnah - both humans - but anyone could have said that its weird a 10,000+ year old guy is dating a 30 year old. Looking at the relationship itself, Rlain and Renarin make a lot of sense to me. There are other relationships that might not make sense to me, but wether they do or dont wont be based on what species they are or what they look like. It will be based on wether the relationship is beneficial for both parties. If thats the case, nothing else really matters.

Because at the end of the day people are people. Wether they are old or young, large or small, yolish or singer - thats a person. This extends to spren too, it seems. Its clear that Brandon wants us to view all of these different groups as people. I think there is some alien prejudice involved in this discussion because people are imagining real life aliens. Thats why this is acceptable (imo). These aren't real life aliens. They are a species that has been living in concert with humans for THOUSANDS of years. Its not like a singer hopped off a spaceship and immediately started dating a human. Even if that was the case, they all have a common creator. Ado clearly intended for species to be able to breed, or they wouldn't have allowed that. There is a lot of this in the cosmere. We have Wax and Wayne both dating Kandra (who are far more inhuman than singers, they literally eat humans). We have heralds dating humans when they are basically spren. We have Hoid dating Jasnah even though he knew her great great great great great great grandpa. We have Syladin basically comfirmed. People are people, and this is a fantasy universe. I expect us to see all kinds of relationships. Dragons with humans, humans and sho-del, shard and human, sleepless and dragon, spren and sho-del could all be possible.

Guns are already spike guns

What do you think of the possibility of navani separating stormlight from either warlight or towerlight using her rhythm experiments from ROW?

So we know that Retribution attempted to recall all the spren, and the new oathpact now protects their lives. My question is, who exactly is protected by this? Are the unmade and Voidspren included in this protection?

Here is the quote from the book about the chasmfiend singing. I think a 4th shard hiding in the system could be really cool if done correctly. For instance, the Iriali. This is what SR hoid says: I think the theory that the Iriali are Reason / Valor is very solid right now. So yea, there was a 4th shard in the system technically, but it appeared to everyone else to be just a group of migratory people.

It has only been a month and the city was besieged. Azir will be able to get Warlight when things have settled a bit and they can start trading with their neighbors. Spoilers (lost metal): Why wouldn't they?? So we spend an ENTIRE book experimenting with the rhythms and then the next book all of that is irrelevant now? I highly doubt that. Manipulating lights should be far easier than any solid form of investiture. I would be extremely disappointed if Navanis experiments mean nothing. I definitely would - because that is not the Rhythm of War. We know from the book ROW that the rhythm of war is the combination of honor and odium, like towerlight is the combination of honor and cultivation. If they were merged into one rhythm, it would no longer be the Rhythm of War. It would be the pure tone of whatever shard that becomes. Retribution is a single shard made of two intents. Those two intents are still distinct within him. Wat page 1295 As evidenced by this passage, he holds two distinct intents. Not one. Honor still very much exists, it is just now entangled with odium.

I dont see why they couldnt. They are able to use towerlight, why should warlight be any different? If for some reason they arent, Navanis experiments should still be valid: separating warlight / towerlight for usable stormlight using the rhythms. The spren, through the new oathpact, are separate from Retribution - otherwise they would be absorbed. This should mean that their powers work as they did before.

I heard that they wont sell it until tomorrow. Their POS system should prevent the sale from going through. At least, thats what my local bookstore is doing. They want to be prepared for the rush tomorrow so have set out the displays, but won't sell until tomorrow.

This is fair, but I do see it a different way. I agree that Taravangian has not been Honorable by standard definitions. He has lied, cheated, and killed to achieve his goals. But, what are those goals? To save everyone. This is certainly honorable, even if the execution of that goal is not. He desires no praise or recognition for his work, and has even accepted that many will hate him for what he does, but that is his burden to bear as King. We see that compassionate Taravangian weeps for those he has hurt, and for what he has become / done. This is certainly honorable. He hates what he has to do, but he believes it to be the right thing and so he does it anyway. That is the definition of Honor. We know that Honor was obsessed with oath keeping at the end, and didnt care about the contents of that oath - just that it was upheld. Honor is not about being a nice person, it is about sticking to a code of conduct. Taravangian does that. From Taravangians perspective, he has acted with Honor. Not all the time, but who does ? Even Kaladin falls short sometimes. (Taravangian is definitely a villian and a terrible person, that is not what i mean) Yes, I think this is the point. This would be a semi permanent solution to the Odium problem. Taravangian doing 'the right thing' would be taking up Honor to temper Odium, even though he doesnt want to. That act, if he chose to do so, would itself be a great example of Honor.