alder24

Looks like I lost the game I didn't even know I was playing.

Yes, I agree, this is the resonance between their surges. Creating conflict might be a plausible way of using Adhesion. Yet I still don't know if it fits specifically only Odium's intent. Cultivation also changes and that creates conflicts. Ashyn's surges were different from Roshar's, despite being called surges. But that's what people on Roshar would call Ishar on Ashyn. So yes, Ishar was a "Bondsmith", capable of manipulating bonds, however it seems that he doesn't possess that abilities anymore, as he took his Honorblade back. I agree that Honor isn't necessary to manipulate connections (lots of examples in Cosmere), and even Radiant Bondsmith bonded with Nightwatcher is connected mostly to Cultivation, not Honor. This WoB I've found suggests that Adhesion surge was not accessible on Ashyn. What do you think?

Why would you assume that he has to fear Skybreakers from what I've written? Strategical benefit isn't fear. I like that story. It seems like we disagree on every point. Willshapers are back. We don't know what they can offer us, but now there are Listeners that are Radiants. This is big. This is fundamental for future development. Listeners might as well decide to join the Coalition, reasoning that's the only way for them to stay out of Odium's influence. I think however they will play bigger role in second half of SA, and that's ok.

Kaladin also chose to fight and protect, and Lirin tried to do everything to force him out of this way. That's what I meant.

Yes, but that's for a different reason. That is to provide strategical benefit, not because Skybreakers can't know that one of them is on the other side. I do agree that Venli deserved more in RoW. However I won't sacrifice Adolin. I found myself more engaged in Adolin/Shallan's chapters than in Kaladin's. We've already had 3 books about depressed Kaladin, 4th, while it brought resolution of some kind, was mostly the same we've already got. Adolin chapters provided something new, especially with the addition of Maya. His fight with Tukari was more memorable for me, than Kaladin's fights with Lezian, because Adilon had no powers and faced overwhelming numbers, and could only use his skill and years of training. I wouldn't trade it off for anything. And no, it's not the last change to explore Willshapers. Was WoK the last time we explore Windrunners? Or WoR the last of LIghtweavers? No. They are still being developed in every new book, the same will be with Willshapers. RoW provide us with information on what Willshaper's first steps are.

Szeth has no reason to conceal his identity. Skybreakers don't operate like this, and can accept that some of them chose the other side. While SA creates amazing action sequences, I think character development and emotional stakes excel even more in the series. I miss characters without powers. They provide unique PoV on characters with powers or on fights against characters with powers. It's easy to forget that Radiants are a minority when every PoV character is a Radiant, there are only 200 of them among 10 million people in the world. Adolin is necessary, he's the only non-powered PoV character remaining in a book.

I don't think there is anything in particular that makes Odium and Fused opposite to Honor and makes them "break the bonds". Breaking the bonds is more aligned with Ruin than anyone else. Odium as a Shard is still bounded by the Oaths he makes and rules of Shards. Fused also promise and make oaths that they uphold - like Leshwi with Moash, all Heavenly Ones fighting with rules and honor, Lezian swearing to kill everyone that killed him etc. While the idea of Anti-Bondsmith is a fun one, Odium is not the opposite of Honor. But breaking isn't Adhesion, it's Division. I think that the reason Fused doesn't have an Adhesion equivalent is that Honor is strictly about bonds and oaths, while Odium, till recently, wasn't truly part of Roshar, like Honor was. However now Odium is part of Roshar, his Rhythms are invested in this planet and I think Odium could now create Fused of Adhesion, but so far he has not had the opportunity to do so. Only Bondsmiths are capable of manipulation of bonds, and it has to do more with the fact that they are bonded with great sprens, than Adhesion itself. Windrunners can't do it, they have Adhesion but can only use it more or less to stick something together, not to manipulate bonds. That form of Adhesion is more "natural" one, and I think could be accesable to Odium.

Do you try to justify Lirin stealing? I don't think Lirin is selfish or is putting townspeople above his family. It's the opposite in my opinion. Everything Lirin did, even stealing, was with his sons best interest in mind. However Lirin forced Kaladin to conform to his ideal, to his life goals, to his wishes, ignoring what Kaladin wanted and what makes him happy. He failed to accept the fact that Kaladin is different, and that Kaladin should be different to be happy. It took 4 books for Lirin to realize that Kaladin can be someone else and have his own ideals and life goals, and Lirin still can love him for who Kal is. I think Lirin was more disappointed in Kal joining the army than he was frightened that Tien was drafted. Then he was disappointed and shattered in RoW that Kal decided to kill and fight. That was frustrating to read but it was necessary in my opinion. Having that kind of conflict is much more valuable for both characters and their development, and much more engaging. But despite that, Lirin still IS a good father (one of the best in Cosmere), he just needed time to realize that Kaladin is grown up now, can chose his own path, and that Lirin still loves him for being his son, no matter what Kal choses. And that was a great journey.

LEAVE ADOLIN ALONE!!! His fight with Tukari was awesome!

Oh I wouldn't say I joined before you. I may created an account earlier, but I've been posting only for a year now, and mostly after TLM release. I'm just getting started here!

There is nothing to steal to be able to do hemalurgy. It only requires knowledge and intent. How much you can get from it depends solely on a victim you choose - you can't take more than he has.

Duralumin compounding could make you more connected to the Shard, but you won't ascend. Firstly Shard would have to not have a Vessel. Secondly Connection to a power is one thing, you need to be with the power to ascend just by connection. Kel used Ire device to make the connection but he was there, with the vesselless power, so he could grab it and ascended. Lerasium doesn't just make connection. It changes your spirit web permanently. Duralumin compounding most likely doesn't do it.

Szeth dismissed his Honorblade as soon as soldiers with half-shards and Shardbearers came in. He killed all of them with Gravitation surge.

Also remember that each Breath gives you a bit better pitch until you reach perfect pitch at 200 Breaths. So if Hoid has 199 Breaths now, he still has extremely great pitch, but noticeable not perfect. But the difference is not that big as if he had no Breaths at all. He already noticed he didn't have perfect pitch anymore. However Hoid was truly scared (he thought it was the first time he had felt so scared in a long time) when Todium saw his memories in Breaths, and it most likely was the first time it ever happened to him. I think there was a WoB saying that Hoid will figure it out at the beginning of SA5, but I can't find it.

Szeth murdered 2 Shardbearers and dozens of soldiers with halfshards using just gravitation in closed space. 2 Shardbearers with Shardplate and Shardblade killed with gravitation surge. Because of that I don't know if I can say that A-steel/iron is better in combat than surge of gravitation. These are 2 different fighting styles and both, if used properly, can be equally as deadly. Allomancy seems definitely easier to master and use.

Huh, I've never thought about using unkeyed metalminds that way. For some reason I thought that compounding can only be done if you're both ferring and misting But this way it could be done. That's such an elegant solution. Why have I never thought about it?

He could push the bullet while it's still in the barrel, or while it's some distance away from Wax, so it doesn't veer off course. I didn't really think about it while reading.

They couldn't achieve compounding as they didn't have or know about nicrosil. Medallions work because they have nicrosilmind which stores the ability of feruchemy in them. They couldn't make it in era 1. Without nicrosil, they at best could make metalminds accessible only for every feruchemist. After Lord Ruler's death Keepers were busy with teaching so while the prospect of discovering new feruchemical metal might be tempting, their duty was more important in their mind.

Elhokar is bonded to his blade. But there is also another blade that King has, Gavilar's blade (his father), which is unbonded and used for training and dueling. I've reread that chapter when Adolin was throwing the Blade. It's just after he was beaten by Szeth, he wasn't emotionally stable and wasn't able to mentally command his Blade to stay physical. He was under a lot of stress and even feared that Szeth would just drop from the sky anytime. He succeeded after third time. Good arguments.You're taking notice of important details and making reasonable theories. Elhokar mentioned in WoK ch 58 that he sees unhuman faces and symbols in the mirrors watching him. And that's the only think that was told so far. This chapter made me look differently on Elhokar. He wants to be a good king. He wants to make the right decisions. He wants to be beloved and just. But he doesn't know how to do it. He was forced to become a king in a young age and 5 years had passed and still nobody ever taught him how to be a king. Even Dalinar just tells him what to do, and makes decisions for him, but never teaches him how to act like a good king. Numbers on the wall after Dalinar's visions.

There is a separation between the Tower and Alethkar, both are separate and independent states, that temporarily are ruled from the same place. The government you propose can be made in Urithiru but in Alethkar, I doubt it. They decided to remain separate when Jasnah was crowned instead of Dalinar. Blind with a Honorblade, possibly influenced by Dai-Gonarthis, having blood of Teft and many others on his hands. Representing what Kaladin could have become. He doesn't have to be killed in the fight, he can be killed as an act of mercy.

She would be the new God King. The priests were specific, they said if they find a Returned infant, it's a sign for them that the present God King served well and needs to be replaced. Returned infants are very rare, there were only 4 within 300 years. Moreover, they create elaborate stories in which the God King sacrifices himself to heal some disease etc, but is replaced by a new one. It's not a mystery. People know there were multiple God Kings, so new God King, who happens to be a woman, wouldn't be out of place. Ch 55

I think it might be possible. That metal has a connection to Feruchemy, so alloying it with Lerasium might attach that connection to you. I like this idea. And WoBs confirmed god metals can make you a feruchemist. But if that's the case, who was the first feruchemist and how did he get Feruchemy? He couldn't do it the way you propose. Some WoBs: Not only just to Preservation, it manipulates connection and can grant another invested art:

I consider Autonomy's Avatars as a great intelligence asset rather than a fighting force. Just look at the Set. Set didn't have a big armed force. And like Set, Avatars and her organizations spread across Cosmere can provide a foothold for the incoming invasion, destabilize any government and a region before the invasion and provide useful information. But considering other planets as a fighting force in favor of Taldain is too much. However the Man of Gold and Red are private army of Autonomy. Anywhere she is involved, they would be as well, both in defense or offense. And Autonomy is an extreme control freak, so she would be involved in any offensive Taldain would take, as without her approval, they wouldn't get off the planet in the first place.

He's smart, but in a different way. He's less emotional during that time so it makes him make purly "logical" decisions. But others don't see it that way, they are still emotional and see in the way he can't. Training. Dalinar has much more experience with a Blade. And commending your blade to stay is a common practice - people can rent king's Shardblade to fight and train. Throwing a blade is a bit different - but I think Adolin was too distracted by emotions to achieve this at that time. Remember that Kaladin went through a lot. He used to be very active, and usually his actions didn't change anything - him going to army to care after Tien, trying to save young boys in army, multiple escapes from slave owners etc. He's still stuck in that mindset, knowing that he will fail. Interesting, why Shallan and Dalinar? Yup, finally, it's happening! It's all coming together! And it was Shallan who told it first, not Kaladin.

Lift is "10". Why not some other character as well? It will still cover multi year time period so we see will see them growing up. Shallan was 17 in WoK. I highly doubt Moash is "helpless". I do agree, I see Jasnah reforming the government to some form of elective constitutional monarchy, where the King/Queen has a highly diminished role. The Nahn/Dahn system is already failing - we had 1000 slaves jumping from the lowest status to becoming Shardbearers and 3 Dahn. Changes are necessary already, everyone can become a Radiant.