AquaRegia

So it's accelerated MAGICAL evolution! Thank you for sharing that! This lets Brandon explain relatively rapid changes in living things, while presumably not affecting geological processes like erosion, sedimentation, or the formation of fossils... but how can we be sure? Given that magic is involved, any "normal" scientific approaches to understanding - making predictions, testing hypotheses, etc. - will necessarily be less reliable than they would if the Cosmere worked by natural laws alone. I still think that while "science" may help characters like Navani and the Ardents figure out some things in the present, long-time-scale things like evolution and geology are unlikely to play an important role in the Cosmere stories. I'm as excited as anyone to find out what happens on Scadrial in upcoming Eras, but I temper my expectations with the fact that the Cosmere runs on a different set of laws than our universe, and ultimately what happens there is solely dependent on the whims of one man.

That would be very exciting, if true - what evidence is there of this?

In the Cosmere, where plants, animals - and, indeed, entire planets - can be magically created and changed, does it make sense to look at ANY living things and assume "this is the result millions of years of evolution"? In fact, I think the safe assumption is the opposite: things on Roshar are just the way Adonalsium made them, patterns and systems included. You are of course correct that neither we nor Vasher know for sure. But I'm betting evolution is not going to be a factor in any Cosmere stories. I love science too, in the real world... but in the Cosmere, science always takes a back seat to magic.

These are both valid points. However, I want to make it clear that this is not just a "Brandon as an author" issue, not just a "shortcomings of English" issue, not just a "politically correct offended America" issue. This is a real-life present day social and cultural issue which is having real effects on real people all over the world. Brandon is fully aware of this and is consciously taking a position on it through his fiction; I believe it is the correct position, and that "they", while imperfect, is the best option. If you honestly think referring to people as "it" is harmless, try it with your friends' children and let me know how it goes. "Your baby is so cute! Is it sleeping well?" People who are already struggling with gender issues don't need the added weight of unintentional dehumanization... and while you may not be aware, plenty of hurtful and small-minded people DO use "it" to refer to gender nonbinary people - on purpose - knowing full well how it "un-persons" them. Read a few posts on social media about Dr. Rachel Levine and you'll see what I mean. "A few generations" of vulnerable people being further victimized? No, thank you. The fact is that people DO exist who do not fit into black-and-white binary genders, and who prefer to not be referred to as either "he" or "she"; I know several myself. We need SOMETHING. There are really only three options: "It" is widely understood to refer to inanimate objects and NOT people. As I noted before, evil stems from treating people as objects... and it's ALREADY happening. It needs to stop. We could invent new pronouns, and people have tried. None have caught on widely, and all seem weird and unfamiliar - adding rather than removing barriers to understanding. "They" already exists, and has (yes, incorrectly) been used colloquially as singular for some time. Every gender nonbinary person I know prefers 'they/them". The same argument made about "it" applies here; if we do it for a while, the wrongness will wear off. "You" is both singular and plural in English. Annoying, yes, but we all got used to it! I apologize if my tone seems confrontational or makes anyone feel picked on - I promise that is not my intention. But I have strong feelings about this... and from what I've read, I believe Brandon largely shares my feelings.

Todium's Champion will be Gavilar. I'm willing to bet every last one of my spheres.

It is possible to expect something to happen, to be prepared for it, and also be terrified when it does. Anyone who has ever experienced military combat will verify this. I think Hoid's conversation with Design makes it clear what his goal is - misdirection. He is intentionally attracting Odium's full attention so someone else can accomplish something without being noticed. Who and what will be revealed in the next novel... and I predict it will be awesome.

I very much doubt I will change your mind, but I'm not buying the "Dalinar is a Dawnshard" idea. If my logic is sound, there are three possibilities: 1) Dalinar encountered a Dawnshard at some point in the previous novels and "became" it (or whatever the right term is). 2) Dalinar became a Dawnshard at some point NOT shown in the novels. 3) Dalinar has never (yet) become a Dawnshard. If you have any evidence for 1) I'd love to hear it - I don't see any. 2) would be incredibly bad storytelling; Brandon is too good a writer to make an arc-climax event like that be a surprise to the reader by having it happen offscreen where we can't see it. I think it's safe to bet that Oathbringer gave us the entirety of Dalinar's backstory, and it did not include any Dawnshards. Therefore we are left with 3). I'm not saying it's impossible for Dalinar to become a Dawnshard... but it has not happened yet, and I really don't think Dawnshards will be a big part of Stormlight 5. Not enough groundwork has been laid - in the novels - for them to become a plausible plot point that soon. My guess is they will become important in the back half. I interpret the "we killed you" line as a reference to the Vessel of Honor, toward which Dalinar's arc seems to be moving.

I stipulate that the Unmade are not identically the same as the Fused... but the degree to which the Amaram/Yelig-Nar bond paralleled that of Radiants and Fused is considerable, in my opinion. Given the amount of magic abounding in this world (it is FANTASY, right?), it seems presumptuous to rule out anything, ESPECIALLY things quite similar to what we've already seen happen. Additionally, I'd add that textual evidence supports that many animals - including skyeels, chasmfiends, larkins (all native to Roshar) and Ryshadium (imported by humans) - engage in bonding with spren to some degree. The idea that Fused could bond with hosts other than singers seems absolutely reasonable to consider, and impossible to refute based on what we know so far.

I have several thoughts: I think it's probably not wise to put too many eggs in the evolution basket with regards to the Cosmere. Brandon is a great writer, and he does his science homework to a reasonable degree, but evolutionary biology is certainly not his area of expertise. I recommend not getting your hopes up too high for clever evolutionary explanations for things. I'm reasonably sure it's already canon that both Horneaters and Herdazians have singer heritage, so clearly Brandon has no problem with interspecies genetic mixing, despite this not making a lot of evolutionary sense. We also know that the entire Rosharan system was wholly created by Adonalsium, and is too new to have a fossil record. I think that likely rules out any kind of normal evolutionary processes, which require tens or hundreds of millions of years. We did see Meridas Amaram gaining access to Surges via a bond with Yelig-Nar, and all he had to do was SWALLOW a gemstone. So I think that's a big YES to your final question.

My guess is that @trav is referring to Lezian the Pursuer Defeated One vs. Kaladin. "Glowing mental patient" LOL it's funny because it's true

My feeling (not an expert) is that Kelsier is completely disinterested - and perhaps even psychologically incapable - of worshiping another being as a god. He saw how The Lord Ruler used religious belief to control people's behavior, and decided to make use of it for his own "better" reasons... but he's not religious in any normal sense of the word. He was bored and annoyed by Sazed's persistent attempts to find a religion for him to follow. He's Ascended himself, so he's not impressed by Shard-level power. He's met Leras and Ati personally and immediately sees them for what they are - flawed people with stupid amounts of power, unworthy of worship. He certainly is neither a Survivorist nor a Pathian; I don't think he's capable of religious belief. He does want to do good, but not from any religious motivation. Trying to classify his promise as either "profane or religious" seems awfully black and white to me. He saw Leras as an ally, a crew member, not a deity. Can't he just promise to do his best as part of his own personal ethics? I do think it makes sense that his interest in shaping Survivorism could stem in part from his desire to be a force for good in the Cosmere... but it's his own personal view of what "good" means, not anyone else's.

@Bejardin1250 beat me to it - THE LOPEN, hands down. Hilarious, always having fun, always looking at the bright side of every situation, nothing ever gets him down, and he finds a way to get along with everyone. I'd spend every day with the Lopen! Lift is awesome, I love her... but she would not be as impressed with me. She'd just steal my lunch and find someone more interesting to hang around with. My second choice would be Axies the Collector. He doesn't take life too seriously... and I bet he knows some really cool Roshar history and trivia.

I had no idea this was even a question people were still working through. Brandon has made it abundantly clear, ever since the very first mention of the Sibling, that they have no gender. (The Stormfather, to Dalinar: "you have hurt them enough.") If both the author and the character have an obvious preference, does it make sense for readers to decide otherwise? I agree it's a bummer that English lacks a clear set of genderless pronouns. I think "them" / "they" / "their" (singular) is the least problematic option; referring to people as "it" leaves a bad taste IMO. As Sir Terry Pratchett observed, evil stems from treating people as objects. I feel it likely that this will become the accepted solution going forward - I have several nonbinary friends who prefer "they" to "he or "she". But as a grammar pedant, I certainly do understand the pain of the singular "they"!

Just wait until Gavilar shows up in book 5... he was definitely onto something new. Kholin : Stormlight :: Skywalker : Star Wars LOL

I'm very slightly grumpy about EVERYONE becoming Radiant. When there were literally only three or four people on the entire planet we knew were Radiants, it was special and superhero-y. It was IMPORTANT. But now that we're well down the road of every major and minor character (except Adolin, of course) bonding a spren, it's been... cheapened somehow. Like Syndrome said - "when everyone is super, no one will be."

I find the evolution of the relationship between Wax and Steris over the three novels to be amazingly touching, beautiful and completely realistic. It's absolutely possible, if you remain open to learning more about someone (and yourself), to come to love and appreciate them in entirely new ways. I've had similar experiences in my relationships, and it's one of the many reasons I adore reading these books. I'm also reminded of the scene on the train to New Seran, when Wax finds that Steris is reading an instruction manual about *ahem* "the birds and the bees". Both hilarious and precious. Given the French language inspiration for character and place names in MB, I guess a soft "C" (followed by "E") unfortunately makes more sense.

We have no way of knowing Gavilar wasn't Invested when he died... and plenty of clues that he might have been, multiple different ways. The Stormfather is definitely one good possibility. Chumming about with Heralds is another. How does he know about Shadesmar? About Thaidakar and Worldhopping? How did he get Anti-Voidlight spheres? He tells Navani EXPLICITLY that he's doing things she can't even imagine, and that he's seeking immortality. If you read that other topic I posted a link to, it's discussed pretty thoroughly, so I won't rehash all the details here. I accept the possibility that this idea may be wrong. But I do NOT think there is any evidence disproving it at this point, and there's LOTS of evidence to support it. I'm betting one RoW meal that Gavilar comes back in book 5.

Did you really just say "no foreshadowing"? Oh, I see, the Star Wars example had none, agreed. Brandon has given us TONS of foreshadowing regarding Gavilar. Given his large role in both Dalinar's and Eshonai/Venli's flashbacks, not to mention every single novel's prologue, I feel we know him plenty well enough for him to be a potent, satisfying threat in book 5. While it's possible Gavilar is a back half character... I think it unlikely. He's been set up as the perfect opponent for Dalinar and Navani (just imagine the emotional baggage!), and I think both of their arcs will be completed in the front five. Odium choosing Gavilar as his Champion in the contest is the high-percentage bet, in my mind.

Interesting, I always head-pronounced Cett as a hard C, like "Kett". If it's a soft C - "Sett" - that WOULD really confuse listeners with regard to The Set. The party scene in BoM where Steris drinks ipecac (which of course she always carries, just in case of poisoning) and projectile vomits everywhere. It will always make me laugh out loud, even the 7000th time I read it. MeLaan is also awesome.

If not, planetary systems and galaxies would be problematic indeed. I used to hear this question a lot when I taught high school, and I honestly don't understand where it comes from. Why do so many people think gravity is somehow caused by AIR? Of course, there are still people who honestly think the earth is flat, so...

I agree with @rosharian_cat - the result of the Contest will likely be death for Dalinar (hopefully a clean and honorable one), ugly for the coalition, and messy for everyone, singers included. If everything settles down to peace and prosperity, what conflict will be left to write five more books about? This is NOT a HoA-AoL situation. Brandon knows, as well as anyone on this spinning ball, that valor, heroism, courage, sacrifice - all these ideals we revere - can only happen in the midst of strife and suffering. Bet your brightest sphere there will be suffering galore... enough to fuel five more books. My guess is that Gavinor will be an important character in the back five, NOT in the Contest of Champions. The obvious choice for Odium's Champion is GAVILAR. If Gavilar does NOT return to play a vital part in the next book, I will eat my copy of Rhythm of War. And it's a hardcover.

I think it does a great disservice to Hoid (and, by extension, to Brandon) to assume Hoid had no objective. It would be completely out of character for Hoid to take such a risk for no good reason. @Leuthie is correct - Hoid tells us exactly what he's doing in his "performance" for Design: the subtle art of misdirection. He definitely wants Odium's FULL attention on him at this particular moment, which is carefully planned to allow someone else to do something without Odium noticing. Could be Design; could be Jasnah; could be Dalinar. There might even be more than one such secret mission. But I'm confident that we will eventually see a very satisfying reason for Hoid to risk his precious metaphorical hide trading pointless insults with Odium there. I'm also confident that once he realizes the significance of the loss of his perfect pitch and infers the removal of some Breaths, Hoid will be able to deduce much of what happened, including the events he no longer directly remembers. He will know, at the very least, that Odium is somehow different than he was. Thus this meeting will serve two important narrative purposes going forward.

Keep in mind that the Recreance was ~2000 years ago. For ~2500 years before that, humans had full-time access to human Radiants, with no Odium or Fused on Roshar. And for thousands of years before THAT, the Oathpact was in effect, with the Heralds themselves leading the forces of Honor during Desolations. It was BEFORE ALL OF THAT (~8000 ya? 10,000? We don't know) that humans and Odium came to Roshar. There is just SO MUCH history here about which we know nothing except the most vague of outlines.

I completely agree with the consensus here that Venli is a very interesting and realistic character. She is often frustrating and even painful to read... but her motivations, struggles and thoughts are unquestionably authentic and believable. I'd like to have a conversation about this: If Brandon DID say that, well, I hesitate to say "he's wrong", but I need to be shown how he's right. For one thing, the term "singer culture" means about as much as the term "human culture". There isn't just one; this is an entire race of people, and they've had different cultures in different places at different times. Here's what I feel like I personally know, after 4500+ pages, about "singer culture": Recreance (2000 years ago) - present, most singers were "parshmen". Trapped in slaveform, they had no culture of their own, only whatever human culture they were enslaved in. The listeners eked out a bare survival in and around the shattered plains, spending most of those years trapped in dullform or workform. We know they passed down songs to record what they knew, and lived in a loose association of tribal "family" groups. We had some views, through Eshonai and Venli, of the very end of this period, but we also know things were changing quite rapidly at the end. Aharietiam (4500 ya) - Recreance, I know almost nothing. For 2500 years, singers and humans coexisted somehow, with Radiants but no Desolations. What did singer culture look like? I sure don't feel like Brandon has "revealed most of it". Pre-Aharietiam, I assume the singers were more or less united under the banner of Odium and led by the Fused during Desolations, and we see in RoW some glimpses of what the Fused consider "singer culture"... but that accounts for only a few years here and there out of many thousands. What did singer life look like between Desolations? I assert that there is an AWFUL LOT we don't know.

It's an interesting question, which reminds me of all the "patterns in the Shattered Plains", "what could have caused this", and cymatics foreshadowing from the Way of Kings. It sure seems like Brandon was laying the groundwork for SOMETHING... and knowing him, it will be more epic than even we can guess.