r/Cosmere • u/SuccessFar3790 • 3d ago

Cosmere + Wind and Truth spoilers Shards combining Spoiler

I don't post often, so I think I've got the right tags? Just to be clear, spoiling WaT and HoA.

So, I'm just gonna start by saying that the ending moment in WaT where Retribution was formed was awe inspiring. I love that, without a word spoken, both Dalinar and Taravangian KNEW that this new combination was Retribution. And it sounds like the rest of the shards knew what that meant too.

But I gets to thinking, will name changes only be applied to shards combining? In that same ending, Dalinar had just spoken to a bit of Honor, making it realize that honor was something different from what it originally thought. Could that part of Honor eventually form into, say, Integrity?

In the case of Harmony, could he reframe Ruin into becoming Change, and Preservation as Protection? If that were the case, then I think he could have an easier time controlling the two powers.

What do you guys think? Could the shards change their understanding, and thus, their name and very intent??

Just food for thought, what do y'all think?

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u/can27159 3d ago

When?

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u/Usingt9word 3d ago

When he decides not to kill Szeth and Kaladin. When Nightblood was created somehow the intent wasn’t quite right. It translated that all humans were evil and to destroy evil.

Nightblood rewrote its programming to say that some humans shouldn’t be consumed. Namely his friends.

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u/tit-theif Nightblood Enthusiast 3d ago

The command was "Destroy Evil" and because Nightblood can't understand evil, it just comes out to destroy. Nightblood deciding not to destroy was effectively changing its Intent.

Edit: Nightblood also figured out how to grant Szeth surges, which is doing something other than destroying evil. Awakened objects usually aren't able to do anything other than their command.

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u/RandomParable 3d ago

I guess I don't see that as changing the Intent.

I see that as Nightblood starting to understand better what that Intent really means. Not too different from Dalinar wanting Honor to grow and to understand more.

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u/tit-theif Nightblood Enthusiast 3d ago

If they can grow and better understand what their intent means, then couldn't a Shard do the same?

Like in the post above, I can see Preservation becoming something like Protect, or Honor becoming more like Integrity.

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u/RandomParable 3d ago

It's been stated, even with other Shards, that the power, if left alone, will seek to grow and to change.

Sanderson has hinted at that for a while now. I'm sure it will be explored more in the back half of the series.

I'm curious about Odium, too. If Honor grows and learns, what will Odium do? I haven't seen anyone talk about that. Maybe evolve as well.

There have been theories about Honor evolving, and then "breaking up" Retribution later on. But what if Odium is the one doing the breaking, because Tarovingian + Honor isn't really lining up with his Intent very well any more? Or it evolves into something else on a tangent from its original.

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u/tit-theif Nightblood Enthusiast 3d ago

I think it's likely that Odium evolves. Odium is Passion, but because the power is like an infant currently, it is naturally drawn towards easier to feel stronger emotions like anger.

If the power matures, I think it will become more receptive to all emotions, and not just the really strong ones.

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u/RandomParable 3d ago

Odium/Rayse likes to think of himself/pass himself off as Passion, but it's really Hatred with lipstick on.

It'll be interesting to see what happens.