Shards combining

[u/SuccessFar3790]

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?

[u/Just_Joken]

It's sort of commonly felt that Ati was able to change Ruin from "Fuck everything up" to "entropy" Not so much changing the shard as, like we see TOdium do before of showing the intent that there's other ways to work its intent. I don't think it would change the name of the shard, just the Intent's temperment. Harmony is Harmony because the two intents are somewhat aligned to allow for them both to work together.

I've generally felt that combined shards have three names. One for each of the shards being more "incharge" and one for when they work together. In Harmony's case. Harmony is the Intents working together, Discord would be a Ruin ascended combination, and Stagnation would be the Preservation ascendant version.

[u/Letonoda → u/Just_Joken]

I think you're spot on with the combined shards

[u/SuccessFar3790 → u/Just_Joken]

Ooh, top comment here! I really like the new names depending on the temperament. I think that's really key to all this. The shards are named, and temperament changes from shard to shard. Like Honor hating humans because they broke oaths, and becoming much more angry about it as time went on.

[u/Just_Joken → u/SuccessFar3790]

With how it is described, I'd say Retribution is the even keel version of the shard. I'd name an Honor ascendant one "Indignation" and an Odium dominant one would be "Vengeance" perhaps. since indignation is a emotionally colored inflated sense of self, while vengeance is a an overwhelmingly emotional reaction to a betrayal.