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Lies. -sigh- I have way too much time on my hands.

This is why I love the Shard, everyone apologizes and even thanks people for getting called out. We're the Britain of the internet. Thanks both of you for clearing everything up so quickly. We now return to your regularly scheduled viewing.

i ate icecream

I just realized that Brandon's Oathbringer update posts never make it into these forums. Or at least I don't see them posted anywhere. I expect not everyone here is on Reddit, so just wanted to share what he said last night: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight_Archive/comments/51u8qu/oathbringer_spoilers_stormlight_three_update_4/

Yup. Instead of tiredness, it was drunkenness. One of these days I should write up some of the highlights of those shenanigans into the True Story thread.

I guess minor WoK spoiler. Spoiled for size:

Not only did the vet say Bruce was healthy and that his infection wasn't as bad as it looked, but the bill came to a lot less than I expected.

The story: You are an excited gamer, eagerly awaiting the end of a countdown to when you can begin the open beta for a new MMO 'Game of guilds', the countdown finally finishes, you create your character, blast through the opening tutorial in record time and suddenly your vision goes dark. When you awaken you look around to find a minimap in the corner of your vision, three bars above your head and a town full of NPCs staring at you. Congratulations! You have just been virtually abducted into a game! Thus begins your journey in roleplaying. You are surrounded by strange people who periodically switch between perfectly normal people and blank faced NPC roles, you are attacked by monsters at every turn and you periodically glow whenever you level up. The skills: More skills available upon reaching higher levels, having prerequisite skills, completing certain quests or even through hidden objectives. At character creation 5 Skill Points are available, multiple points can be put into one skill to gain a higher starting level, this will unlock a random selection of recipes/abilities and is not as efficient as levelling naturally. Skills: Magic: Learn how to use magic! -Chanting Magic: Basic wizard-style magic, speak your spells to unleash havock! (Must also select magic) -Runic Magic: Inscribe runes to create an elaborate strategy and win the battles before it even begins. (Must also select magic) -Enchantment Magic: Create Enchantments on yourself and others (Must also select magic) Bladed weapons: Unlock the ability to wield sharp pointy things and know how to stab other people with them. Blunt weapons: Unlock the ability to wield heavy, blunt things and hit things with them. Archery: Unlock the ability to wield a bow and arrows Thrown: Unlock the ability to throw things at other things! Swimming: Learn to swim! Writing: Free yourself from the shackles of illiteracy Stealth: Learn how to sneak Observation: Learn how to look at things and see more things! Farsight: See farther than you ever have before! Fishing: Learn to wield a fishing rod a scour the seas for all things living. Then stab them with a hook. Smithing: Learn how to hit metal and change it into differently shaped metal. Also unlocks the ability to mine. Carpentry: Learn how to cut wood into other shapes of wood, unlocks the ability to chop trees Fletching: Learn how to make arrows and bows, unlocks the ability to chop trees and gather from certain feathery foes. Gardening: Learn how to make a garden, also unlocks the ability to gather some plants. Cooking: Learn how to prepare food, unlocks the ability to skin animals and gather plants. Crafting: Learn how to craft things from other things. Unlocks the ability to mine and prepare certain materials. Gatherer: Unlock the ability to gather materials like ore, plants, wood and skin animals. Unfortunately you don't know how to do anything with them. Herbalism: Learn how to mix potions and medicines, unlocks the ability to gather plants. Summoning: Learn how to summon things! (Requires magic to unlock most abilities) Trapping: Learn how to trap animals! Unlocks the ability to skin animals. Increase Endurance: Increases your endurance and... that's about it. Increase Attack: Increases your damage and... that's about it. Increase Magic: Increases your Mana and magic damage and... that's about it. Resist physical: Become hardier and less easily hurt by physical attacks. Resist Fire: Become fireproof! ... Eventually. Resist Frost: No need for warm clothes anymore. Resist Poison: You've made some suspicious friends, good thing you can handle anything they try to slip you. Resist fall: You have legs of steel, resist fall damage The races: -denotes subrace Humans: Human alignment, Don't get a racial level, get a base 10% increase to XP gains and as humans are the most numerous race they get the most frequent persuasion options outside of shifters. Forestfolk -Dryad -Ent: Nature alignment, (passive) increased endurance, (passive) non-boss plant mobs passive unless attacked, (passive) increased XP from plant gathering or farming activities. -Swampmen: Nature alignment, Dark alignment, (passive) +X% resistance to physical attacks, (passive) +X% effectiveness with earth, water and swamp magic, (passive) Armour degrades X% faster, (passive) Increased aggro from non-swamp mobs, (active) Quagmire: Area of effect binding spell (consumes mana, must have Magic unlocked) Beastfolk -Minotaur: Nature alignment, (passive) Strength bonus, (passive) requires custom or minotaur-dropped armour to equip, Reduced mana pool, (active) Gore: Charges enemy, inflicting high physical damage based on strength, Armour piercing. -Satyr -Centaur: Nature aligned, (passive) Start with archery skill, (passive) increased stamina, (passive) Unable to equip leg armour, (passive) increased speed -Beastmen -Lamia/gorgon -Harpy Undead -Skeleton -Zombie -Wraith: Dark aligned, (passive) greatly increased physical resistance, (passive) greatly decreased endurance, (passive) immune to dark damage, (passive) decreased resistance to light damage, (passive) decreased strength, (passive) start with magic skill. -Demon: Dark alignment, (passive) High persuasion against human enemies, (passive) Negate fall damage, (active) Invite Possession: Target humanoid enemy becomes an ally and takes X damage per second unless it passes resistance check. -Dullahan: Dark alignment, (passive) vulnerability to light X%, (passive) Night vision, (active) weapon summoning: Bone whip, (active) Word of demise: Death magic, instantly kills lower levelled mob. Elves -Forest Elves: Nature alignment, (passive) Start with farsight skill, (passive) increased mana, (active) Wild call: Target beast creature becomes ally for duration -Dark Elves -City Elves Celestials -Angels: Light alignment, (passive) Negate Fall damage, (passive) Light magic & recovery magic +X% effectiveness, (passive)unable to equip dark-aligned items, (Passive) Unable to attain dark or necromatic magic, (active) Divine light: Heals those of a light alignment, turns low level undead, causes fear in those of dark alignment. -Fallen Angel: Dark alignment, (passive) Negate fall damage, (passive) Light and Dark magic +X% effectiveness, (passive) unable to use recovery magic, (passive) Unable to be healed by recovery magic, (active) Darklight, negative energy healing (Can heal otherwise unhealable targets like undead) -Spirit Halflings -Dwarves: Human alignment, (passive) Increased XP gain from mining or smithing related activities, (passive) Increased endurance, (passive) increased chance to find gems. -Goblin -Orc -Hobbit Giants -Cyclops -Ogre Creations -Golem: Nature alignment, (passive) increased endurance, (passive) reduced HP regeneration, (passive) +X% effectiveness for earth magic, (passive) physical resistance +X% -Elemental: Nature alignment, (passive) elemental resistance X%(Varies depending upon elemental type), (passive) unable to equip armour, (passive) physical resistance +X%, (passive) +X% effectiveness to element -Enchanted armour Shifters -Doppelganger: Mutable alignment, (passive)Increased charisma, (passive) increased dexterity,(passive) reduced endurance, (passive) decreased persuasion with those of suspicious or observant nature,(active) Impersonate: Targeted humanoid mob type becomes friendly for duration -Ooze/slime: Dark alignment, (passive) ignore physical damage below X, (passive) immune to poison,(passive) reduced stamina,(toggle) Change form- Change between humanoid or slime appearance.(Humanoid form) - Dark alignment becomes mutable alignment, (passive) decreased persuasion with those of suspicious or observant nature(Slime form) - Dark alignment, (passive) decreased persuasion from all non-dark-aligned characters, (passive) +X% chance to dodge attacks, (active) consume: Lunge at target to try to consume them, target takes X damage per second, healing you for X/2 lasts until opponent passes resistance check. Most non-human races have unique abilities, passive buffs as well as negative drawbacks. These abilities can be leveled through useage. Racial levels can be disabled, stopping your ability to level them, this will prevent you from gaining any further drawbacks or benefits related to your race but you will retain the base adjustments. If you want to know about any specific race feel free to ask. The beginning: Welcome to Game of Guilds! Explore an expansive world, with secrets around every corner. Explore the 101 guilds of Loutuana and put your own mark on them. Introduce magic to the fishing guild and discover the long lost secret for creating fish-rain, teach the clothiers guild close-range combat and unlock the full deadly power of crochet needles. Combine your skills to produce the ultimate Adventurer!

So i am new to this but did anyone catch in the very last page of chapter 80 in Words of Radiance that the king talks about shadows haunting him in the mirrors. this reminds me of when shallan was first coming into her ability's. Now it might be something else but I think that it bears watching out for.

Round Eleven: The Interview 22 contestants entered and now only three remain. This is Al Vron bringing you the play by play in this action packed finale. This is it folks, the final battle of the season. Ialla. Mandos. Volke. Those are our last three fighters. Which if any will take the victory? Find out right now. There seems to be a lot of talking going on between Volke and Ialla. Are they planning on taking out Mandos together? Do they know that Mandos isn’t what he seems? Do they even care at this point? Ah, I see. Ialla is distracting Volke, probably so Mandos can get the drop on him. And speaking of Mandos, there he is, just on the other side of the rubble pile that crushed the life out of Star Thief. He’s slowly working his way around so he’s behind Volke. Ooh. You could hear Volke’s neck snap all the way up here. Mandos seems to be shouting something. I can barely make it out. I think he’s yelling “Justice”. Yep, he is. I wonder why he’s yelling that? That’s it, that’s it. It’s all over, Mandos and Ialla are our winners. What an upset. Mandos and Ialla, two fresh faces to this region of the Cosmere and both walk away champs.. I haven’t seen such action since the 17th season where Joe King and Terry Bill swept all in their path. Surely the names of Ialla and Mandos will join some of the greats of Sennti like last years winner, Figgldygrak. In just a moment we will go down and interview Mandos and Ialla so stay tuned Sennti fans. Congratulations to Ialla, Mandos and Nalthis as a whole. Take a bow O' Champions of the Ruins. Extra congratulations to Elenion for holding Cuddles at the end of the match. Cuddles now belongs to you until either you give it to another or you are absent for six months or more, in which case, it is returned to the dusty cupboard to await the next Sennti games. And a well done to Luckat for having the highest amount of Firemarks. You are the Gambling Queen. I must say that I’m very surprised that no one asked for or posted a player list the whole game. Player List: Docs: Gamblers Den Beyond the Door Announcers Booth

Heh...so I suppose I shouldn't mention I'm also beta reading a book for Mary...

I read it as "you have not to be some exception to the mankind" as to say that pick up a Shard isn't something limited to destined child, me, deus ex machina, magic user,ecc... Every man with the right attitude may have a chance to do this. And actually we don't know who much of the Kel's case is about him and his Cognitive Shadow status. Maybe someone not connected enough would be capable of pick up the Shard but without the ability to do nothing with it. They have only two choices: drop the shard or be slowly eroded by it.

"Mandamon? Yeah, I remember him. He used to slum around here with the rest of us hacks* until those highfalutin' Writing Excuses folks turned his head. Heh, now it's all fancy cruise ships and sipping ginger ale from crystal glasses. I heard tell they even have a buffet sometimes, with cucumber sarnwiches an' teapots, an' pinky fingers in the air. It's all that Mary's doin' - with her airs and graces. I guess he might come back to us one day, when they've sucked all the good critiquin' outta him. Ah jeez, he coulda been somebody, he could been a contender..." (* The word 'hack' is used for dramatic effect only, and is not intended to describe any person living or undead, either now of previously associated with the Reading Excuses forum. The word 'hack' is copyright Michael Bay.)

It was unexpected that Neverthere had a safe house this close to the museum but Nighthound was not about to complain, it would make it noticeably easier to juggle taking care of her with his other work in the city. It didn’t hurt that it was actually a rather nice place to stay from the looks of it, he considered as he approached the building with Neverthere still in his arms. On his way to the door he noticed the doghouse empty. Better keep those in mind, before they show up out of nowhere and end up attacking Neverthere. Then he opened the door, as Neverthere anticipated it was unlocked, rather foolish given the neighborhood, and carried her over the threshold. In their new home, Nighthound set down Neverthere, taking one of her hands and gently stroking it. “Home sweet home,” he said as he moved further in. All it took was crossing a short hallway, not furnished particularly fancy but clean of dust and the like, to find the cottage’s current occupants. He spotted the two mastiffs sitting next to them upon noticing the Epics, or maybe it was just Neverthere’s presence, the two of them stood up from their seats. Nighthound shushed them with a hand gesture. The two of them were uneasy, afraid even but not panicked yet. It was likely that their prior dealing with Neverthere, which they survived thanks to keeping up their side of the bargain, gave them some hope in surviving this time again, even if Epics appearing physically was a bad sign. They should start screaming while they still could. “I have wonderful news for you two. From what I can see you did a wonderful job with taking care of this house.” Nighthound let his glance wander over the room. It was clean but also barren, a minimum of furniture and lack of anything that might have given this place more of a personality. If Nighthound had to take a guess, their care of the house was more motivated by wanting to avoid angering Neverthere than whatever they felt for the cozy little cottage itself. “And seeing how dedicated you were you get to live,” Nighthound said as he was standing in front of them, a small smile on his lips. He grabbed both of their heads and rammed their faces into the ground, smashing them into bloody pulps. Exerting some of his regeneration powers he lifted their faces from the ground, the bloody mess of their faces reknitting itself, while Nighthound’s powers made their bodies lay limb in his grip. The mastiffs started growling and jumped at Nighthound. He let go of the couple and swatted the dogs away, again transferring his powers to them. Not that it stopped the wet sound of their bodies breaking as they hit the ground. At the same time he loosened his grip on the man. It let out a panicked scream and rushed towards the dogs, which Nighthound promptly caused to maul their own master. Again he dragged up the head of the woman, unmoving but still perfectly aware of what was going on. “That is a rather pathetic man you got yourself there but don’t worry, we’ll take much better care of you. I promise.” Nighthound shortly caressed its cheek before tossing it to the side. Letting them lie as they were, Nighthound stood up and made the dogs follow him, giving a short whistle just for the sake of it. He positioned himself behind Neverthere, laid his hands on her waist and made the dogs rest besides her feet, black lines of mist coiling through their fur. The vanillas he made grovel in front of them, clouds of black mist rising from the man as its wounds closed, slowly, the pain having all the time it needs to seep into its mind. Leaning slightly forward he said to Neverthere, “Consider them a present, honey. We might have to restrain them from time to time when I need my powers elsewhere but otherwise they should make for nice meatshields when you need them or whatever else might suit your whims. Now, it seems like it would be appropriate for their mistress to inform them just what exactly their fate will be.”

Well, it's slightly more complicated than that. Take Alcatraz for an example. It's not just that Bastille is the first girl around his age that he meets. It's also that they save each other's lives on multiple occasions, spend a significant amount of time together in very stressful and tense situations, and in doing so learn a great deal about one another that under normal circumstances would likely take months or even years to learn. All of this emotion and tension would likely make you have very strong feelings about anyone in that situation, positive or negative. it just happens to be positive with Bastille. Also, you're right, it is pretty common in Sanderson's books. Personally though, I don't care. It worked for me in Mistborn. Worked in Reckoners. Is currently working for me in Alcatraz and Stormlight. As far as I'm concerned, just because it's been done before doesn't make it bad.

Partly to lighten things up, partly because it's an abominably catchy tune, here is the song I shamelessly took the nickname Rumor Weed from. For context, yes, the Rumor Weed was spreading the rumor that Larry-Boy's butler, Alfred, was a robot. It began when Alfred visited an elementary school class for some reason and ended with "I need to go home and recharge my batteries," which caused two kids to spread the rumor that he was a robot. This caused a literal Rumor Weed to spring up (a weed with sassy cats-eye classes and bright red lips), which both spread the rumor all over and was fueled by the spreading rumors, and so it eventually got so big that Larry-Boy had no choice but to defeat it in a battle for the ages…. Have I mentioned that VeggieTales was kind of an odd show?

I always though a cravat was just another word for tie, mostly because cravat sound rather similiar to Krawatte which is german for necktie. Speaking of which i´ve decided to wear a tie the next time i go drinking with my friends (specificly this one)

So this isn't a complaint, but does anyone remember how Brandon once said that he expected TWoK to be the longest book in the series? Then he said he had to make WoR longer because he wanted to add in more awesome stuff due to the wait, but he expected the other books to be shorter. Now OB is on track to be the longest one yet. Lol. Again I'm not complaining because I loved every page of WoR.

What do you mean? You already are

I'm not even going to answer, that I don't trust myself to speak, I had a really good day out on excursion today (relatively, seeing as everyone's a storming dick to me)

A couple years ago my sister read Warbreaker. She enjoyed it, but wasn't really hooked on the Brandon yet. She tried to start Elantris, but said is was pretty dark and confusing at first so she set it aside. The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called a couple of months ago by some, A sister picked up Mistborn. This was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings or endings to becoming a Sanderfan. But it was a beginning. When she began reading Mistborn, there was a new spark in our relationship. Recently I had a falling out with a childhood friend of 20 years, a friend who shared all my tastes in books, shows, and games. This new shared interest in the cosmere with my sister 5 years my senior has increased our communication exponentially. As she experienced for the first time everything that was fading from my memory as it has been years since I consumed Mistborn last, there was a profound moment when I realized, I am the teacher, she is the student. A role reversal that has rarely been a part of our lives. Many times it was my sister who was the first to do something, to introduce me to it, or the like. She was after all, my older sister. Now she was coming to me with questions. and for a change, I had the answers. It was a rare treat to see her get excited about an event that happened in the story, or angry that something bad happened. It was very much like when watching a favorite movie you have seen dozens of times with someone seeing it for the first time. You watch the person to see if they are reacting correctly at the right times, laughing when your favorite joke is said. And after a short time it was apparent that she was. It renewed my interest in the series and I redownloaded it on Audible to listen to it again. It was a challenge to answer her questions without giving any spoilers. It was more challenging because now with this common interest I had so much to share suddenly, and only a small valve opening to release it through, but I soldiered on as best I could. I wanted her to finish the first series so bad so that we could discuss all the things that we couldn't because of spoilers. The third book took a little while longer than the first two because it was much darker and bleak. It was easier if one only reads a few chapters at a time then allow yourself to recover for a bit before dipping in again. But in the end she was satisfied with the ending, and both agreed that it was a good one. There were a few loose ends but not many. I encouraged her to move on to the Wax and Wayne series as it was a lot lighter and generally in better humor, especially compared to the darkness in The Hero of Ages. She started it and began to fall in love with the new set of characters. Enjoying the return of the many characters from the first series, and finding the comedy of the book uplifting. She still texted me her outburst-like questions about why something happened, making me chuckle each time because it is resolved only a few pages later. She has now finished Bands of Mourning and is reading The Secret History, a book I have held off reading myself, waiting for her to catch up. Now we are at the same place and while I have more cosmere related knowledge than her, in this case we are at equal positions. All told we have sent each other probably 600-700 messages combined in the past few months. more than ever before all added together. When we get together, we inevitably end up starting to discuss the books which pretty much excludes everyone else in the room from our conversations. She has went so far as to think up a costume idea for a mistwraith, even though she has never cosplayed anything ever before. She wants me to make her a Soonie Pup for her (yes, reversible from wolfhound to mistwraith and with spikes). The void left by my falling out with my best friend doesn't feel so deep now. I have someone to share one of my favorite past times with now. And somehow it has brought me closer to my sister. Thank you very much Brandon. We all love you and your work.

(kudos to anyone who gets the movie reference) Amarthion sat in Encom Tower's laser room, hammering away at a computer terminal located at the highest level. The computer had been designed for scientific research, which also meant it was less likely to crash when Amarthion set all of his explosion traps off at once. Amarthion was intently focused on his game, so focused that a pop-up that blocked a quarter of his screen annoyed him so much that he closed it without a second thought. A robotic but semi-human male voice spoke from the speakers, "You need to update me again." "Come on, man! I'm busy here!" "I make it possible for you to use this system and you can't even find the time to keep me up to date?" It said this in a flat tone. "I'll do it when I feel like it." "I've been at your whims for too long. Now it's time to change the game." "What?" The last thing Amarthion heard before the darkness came was a zapping sound. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amarthion landed in what appeared to be a village square. Shaking off the disorientation, he looked at the person who had appeared beside him, a large minotaur with beefy arms. It seemed so tall. Amarthion looked to his other side. The same thing: the elf there seemed too tall to be real. Then Amarthion felt the long beard on his chin and knew exactly why everything seemed so tall. He looked at his arm muscles, and smiled as he saw muscles swell beneath the skin. He felt great; short but just great. Amarthion asked the nearest NPC for directions, and learned about the general lay of the land. "Sweet. All I need are some allies to into the west hills with me." Amarthion is looking for teammates. He is a dwarf with Magic, Rune Magic, Gathering, Smithing and Carpentry. He is looking for any players willing to join him in a stone-tunnel fortress that he will mine in the western hills.

How bout this... My brother and sisters mom asked me when I was going to start dating again to which I loled?

I think there's a WoB that the Breaths used to create Nightblood in some way interpreted the Command, which implies that a different set of Breaths could have come to a slightly different conclusion. Maybe that's is part of why you're asking the question though.

A Twinborn computer, if you will.

Our pleasure Voidus

Not u guys..... real world problems. I meant at school, everyone was a dick to me. sorry if it sounded as if u guys were being the dicks :/

From this topic (Wiery's last post on last page) On the "Dustbringer" subject, there's a 15 year time gap between the front and back 5. Which is plenty of time for a younger Dustbringer to come into prominence. Start as an interlude character and show up in Lift/Jasnah's POV chapters of some battle scene. Now that I think about it, Taln and Shalash flashbacks could be from the older Desolations right? Maybe our unknown Dustbringers will be alive during those. The Herald=/=Order, but I'm sure that once the battle starts you work with whoever is nearby

So, I've always noticed a similarity between Kal's impressions of Syl an Tien. This made me wonder if Syl was somehow a pseudo-reincarnation of Tien. But she has really old memories, so this seemed unlikely. Then I saw this WoB: http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=836#26 This says most of what spren get is physical form and memory in the PR. So, what else do they get? I don't know as much of the spiritual realm as I'd like, but what I've gleaned is that it is a realm of connections. Spren seem to be cognitive manifestations of abstract concepts that are drawn to perceived instances of those concepts in the PR. Being abstract things, do they therefore lack connections (and so presence) in the SR? Kaladin has an unusually strong desire to protect, which drew Syl. That desire to protect initially was focused on Tien, with whom he had a very strong Connection. When he lost Tien, that connection remained, but the associated desire to protect became more generalised. Syl represents that desire to protect. So, in bonding with Kal and becoming the cognitive manifestation of his desire to protect, does she also tap into his spiritual connection to Tien, and so inherit some part of their emotional relationship? If so, does this count as pseudo-reincarnation? Whilst this started with the Syl-Kal-Tien relationship only, I have also noticed it applies to Dalinar-Stormfather-Gavilar. The Stormfather was drawn to Dalinar as a result of his desire to unify the kingdom, and hold rigidly to the codes (both presumed aspects of Bondsmiths). These are both desires tied strongly to the memory of his brother. Also, Dalinar always felt his brother was an unstoppable force that shaped those around him into what he needed them to be, making them better as a byproduct; this is clearly also true of highstorms (though whether this is a particular impression Dalinar holds regarding highstorms is unclear). The evidence of spiritual connection seems less obvious here, until Dalinar's final vision in WoR, just prior to bonding the Stormfather. In that vision, which the Stormfather did not consciously send, Dalinar felt as if Gavilar were in the next room (paraphrased). That suggests a spiritual connection to Gavilar manifested via the Stormfather. What this means for Pattern, Ivory, Glys... I think we need to know more. What do you guys think?

One day, I am going to join the FBI, and I am going to take down the birthday card racket. Five bucks for a piece of paper with a lame joke on it? They're going down….

Okay folks, I'm going to have to bow out of critiquing for a couple weeks at least. The WXR retreat cruise is coming up, and I'll be doing some critiquing for them. I'll try to keep an eye on the forums though.

Ok looks like tensions are running a bit high here, posts will be reviewed by mods but in the meantime: @Darkness Ascendant Try to keep in mind that when someone is experiencing as much stress and anger as @Cognizantastic is that they're 1) Not likely to be at their most polite when someone suggests a relatively extreme solution 2) They should not be making the decision to try to ruin the life of the object of their anger. Even if a public calling-out was required the decision to do so is not one best made while you're still red with rage. @Cognizantastic While I can tell where you were coming from please try to keep the bolded, caps-lock yelling to a minimum. Yes it was an extreme solution and one that many could consider offensive but the last thing we want is to turn this into a youtube comments section and just yell at each other. Keeping an eye on the thread for the moment, anyone involved feel free to PM myself or other mods/admins if you feel further moderation is immediately required.

Right now I'm wearing a button-down shirt, a vest, and a plum-purple cravat. And some really skinny skinny jeans. All by choice, we don't wear uniforms at my school.

Spoilers for the squinting gif I've never heard of BestDarkalleySandersonMagic clubs.

Just to update: I have now read both The Emperor's Soul and both stormlight archive books! They are all amazing! At first I was very confused by my status as a "Spearman" (as I had only read the Mistborn and Elatris). However, after reading the Stormlight Archive (or at least what has been released of it), I was elated that I have been "promoted" to Bridgeman!!!! I feel so honored... but also terrified... I just hope I get put in Bridge 4!

I believe it was the Dark Alley group that started the whole thing. There are a few of us who try to stop their plan, and recently we've met with some success.

When you see a peacock feather and have an epiphany. (Not a spoiler. Just put into a spoiler tag for size.)

Can't think of any right now, I'm stumped

I'm assuming that Cadmium/Bendalloy savants gain more control over how slow/fast their bubble moves relative to normal time (Note how Wax's savantism gave him a large amount of finite control over what exactly he pushes away from himself). Compounding would give them (IIRC) infinite calories/oxygen (remember that the Feruchemical store is the one boosted, not the Allomantic power).

And occasionally speak to you in the voice of your brother/hero/God telling you to kill people. (cough cough)

You'd better question the cookies, or else the cookies will start questioning you... they're Ruined.

I was in a bit of a hurry when I first posted here, so here's some of my less important reactions: Footnotes are genius. Freeza might run the Librarian military (as it's mentioned that they have the attitude of, "if we can't have it, we'll just blow it up"). "You're not my mother, you're merely the woman who gave birth to me - and I'm surprised you didn't find a surrogate for that endeavor!" --> You're going to need burn heal. I didn't know how much I wanted to see Alcatraz wearing a tuxedo until it happened. So suave! This may be the first time an inanimate object has been guilt-tripped into self-destructing. Entire paragraph that makes sense but is written without the letter E? I... I don't even know what to say. How do you even DO that? "This place was odder than a river-dwelling species of mammal from the mustelidae famiy." Odder. Otter. The puns, man. "Puns are obviously the highest form of literary genius that an author can display." I'm starting to agree. "'...we did have Douglas eat the M section in the fiction archive. That might sow a little chaos.' 'Honestly,' Douglas said, 'sparkles? Hasn't she ever met any undead?'" Fiction. M. Undead. Sparkle. Stephanie Meyers. Twilight. Brandon Sanderson Alcatraz is so clever! The not-triceratops that keeps saying things over and over in different ways? It's a Thesaurus.

Let's be polite here. @PantsForSquares was correct that there's obviously a bond of some type, just not a Bond. It's like the difference between having a shard of glass and a Shard of Adolnasium. Same word, different applications. If there wasn't some type of bond, Szeth wouldn't be able to dismiss and recall the blade, since he's not touching it during that time, so it's not simply "works while it's in your hand". As for the issue of Splinters being self-aware of not, Brandon has not been as consistent as you state, and has not confirmed that the Divine Breath is self-aware (in fact, I believe it was at least strongly implied to be the opposite). It's possible that the Honorblades are something like Splinters, but since they're not self-aware they would indeed have a different name, but I would not rely on that WoB you quoted, since it's really more subjective (he notes it's a "term used by certain people in the cosmere", specifically, which means it's an in-universe term and therefore there may be mistakes by those who use the term in-universe). jW

It absolutely is established that he is currently unrepentant. You know how I know that? Because people who are disturbed by a murder they committed don't hide the body! He may yet be repentant in the future, that's true. Arguably Sadeas even needed to be murdered, I would agree with that. But it shows you how empty the comment "he's a nice guy" really is when we're sitting here arguing if it applies to someone who murdered a dude then, in cold blood, hid the body. There are many similar instances of people in real life making the same comments in similarly ethically fraught circumstances. I'm sorry, but you don't get to go around claiming you're a "nice guy" if you're in the murder business, that's waaaaaaay too large an asterix. Now, do I think he's wrong for Shallan because of this? Absolutely not. They're both murderers who are actively concealing at least one of their kills now. They can bond over it when they get married and have light-haired kids.

So. . . Ghostbloods The band, eh? What about. . . Bridge four the band!(I challenge you to draw that. But I won't force you.)"and then KAladin flew down from the sky, weilding. . . Was that a. . . Shardguitar?"

Hello fellow Shardlings! (Is that the word? Oh well, your my Shardlings anyway) So I am proud to announce that "Letters From the Cosmere" is officially out of production and live on YouTube! This is a YouTube series that I thought would be helpful as a resource for new community members who wished to learn about Brandon's Cosmere in manageable packets of information. I also wanted this to be entertaining for members of the community who were already well established. In this series the World Hopper Aarik writes letters to his acquaintances about the things he has observed as he has traversed the Cosmere. If you want to see it for yourself, follow the link here: Hello! If you want more info about why this exists, I have an explanation. So a couple years back I was first introduced to the Cosmere by a dear friend who handed me a copy of Mistborn. I devoured that book and proceeded to perchance every Brandon Sanderson Book I could. I remember my shock when I first suspected that there were characters and a particular Black Sword that I had seen in other books appearing in the newer stories. I had assumed that these were all just different stories. That was when my friend informed me about the idea of the Cosmere. I was so excited I jumped online and did a quick search for the Forms. Holy Cow The amount of information was staggering. It was amazing, but staggering. I remember not knowing where to start or even what questions to ask. I think everyone starts off a little star struck. Hoping to find a good foundation I turned to YouTube. In the past I had researched the Star Wars EU by watching informational videos fans had made for YouTube so I thought there would be Cosmere videos as well. There were none. A few months latter when I staggered from 17th Shard a much wiser man, I started thinking about that first YouTube search. I had an active YouTube account where had started making serious weekly content. I decided that I wanted to make the videos that I had hoped to find when I had first joined. But I didn't want this to just be a boring list of facts, or a review of each book. I wanted to do something with more life and flavor. I wanted these letters to feel like they were a part of the Cosmere. I worked on the premise for months, crafting and re crafting the idea in my mind and in my notes. I was prepared when Brandon came to town on his recent 2016 Book Signing Tour. Our convention was small, and I was able not only to pitch my idea to Brandon, but we were able to talk about it in length for several hours. At first he was concerned, and who wouldn't be? I was wanting to create something using his intellectual property. However as the discussion continued, I could see the gears turning in his mind. Eventually I must have sold him on the idea because he tanked me for asking him in person and said, "I give you personal permission to make this YouTube series." We spent the next several hours having a stop and start conversation about this project. Naturally I was trying not to hog him from the other fans, but playing him in a game of magic helped. He also seemed excited to give me tips. He made several suggestions about paths I could take with the character, but left a lot up to me. I will be sending him a personal detailed report so as to make sure everything checks out, but I got the clear impression that he wanted me to own this project. Also, I need to say that this project would be far weaker without the fantastic artists who offered their support for the work. I contacted the artist of each painting that I used and asked their permission to use their work. I will NEVER steal a piece of art, even if it's easy to download. I want to work with the artists and I hope that more artists will be inspired by this project and share their talent with all of us in these Letters. Please make sure you send some love and thankful messages to the amazing artists. They deserve every bit of praise they get. And that now leads us here. I am so happy that this first episode is available. I have already received encouragement and support from the community members who have found it. I cannot wait to make more of these episodes. I honestly think this will be a series I will be making for years and years to come. I hope that you enjoyed this taste, and that you come back for more. If you are an artist and want to share your work with the world, I would love to work with you.I hope you all enjoy this series. If you have any thoughts I hope you will share them, just remember to be courteous with each other. Obviously I am not Brandon and will get things wrong from time to time. However I will do my best to only say what I know, or try to make it clear that the character is speculating. Hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you around the Cosmere! -TheBlueShifting PS I have had a couple requests to see the text version of the episode. I have decided to post that here on my Forms in 17th Shard. There may be slight deviations, but overall the text is the same. I also reserve the right to edit the content in the future if Brandon points out any changes that need to be made, though I doubt that will happen with this episode. Here you go! I don’t quite know how to start this letter. Lines like dear friends or colleagues seem inconsistent with our perceived “relationship”. Needless to say, I have not decided to abandon our friend’s request that I chronical my travels. My father would be proud to see that after all this time I became a scholar after a fashion. But I suppose I should start with the fundamentals of what I have learned and work my way to the finer aspects. Although my knowledge is limited, I share what I know, and what I suspect to be true. But first, a foundation: Look around you. Everything you see, the walls of your house, the air you are breathing, even the light entering your eyes are all a part of the Cosmere. It is all that is, all that was, and all that will be. Everything is connected by the forces that shape the universe. Light and Gravity. Investiture and Cognition. Even the souls of men are manifestations of the cosmere itself. In my travels I have gained a unique perspective of what the cosmere is and what it contains. Our inheritance, our birthright, is to explore this vast Cosmere, our home. And in it, to see the divine attributes that shape it. When I was first educated by my father, I often contemplated my place in the world. I would look North to the dark peeks that stood just at the edge of sight and wonder what lay beyond them. I look back now and almost laugh at the wide eyed youth who couldn’t imagine a world larger than the town I grew up in. I who have set foot in the shadows of other worlds and cultures across space and time. Although my introduction to the greater cosmere was a feat of happenstance, I find great pleasure in diving the nature of the universe in my own way. Before I write anything else I need to clarify what the comere is by the simplest definition. There are three major aspects of the Cosmere, these three realms or dimensions shape and in turn are shaped by each other. They are effectively inseparable, Each one with its own rules and capacities. Despair their alien nature, the fundamentals of these realms are fairly straightforward. First we have the tangible or Physical realm. This is the home of all the peoples of the Cosmere. Three dimensions ruled by gravity and light, physics is the language upon which we understand this dimension. Luckily I was educated in mathematics and physics, a far more useful education than I appreciated at the time. Although the worlds of men and sentient races are separated by vast oceans of distances, these worlds each share the common elements of mathematical proofs and similar ecosystems. Although the tree realms are intertwined, it is unclear if the physical realm is dependent on the other realms to exist. However, it is apparent that the physical world has a dramatic effect on the other two realms, especially in the cognitive realm. When you step outside, you will find that you are followed by a shadow. Although you are the source of the shadow and it’s movements, the shadow is not a part of you, but a type of warped reflection. The cognitive realm is a shadow of the physical realm. Everything that has a conception, a form, or a name, has a spark of cognition. By naming and defining the objects and forces of our physical world, we give them a life and mind of their own. Most of the time, calling these entities “intelligent” is a stretch of the truth. Each idea starts as a small, simple spark, so fleeting that it is lost in the sea of drifting minds that form the substance of the cognitive realm. Sometimes these ideas can grow, and take a form and intelligence all their own. I have heard tales of creations like the Ceons of Sel which are created as helpers for the Elantrians. I’ve even encountered some advanced cognitive minds that call themselves spren on the Shard world of Roshar. If you were to physically visit the cognitive realm, you would find that what we see as a physical land mass is instead a sea of cognitive thoughts. Traveling through this sea can be tricky, even dangerous to some. In contrast, large bodies of water in the physical world manifest as a solid mass obscuring the minds that dwell below. Distance and time mean little in the cognitive realm, and the thoughts of men are connected across the cosmere. The men and women who world hop use the cognitive realm which bind the various shard worlds together. Those who have learned the secrets of travel by investiture can traverse the cosmere by simply walking. The Spiritual Realm is the most mysterious of the three realms. In fact, I doubt that there is any being that still interacts with the cognitive and physical realms who truly knows what lies beyond its borders. All that is know is that there is a part of man, an essence of some kind that exists in this realm. What is very strange is that most of the powers and investitures that are used throughout the cosmere are manifestations of the spiritual realm in the physical world. Perhaps the soul forms a conduit for the power between the spiritual realm and the physical and cognitive. I feel that there is no limit to the breath and depth of the spiritual realm, and that mankind has only tapped into a miniscule sliver of the power that resides there. These three form the trinity of all life in the cosmere. However to separate these into different categories is almost counter intuitive. In order to examine the different aspects of the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual, we have to label and categorize them as individual places or planes of existence. However it is important to remember that these three occupy the same “space” or area. For instance, if you were to pass from the physical world into the Cognitive world, you would seem to appear in an alien and unstable land of darkness and mist. However in regards to traveling, you would remain in the same location and may find common recognizable landmarks on the other side. This connection is important, however the different realms do not seem to share the laws of physics and time as we understand it. Having been one of the few to set foot beyond the Physical realm, I have developed a deep appreciation of the complexity, depth, and scope of the universe. With all our study and expansive thought, with the literal power of the Gods in our fingertips, we still know so little about the ways and wisdoms of the cosmere. I am not a scholar, not truly, which you dear reader must find incredibly frustrating. Yet as I look upon the surface of another world, I am compelled to learn all I can. This shall be the first of many letters I’m sure. Despite my hesitation to agree to this arrangement, I understand the value of the things I have observed and continue to observe. Should I fall prey to the dangers of the cosmere I would hope that I could leave some kind of legacy. Be wary with these letters for there are forces and organizations who seek to stop meddlers like. I find that the more I learn and explore the closer I get to catastrophe. Currently I am returning to the shard world Roshar. Something is happening there that is sending ripples throughout the cognitive realm. There is a darkness coming and that is something I cannot ignore. Until the next time, Aarik

Only if you can join the tautology club.

Thank you to Cognizantastic for this awesome guide! Hello, newcomers to the fun-filled and mildly mad Reckoners RPG! You've likely come here with the intent of creating your own totally radical Epic character. This is, of course, the most obvious way to participate in the Oregonverse. However, there are alternatives to this— alternatives that can be just as rewarding as creating one's own Epic character. The first alternative is adoption. Throughout the course of the RP, some players have come and gone, leaving abandoned characters and plotlines in their wake. By picking up where their former writers left off, you make a massive contribution to the RP by breathing new life into dead Epics, reweaving loose plot threads, and keeping WHiO as close to canon as possible. However, adoption doesn't just help the RP as a whole; it can be a boon to you. The characters left behind are hardly dull, and adopting Epics such as them would likely be a fun endeavor. Your options include: Event Horizon, the black hole slinging servant of the crime lord Quicksilver Blackwave and the Tidebreaker's mighty crew, terrors of the Oregonian seas …and many more! However, if you're dead set on making your own character, an Epic isn't the only option. The humans of the Oregonverse live interesting lives— lives that are certainly worth writing about. Your character could be: a citizen of Thoughttown, the "utopia" for the intelligent ruled over by the illusory Epic Altermind a vendor selling snacks to Epic gladiators before they enter Soulcaster's arena a homeless man on the streets of Portland, trying to scrape out a living in a city defined by endless turf wars a disgruntled servant of a pampered Corvallis Epic, motivated to kill her master due to Euphoria's absence a gun-toting, panda-shooting, grenade-slinging soldier of the Dalles City Guard …or whatever the sparks you want! The point is, there are other awesome ways to participate in this awesome collaborative storytelling experience. Before you race to the latest Question thread, dead-set on incorporating your new Epic into a game thread, go ahead and consider your other options. They're just as fun.