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  1. I walk past some ridiculously outgoing people in the mall, they're selling something or raising awareness for the cancer council or something. Im wearing my marvel shirt. The guy goes "excuse me, are you marvellous?" I deadpanned and walked straight past.
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  2. BOOM! GUESS WHO JUST NAILED AN INTERVIEW FOR A COMPANY THAT I WANT TO DO MY INTERNSHIP WITH EEEENNDKJEFKJSDFJBSFDJDSGLJSGDLJSGD NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO EXPRESS THIS
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  3. If you get the stud, make sure it wasn't made by killing your baby sister. (Upvote for anyone who gets that reference).
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  4. I'm gonna keep on trying to make funny things with the Shard anyway There is always another hack
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  5. Hello! I'll write more elsewhere, but since I'm on my phone, I'll keep it simple. I've been a lurker for some time, have read most of the Cosmere writings, and have some thoughts and ideas that I haven't yet seen mentioned anywhere. I look forward to theorycrafting with you! -Songstream
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  7. Quick Fix 18: Cycle Two - The Death of Death A herald stood in the town square, proclaiming the Prism’s death for all to hear. It was his job, after all. “As of two sunrises ago, the Prism has died!” And so on, and so on. Over and over again, the Prism’s death, and when, and how, and his funeral, and the Prism-elect, blah blah blah. The herald was a bit bored, and he had entirely too much time on his hands. So… he started embellishing. “Two sunrises ago, at the first hint of dawn, our beloved Prism was brutally murdered by a cadre of knife-wielding assassins trained from birth to kill him!” People’s ears perked up at that, and he smiled, growing more confident. “All the Prism’s mighty magics were nothing to save him from their power! Even now the assassins are at large, wandering the world now that their primary purpose - to kill the Prism - is completed. Who knows where they will strike next, or how?” People looked around fearfully at each other. A few in the crowd, however, frowned. This man was making the crowd more distrustful, more scared, less easy to manipulate. That shouldn’t continue. And so it didn’t. Not for long, anyway. First, the man’s cloak caught on fire. He didn’t seem to notice for a minute, then yelped, trying to get the burning cloak away from him while still attempting to tell his story. “And then the Prism, um, rose from the grave! That’s right! Ow, this is hot! The Prism came back to life and said-” thud. A knife thrown from the crowd embedded itself into the man’s shoulder. “Ow!” he yelped, falling onto the flaming cloak he’d just extricated himself from. “Ow! The Prism - um - the Prism…” Then, from the back of the stage where he’d been speaking, a figure stole up silently amidst the flames and chaos and slipped a knife between the man’s ribs, silencing him completely. The crowd grew still as the man fell to the ground. Then, with a single mind, they dove after the figure of the assassin. Here was someone they could blame. Here was someone they could kill. Perhaps it was even one of those assassins the herald had mentioned! The assassin ran, but the crowd was faster. By the time they were done, there were only a few scraps of black clothing floating to the ground, and a scent of death. Metacognition has died, thrice over! He was a Normal Villager! Alvron was lynched! He was a Neutral Assassin! Vote Count Conq (1): Bard, Alvron Alv (3): Mark, Sheep, Meta Ecth (1): Stink Stink (1): Assassin Cycle 2 has begun! You have 24 hours to send in actions and choose who to lynch. http://www.pending.me.uk/cd/bla_1474930800.png Player List Neutral Assassin: You may kill one person per cycle; you win when everyone else is dead.
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  8. I'm going to pretend that was genuine, and not Sarcastic.
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  9. But seriously, I edited the HTML code of my post before sending it, adding something like 50 <div> blocks around it with different colors. I like to play around with what the new Shard allows me to do Too bad it blocks some other very cool stuff like text-shadows or rotating text...
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  10. By the power of all the colors! I order you to stop with this abomination!
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  11. It's the principle of the thing! I'm making my intentions clear.
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  12. I better put it in a big, solid border, before it spreads and infest the rest of the shard...
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  14. There is a WoB about who explicity states that an "Allomancer Strenght" is about "how much metal/sec you may burn" but I have always problem to find this specific WoB (every some month there is again need of it XD). Anyway a Savant twisted sDNA allows him to burn faster than his "standard limit" an example is Spook hyperflare (I don't know actually as it is called in the English book) states in the HoA or for example every description of Wax's inner burning....while other Allomancer feel a "warm" in their stomach, Vax feels a "fierce flame" when burns Steel. PS: I wil Edit the post with the actual WoB as soon as I find it again EDIT: The Relevant WoB (source) How can I make a request to put this WoB on Theoryland ? It's stressful to find it every time
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  15. I have a friend who really want's a gf but he's way to terrified to approach the girls he likes. To cheer him up we say "Don't worry _____ , at least when you do get girlfriend, your relationship will last longer than Taylor Swift's"
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  16. Funnily enough, we had another topic covering this exact subject a short time ago: The common opinion and conclusion was that the Honorblades granted superior abilities to the Heralds, and granted greatly subpar abilities to anyone who wasn't the Herald it was created for. In other words, each Honorblade was designed to be used by a specific Herald, but a design flaw allowed someone who wasn't that Herald to gain an extremely limited amount of power. So, overall, Heralds with their Honorblades probably were magnitude times stronger than a KR, and Ishi probably did have the power to enforce order. We just don't see that power with Szeth because he wasn't a Herald. Also, it has been strongly implied that Heralds have other abilities.
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  17. If you ever wanted to know the difference between editor feedback on a book you've been subbing and refining for a year (and had numerous R&Rs) versus one that's been through light beta work only, it's... it's significant. It's significant at P<0.0001 and holy wah I may never leave my computer again. Just wanted to share. ASD - time to take you apart and make you better, faster, stronger.
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  18. I thought Shallan might have a crush on Jasnah when I was reading the books. Now it's WoB confirmed!
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  19. Hello everyone. I expect you’ve all forgotten who I am by now since I haven’t posted here for a couple of years now (save for the odd signing report), life unfortunately got in the way. But I’ve been meaning to come back for a little while now, and I thought: what could be better than doing so with a theory post? Some things have been simmering in the back of my mind for a while now and I need to get them out. Hopefully you don’t hate what follows, and don’t end up wanting nothing to do with me (or tracking me down and lynching me ). So without further ado, allow me to present my first (and hopefully not last) theory. For this theory we need to consider all four of the end pages of the Way of Kings. All of the images that I’ve found of them on the internet separate them out into four different images, however I feel that each chart/map pair is supposed to be taken as a single diagram for reasons that I’ll give below. I’m therefore presenting them both here as they were in the book, and as I think they should be viewed. Much of the speculation surrounding the second chart has been that it pertains to Voidbinding in the same way that the first chart pertains to Surgebinding. I’ve been thinking for a while that this would be a very strange inclusion in the book since we’ve yet to see Voidbinding: it would be much like including a chart for Haemalurgy in the first Mistborn book. Additionally, two of the larger glyphs are not connected to the smaller symbols, which would seem to imply that there would be Voidbinders without powers, which would be weird. It’s also been suggested that it relates to the fabrials in some way, but I don’t see any real similarity between them. There are five types of fabrial that we know of, and no grouping of five in the chart; the fabrials are known to utilize the surges, yet it hasn’t been suggested up until now that the smaller symbols are Surges (at least not that I’ve heard of), and if they are why then are the larger glyphs each connected to two of the smaller ones as with the Radiant Orders? And how do the myriad of spren types used in the fabrials relate to the diagram? In short, I don’t think either of these speculations are correct. I’ve been trying to figure out what this chart is by analysing the symmetry of both charts, starting with the symbols for the Surges in the first chart and their equivalent symbols in the second. The first thing of note here is that the two sets of symbols are distortions of each other: part of each pair is the same, but the other part is opposed. As a result of this, whilst each of the surges has a single axis of reflectional symmetry, the other symbols have no reflectional symmetry but instead have order 2 rotational symmetry. So what does this tell us? Well, by itself, not much; however it was then that I noticed the borders to these images. These are the same for each pair of images, however in the case of the Surgebinding chart the border has been reflected between the two, and in the case of the other chart it has instead been rotated by 180°. In other words: the transformation of the border matches the symmetry of the symbols in their respective charts. This is why I think that these images were placed together as they were in the book for a reason. If they were unrelated and hadn’t been created together (in world), then this pattern wouldn’t be observed, and I think that Brandon presented them to us like this for a reason. The fact that the two charts follow the same internal structure, with one juxtaposed by the map of Roshar in the Physical Realm and the other with the Cognitive version, suggests to me that these two charts are in fact the same chart but pertaining to different Realms. If I may reiterate, the symbols I was discussing earlier are the same but distorted from each other: I propose that they are both symbols for the surges, and that they are distorted because the surges themselves distort between the Realms. Or to put it another way, the powers behave differently in the Cognitive than they do in the Physical. This would mean that the larger set of Symbols in the Second chart also represent the Orders of the Radiants. I think this is supported by the fact that the glyphs in both charts share the same colouring and the same symmetry (1 axis of reflectional symmetry), thus suggesting that they are both representing the same thing (not distorted as with the Surges), but a different glyph is used because it’s a different aspect of the Orders. (It’s worth noting though that the Cognitive glyph for the Truthwatchers is unique in that the symmetry does change: it not only gains a second axis of reflectional symmetry, but it also gains order 2 rotational symmetry. I have no idea why this is the case, but with this in mind we should probably keep an eye on Renarin going forward: something is going on here.) The final thing to note with regard to the charts is that the connections between symbols are identical in both charts, save for one glaring difference. There are no connections from either the Bondsmiths or the Truthwatchers, to any of the Surges in the Cognitive chart. This would imply that if members of either Order were to end up in Shadesmar, then they would not gain other abilities related to the Cognitive, unlike for every other Order. But why would these two Orders be so much more limited? Well, I don’t think they are; I think instead that they are just aligned differently Realmatically. Consider what we’ve seen of Renarin and how it pertains to the Truthwatchers. We know that they have some capacity for future sight; however their Surges are Progression and Illumination, which (from what we have seen of those Surges elsewhere) have nothing to do with that ability. However we know that seeing the future is related to the Spiritual Realm, so it would follow that the Truthwatchers gain additional powers from their Surges, not in the Cognitive Realm like other Orders, but instead in the Spiritual Realm. Similarly, the Bondsmiths are speculated to have powers related to Bonds, which are a type of Connection. And we know that Connection is also related to the Spiritual Realm. So whilst the other Orders are aligned with the Physical and Cognitive Realms, Truthwatchers and Bondsmiths are instead aligned with the Physical and Spiritual Realms. And this means that Brandon must be hiding a third chart from us: the Spiritual Surgebinding chart. I was looking for textual evidence to support this theory when I remembered Jasnah’s plight from Words of Radiance. As we know she used the Transportation surge to escape into Shadesmar at which point she became trapped. But if the Surges behave identically in both Realms, why could she not just use it the exact same way to return to the Physical? We know from her unpublished scene that it’s not because she lacked the Stormlight to do so but rather because she needs a “junction”, such as Honour’s Perpendicularity, to do so. This sounds exactly like how someone without access to the Surge of Transportation would travel between the Realms, yet we saw that when she did rematerialize in the Physical she did not do so in a Shardpool, but rather in the middle of nowhere. This suggests to me that she did use Transportation, but it behaved differently, exactly as I proposed above. Which leads of course to the question of what the Surge is doing in the Cognitive, and I do have a suggestion for this. We know that the Cognitive Realm is far more malleable than the Physical in terms of its geometry; it is after all shaped by the level of cognition in a particular area. I suggest that the Transportation Surge is capable of distorting it even further to the point that two different locations can actually overlap one another. With this in mind, after arriving in Shadesmar, the Elsecaller (or Willshaper) could travel to either the nearest junction, or to their destination in Shadesmar (whichever is closest). Then they could overlap their destination with the junction and thereby leave via the junction, but arrive at their destination in the Physical. There is an apparent problem with this however: it would mean that you would be required to travel through Shadesmar without the aid of the Surge to an extent, and as such it doesn’t allow for instantaneous teleportation. The Oathgates on the other hand, which we theorize to be fabrials that utilize Transportation, appear to do exactly this, thus contradicting my speculation. But, looking at this more deeply, I think there’s a way that it doesn’t have to be a contradiction. We know that each Kingdom had one Oathgate, plus there was an Oathgate at Urithiru; moreover each of the Kingdoms' Oathgates connected to the one at Urithiru, but not to each other. Travel via the Oathgates therefore, necessitates travel through Urithiru. This seems like a bizarre limitation to intentionally build into the system, especially for an organization that put such an emphasis on freedom of travel. I know that it’s been suggested that it was set up this way for the purposes of taxation, or as a symbol of some kind, but I think otherwise. What if Urithiru was built upon a junction? If this were the case then it would instantly work with my theory: every time you use the Oathgate you are already at one of the two places that you would need to be at. It also means that the gates were set up this way out of necessity: it would have been impossible to connect every gate to every other gate. And at this point I remembered the epigraph from chapter 35 of The Way of Kings: “The place nearest to Honour” sounds to me exactly like Honour’s Perpendicularity, which we know from Ivory’s testimony to be a junction. The first sentence also takes on greater meaning if this theory is true. If Urithiru is to be the centre of the Oathgate system, then it has to be built on a Perpendicularity. If there isn’t a Perpendicularity in Alethela, then it cannot be built in Alethela. Problems With the Theory Why couldn’t Jasnah use this second method to leave Shadesmar immediately? This is a huge gaping hole in the theory, and my only possible explanation for it is that she was simply too inexperienced with the Surge, or that she wasn’t at a high enough level in the Elsecallers at that point to be able to manipulate the Surge in that fashion. Ivory knew this so stated it as impossible for her to leave without being at a junction. I’ve been assuming, based upon Ivory’s testimony that a Perpendicularity is a junction, that the two are equivalent; however this isn’t necessarily true. Even if all Perpendicularities are junctions, this does not necessarily imply that all junctions are Perpendicularities. Therefore, there could have been something special about that location in which Jasnah reappeared, that meant that it was a junction even though there was apparently no Perpendicularity there. Therefore, this is not necessarily evidence for my theory. Jasnah’s subsequent conversation with Wit makes me think that it is unlikely that the location was special though. In Jasnah’s unpublished scene, we see Jasnah perform Soulcasting within Shadesmar, and it appears to function exactly like every other Soulcasting we’ve seen performed in the books. The only thing that I can think to explain this is that, since we know that performing a magic will have some effect across all three Realms, we saw the results of the Soulcasting as it appeared in the Physical Realm only. Something else would have occurred in the Cognitive Realm when she did this; but since Brandon stopped the reading at the exact point that we would have found out what this was, we can only speculate on it. Conclusion/TL;DR The mystery chart from the back of The Way of Kings is a Surgebinding chart for the Cognitive Realm. Each Surge Functions differently between the Physical Realm, the Cognitive Realm, and the Spiritual Realm. All Orders have powers associated with both the Physical and Cognitive Realms, except for the Bondsmiths and Truthwatchers which instead have posers associated with both the Physical and Spiritual Realms. The Transportation Surge allows for both travel into the Cognitive Realm, and the distortion of the Cognitive Realm’s geometry. Each Oathgate is connected to the central Oathgate at Urithiru out of necessity, not choice. Urithiru is built upon Honour’s Perpendicularity.
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  20. If you're familiar with the party game "Mafia", I'd like to propose an online adaptation here in a thread. I can moderate the first game, then we can pass the mantle if more games are played. If you're not familiar with the game, here's the basic concepts. All of the players are part of a fictional town, in which the Mafia has gained a foothold. Each player is assigned a role, either Mafia, Cop, or Townsperson (and there are specializations for each that can be included if desired). Each round of play consists of two parts: Phase 1: Night. During the night phase, the Mafia players choose a single person to eliminate, done secretly. In a party, this would be accomplished by having everyone close their eyes, and then the Mafia only opens their eyes and use hand signals to choose a victim. Here, that will be much more efficiently handle via private message. Also during the night, the Cop or Cops will select an individual to investigate. They will then be told by the moderator if that person is Mafia or innocent. They will need to be judicious about revealing that information later on, during the day round, however. Many games include a Doctor or Nurse, who can choose one person to visit that night. If that person is attacked by the Mafia, the Doctor/Nurse would then have saved their life. Phase 2: Day Driven to extreme measures by the Mafia's wanton killing spree, the townspeople organize a lynch mob each day, and select a victim to string up. This is accomplished by a simple majority vote, albeit with opportunities to explain your rationale in accusing someone, as well as offering a defense. During this time, the Cops can choose to reveal their identities and results of their investigations, but at the cost of essentially painting a target on their backs. Alternatively, someone could lie about being a Cop in order to lay a false trail. Revealing your card (used in the party version), or in this case sharing a screenshot or quote of the message revealing your role, is not allowed; that proof can only be revealed on your death or at the end of the game, depending on the rules used. The goal of the game is simple: eliminate the opposing team. If all of the Mafia players are lynched, the town wins. If the Mafia outnumber the town, they win (usually the Mafia players are about a third of the total group at most to start, so they need to successfully eliminate a fair number of players to win). If there is enough interest, say 10 or more players, I'll begin a game soon. Each day and night phase would be roughly timed, probably lasting a day or two to allow time for participation, and longer when a weekend may interfere. We can nail down the timing as we go. Let me know if you're interested! jW
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  21. Who is your brother, out of interest? (If you don't want to say, you don't have to.) *sigh* I had a PM set up with Meta. Did you have to go and get yourself killed 3 times over in Cycle 1, Meta?
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  22. Whether or not we need an additional "warrior" character is something we could discuss at length. To make it short, I would simply state some of us feel having Kaladin as the "only" warrior main protagonist has put the resolution of all climaxes onto his shoulders alone which, after two books, has gotten a tad predictable. It has made some of us wish there would be another character capable of fulfilling this need such as to steer the story away from the traditional: "Heroes are faced with a foe they cannot beat. Kaladin flies form the sky, kills the foe and perform the rescue.". It has happened several times now, which is fine, but over-using any story arc isn't good for the long term. Hence, developing another character able to play this role or just to create additional suspense appears as something desirable. In comparison, we have several "scholar" oriented characters. You state the Radiant philosophy makes warriors less important characters which isn't a fact, but your personal interpretation. It is fine, we all have our personal interpretation to fill in the gaps, but my personal interpretation is NOBODY is more important than anybody. Hence, warriors and scholars alike are required if they are to defeat the Desolation. As it happens, we are currently having more scholars than warriors among our current crew of Radiants which does make Renarin slightly redundant. As for the deserving part, well yes it is assumed an individual has to be proven worthy by a given sprens to become a Radiant. Yes, the individual has to have the capacity to form a Nahel bond which only happens if you have cracks into your spirit web, but he also has to have shown outstanding qualities, he has to stand outside the common flock. Here comes the arguments which you wrongly refer to as "Renarin bashing": several of us readers feel we haven't seen him stand out enough to deserve a Nahel bond. Since we aren't privy to Brandon's own personal brain, we are stuck analyzing the test at hand and while some feel there are enough justifications dropped within the story to explain Renarin, many feel the rational is not strong enough. This has nothing to do with him having no POV: Jasnah has none but two very small POV and I have yet to stumble upon one reader finding her hard to explain. It is pretty self-explanatory why Jasnah was chosen by Ivory and if we are still missing the details, not many of us have issues figuring out what it may be. In the case of Renarin, it is the opposite. The fact the argument keeps coming back illustrates something: there is a significant number of readers who aren't satisfied with how Renarin's character was handled. They feel there isn't a strong enough rational to justify making him a Radiant and for them, it prevents them from enjoying the character. It is a recurring topic of discussion which pops by every once in a while. None of it is about "petty High Schoolers picking up on a helpless child", to even state it is inappropriate and could be interpreted as rude. I have state it before and I will state it again, the fact Renarin has a disability does not absolve him from receiving any negative critics. Readers are allowed not to be enthralled with his character and while he undeniably has his own fanbase, the fact remains the majority of readers are either indifferent or unimpressed with the character, as he is by the end of WoR. Readers are allowed to dislike a character without being called out bullies, especially since nobody ever stated the reason they disliked Renarin or found him less interesting than others was because of his disability. On the contrary, many readers wish for this aspect of his character to be better explored, to become a strength, a distinctive trait, including myself. What readers complain about is the fact Renarin appears to have been given a lot of leeway without having proven his worth. We aren't all going to agree on this but, for some of us, the fact Dalinar gave out a Shardplate to Renarin without any conditions, without asking him to prove anything, without even checking on his training isn't sitting well with them. The parent in me heavily frowns at Dalinar's behavior because he isn't helping his son here: he is doing the opposite. He is giving validation to his tantrum and his half-hearten suicide speech by doting him with an artifact worth more than a kingdom: there isn't one parenting book which is going to agree this was the right decision. You do not patch your son's self-esteem issues by over-loading him with material means, you aren't helping him take responsibility when you give him over-prized gift without having them work to earn them. Hence, some of us are undeniably bothered by it. As for preferring other characters, it is each readers prerogative to prefer reading about whoever they want. By the end of WoR, the fact remains Renarin simply isn't a crowd pleasing character and while it may be this impression will completely changed by the time we are done with the series, readers can't do much more but based their thoughts and impression on what they have read so far. I have read readers stating they didn't find Shallan or Lift or Szeth or several other character uninteresting. It happens, it is their right and when another poster strongly disagree, all they can do is try to help the reader get a different perspective. Maybe it won't work, maybe it will, but to reduce the discussion at hand as "Renarin hate" and to call everyone not being enthralled by the character a bully is a tad exaggerated.
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  24. My process? Err, well, when starting out on a novel, I will usually start with what I think is a cool, but not necessarily large or innovative idea. It might only be what I think is a good ending, or a cool dynamic for a central relationship. I'll usually outline the fffirst half and have an idea of the ending, although not necessarily a firm idea. The character portraits come in about then. I will write a page or so of chr building material, usually including a mini-bio and perhaps a scene between two characters. Most novels I go into now (so the last three), I will have about 20 pages of notes which might include 3 to 5 character portraits, maybe some additional (shorter) character summaries. For writing them, it all stems from one initial idea, usually of the dynamic between two people, with more detail coming in as I write. Taking Quirk for example, I wanted a character who had the opportunity to deliver some cool, funny dialogue. I often end of with quite straight-laced m/c's, so I was determined to break that pattern with Quirk. He needed a foil, someone to create friction, hence Moth, the foul-mouthed and unruly teenager. There is some deep background (spoiler) to add some depth and room for growth (I hope), and a twist to force and keep them together, those notions came along soon after. In summary, my process is have the idea and write it down before I forget! Just write enough about the character, some dialogue for how they speak and and explain (to yourself) why they are the way they are - it won't go into the book, but it's the source for stuff that does go in. There are good casts in WE Season 10 about character. You've maybe listened to them before, but I'd recommend going back over them, if it wasn't recently that you listened.
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  25. I think I found the source. A̵͕̞̥̦͚ͩ͌̍͌̋̊ͦ́ͪ̀̊L̵̡͎̲̺̒̔ͬ̃̌̀̔͐̋̍̐͆ͯL̖̻̙̘͍̭̥̦̩̥͎̙͇̦̹̏̃́̌̄͑̓͛̀ͥͩ̍͟ ̭̦̜͈̍ͬ̌̈͛̍́̕H̢̬̠͈̩͚͇̙́̈ͨ̀ͥ̅ͮ͐ͩ̍̔́͜͠A̢͖͈̤̜̜̬̥͉̹̔̿̅̇̆ͨ̈́ͯ̊͐̏́́Į̷͉͔̻͈̘̼̼̠̺̟̋͊̓ͧ̎̎̆̿̍̋͐ͭ̔ͮ̃̉͑́̀̚L̴̷̸̷̺̘̰̮͇̻̗̥̪̞̜̲͕͓ͤ́̈́́̚̕ ̶͔̤̤̣̹̟̥̥̯͈̫̳̜͎̝̮ͫͭͬ͒̐̊͑ͫ̓̽̐ͬ̍ͬ̚͢T̸̨͎̝̥̬̪͉̰̭̗͇̪̳͕͕̙̰͎̱͉̐̓̈́̐̑̉̈́͂͛̾̽̿̔ͪͬͬ͡H̸̻̻̖͇̞̜̲̤̥̪̻̠̳͇̪̩̫͐̔̊͑̓̉̀̔̚Ȇ̡̗̯̼͓̃̎ͣͮͮ̒́̃ͭͪ͊͞͠͞ ͦ̐̏̽͂̊̏̌ͫ͗ͮͩ͡͠͏̸̥̙̯͖̩̼̭͙G̨̧͉̘͔̭͇͚͉̜͙͓̜̜̬͓̙̠̤ͤͣͧ̏̓ͨͦ̒ͭ̅̈͘͜͝L̵̶̶̨̧̩̗̱̤̗̝̮̰̯̻̻̉ͫ̓̔ͦ͋ͯ̄͐̈̃̄ͮͭ̆̆̊̚̚ͅƠ̵̸̴̫̻̳͚̠̳̤͈̬̇̊̋͗ͭ̆̀W̴̰̮̞̞͇̲͎̫͇̻̯͚͔̦̘̻̿̽ͪ̄̽͊̇ͣ̾̓͠ͅ ̶̪̝͖͍̭̹̐̔̃̀͞͝C̷̟͉̪̳͕͖̥̘̱̦͉̞̦̯͐ͯ̑̌̿ͧ̾ͤ̒͒̀͆͝L̴͛̓͂ͨ̒̉̽̈͋̐͜͡͏̘̟̮̹͍̻̯͙͖̳Ơ̸̛̘̘͖̫̻̜̭̳̰̹̞̱͐̔̏̅ͮ̕ͅU̜͚̹̜͕͖̬̟̺̗̥͚̳͔̞͔͉̇̏ͥ͌̈́͂̿̇͌͆͌̅̒͂ͤ̚͢D̢̪̪͓͔̼͈ͥ̍ͫ̕.̴̴̧͈̠̟̗͕̩͈̠͕͉͈̗̩̮̰̙̥ͩͨ͐ͭ ́ͣ́̐͗͆̋҉̵̵̟̝̳͚̘͝A̽ͧ̆ͯ̃͌̓̊҉̢̢̠̰̥͓͓͍̟̲͕̫͎͖̮͍͍͓͍͞Lͣ̅ͩ̏̈́̐̓ͤͫͬͪͥ̏͂ͯ͋ͨ̂͏̡̙̼̼͈͈̜̭̲̭̩̬̪͚̬̫̼͉͠ͅL̹̼͇̫̲̩̺͍̟̲̹̞͚͈̔͐͛ͬ̈̍̀̊ͯͫ̋̿̕͜ ̷̩̣̺̲̻̮͚͈͔͍̗͍̪̻̗̪̩ͥ̉̎̽ͭ͗ͭͬ̈̕͟ͅḨ̋̌̈́͑̋̊͌ͭ͂̅̅͋̂̋͒̒͗͘͢҉̠̹̱͖̞̮͖͕A̛͐̎ͮͩͭ͊́͜͏̣͉̘̰̠̘̼Î̴̼̹͕̫̦͙̇̔̅͊̈͋̆͂̇͒́͡L̶͖̭̘͓̦͙̥̰̲̝̟͇̳͚͊͗͋ͯ͟
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  26. The Unicode is strong with this one.
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  27. Not Necessarily. I agree a movie wouldn't work, way too much story, way too little screen time. But a TV series could work, if your willing to drop everything that makes it suitable for TV. by that i mean abandon having episodes of a regular length designed to fit into a TV time slot (with Ads, can't forget the ads). Instead you make one episode per chapter and make it whatever length it needs to be to convey the story in that chapter. Some episodes would be only a couple of minutes long, others half an hour or more. A season would correspond to a part and would be released all at once to service like Netflix. Doing it like this would give the creators a lot of flexibility. Lots of short episodes don't matter too much because people will binge watch the whole season anyway. likewise you could pack a lot into the screen time, e.g. have things going on in the background that people can pickup on a re-watch (if it took us multiple re-reads to get everything then i don't see why it won't work for viewers). I think a format like this could work. There are already people doing stuff like this (in format, not content) on YouTube where that make episodes 5-20 minutes long depending on the need (or constraints). As for weather it should be some sort of animation or live action... well as much as i love Anime i must admit i have never really imagined it as anime in my head, i just can't visualise it. I fear for the spren in a live action tho, i mean i could just see most of them never being shown which is just sad , Syl would have no one to play with . Speaking of Anime i feel obliged to defend the medium (feel free to skip as its off topic... i wont be offended ). Most Anime you'll see on TV in the west is Shonen, which is pretty much a genre in its own right. The Japanese can make anything Shonen, including Cooking! Its the Japanese version of the western Super Hero Comics and has it own tropes etc. It is characteristically over the top and exaggerated. To make matters worst the compinies that import and dub it often remove alot of the fan service (aka nudity) and more graphic violence. in addition they often change the script to target a younger audience. Its not uncommon for a series target audience to lose 5 years in translation (which is, imo, a pity as often the whole message/point of the show is lost as well). For adults this really isn't the ideal introduction to Anime. Other genres aren't anywhere near as bad. most of the ones that are do it for a reason. Often over the top animation or a less real style is used for comedy, in much the same away a laugh track is used by western sitcoms (seriously watch one without the laugh track, it doesn't work nearly as well). Skip Beat is a very clear example of this, that show has multiple genre disorder . The less serious/over the top art style is used to signal when it is in its comedy genre, the more serious used to signal when its in Drama mode. Full metal Panic is a more subtly example, when it gets over the top it is usually because that scene is part of the rom-com between the two main characters, the rest of the time it is a very serious sci-fi/war story. In short the over the top parts are generally used as a visual signal of a change in tone in the story telling. Some Anime don't use it at all tho, ghost in the shell comes to mind. Personally if Stormlight Archive was done in an Anime style id expect the over the top parts to be kept to a minimum and preferably be non-existent.
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  28. I have an irrational fear of repetitiveness and creepy calmness. It's hard to explain the nightmares. One of them is a doctor standing over me and repeating the words "It will all be ok son" in a creepy but calm voice while holding a bloodstained hacksaw. It was like a gif. And another was one of this weird, twisted version of a kinda Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where the guy walked casually and just swung his chainsaw everywhere, but the chainsaw never needed to connect because a weird ripple would be emmitted from the chain and cuts whatever the ripple passes through. I also am scared of the Zodiac Killer's symbol. Idk why because I love the Dark Mark
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  29. While I have to admit this would be a pretty funny twist, there's a point in Dark Talent where Alcatraz, when talking about Bastille, writes how she's standing right next to him in "our house." I can't see a way that would work if it's not Alcatraz she marries.
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  30. Nighthound meet Neverthere’s gaze. He found himself wondering, was she actively attempting to divert his attention from herself or was she trying to cater to his lust by adding another body to his collection, as if he needed more for the flesh's sake. Well, there was an easy way to find out and seeing how well she reacted to him until now he could afford applying a bit of pressure. After all, getting her to work with him was a successful first step but not what brought the joy from owning a woman, there needed to be dominance. Should she choose something else than to submit, the least she could do was sweat a little. “You know, I just found another thing to like about you,” Nighthound told her, “Just the right mix of cruelty and putting them to use, watching alone was enough to make me excited. That and appreciating dogs, those animals deserve better than having to live under such miscreants.” And that was more than enough vapid talk to set her up. Nighthound kissed Neverthere, just a soft peck on her lips. She responded with a coquettish giggle, just the kind of flirtation she had been teasing with all along. Behavior that was mostly lost, once women realized that society would no longer protect them, at least not from Epics. Time to pull in the leash she’d been attempting to lead him with. Nighthound hugged her close, arm low around her waist, “Just look at that beautiful smile of yours. As generous as you may be, I can hardly spare any affection for a lowly little dog when I have such a wonderful woman right in front of me… maybe I could use her as a replacement when you aren’t in the mood.” Another kiss, this time ever so slightly more insistent. “What do you say honey? We could test out the dungeon first, if that helps you get in the mood or do I have to content myself with the pets for now?”
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  31. This is an idea I had, and was wondering if anyone was interested. The basic principal of this rp would be this: Members of the 17th Shard, from different planets and backgrounds, are tasked with finding the elusive Hoid. It would take place roughly at the same time as The Way of Kinds/Words of Radiance. The only problem is, I've never done an rp in this format and, quite honestly, have no idea what I'm doing. If you're interested, let me know
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  32. What to read after running out of anything Brandon Sanderson? I'm on a quest to find a meaning of life whilst waiting on Stormlight 3. Any recommendations? Xxx
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  33. Random thought: has anybody tried graphic novel-style with actual photographs? I like how the live-action feels, because that's how it looks in my head, but I also understand production costs. So... pretty photoshopped pictures? In response to the TV show discussion... My favorite idea is a large-budget episodic movie. Does anybody here watch those really long Regency romances? My mom loves a lot of them, and many are actually much longer than normal movies. I guess that technically they're mini-shows or TV serials, but they're very nice watched all at once. North and South, Cranford, and Wives and Daughters all have this sort of format. North and South is 234 minutes according to Wikipedia, and it's split up into four parts. Another nice option would be LoTR style - longer movies anyway in a series that may or may not correspond to one book (I'm thinking maybe parts, since each has a climax and pretty story on its own.) They could have the extended versions with Interludes and flashbacks and the whole shebang.
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  34. I'll see if I can remedy that, then Joe is not a liar in SE games. He keeps his word, and will not break his promises. In this game, though, I don't trust him. Just because he doesn't lie doesn't mean he's good.
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  35. Oh, Odium! Yes, for sure! Odium is indeed trustworthy, and we know because he has been telling us all game! And odium will not kill us, because he said so himself! Too bad it is night so that I can not vote for Bugsy yet!
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  36. I always assumed the Dawnsingers were the Parshendi. They would deserve the Dawn- part of the name, as they are known to pre-date humans (at least humans bonding spren) on Roshar, thanks the the Listener song (of Spren?) regarding the spren betraying them, giving their power to humans instead of them. We also know that Stormseat was shattered in the last battle against the Voidbringers a.k.a. the Listeners, in a manner directly related to Cynematics, which is also how the Dawnsingers are said to have produced the geographical templates for the 5 epoch kingdom capitals. Plus the Listeners, you know, sing If the higher-consciousness spren used to bond with Listeners, as per their songs, might they not have had Shards? And access to Surges? If they did have Shards, and they were the Dawnsingers, would those Shards not be the Dawnshards? And those Shards, if they still existed, would be older than the Desolations. Plenty of time to get lost, and their legends become so far removed from the truth that no-one would even know them to look at them.
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  37. Will there be a thousand chasmfiends in attendance?
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  38. I'll miss you for you Zatoth. I'll even conduct the funeral!
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  39. Morgan Freeman for Sazed, just because it would make Mistborn another movie where he plays god. I know that's a dumb reason and that he's to old but I stand by my choice.
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  40. Kaladin is more self centered than selfish. He thinks he can save everyone. This is part of what attracts Syl, but Kaladin doesn't know where to draw the line. He sees himself as responsible for everyone's safety and blames himself for things he has no control over. For a while he thinks the nightwatcher or almighty has cursed him. It seems the height of hubris to think god is out to get you specifically. Kaladin really reminds me of the Aristotelian virtue of magnanimity, knowing your worth and abilities and acting accordingly. He is missing this. He wants to do more than his abilities allow. As his abilities grow is is capable of doing a lot, but as a bridgeman with few resources or as a 15 year old with no training, he had extremely unrealistic expectations. As a bridgeman he had good results, but he was disappointed that he wasn't able to save every life. Even as a radiant he will have limits. It will be interesting to see if he can accept that, or if refusing to accept them is a core pat of who he is. Maybe even a core part of what makes him a windrunner. On the whole I think his motives are selfless, but his actions lack an awareness of what he can do to an extent that causes him depression. Sometimes he strays into selfishness. It is similar to what Navani describes in Dalinar. She tells him his guilt is selfish. Kaladin does the same, wallowing in guilt and taking on responsibilities that aren't his.
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  41. This was talked about a lot, for many years My interpretation, long ago, was that Dalinar (the tower), Elhokar (the crown) and Kaladin (the spear) will become KR (pick up the fallen title) Now, we have 2 of them, waiting to see Elhokar's fate
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  42. I just cut my knee on a trash can less than one foot tall. Not sure what to think about it.
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  43. Thanks, Orlion! I will eat that extra muffin.
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  44. I finished it last night and wow... I was not expecting the ending on any level. It just got so dark so quickly, and my heart was breaking for Alcatraz and then it was just over and I couldn't believe it. I didn't believe Brandon would go there. I flipped through the acknowledgements and stuff desperately, but I didn't see the note. I practically slammed the book down on my bed, and hurried 17th Shard to see if this was all a big joke or something. And then when I saw a mention of a note in the back, I ran back and got it and read it so fast and then everything was okay again. Seriously, though, what an ending. I didn't really believe Alcatraz - I thought what he thought was cowardice would actually turn out to not really be his fault, and then... Also, I feel so sorry for the people who don't notice the note.
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  45. Got some new stuff from page 3! When you live in an Epic-controlled city and know what Electro can do: Trying to lie to a super-smart Epic like Altermind: Nighthound's the best at what he does, but what he does isn't very nice. The aftermath of Nighthound's arrival in Portland...
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  46. It been explicity stated that there are 3 Bondsmith's Spren...This theory was debunked some time ago. And remember than in the past Desolations, Stormfather was something "less" than the actual one....He was not merged with Tanavast's Shadow in the past (Because Honor was alive then) EDIT: I had problem to find the reference on the Forum therefore I searched in the Brandon's reddit-chronology (where I rememeber it) to find it. https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight_Archive/comments/4r6ds5/oathbringer_spoilers_stormlight_three_update_3/d66i11c?context=3#d66hqee
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  47. The Stormlight Archives Regency Romance PART THIRTY Shallan and Adolin took their time ambling through the hallways, passing servants and soldiers in blue uniforms bearing muskets. The servants bowed to Adolin as they went by, both those in ducal livery, and those who wore the colours of another house. Shallan looked down and picked at the buckle of her satchel – she had brought it, with the papers tucked inside, in preparation for the appointment that had been agreed upon the evening before. She did not meet their eyes, nor the eyes of the soldiers who greeted Adolin with a hand-to-breast salute. There was still a part of her that saw herself as ungainly and plain; it caused her to feel self-conscious in the face of unconcealed scrutiny. Her recent realisations of identity and self-awareness were still raw within her, and they were still changing into something else, something different – and even though she did not shrink away, she could not bear what she knew was an attentive assessment of her character and her connections – and her relationship to the Duke. If she had had the time brace herself, to analyse their persons and their perceptions, she would have been able to construct a face in order to portray the young lady of confidence and poise who showed herself unambiguously to be Adolin’s match and equal. But these servants and low-ranking soldiers were not nobles and gentry, those whose expectations she was familiar enough that appearing poised and assured was merely second nature. No, they were people whose entire existence, whose thoughts and opinions and sentiments, she had mostly overlooked or dismissed as beneath notice. So she found herself suddenly shy – she had been one of them only an evening ago – and was glad that Adolin was by her side. He was polite and friendly to everyone: he knew what words to say when Shallan groped for the words they expected to hear. She knew Adolin bore the chains of perception as she did, but the natural ease he had with people was his own; it was not artificial, for it was the part of him that made him good-natured to the core, and she admired that in him, and she liked it – she liked it quite a lot. They made their way downstairs, expecting the foyer to be abuzz with personal servants bearing travelling valises and carpet bags to the waiting carriages outside. It was half a day’s ride from Kholinar Court to the City; the ladies and gentlemen guests would have the leisure to sleep off the unseemly effects of overconsumption before returning to their own town houses. There were servants, yes, and they were loading the carriages by the portico, but there were new people arriving. They were all soldiers in the blue and white of the Kholin Regiments – short blue jackets with double rows of buttons and the shield-shaped patch of the Duke’s arms high on their shoulders. They all had muskets, and had powder horns slung from their white belt webbings, and they were shod in short hobnailed leather shoes that looked like simpler copies of Adolin’s ghillie boots. When she and Adolin reached the top of the stairs at the head of the foyer, still hung with decorative banners, she was startled by the shrilling of a tin whistle. The soldiers stamped their feet to attention and brought their muskets around to bear, and saluted Adolin in perfect unison. A man – in regimental frock coat and an officer’s epaulets – detached himself from the group and strode up the stairs, two at a time. He saluted Adolin smartly, and seeing Shallan at his side, wavered for a second, then gave her a cursory bow; Shallan thought it rather more functional than courtly. “Lieutenant Colonel, sir,” he said. “Major Khal,” said Adolin. “I see you got my letter.” “Three days ago, sir. We were to discuss – the re-organisation. And that other matter.” “Yes,” said Adolin. “As I promised. Father is here, and the rest of the brass. I shall see to it; you have my word.” Major Khal seemed suddenly very pleased at that; he relaxed perceptibly. “The men, sir? We received a summons last night, ordering the whole company to march – and we marched until dawn to get here. I had only planned to bring the staff officers, knowing the quarters were limited.” “You may have the use of the tents on the front lawns for a mess. The couriers’ barracks in the stableyard for the men – you may have to pitch your own tents on the courtyard. The officers are to have what guestrooms have been vacated; ask the housekeeper for pallets in the antechambers if they cannot all fit. Make free with the kitchens. We are well-stocked on food.” Adolin rattled off orders with a comfortable authority that Shallan had never seen from him before. Jasnah displayed that trait at all times; it was evident in her serene bearing and refined carriage, and it dripped off every word she spoke. Kaladin had a certain amount of it too, but it was mostly in the form of a particularly irritating – and smugly knowing – arrogance. Adolin had always been brightly convivial with her in company – and in private, he was thoughtful, and gentle, and – responsive. She almost blushed, but caught herself in time. This was a side of him, Shallan speculated, that was the product of years of martial education, just as she had been moulded by her own years of feminine education. “Two platoons to secure the perimeter and relieve the Prince’s personal guards – have the adjutant run up a watch rotation for the essentials,” continued Adolin. “Marksmen by the gatehouse, of course, and ensure all who enter and leave are identified. Assign a cavalry patrol on the road, a five-mile sweep north to Courtlea, and south to the Forest.” Major Khal nodded, and opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the butler and under-butler who had managed to slide up soundlessly by Adolin’s elbow. The butler cleared his throat. Major Khal shut his mouth and rolled his eyes upwards, and then muttered something that sounded suspiciously like civvies. “My lord, there are soldiers everywhere!” cried the butler. The under-butler whipped out his wallet diary. “Whatever are we to do with them? This House is no barracks – they ought to have been quartered in the village!” “They are here for the protection of the guests,” said Adolin calmly. “You shall do as Major Khal asks. For what reason would a Grand House be called ‘grand’ if it cannot even match the hospitality of Fort Shulin?” The butler bowed, aware of his being gently chastened. “Of course, my lord. We shall uphold the honour of the Court, as you desire. The extra help will be kept on, sir?” “Do whatever you deem necessary to help Major Khal,” Adolin said. Major Khal inclined his head in polite acknowledgement. Shallan notice him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye; he probably thought her just another of the Duke’s girls. “And arrangements for breakfast?” “Lady Jasnah has requested breakfast with Lady Shallan in the Teal Room at her earliest convenience. We are sending up trays to the rest of the Family in their quarters, if you should like one, my lord.” “I shall join Lady Shallan. Please have food sent out to the tents for the men – if there is no soup or porridge, then make do with what’s left from the Feast.” The butler bowed once more to Adolin, his face twisting into a look of panic. The under-butler frowned, and exchanged a silent signal with the butler; he glanced at the ranks of soldiers in the foyer – still standing at parade attention – and bowed, and withdrew. When he reached the end of the hall, he leaped unexpectedly into a sprint. Adolin took Shallan’s hand and they walked back upstairs to the Teal Room. Major Khal and the butler watched them take their leave, hand in hand, with quizzical – no, bemused – expressions on their faces. A gentleman accompanying a lady typically led her by the arm, and refrained from skin contact, for to do otherwise was an unmistakeable acknowledgement of familiarity – and a not so subtle hint of a present or future attachment. Shallan knew all of that. When she held Adolin’s hand, things around them seemed to hold less relevance; they seemed less important, less real. They were also decidedly less colourful, and when she glanced at the passers-by passing by, she could tell nothing of them but the superficial; it was a stark contrast to when she looked at Adolin, and unspoken words and understanding skipped back and forth through their linked hands. A footman held open the door of the Teal Room for them; he didn’t bat an eye at the appearance of an extra, unaccounted for guest, which in most situations would have led to an awkward pause as extra table settings or even a larger table were sent for. Perhaps the under-butler had managed to send warning beforehand. Active anticipation and preparation for the Family’s needs before they ever reached a distinct awareness of needing was the means through which superior servants earned their keep and their rank in the belowstairs hierarchy. Jasnah was sitting at the dining table, flipping through a sheaf of papers bound inside a waxed leather folio. She looked up and saw Shallan, and then her eyes flicked to Adolin, who held her hand in his. Her lips twitched with an inscrutable emotion, and with the barest hint of haughty resignation, she rose to her feet and offered a shallow bow to Adolin – to politely acknowledge his rank as a social equal and, Shallan knew, as one worthy of respect. Adolin returned her bow, and kissed her on both cheeks, and murmured ‘Cousin’ to her, for he not only had to observe the rules of decorum for Jasnah as Countess, and social co-hostess, and also as a scion of House Kholin who shared his blood. “Shallan, I expected to see you in the Family’s apartments yesterday evening, to hear your report on that unfortunate incident,” said Jasnah, seating herself at the table, and handing off her papers to the footman who shook out her napkin and placed it over her lap. Shallan waited for Adolin to push in her chair and find his own seat. “I’m afraid I was not – presentable at the time. And I am not Family.” Jasnah’s eyes flicked from Shallan and Adolin and back, and she smiled at them as a cup of clear beef broth was placed in front of them, followed by the arrival of the toast racks and pots of preserves. “And Cousin Adolin – I looked for your presence too, to hear the report from your men. I stayed up rather late and all I had to entertain me in the early hours was watching your brother trounce my brother at draughts.” A perfect eyebrow arched upwards. “I rather think gambling would be best avoided with either of them.” Adolin laughed, and drained his teacup. “Most men look to the battlefield to enhance their fortunes, but I think Renarin does it well enough with a ledger book.” “And no-one seems to have noticed,” replied Jasnah, segmenting her peeled grapefruit. “But your presence – or your lack of it – was noticed last evening. I hope to hear an explanation, and sincerely hope it will not disappoint me.” Her eyes fell on Shallan, and she pursed her red-painted lips. Shallan knew what Jasnah expected of her – a confirmation, and a truthful one. One of the conditions of Shallan’s being taken on as ward was to never lie to, or steal from the Countess; scholars were immensely protective of their unpublished research findings, their libraries of resources, and their rare primary documents. “Adolin spent the night with me.” That was the truth, and it was better just to be transparent about it than to let worse presumptions spring to life around an ambiguous half-truth. But she winced when she heard herself aloud. That was rather too transparent, and it said so much more than a deliberately enigmatic half-answer could ever say. Adolin flushed a very charming shade of pink and looked at Shallan and then down at his plate. He did not deny it; it would not be gentlemanly because it was true, even if certain occurrences had not managed to transpire; a vehement denial would only make it all the more evident that something indecent had happened. One of Jasnah’s perfectly arched brows rose, and then it was followed by the other, and a thoughtful smile spread across her face. She covered it up with a slow sip from her teacup, and silence passed between them. Shallan could imagine that the footmen’s ears were almost twitching with the desire to hear what was said next. “Cousin?” prompted Jasnah, after a while. “It was no indecency – I proposed my intentions first, and they were accepted. I do not mean to put Shallan – Lady Shallan – in an undignified position. It would not be honourable,” Adolin said, face reddening, eyes flicking to the table and the moulding on the ceiling, and the paintings on the wall behind his cousin. “We are affianced,” said Shallan, her voice flat. “There it is.” “My goodness,” remarked Jasnah, amused. “After only a bit more than a week. Congratulations.” Shallan did not for one second believe it was an honest expression of joy at any impending nuptials; she was confirmed in her sentiments when Jasnah went on. “I could not have done a better job of it myself. You have done very well for yourself, Shallan.” “I did not do it for you. Or even for me,” Shallan said. Her hand dropped under the table and searched for Adolin’s. She found it, and squeezed it, and his calloused fingers squeezed back. Above the table, Adolin sent her a grateful smile that had her hidden doves all a-flutter with the genuine fondness in gaze. “I shan't be joining you at Ivory Lane.” “I should not expect you to. Not until after you–” Shallan glared at the Countess, who cleared her throat and continued. “Adolin, your father has called a meeting for House Kholin and attached functionaries, scheduled for after breakfast. You would know this if you had been–” Jasnah paused, and saw that neither Shallan nor Adolin were in a mood to be chided in the manner of misbehaving children. They, as they were now, were anything but. “You must make the announcement then. Shallan will be welcome, as a Family member rather than my ward. I shall require her assistance for my own presentation. Your father has decided to share his own – conclusions.” “After last night, his suspicions will be proven as fact.” Adolin dug into his omelette. He looked at Jasnah. “What Shallan found – in the forest – and these men, these false Ardents. They were no coincidence?” “No.” “Does Father know?” “If he doesn’t already, he shall know soon.” “Why wasn’t I told earlier?” Shallan met Jasnah’s eyes. She could tell what Jasnah wanted to say, but she did not want Adolin to hear it. She said what she thought was true, instead. “Because no-one would have believed us. They would have said we were gone soft like your cousin the King – or your father. We had no proof, and had not expected the proof to find us so suddenly.” Adolin looked at both of them, and his knee brushed against Shallan’s skirts. “Next time, I think I deserve to know.” “You do. I will tell you all I can,” said Shallan. Adolin seemed to accept that as an answer. If it were Kaladin, he would have been more discriminating in his securing of an explanation. Because Kaladin did not trust anyone, even if he was fond of a few specific people. He would trust that they were likely to behave in certain predictable patterns, and he might find them trustworthy, and worthy of trust, but he could not allow himself to trust entirely in their judgement. Adolin had faith in her. And that gave her reason to find faith in herself. So she told him about Jasnah’s research – the vague outlines of her hypotheses, concerning the search for lost relics of the legendary Heralds. Jasnah ventured no comment, nor did she volunteer any explanation on the details; she merely dismissed the servants from the room and sat silently observing, and Shallan recognised it for a test of her memory and her discretion. Adolin did not even blink when Shallan mentioned the potentially questionable parts of their research: the folk tales and religious myths regarding the Almighty and His eternal opposition. He did not declaim them as presumptuous anti-zealots, as those even the least bit devoted to Vorinism would have done. He nodded, and when she was finished – Shallan had not told him about Kabsal, or the visiting card she had been given an evening before – he informed them that he had already known most of it. For his Aunt Navani had often made disparaging remarks in her correspondence, about Jasnah’s wilfully squandering the generous dowry bestowed upon her by her late father – on excursions abroad, or buying antique children’s books at auction. “I am appreciative of your honesty, Shallan,” Adolin said at last. “Though I must admit that this whole time you have been perfectly honest, even if you did spare me much of the detail.” “Honest? Was I?” said Shallan, shocked but not daring to show a flicker of it in her expression. “Yes. When you said there was a lost treasure in the forest, you were being truthful in that. If you had told the truth – of Heralds’ relics, it would have been so truthful that I do not think I would have believed you.” “And we ended up coming away empty-handed.” Shallan picked at the crust of toast on her plate, sighing. “I would not say that.” And Adolin grinned, and in that he was perfectly honest too. He was also perfectly guileless, and it was enough to make Jasnah roll her eyes at the unseemly display of affection. If Jasnah could not find enjoyment in the company of men, and only tolerated them with painful sufferance – even her own blood cousin – Shallan did not see why she herself should live by the same standards. In her own life, she had seen that men and women both were capable of terrible deeds, and they did not have to take the form of physical agony, such as a knife drawn over the ribs, or a gunshot in the dark. No, in her early life, the miseries she had felt had not been physical; she was certain if they had, they would have been so much easier to bear – and to heal. She thus felt an incipient twinge of impatience for Jasnah’s attitude toward Adolin. Not all men were bad, just as all men were not good. Jasnah did not even consider her uncle the Prince Dalinar a good man, for he was a man; she thought him adequate, more tolerable than most; she respected his habit of keeping by his word, and reading certain books long gone out of favour – but she had not trusted him with her confidences. Shallan found she disagreed with Jasnah in this – and she had not often disagreed with her teacher and mentor, and never vocally. But lately she had been disagreeing with Jasnah more and more, usually with regards to her treatment of other people, which Shallan considered approached coarseness even if Jasnah followed the letter of etiquette, and her words could never be considered rude or cutting, not even by the most fastidious of Society matrons. It was something in her intonation that suggested she would happily cut those she addressed if she could – if she had not needed their connections, or their influence, for some goal or other of hers. “We might join the rest of the Family in the library,” said Jasnah, setting down her teacup with a barest clink of the saucer. “They will have had breakfast themselves by now – we all of us had a late night. The guards wouldn’t let us return to our own rooms until they had searched them thoroughly.” She shot Adolin a pointed look. “Perhaps you might have your handlers brush your dogs once in a while. I frankly do not enjoy having hair on my pillows that is not my own.” When they reached the library – the same one Shallan had visited with Kaladin in her search for astronomy charts – they observed that most of the attendees had already arrived, with only a handful of latecomers hurriedly filtering in. The room was awash in a sea of blue uniforms – there were no servants; guards in the short jackets of common soldiers had the door, and stood by the windows. They saluted Adolin upon identifying him; his hair was quite distinctive, and he wore the long coat of an officer. The Family members and their highest ranking associates were gathered around the map table. The top panels of the table had been unfolded to reveal a very detailed topographic map of Anglekar and the Anglethi Isles, and the north and western coasts of the East Continent. Small figurines were placed around the map in strategic locations; they bore the shapes of miniature soldiers in blue, and ships in blue, and forts, and cannons, and horses. Orderlies in blue uniforms circulated amongst the seated high officers and nobility, offering cups of tea from the samovar whistling away on a folding table. Shallan took a cup, and grimaced when she sipped it. It was tea, but thickly brewed and laced with powdered ridgebark, dreadfully bitter and alkaline on the tongue. Ridgebark had the effect of temporarily awakening the senses and staving off fatigue; it was similar in that way to the much more palatable coffee – but coffee was an expensive imported indulgence and, Shallan supposed, very hard to find when one was on the battlefield for a campaign. Soldiers would be acclimated to the taste of it, for they were eagerly wanting of the alertness it brought. But it was an acquired taste, and Shallan had not acquired it. She set her cup aside. “We bring this meeting to order,” announced Prince Dalinar, standing at the head of the table. He sat down, and there was a rustle and creak as those who had precedence sat down as well; the junior officers and common soldiers stood in ranks behind and around. Shallan had her own chair with Adolin on her right hand, and Jasnah on her left. Jasnah’s folio of pages lay open on the table in front of her. Kaladin, a warrant officer, did not have a seat, she noticed. He stood at the front rank, behind Renarin and Major Khal seated opposite her. “The events of last night have proved that my suspicious of foreign saboteurs are not unfounded,” said Dalinar. “We were attacked, and we were unprepared – and we cannot – we shall not – let this go ignored.” He glanced at the man on his right, and Shallan felt a small pang of shock as she realised that the man was the King. King Elhokar did not much resemble Jasnah, apart from the typical Anglethi tendency toward long limbs and lofty stature, and a similar colouring to their complexion and hair. He could be considered handsome with his even features and attentive grooming, but there was no outward appearance of aloof severity in him that both Jasnah and her mother the Queen Dowager Navani possessed. Neither did he have the charisma or almost-palpable presence of his uncle Dalinar. He did not deliberately shrink away from sight, or unintentionally avoid detection in that curious manner of Renarin’s, but there was something, or a lack of something in him, that made one consider him somehow less important than the people around him; he was simply not very worthy of a second glance once one had graced him with a perfunctory first. Shallan did not pay much attention to Dalinar’s greetings of all his senior officers and staff, or his rousting speech describing the events of last night – she already knew what had happened, and very intimately so. She watched the King. His eyes had dark rings pouching underneath from a lack of sleep, and his hands dipped under the table to bring out a silver flask; he tipped some of its contents into his ridgebark tea. Shallan did not think it a particularly healthful habit, especially not this early in the morning, and she saw Kaladin eyeing it with one brow quirked up in bemusement; he looked at her, and their eyes met, and she looked away. The king, she could see, wore no officer’s uniform, only a modishly cut day suit with a coat of finely combed dark blue wool, with starched collar and a snowy, layered neckcloth. He did not even wear a crown or circlet, because he was not attending a social gala, nor was he presiding over his Royal Court. Courtly protocol demanded proper observation of courtly styles and formalities, but this was officially only a Family meeting. “… One recent incident involving these assassins was brought to my attention,” said Dalinar. “My niece Jasnah was tangentially involved. These are no mere hired killers – they had an ulterior motive. Jasnah?” Jasnah rose to her feet to the polite, but definitely far from friendly acknowledgment of the ranked officers. She explained the purposes of her research – again, a vague explanation much like Shallan’s – which was familiar to a number of people. Lady Navani’s lacquered fingernails tapped against the tabletop in restless impatience. “The rumour of incredible wealth hidden by the ancients,” Jasnah said, not the least bit ruffled by the cool reception from the assorted guests. “Drew the eyes of these foreigners. There must be some substance to the stories – if they were worth sending an investigative – and invasive – party to the King’s own Home Counties.” There was silence. The officers glanced at one another and then at Prince Dalinar. The King was not even appearing to pay attention; he stirred his tea with a silver teaspoon and occasionally turned his head to peer out through the window. Then Doctor Kaladin cleared his throat, and Adolin spoke. “I myself have seen the results of these assassins’ interest,” he said, “and I do not dismiss them as hysteric fancies. There is a hidden treasure, and though our first excursion found us leaving without answers, the soldiers I sent to reconnoitre and patrol the Kholinshire Forest did find something noteworthy. Mr Karsten, if you please?” Karsten, the groundskeeper in mottled green-grey, pushed through the crowd of officers, bearing a sack in one hand. To Adolin’s nod of approval, he set the mysterious parcel on the table in front of Dalinar. Karsten unknotted the twine at the top, and the burlap sacking dropped open to reveal a lantern with curved glass sides and a gold frame. There was no oil reservoir, and no wick; inside was a rough chunk of colourless glass or lead crystal clamped to a small stand. “Doctor Kaladin first observed that there were strange lanterns in the ancient structure we found in the Forest,” continued Adolin. “And when I sent men back to look further, we found that these lanterns were truly strange – beyond our expectations. These lanterns were brought back, and I had them assayed. The stone inside is diamond.” Karsten flicked open a latch on the side and pulled out the diamond. From his belt he drew his working knife, of a plain make with a worn leather-bound handle – but the blade was of quality steel. The groundskeeper scraped the very roughly faceted diamond down the blade and held it up – a deep scratch marred the silvery finish of its side. The officers began to mutter. “There is something of value in Jasnah’s research, though perhaps it is not as exciting as a long-lost sword of heroes,” said Adolin. “But it is enough to inspire greed from foreign eyes. Doctor Kaladin?” Kaladin stepped forward, and spoke. “We arrested all the Ardents who were guests to last evening’s Feast. Most of them, including Brother Kadash, were nothing more than simple Courtlea clerics who were released after a search and interrogation. There were three others that attempted to run when we sent guards to collect them from the ballroom, and we set the dogs when they tried to escape onto the estate grounds. “One got away – there was a coach prepared for a getaway on the road to Courtlea, before we had even set a cavalry patrol. The second one we found dead on the grounds with a broken ankle – he had done away with himself before we could capture him. The third we brought in for questioning. He spoke a Continental tongue, and when we gave no guarantee of a future repatriation, poisoned himself with a capsule hidden in a false tooth. And the last, the tattooed one killed in the retiring room. There may be more, but we do not know for certain.” “I have heard enough. Gentlemen,” said Dalinar, gravely. He stood. “We must prepare for war.” The library was in uproar after his solemn announcement. When the atmosphere had calmed slightly – it was still tense with a strained and gnawing apprehension – Dalinar spoke again. “War with the Continent is inevitable. We felt the first tremors in the colonies, and saw evidence of foreign interference in Ireland. My brother’s death six years ago started a war we were not entirely prepared for. My nephew’s death would have started another. But we have the opportunity now – to prepare properly.” “I will gather the Dukes, and we will have one last push against the marshpeople. One final and conclusive victory to whet the appetite for new victories – and then the front shall be moved to the Continent. Admiral Teleb, have the HMS Cobalt Guardian brought out of dry-dock.” He took up a stick with a hooked end and pushed the statuettes across the map table. “We must have the Stormwarden, the Countess von Iriale, and Sunraiser refitted as transports. The Home Regiments must be split, and Major Khal has the landing – we shall choose Flanders for our base of operations; for now it is neutral ground and will not violate any treaties extant. Adolin, you will return to the marshlands with me–” “No.” The background hum of conversation cut off abruptly. Adolin looked around, then pushed his chair back. “Soldier?” asked Dalinar. He set the stick down, and straightened. His bearing was forbidding and his face grim; he was clearly unused to being contradicted. “You cannot gather the Dukes when you are away. Parliament does not respond to promises and cajoling. They are as flighty children – their attention wanders and they forget themselves as soon as something else comes along,” said Adolin quietly. His words fell into the silence; they swiftly dissipated in the uneasy emptiness. “You must unite them, Father – you must show them the fist beneath the glove – and you must stay to do it.” Dalinar nodded slowly. “Proceed.” “We haven’t the resources on hand – the last war has drained us – for an immediate display of aggression. We must fight defensively, at least at first, and use geography to our benefit. Blockade the Channel, offer letters of marque, cut off their golden lifeblood, and amass our own men, and ships, and allies until we can have our great push from Flanders. Bide our time, and in the meanwhile show them why the Anglethi Navy is the best in the world.” Adolin exchanged a glance with Major Khal, and continued. “Major Khal is to have his step to Lieutenant Colonel, and he shall join his father the Field Marshal in Ireland. They have worked in concert before – their mutual experience in coordinated pushes and retreats will serve to advantage, and will show a fine example to the other ducal regiments. Father, you must be the one to call the muster. When the men come at the drums to take the King’s shilling, they must be shown why.” The Prince Dalinar’s disciplined stance relaxed ever so slightly. He pushed the stick over the table to Adolin, and calmly found his seat. “You have finished the book, then?” “I finished it years ago. It is only recently that I have to come to understand its meaning,” said Adolin, his hand reaching out and reluctantly picking up the hooked wooden stick. He brought it to the map table and rearranged the figurines, placing the ships in the Channel between Kholinshire and Roionshire and the north coast of the Continent. “And soldier – what of you?” This was the question that Shallan had been wondering. Adolin had made strategic decisions for the other major players. All, excepting himself. Adolin drew a slow breath. Then he looked down at Shallan, whose slippered foot pressed against his own boots under the table. He smiled, and there was bright and tender affection for her in his blue eyes, and something else lurked within them that was hard and bleak in its resolve; it was a seizure of one’s destiny, and a decision made and channelled to intention and then to action. She recognised it; she had seen it before, very recently, and in herself. It made her tremble. No, she thought, please, no. “I will go to Flanders.” Author's Notes: "Major Khal" - He is this AU's equivalent of Captain Khal, the son of General Khal from SA-canon. Obviously I have no idea what a battalionlord is supposed to be, so I went with the period accurate ranks. The matter he wanted to discuss was the promised promotion. Fort Shulin is by the city of Shulin, the only other named town in the canon Kholin Princedom. "Quartered in the village" - IRL revolutions were fought because civilians didn't like being forced to house soldiers in their own homes, back when armies didn't carry food supplies with them and needed to forage/requisition/loot from farmers to eat. It's not something Dalinar or Adolin agree with. Remember, no Soulcasters. Renarin and gambling - this kid has hustle. Too bad you have to talk to other people to do it - if internet poker was invented in Roshar, Renarin would be a professional. On Shallan and Jasnah - Shallan started in awe of Jasnah, admiring her and wanting to be smart and in control all the time. But after character development, she is more independent, and wants something different, because Jasnah's way of life won't make her happy. Ridgebark - Adolin eats this stuff after Szeth bursts through the wall in WoR, and stays up all night at his dad's door in his Shardplate, with the coffee shakes. In this AU, it's soldier coffee since coffee is only grown and imported from the colonies. Most people drink tea. The lamp - Kaladin mentioned finding one in the tower. He thought it was glass instead of a gemstone. "Arrested the Ardents" - Kabsal got away. The man who left a calling card was Mraize dressed as a guest. On Dalinar and Adolin - a partial throwback to canon-Adolin wanting his dad to let him duel again, and going to meet Eshonai alone. It's also a sign of character development that he wants to make decisions instead of being on the backseat to The Dalinar Show. He is a competent commander, but his fears of failure have crippled him in the past, but when he stops caring about approval and says what he thinks, he can be a better strategist than Dalinar. And he does pay attention to Renarin's numbers, even if he thinks arithmetic is for chumps. Earlier in the story, Adolin shows his awareness of economics and the big picture, and it marks his difference from Dalinar who can be more Blackthorn when it comes to war. The big picture says that Dalinar is indispensable. "King's shilling" - historical lingo for enlisting and taking the signing bonus. Flanders and Napoleon - things are different in this AU compared to IRL timeline. But some major things will stay the same. There is no set year for this story, since in-universe references to technology and culture go all the way up to the 1880's. Just early 1800's if it bothers you.
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