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*screeches incoherently* Matilda the Mad, deformed old cat lady who lives at the edge of town. The villagers don't recognize me, kitties. That's reasonable. We've just moved to this village. All the other villages have cast us out because they are backward bumpkins who blame all their misfortunes on childless crones who talk constantly to their invisible cats. But it's all right. I'm sure this will be a great new start for us. I mean, I may be 80 years old and have lived a life of misery, social ostracism and alcoholism, but that's no reason I (and my cats) can't start afresh in an environment free of social hysteria, small-town spitefulness, gossip, and mass paranoia- Hey wait, why are the gates being nailed shut? Why is there a gallows in the village square? *Matilda grabs a flask out of her filthy robes and starts drinking heavily* Great, just great. And I'm sh-sh-shuuure no one'sh going to shcapegoat poor little old Matilda for all the bad thingsh that are gonna happen. Because THAT'SH never happened before, right kittiesh? Well, at least I can alwaysh go back to me drunkennessh to get me through theesh dark, dark timesh... plus all my catsh... *no one sees any cats*

The crowd faces Uther. Most of them want him dead, and those who do not have given up. More than a few weapons are leveled at him, and he is backed dangerously close to one of those windows. Storms, that's a long way down... The base of the tower is barely visible from this high up. He cannot see a way out of his demise. He is quickly considering possibilities. They want to work together. But how can we work together? If we had a common goal, maybe we could overlook our different methods of reaching it... But we do not have anything close to a common goal! The Sons of Honor are GLAD the everstorm has come! The Diagramists would see the entirety of this PLANET subjugated in the name of a dream their old fool of a king once had. They cared nothing for the goals of the Ghostbloods. And we would NOT be forced into submission to them. And the self-proclaimed "Sons of Honor", hiding behind the backs of Diagramists... Honorable indeed. Yes. The Sons of Honor. The only reason they threw their lots with the Diagramists is because they had to. To refuse their help would be to accept defeat. Some of the Diagramists likely do not really want to work with the Sons of Honor. And some of the Sons of Honor undoubtedly would rather not work with Diagramists. They allied out of necessity; both factions were critically weakened on the first cycle and without an alliance the Ghostbloods would have devestated them. Now that the Ghostbloods approach a weakened state... The alliance becomes less and less necessary for either faction to succeed. And, there was the fact that the Ghostbloods still had a cook in play... And yet, we don't have voter majority, in part due to Ghostbloods who betrayed their own cause. And, as I had expected, we are still subject to cook kills. They really seem to think everyone can work together, after all this. Not that it mattered. The Diagramists had outmaneuvered him. They had turned a sudden defeat into a spectacular victory. But they won't be enough. The everstorm... This is the way the world ends... This is the way the world ends... This is the way the world ends... Not with a bang. NOT with a whimper. With a howl. The howl of a distant, unnatural, terrible storm on the horizon. There was no avoiding his death. Uther understood that and accepted it. Through some twist of fate, the Ghostbloods had been defeated. He stares at the triple-diamond insignia, tattooed on his wrist. It stood for a higher cause... But the world has a way of turning those on their heads. Uther had seen it happen to plenty of other causes... Storms, he had overthrown his share of them. Now the Ghostbloods were in danger of the same. Not that he would live to see it happen. He stands up on a crate, his back to the window, elevated above the crowd. He clears his throat to address the warring factions one last time before they take him. "Diagramists. I cannot help but salute you. You were uncovered so early, and through some miracle you have manipulated the crowds into doing your bidding instead of bringing you to justice. The battle is yours. But you know what? This world is ending. Regardless of what your Diagram might tell you, you are not equipped to deal with the storm that has come. Enjoy your victory while it lasts." "Sons of Honor. My death sets you free of your obligation to the Diagramists. Our numbers are cut down, and the Ghostbloods are no longer the threat to you we were. When the Ghostbloods had the choice, most of us voted against a Bondsmith's victory. Now you have the choice. You must decide. Are you really committed to working with the Diagramists?" "Ghostbloods. All I can do is wish our edgedancer hadn't let the Diagramists know they were discovered. As it is, our forces are greatly weakened. With the losses we sustain, you will no doubt be maneuvered into a pact with the others, which is in truth our best and only chance at survival. I don't know what the future holds, nor will I live to know it one day, but... For what it's worth, good luck." "And as for the Bondsmith... Most importantly the Bondsmith... You only want to unite us. Well, perhaps I can't stop you. But after the thrill of your victory settles down, and after you return to your daily business... I want you to face yourself with a hard question. You are a Bondsmith, and you spoke an oath to unite instead of divide. But what of your means of doing so? You have built your precious peace on the corpses of people who did not agree with you. When the majority did not want to work together, you saw this as no impediment. You just killed them all. Problem solved. Journey before destination. The ends do not justify the means. It's such an easy lie to tell. Of coarse the ends justify the means; sometimes you need to make sacrifices for the greater good. The Diagramists would certainly tell you that. So too would the Sons of Honor, and, I realize, so too would the Ghostbloods. But when you tell yourselves "the ends justifies the means" you are tricking yourselves. You focus not on the end but on your ends. You choose to focus, not on the complete end result, but just on the small piece of it that you aimed to achieve. Your vision tunnels, and they see only the glory of your goals, not the price. Journey before destination, radiant. Even I know that." "I understand that nothing I can say at this point will change your mind. I don't intend to change your mind. But when the dust is settled, you will remember." Uther stands above the crowd. There was silence and blades leveled at him and anticipation for the day's end. The race was run. He draws his knife. Poisoned. A mix of powerful sedatives and a distillation of blackbane. The knife of a Ghostblood assassin. it would offer him a quick and painless death. He holds it out to the crowd, handle first. "Get it over with, then."

Today I was just walking along, minding my own business, when this cat just starts meowing at me. I didn't really know what to do, so I started petting it. It was the cutest thing! It started purring and rubbing itself against me. It even started climbing onto my lap. The only thing that made it less than paradise was the fact that it kept kneading me with its claws. Apart from the fact that it was kind of painful, I was also wearing my nice clothes. But I couldn't be mad at it. I named it Stabby Tabby!

@Erunion, @Cognizantastic, @Shqueeves -- Thank you guys so much haha :-D @Hemalurgic_Headshot Huh. I was kinda close. :-) Thanks for playing ! @bleeder :

Night 11: The Sound of Silence On the world of Sel, there was a room where the voiceless spoke. It was a room of regrets, where those that had entered the hell-on-earth that was the ruined city of Elantris always ended up, their minds shattered repeatedly by the continuing, unending torment of mere existence. A persistent itch in this place could lead to clawing off the skin entirely in search for solace. The cursed beings of the city could not escape their fate; Sanity was in short supply, and even those that tried to resist it could not help but eventually give in. Within the building, the insane gathered as though moths to a flame, drawn together by those like-minded, though they could not understand what brought them to this point. They had no thoughts of their own, no ability to comprehend the world around them through their pains. Inside, a hundred voices repeated their meaningless mantras, talking without speaking. They were in their own, personal worlds, unable to listen to the others in the room around them in the same position. Their words washed over them like a wave, each one slowly eroding down the mind, like a drip of water on a stone. It was a madness that was both magically induced and yet entirely mundane. It was as though those within were trapped within time, reliving the moment where everything became too much, over and over again. For them, the world outside simply ceased to exist. Their pain became their entire world, their purpose and their punishment. Eyes flicked to those who entered the room, but didn't see them. They could not - their world had simply ended, consumed with the despair they felt. On the world of Nalthis, there was a similar room. They did not speak, but the Explorers couldn't see why not. They did not appear to have anything wrong with them physically that would prevent them. There was no lingering marker of magic that danced across their skins or left its image upon them. They simply ceased to exist, dreaming without being asleep. The world passed them by, while their minds played images of their own in front of their eyes. Ghosts danced before their vision, a torturous show all of their own of their own making. They lived in the past, their sins returning to haunt them. The House had broken them, and so they sat here, in this room, and pretended it didn't exist. But even in their own worlds, they could not escape its evil influence. "There she is," Aralis muttered, pushing Konwa forward. "Why me?" Konwa asked, brushing Aralis' hand off his shoulder. "You do it." "Not a chance," Aralis held his hands up, shaking his head. "This place completely creeps me out." "It does that to all of us," Sheon rolled his eyes as he stepped forwards towards Shara, or at least what was left of her. When they came up to her, she was sat on the floor against a wall, toying with a silver box in her hand. It was small, and could not contain anything that big, but considering the material the box was made from, it certainly contained something valuable or precious. Potentially both. She did not say anything as they approached, nor even acknowledge their presence until their shadows blocked out the candlelight. At that point, she finally looked up at them, but she still did not really seem to see them. She continued to fidget with the box, moving it from hand to hand as though it was too hot to hold in one for a long time. "She doesn't look like a killer," Konwa muttered. "Do any of us?" Aralis countered. "Do you think any of us looked that strange when we first came here? Billy or Arinian or Alberd... Appearances can be decieving, can't they?" "I suppose," Konwa nodded, kneeling down before her but continuing to look at the two he had come here with. "But I want to be sure before. I want to ask questions. I at least want a clear conscience if we do this. She's hardly in her right mind, is she?" She turned back to Shara, "Hello, Shara. Do you remember me?" Shara squinted a little, her hands still moving. She shook her head and stopped looking at him, returning to the object in her hands. "It's Konwa," she said, slowly, as kindly as he could manage. "We want to ask you some questions, if that's alright." She said nothing. Konwa sighed. "Do you know what happened here? What's going on?" She said nothing. "Real good work there Doc," Aralis said. Konwa scowled and turned back to him. "I'm a damned BioChromatic researcher, not an interrogator!" She pushed himself up violently and slapped Aralis on the back, pushing him forward. "If you think you can do a better job, then you do it." "Hey, hey," Aralis said, as he was pushed forward. Then he sighed. ""Well, I guess we might as well start with the obvious question; what's that box?" Finally, Shara spoke. "It's mine." "That's not what I asked," Aralis said, gritting his teeth. "What's in it?" "...Memories," Shara said, after a pause. Then she drew it closer. "It's mine," she added. "Oh for..." Aralis grabbed the box off her, overpowering her easily as the people here were suffering from malnutrition, whereas the rest of them had enough of a mind to them still to eat. "Let's have a look then," he said, prising it open. "Mine!" Shara shouted, tackling him to the ground with surprising force and knocking him to the side. They landed roughly, Shara next to the box, Aralis on the floor beside her. But the box was open, and whatever was inside it seemed to absorb and trap the light around it. It pulsed strangely, making it visible despite the fact that it was practically made from darkness. She made to grab the box, but was halted as whatever was inside started to move. It rose up in a spiral, passing through Shara as though it was not there. As it travelled through her, she seemed to fade a little, losing all colour as though the heat were drained from her. Then her face became thinner, shriveling until it was just a skeleton. Then, as the darkness settled itself in an amorphous cloud above her, her body fell to the ground and shattered like ice, a fine layer of dust covering the floor. But the darkness was not content with simply taking one life. It swirled around the room, before launching itself at Aralis. He rolled out of the way, barely managing to avoid the thing. Then it turned around and raced towards Konwa, aiming straight for her heart. He was only saved by Sheon's timely intervention, who pulled him out of the way and into the wall. Konwa grimaced as her shoulder slammed into the unforgiving stone, but all things considered it was better than she had any right to expect. Instead, the shadow passed through the body of Mark, who was one of many people in the room unaware of the danger they were in. His body turned to dust before it even hit the ground. The shadow carried on moving through the wall behind Mark as though it wasn't there. Aralis slowly got to his feet, eyes glued to the wall where it had disappeared. The three of them made their way to the centre of the room and stood back to back, each person watching a third of the room. The day carried on around them, the light slowly fading and dusk eventually breaking through the window. There was no sign of the shadow, but even after several hours watch, none of them were willing to breathe a sigh of relief. Shara (Nyali) was a Shade-Trapper with a Silver Box! The Silver Jewelery Box Omen has been vanquished! Shara/Nyali (3): Dr Konwa Arelle (Wonko the Sane), Aralis (Arais Valerian), Sheon Idris (Seonid) Shan Idris/Seonid (1): Shara (Nyali) Mark (Mark IV) was an Awakener! Character List Kasther's Pocketwatch

LG29: Night 6 - Death of a Sleeper The mob of worldhoppers struck again, this time on Roshar. Desten Kyde had been missing for ages, and the worldhoppers slowly became obsessed with hunting him down. After all, what else could it possibly mean but that he was working with the Wanderer. Or with Odium. Or somebody unsavory. Anyways, he had to die, and that was all that mattered. They eventually found him in a back alley on Roshar. Wary, the spies waited for more than a week, but he didn’t move. One of them slowly walked into the alley, watching carefully for traps, then checking for illusions. Desten didn’t stir. He crept closer, until he was standing mere feet away from the sleeping form. Desten didn’t stir. The spy coughed loudly, then walked over to him. Desten didn’t stir. He was shaken roughly, and slapped on the face, and still he didn’t stir. Finally, with a grunt of disgust, the spy plunged a dagger into his heart, and Desten never stirred again. Sam Trudite (Sart) has died! His role and alignment will be revealed once he passes to the Spiritual Realm Desten Kyde (Kynedath) was lynched! His role and alignment will be revealed once he passes to the Spiritual Realm Magestar (Magestar) has passed to the Spiritual Realm. He was the Vessel of Endowment and the holder of the Shattered Shard of Preservation! Night 6 has begun, and will end in about 23 hours. Vote Count: Doc (1): Alvron Kynedath (7): Assassin, Bard, Stick, DroughtBringer, Arinian, Sart, Len Alvron (1): Dalinar Len (1): Araris Player List: 1. Assassin in Burgundy - First of the Game 2. Master Elodin - Second of the Signups 3. Jondesu - Quintus 17th Shard Worldhopper 4. AliasSheep - Kelen Taldar Returned 5. Darkness Ascendant - Kaldain Selblessed 6. A Joe in the Bush - Jack Tormander Returned Agent of Autonomy 7. Doc12 - Silence 8. Kynedath - Desten Kyde 9. TheMightyLopen - Kaloo Vessel of Odium 10. Straw - Malum Farcimen 11. Young Bard - Serol 12. Magestar - Magestar Vessel of Endowment, Preservation (shattered) 13. Alvron - Lorna 14. Dalinar Kholin - Sanya 15. Harambe - PUNisher Elantrian 16. I_am_a_Stick - Stic 17. RubiksCube - cubefright archive 18. DroughtBringer - Ralar 19. Araris Valerian - Aralis 20. Arinian - Arinian 21. Zephrer - Tardeick 22. Conquestor - Farallen Oniz Vessel of Preservation 23. Sart - Sam Trudite 24. Aonar Faileas - Nilan Izenry 25. Elenion - emissary of Mandos 26. Kasimir - Tenth of the Dusk

So, upon reading Edgedancer, a theory coalesced in my mind. It is my belief that the 10 Heralds (or, at least, the 9 who stayed) are now behaving as the 10 Fools. Or at least, they're now behaving as an inversion of their attributes (which is what I believe the Fools to be, inversions of the Heraldic archetype). Following this paradigm, Nale (who is supposed to be Just/Confident) is extremely unjust (see him murdering the urchin), but remains confident. Furthermore, he has allowed himself to be completely deceived. From his discussions, we know that Jezrien (Protective/Leading) is doing anything but leading (although he may still be being protective?). We also have hints that Ishi (name? - but Pius/Guiding) is likely either gone evil (inversion of piety), or is misleading people unintentionally (inversion of guiding). Also, Poor Taln was Dependable/Resourceful enough for a time, but has now broken, becoming impossible to depend on and without any resources. As an additional note of interest to this theory: the Everstorm came only after Taln, the last of the Heralds, allowed his behaviour to be inverted. While he remained Dependable/Resourceful, the Everstorm was held at bay. (This in turn leads to ANOTHER crazy theory: to stop the everstorm you need all 10 heralds to get their acts together? Or possibly to be replaced by 10 new Heralds?)

Ha! In Communism, I'm a blight upon the whole nation! My uselessness is spread evenly upon the entire populace! That's why the Soviet Union imploded...

In France, they don't say "Happy birthday." Instead, they say "Je suis un bâton" which means "May your special day be filled with joy" and I think that's beautiful.

New to this website, love all of Brandon's works except Alcatraz (though to be fair I have not given it a shot yet). Does anyone know if there is a Brandon Sanderson convention yet? I know there is a Jordancon every year for Wheel of Time fans, just wondering, cheers! *hugging squirrels is fun, and required to be a poster in this thread! ^^ kupo-san?

In the Parshendi song epigraphs of WOR, there are several references to the Parshendi gods that... really don't seem to fit the Unmade, or even an association with Odium at all. -- from Ch. 16 epigraph -- Ch. 22 epigraph -- Ch. 25 epigraph The weirdest thing here is "Though its coming brings the gods their night, / It obliges a bloodred spren." That seems to imply that the 'bloodred spren' (presumably the Odium-spren that controls the Stormform Parshendi) is in opposition to 'the gods'. But shouldn't the Unmade be on the same side? "Though crafted of gods, / It was by Unmade hand" also seems to set up an opposition, or at least to distinguish the Unmade as a separate class within 'the gods' in general. And how can nimbleform -- one of the "normal" forms, which doesn't take over the Parshendi -- be attributed to the Unmade? I'm thinking that the original Parshendi gods were the native spren of Roshar, before the Shards ever showed up, and that these are the spren involved in the 'normal' forms like nimbleform, warform, etc. But when the Odium-spren arrived, they took over so completely that the current-day Parshendi don't clearly remember there was ever another set of 'gods'.

I, being me, just say "Merry decaying day".

me: I have the gallery figured out now ! gallery: uploads everything twice

I spent the day at the national gallery of art, and seeing so many amazing pieces of art like these has inspired me: However, it also makes me feel like this:

Cycle 3: Another Three Bite the Dust Sart was lynched! He was a Ghostblood! Seonid was poisoned! He was a Son of Honour! Arinian was poisoned! He was a Ghostblood! Sani Joslin (A Joe in the Bush) was attacked but survived! Sart (10): Magestar, Sani Joslin, Drak Deadeye, Droughtbringer, Bezth, Ryth, Sart, Seonid, Enias, Velez Droughtbringer (6): Quintus, Arinian, Berilen Leiken, Doc, Davis, Uther - Sorry for the lateness of this. Stink is busy and I decided to try something new, as you can tell. I hope you like it. I had fun with it. The turn ends at 12:30 PM MST on Sunday, 8 January. Countdown:

Hey there, Useless Joe! Finally escape that mob of miscreants? Sit yourself down and grab yourself a drink. So I heard you mention the Soviet Union? Tell us a story! I'm sure <4 names, redacted> would love to hear one.

Though the screams of anguish and rage had ceased to echo through the alleys, I can still hear them. The tiny shreds of paper had blown away on a breeze and the man was long gone. I turn to Rat. "What's with all of these crazy people? One that speaks to voices in his head, a creepy old drunkard that talks to fake cats, a madman with a hatred of paper, a girl with a fascination of spikes... when were the days when I could just be useless!" I fling my arms up in desperation. Rat squeaks. I wave my finger at him. "Don't you go crazy on me too!" Rat scurries into a hole in the wall. I sigh. I wish I could hide in a hole too... But wait! There, that semblance of sound, coming from.... THE PUB!!!! "Fine, Rat. You can stay in your hole, while I go and have some fun!"

Joseph Busshu. Screams of Rage and Hatred filled Jack's mind, and he gasped and fell to his knees in the ash. He clutched at his ears, trying to block out the Roar. Nothing else. Another Past Life, this one angrier and more murderous than most. Desperately, with his eyes squeezed shut in pain, Jack reached up to the wall, slapped down the notice, and begin to tear it to shreds. With each tear, the Screams quieted. When he held a pile of fine white shaving in his hand, they were finally gone. He breathed in, and breathed out, and carefully opened his eyes. It was darker out now. How long had he been kneeling here, clutching his ears like a madman? Too long. He got to his feet, still shaking from the memory of a past life. So much anger. How had Joseph survived feeling that? And useless too. Usually when Jack remembered a past life, he at least learned something from it. a Strategy, a tactic, a secure weapons stash. This time, He just learned that he had once been angry beyond mortal ken. He pocketed the paper fragments, and hurried away from the site, careful to avoid any other Roommate Notices.

Yeah. Elantris was really good. In the land around Elantris, there is something that can happen to people that changes them. It is random and strikes young and old, male and female. It used to turn people into "Gods" at least in the eyes of the people. The Elantrins were beautiful and powerful. They could turn dirt into food and heal the sick and wounded, and many many wanderful things. They were kind and generous, and gave freely of most everything they had. But something happened. In one night the change changed. An event occurred, and instead of becoming Gods, you became a corps that still "lived." Elantrians feel pain, but since they are basically a walking corps, they don't heal. They are doomed to suffer that pain for the rest of their days. Which should be a long long time since what is dead can not die... They still get hungry, but since they don't die they can never starve... Elantris is really good, and has a lot of political maneuvering. It's told from a couple different points of view and each one is done well. Then we have Mistborn. Again, we have a lot of political maneuvering in this series. The first book really has a heist type feel to it. They are in a world where having the wrong parentage doesn't label you an outcast, it gets you killed. The land is under control of The Lord Ruler. The sliver of infinity. The one who has not only touched, but held the power of a God. He has ruled for nearly 1000 years, and in all that time he has survived assassination attempt after assassination attempt. He rules with absolute authority and plans to preserve things the way they are. A group of people come together though with a plan. A plan that requires... Special skills... I loved this series. The magic system in it is amazing. It has a wide aray of people's and species. The heros in this series are forced to not only overcome their enemies, but their own worlds nature, as mist and ash try to cover the land. They are both really good. Aside from a few short stories, Elantris is the only book out in that story arc. There is another book planned for this one but it'll be a while. Mistborn is a trilogy, with a set that follows. People tend to love all of Brandon's books, but Mistborn and Stormlight seem to have the two biggest followings. It's really up to you which one you want to start with. You'll not go wrong ether way you go.

Actually, it specifies that he is a Diagramist. Which brings up the question I've been wondering all game... Do you spell Diagramist with one M, or two?

Oi! How am I supposed to hold a riveting conversation here with you rabble mucking up the place? Come on ladies, let's go find a new pub.

Remart stomped his peg leg loudly. "Good man, you can swap whatever you like, as long as you leave me something I can eat in trade!" He followed up his declaration with a long swig of his ale and a loud belch.

In Hungary, they don't say "Happy Birthday". Instead, they say "Az életem a tiéd, lélegzetem tiéd lesz" which means "May your life be colorful" and I think that's beatiful.

The names, Reginald Canuck, and I'm afraid I'm a bit o' a communist kleptomaniac...but before you hands move to your purses! I assure you I'll make an offer before I take, and if you refuse....well then, I'll just leave something of equal value in it's place (unless you don't need it, in which case it's really just a matter of redistribution and perspective I assure you).

Vomit, having received no response to his letter, decided to write something to put on the billboard: Roommate Wanted! Requirements: -Hate of mists and Mistwraiths -No aversion to vomit -Gossip lovers preferred If interested send a letter to 1134 Hemalurgy Lane

Might I suggest something that's not really game related? How about, rather than using the widely known type of factions, go with something else? I would love another Resistance style game (I didn't get to play in the last one after all), but why make the focus on something so prominent in the Cosmere? Why not focus on a section that hasn't been explored yet? For example, rather than Sons of Honor and Ghostbloods, why not make it more personal; like between factions in Elantris before it was restored? Or the Skaa Resistance against the Nobles Houses before the events of The Final Empire? Or even the Hallandren invasions into Idris before Warbreaker. These situations are hardly explored in recent games, but I think they hold a lot of potential. We tend to ignore the details and focus on the over-arching story a lot recently. Bringing it back down to individual worlds and events has the added effect of bringing a level of gravitas to it as well because it's contained. When the entire Cosmere is the focus, what happens on one, puny, world is insignificant. But it's not to the people living it. Sanderson writes his stories this way. He doesn't focus on the Cosmere, but on the stories within it. Why should we focus so much on the entire Cosmere? Just an idea I had and not just for your game. I'd love to see a lot more games that focus on the specific worlds Sanderson created for us.

It also depends on which version you heard. From what I remember of Graphic Audio MeLaan, she sounded similar to Judge Whitey from Futurama. Long drawn out words with somewhat over enunciated vowels. I don't particularly remember Danlan's voice but I think I would have heard that. Also, the cast is generally pretty limited in audiobook. Usually with just one reader which can make it hard to create hundreds of unique voices for characters. Even in graphic audio, I believe there were only 2 voice actors on W&W (who I believe also voiced in Stormlight) since it was such a smaller book series.

Just okayed the proofreader edits to AFD. Now we go to layout!! (I realize the minutia of publishing are not very exciting, but I have no IRL writing friends to squee with.)

@Slowswift I tried to do it by using internet templates but I had no luck in finding any so I went and screenshoted the movie

Our overall idea is pretty wacky, but it’s an interesting take on the Cosmere: Base assumptions: Sentient minds naturally produce/gather enormous amounts of Investiture, and that energy may be siphoned off. With those two assumptions, it makes sense that long, long ago one creature may have started stealing investiture from the minds around it. Using power to steal more power, it quickly ballooned to an enormous size and scope. Perhaps many such creatures formed, each staking out territories the size of a small galaxy and siphoning off energy from the lives within. One was Adonalsium. Eventually some people on Dragonsteel figured out that Adonalsium was a parasite, using the creatures around it as batteries, and to return the power to the people they figured out how to destroy/shatter it. That wasn’t enough. Even shattered, each Shard instinctively drew upon the life around it. Perhaps the plan involved destroying each Shard further but the Intent of the Shards prevented that (plus who wants to give up godhood?) Motives: Rayse (Odium). Imagine Rayse as a chessmaster on Dragonsteel. He suspects that after the Shattering the Intents of each shard will keep the 16 from completing whatever their plan was. So, he choses the Shard of Odium. With this Intent he will be able to keep alive his hatred of the Shards and their parasitic nature, and eventually complete his task. His plan is to shatter each Shard in turn then commit suicide, possibly after scattering the splinters even further. In doing so he divides the power Adonalsium was siphoning back to the “people.” He may have even planned for the Shardholders to spread life throughout the local galaxy post-shattering, before culling them off. 2. Hoid. Hoid may have originally agreed with Rayse’s plan. But, eventually he realized that Adonalsium was not alone. The universe is filled with such creatures each with a staked-out territory and each hoping to expand. If the Shards are splintered too much, one of the neighbor siphon creatures might be able to move in, an outcome that Hoid sees as worse than if the power were to be returned to the people. Thus he opposes Rayse. Support: This all tenuous but.. 1. WOB says that “Adonalsium was opposing some force.” Possibly it was holding others of its kind at bay. 2. Shards tend to be Invested on a planet. We assume that that process gives power to that planet, but it could also be the reverse. 3. If Adonalsium was similar to God, why would aspects of its personality include Dominion, Odium, and Preservation? (God shouldn’t need to Preserve itself- it just IS) Those only sound useful if Adonalsium is defending a territory from others of its kind. 4. Braize, Odium’s invested planet, is populated mostly by slivers. Perhaps because Odium hates using lives as a power source? 5. Odium clashed with Ambition early on, to prevent Ambition from regathering all the shards. Clearly Odium, at the very least, does not want Adonalsium restored. The next two are mostly thematic- 6. Sanderson is a very optimistic writer, believing in the potential in people. It would seem to fit his style that, unfettered, every being would have great power. 7. Sanderson likes to give Big Bads reasonable motives. Even if this theory is wrong, which it almost certainly is, we should examine why exactly Odium wants to destroy everything. Destroying things was Ruin’s job- “Odium” implies that his actions are caused by a specific hate. A possible conclusion to the Cosmere: Odium’s plan on a grand scale. Adonalsium is reforged, but a way is found to add a little more power to it, perhaps by every mind in the local area willingly giving up power to it. This extra investiture allows the new Adonalsium to overpower the other local beings of its kind. This snowballs until there is truly one of those creatures in the universe, which promptly alters the magic system to prevent such creatures from reforming and then commits suicide. The Cosmere ends on a positive note, with each sentient creature regaining their naturally enormous level of Investiture and power.

(Note: an updated version can be found here.) Dr. Seuss One spren, two spren, Lie spren, truth spren. Are the blue spren truly glue spren? This one makes a skyeel fly, That one shows up when you die. Oh what a lot of spren I spy! You have light in your spheres, You have shards in your hand, You have surges to help you to fly and to land! So where will you go? Somewhere high? Somewhere low? To the great Reshi Isles, or somewhere with snow? Perhaps you will dine on some Horneater Stew, Delivered directly through Urithiru. Or maybe the Shin will sell you a chicken (eating it helps Thaylen eyebrows to thicken). There’s so many places and people and spren, It’s easy to wonder just where your path ends. But please, don’t forget, it’s the way that you walk that matters much more than the place that you stop. Yes, the road that you take, whether straight, curved, or bendy always matters the most—just ask the Parshendi.

Windrunners's oaths certainly aren't of Cultivation. But Lightweavers... there is Honor in telling Truths, for sure, but in case of Lightweavers it appears that telling Truths teaches them how to lie better. We do not know many other oaths (Edgedancers, Bondsmiths). The jury is out whether "I will remember those who are forgotten" are of Honor or Cultivation. "I will listen..." sounds Cultivation-y to me. "I will unite..." appears to be of Honor. Now, this is interesting: Taravagnian is an excellent champion for Cultivation. I agree wholeheartedly. Just as Rashek was a great champion of Preservation. Dalinar is the chosen of Honor (now that Gavilar is no longer in the picture) and we like him and assume that just because he is a positive character (now), so should be other champions of other "good" (i.e., opposing Odium) Shards. Not really. Notice that in both cases of Rashek and Taravagnian - they appear to be champions of Shards, not of people populating the planet. Dalinar's case reflects perhaps the relationship between Honor and humans that was different from that of other Shards.

Ummm... I'm appointing you Head Director of Cookie Containment.

Choo Choo! The Bandwagon train has reached its destination! Prepare for unloading.

Before-turnover bandwagon is now departing for lynch station. Please keep all hands, feet, and votes inside of the wagon at all times.

I always read that passage not as Hoid suggesting anything significant about the name Adolnasium, but about what would happen if they tried to put it/him back together. Even if you succeed in rejoining the Shards, you won't get the same thing you started with (Adolnasium).

Here's a pretty foolproof way to do that... 1) See puppy. 2) Loudly say "Oh boy, a puppy! I'm gonna kick it!" 3) Raise foot to kick puppy. 4) Be karate-chopped in the throat by someone with a cheerful purple pony as their avatar. 5) Watch as this person flees with the puppy in their arms.

Welcome! Have an upvote. To Preserve your sanity, don't eat the cookies and beware of puns. They will Ruin you.

I was hoping someone would take up Drunk, but Cat Insanity as well? You, Ma'am are a hero amongst the broken. May your kittens always have (invisible) wet food and chin crunchies to keep them calm. Adonalsium help us if they're not.

I'll join as Sothe, an unlucky thief.

Seeing this thread makes me happy. So! Here we go. Do forgive me but I feel it necessary to advertise my theory here. I posted it a few months ago and the more I think about it the more I think it might actually end up being true. The original thread is here... I have had similar thoughts. Cultivation's intent is not perfectly nice and perfect (to be fair, Preservation's intent wasn't perfectly "nice" either, after all Preservation in many ways approved of Rashek... I don't think any shards are a perfect embodiment of good, because different facets of morality have been split across the different shards. But I digress). I also reasoned that, chances are, Cultivation isn't just sitting on her hands. We have probably already seen her influence in some pretty major ways on the book. Also, before anyone thinks to point this out, yes, I understand that Cultivation quite possibly contributes to the nahel bond. Just because Cultivation is a factor in the magic doesn't mean that all surgebinders are a perfect embodiment of Cultivation's agenda, indeed I think the oaths bind them closer to Honor's agenda. So... A powerful but maybe not-so-obvious force on Roshar, with some connection to Cultivation... The conclusion I reach is none other than Taravangian. Future-sight powers granted from a splinter of Cultivation, the desire to save the world, and the willingness to make steep sacrifices for the greater good. Feels a lot like Cultivation's intent. !!! !!! !!! I think the evidence here is actually pretty strong.

Welcome to the Shard! I'm Shqueeves! Have an upvote! Avoid the cookies, they will Ruin your appetite. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me.

Plot twist: You're married to Elenion!

I saw your call for feedback on another forum, so I've listened to the podcast 3 times and it's a very tight explanation you guys weave between the RAFOs, WoBs and just the fact we cannot know some of these things because there isn't enough information. Something I would like to bring. At the 58:25 mark you guys start discussing whether Ambition invested in Threnody. You cite the essay and the fact that some measure of investiture was on the planet before the battle. It's debated that it could be Adonalsium's latent investiture, but it doesn't seem the investiture is still there. My question and thoughts I would like to interject is that the only investiture we see are in the Cognitive Shadows and we hear about "the Evil" an incredibly vague entity. Now why would it matter if Ambitions original invested investiture is still there? It says the battle itself where Ambition was wounded "had a profound effect... the ripples of destruction and changed washed through the system." So even though we do not know how Ambitions investiture reacts there's a good possibility it was twisted if it's still there. Also, referring to Secret History, Preservation tells Kelsier that "I cannot depart this land. I'm too invested in it, in every rock and leaf. We... grow attached easily and it takes one particularly dedicated to leave", and it seems because they have to pull their investiture back in and cannot leave it behind or maybe only a small fraction of it. Maybe Ambition had only started to invest when Odium descended upon him. He pulled his investiture back readying to flee and the battle began. That's about all I could bring so far, it will take a couple more listens and skimming the book to help. I'm very interested in the Ire and Aviar, hope to see more about them.

You asked for it.

Night Shift 1: When Everything Changes Captain's Journal, 29/01/513 AK, Night Shift ...So, the Village kind of forgot that the Eliminators just needed to lynch the Captain to win. When they talked themselves into a no-vote, it gave the Eliminators a perfect chance to sweep in and take it. I have obtained permission to re-run this game. I will be making a few minor changes, mostly limited to removing this win condition and replacing it with the more traditional one, and then it will start again on Tuesday at 8PM GMT (47 hours from now). The reason I'm doing this isn't just because of this situation, but because I have decided that it's a little too easy when the Eliminators have perfect communications in general. I will assume everyone who is currently in will still be playing, but please tell me if you wish to drop out. I will also accept new sign-ups during this time. I will be posting a new thread imminently. If you're curious, with a Feruchemist involved, that was 4 votes on the Captain. The next highest number of votes on a player was 1. The Eliminators were: IrulelikeSTINK, Kipper, Alvron, The Honey Badger, Adavantos and Dowanx.

When you go to the beach, and all you can think about is the fact that you aren't reading White Sands right now.