Leaderboard

First off, I realise that there is an existing Hemalurgy thread in the Mistborn section, but I wanted to discuss certain topics without needing to worry about spoilers. Additionally, I wanted the discussion to have a more theoretical direction, rather than a philosophical one. I have a few topics to cover, so they'll be broken up into different sections. ETHICS Hemalurgy is often considered an "evil" magic, and not without reason. So far, we have seen it as a very destructive force that not only kills innocents, but damages their very soul. However, we have had many interesting revelations since the original trilogy both in the books and through WoB. Many of these revelations paint a more... palatable picture of Hemalurgy. First and foremost, we have confirmation that Hemalurgy does not have to kill the person donating a spike. Relevant WoB: The reasons vary between WoB, but the meaning is clear: one does not have to die from getting spiked. It would still rip out a piece of your soul and change you as a person, but you do not have to die. Okay, so you don't have to die, but you're still losing a piece of your soul. That sounds like a big deal, right? Well, maybe not: So in the Before-Afterlife it certainly matters, but in the After-Afterlife? Not so much. That's a good thing, but it ultimately doesn't matter, because we have even better news! Soul wounds can be healed from: So not only is it confirmed you can heal back your soul, essentially creating a new patch of soul out of Investiture, it would also give you back the power you just had spiked away. Theoretically, you could be spiked multiple times for the same power. There's some implications that you wouldn't want to do this repeatedly, but the possibility is there. Alright, that's all well and good, but that only helps people who can heal back from a spiking. So that only means... everyone on Scadrial now. Those fancy medllions that the southerners have kindly introduced mean that everyone can heal back from being spiked by tapping an unkeyed goldmind. What's important to take away from this is that Hemalurgy may not be nearly as bad as we have been lead to believe. You don't have to die, you don't have to lose your power, you don't have to permanently damage your soul and it won't have scary, unknown implications for the After-Afterlife. I have no doubt that certain portions of society would be against it regardless of the science, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be used. MECHANICS In this section, I'm not going to be covering the topics of bind points or the uses of different metals as there's just not much to go on. Ultimately, I don't think the exact details are what's truly interesting about Hemalurgy anyway, but rather the interactions it has with the other magics on Scadrial. So, what do we know about Hemalurgy from the books? Well, you stab spikes into people and it gives them powers. So far as we know, each spike only steals one thing at a time, spiking an ability you already have makes you stronger and you can't have more than three spikes without opening yourself up to the influence of others: That's some pretty harsh restrictions. Suit appears to have his spikes piercing his heart, or at the very least they pierce his chest, and it was assumed that removing them would kill him. Pretty dangerous weakness to have these days, what with Coinshots and getting access to Duralumin medallions, or whatever other power boosting effects that may let people rip your spikes out. There's one person we know of who did fantastic things with Hemalurgy though, and seemed to have none of the associated weakness: the Lord Ruler. He was an impossibly powerful Mistborn, able to push on the metals inside Vin's stomach while she was burning them. Even Elend, with all his Lerasium granted strength, did not perform feats anywhere close to this. So, how did the Lord Ruler achieve this? The obvious answer is that he also ate Lerasium. WoB says that's not the case though: So how did the Lord Ruler become so powerful? According to WoB, it was Hemalurgy: So the Lord Ruler needed all three systems, but Hemalurgy was the most dramatic. Other than his incredible Allomatic strength, I cannot think of anything else he did that was not explained by compounding or God metals. There's a problem with this, though. So far as we know, the Lord Ruler only had two Hemalurgical spikes located in his upper arms, which doubled as his Atium Metlaminds. Even if these had granted Allomancy, they could not explain the entirety of his awesome power: The fact that he had no other spikes was actually a plot point. Remember that Marsh also thought that the Lord Ruler had been spiked like an Inquisitor, and his plan to kill him was based around this: So how can someone use all three systems of magic to benefit from Hemalurgy but not be full of spikes? Well, I think I have the answer, theorized from a few WoB and based around burning spikes with Allomancy: So we have some discrepancies between these WoB. In one, it says you would splice the sDNA together. In another, it says it won't graft the stolen soul on, but it would have some interesting effects. Finally, in one it says it won't have any effect when you burn it unless it also came from you. I believe these seemingly contradicting elements can finally be reconciled after learning about Identity in BoM, while also explaining why the Lord Ruler was so powerful. If you've read some of my other posts, you can probably already see where this is going. My proposition is simple: similar to Identity and Metalminds, the results of burning a Hemalurgical spike are dependent on whether or not you have Identity access to it. If you share an Identity with the Investiture in the spike, or possibly if the spike was donated from an individual who had no Identity at the time, then a process similar to compounding occurs. As the Investiture is drawn from Preservation and filtered through the metal, the Hemalurgical Investiture alters the shape that the magic takes, thereby spicing the sDNA in the spike and the sDNA of the Allomancer together. For a full explanation on my theory for the mechanics of Allomancy and compounding, see my huge ranty post. So, what effect would this have? Well, I believe we saw the results of this in the Lord Ruler. In the case of spikes which grant Metalborn abilities, splicing the sDNA results in granting, or increasing, the abilities of a Metalborn. It does not "graft" or "tack on" a piece of sDNA as has been described of spikes, but rather a full merger or "splicing" between the sDNA, impossible to separate afterwards. If this were the case, it would explain how the Lord Ruler managed to achieve his "dramatic effects" with basically no spikes, and would indeed require all three systems of metal magic. He needed an understanding of Hemalurgy to spike his own powers out (probably controlled a Kandra or Inquisitor for this), Feruchemy to survive said spiking and heal back his ability, and Allomancy to burn the spike and add it back onto his sDNA, thereby increasing his Allomatic strength without being a "common Inquisitor" with "endowed fabrications." He could then repeat this process until he reached some unknown theoretical limit. Keep in mind, the Lord Ruler was the most knowledgeable user of the metalic arts to have ever existed (so far), so if anyone could figure this out, it would be him. Okay, so maybe this is possible and he figured it out. Why did he use spikes for his Inquisitors then? Control, obviously. He brutally controlled the use and knowledge of Feruchemy just to prevent compounding, and this is easily more powerful. He designed all of his Hemalurgical constructs with both clear weaknesses and methods of control, and anyone granted power through this method would have neither. This is the extent of my evidence on the subject, so it is by no means proven, but I think there's a possibility for it to be true. I didn't find anything directly contradicting it, but Brandon has been getting pretty tight lipped about this sort of thing as time goes on. If you have anything on the subject, I'd be interested in seeing it. HEMALURGY USE GOING FORWARD Theoretically, this could be absurdly powerful going forward. If all that is required is an unkeyed spike, rather than a spike you share an Identity with, then you could potentially turn anyone into a Mistborn via the use of medallions. Give a Metalborn a Feruchemical Gold/ Feruchemical Aluminum medallion, dump their Identity while you spike out their power and have them heal it back with the goldmind. Give the recipient an Allomancy medallion corresponding with the metal of the spike, have them burn the spike and then boom, you've got a brand new Metalborn. Rinse and repeat. As I mentioned before, there's anecdotes that you may not want to do this repeatedly, as Soul injuries apparently scar even when healed and who knows what that does, but the ability is strong enough even without spiking people multiple times. That being said, I don't think Hemalurgy would gain wide spread use even if this were possible, simply because it's too damnation powerful. Imagine a world of Lord Rulers. Wax gave up the Bands of Mourning because the power was too great for mortals, and this is potentially even more powerful than that. I can easily see governments suppressing and regulating the use of Hemalurgy for the same reason they regulate guns. Or, perhaps more appropriately, for the same reasons as nukes. Still, the potential is there for this to be even more disruptive than medallions. FINAL THOUGHTS I consider this to be very theoretical and am by no means claiming to be convinced of its veracity. I'd love to hear what others have to say on the subject, and what they think of my interpretation.

I seek nothing if not approval of my fellow Sharders! Day 3:

Wow, exercise really does make a lot of difference

Hello, this is my first theory, so try not to tear it apart too fast . I've looked around and am fairly certain there's not a topic on this, although if there is, kindly point me to it. I do not have a ton of evidence for it, but essentially, I believe that the Evil from Threnody is really just fainlife and I'll explain why. (By the way, there are a few AU spoilers ahead, specifically for the Threnody essay, so beware) I first made the connection when I noticed they were both described as creeping. From LoP: And from the Threnodite System essay in AU: The descriptions here are pretty similar in both wording and feel. They are both portrayed as catastrophic, death-bringing forces laying waste to entire continets. For those who haven't read the Liar of Partinel, as far as I understand, fainlife came as a result of the death of Yolen's gods. It says that the fainlife came from the gods' corpse, implying that it came directly from them, and not that the gods were simply holding it back and when they died, it was left to ravage the land. We know Ambition, a shard, which can be considered a god, died in the Threnodite system. So, assuming LoP is mostly still canon, I think that the Evil is fainlife born from the death of Ambition. Now I know Ambition didn't actually die in the Threnodite System, but was only mortally wounded. However, Khriss says that So it seems fair to say at least a part of Ambition died there and that it definitely had some harmful consequences for Threnody. I know thats not a perfect argument, but it makes sense to me that fainlife could be something that causes the inhabitants of the Fallen World to flee. The fainlife we see in LoP drove the people to the brink of extinction. It pushed mankind into very small pockets of civilization where space was extremely limited and growing food was difficult. And I mean, consuming continents, feasting on the souls of men, that seems pretty reminiscent of fain. I can see how the destructive power of fainlife could cause a contintent wide evacuation in Threnody considering what we've seen of it in LoP. It just seems to fit. There are also a couple holes I'd like to address. First of all the biggest issue I see is of the timing of it. The battle between Ambition and Odium occurred relatively soon after the Shattering, however the arrival of The Evil appears to be much more recent, like within a 100 years of Shadows for Silence, which occurs later in the sequence of cosmere books. The only explanation I can think of is that the effect on Threnody of the battle was somehow delayed. Maybe it took time for the pieces of Ambition to reach the planet, or they somehow lay dormant for a long time, I don't know, I'm just speculating on this part. If anyone does know anything about that, please share. The second thing is why Nazh, being from Threnody, did not explain the Evil to Khriss. The most likely explanation is that Nazh was born long before the Evil started wrecking havoc on the Fallen World. This seems to make sense due to his worldhopping history. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Shadows for Silence takes place after Era 1 of Mistborn. And since we see him in SH, its likely he was around before the events of SfS and the Evil. He also talks about the rituals of becoming a shade, which do not line up at all with what we see of shades in SfS. They seem much more dangerous than the way he describes them, suggesting he comes from a different time period when the shades were not quite so evil. Khriss says he could only talk about the Evil vaguely, and I think thats because he didn't actually know what it was since he was not on Threnody at the time. Anyway, there's my theory, I hoped you liked it. Remember, all of this could be completely invalid if in the canon, fainlife is not the same. Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, ideas, criticisms, and any relevant WoBs. Have fun speculating!

Apology up front, but I've spent too long without venting a set of questions on here, so there are quite a few this time around. AonDor Questions: Does drawing an Aon larger make the effect larger and/or more powerful? Are any currently known Aons an exception to this? Can Aon effects be stacked? ie: would overlaying 4x Aon Ashe mean 4x brightness? Do the modifier lines have to be drawn on the same scale as the base Aon? Clarification: Draw a 1ft by 1ft Aon Daa with modifiers, if I make the base Aon 2ft by 2ft, do I also have to double the size of the modifiers? If so, what effect would keeping them the same size have on the Aon when I use it? Can you build an On/Off switch into the modifiers of an Aon? ex: A flashlight using Aon Ashe for light Ancient Elantrians used Aon Ehe to make lanterns that never went out. Given how newly drawn Aons are weaker away from Elantris, would these lanterns(that are already activated) start to dim as they got further from the city of Elantris? If not a RAFO, would this hold true for all Aons that are already activated? Does Aon Aha ["Breath, Air" per Ars Arcanum] produce air in AonDor? I got an Elantrian Scuba Diver image in my head this one time... If so, could it be used to have a never emptying oxygen tank or would it continue filling/raising pressure to the point that the tank bursts? If he somehow doesn't RAFO this, can you prevent pressure bursting with the right modifiers? Allomancy Questions: The point where someone has enough power that they start leaking mist has been given the fan-name of "Mistpoint." Do you have an actual term for this or can we use this term as actual Canon? We've speculated that Mistpoint marks the strongest point that an Allomancer can be(barring Ascension). Are we correct in this assumption? Would Mist-fueled entities [ie: Elend and Marsh during the final battle] be considered as at Mistpoint? How close would the Lord Ruler get to Mistpoint by Duralumin burning his Allomantic Metals? You've said that Elend could only match TLR soothing by using Duralumin. For reference, was the Lord Ruler only burning or was he flaring brass during his intense soothing scenes? Suppose you could reliably steal 80% Allomantic Strength with a Spike. That 80% would differ slightly from person to person correct? Pretty sure we know this already, but just in case. In another WoB, you have said that burning Pewter gives 2x strength and flaring gives 3x. Mathematically, that means flaring gives you double what burning gives. Does this hold true for all metals? Clarification: In essence, Burn = Strength+1, Flare = Strength+2. Thus Flare is 2x the effect of Burn. If no, which metals does this math work with? / Which metals does this math not work with? Gen. Purpose Roshar Questions: Is Thaylenah a mercantile culture? Captain Tozbek runs a shipping business, Rysn and Vstim trade all over Roshar, Tvlakv is a slave trader, Barmest sells books in Kharbranth, Vstim is legally Rysn's father until he considers her ready to be a merchant on her own, several people of several cultures speak Thaylen well, etc.. Rysn and Vstim traded in both Shinovar and the Reshi Isles. Thaylen, Reshi, Aimian and Shin are all in different language families, yet Axies the Collector(Aimian) spoke Thaylen well, the Shin they traded with(Thresh) and the Purelaker guide(Gu) spoke it very well, and the Reshi trader(Talik) spoke Thaylen well enough for Rysn to question his country of origin. Taravangian knows a Shin proverb in its native tongue. Is the language barrier thinner than we would expect it to be? Can you compare the level of difference between some languages with an Earth equivalent? ie: Going from Alethi to Horneater is like English to Russian, or something like that to give us a idea of how different these languages really are Does Azir have a standing army, and would their "by the book"/paperwork oriented lifestyle translate into a well regimented force and chain-of-command? (assuming they filled out the necessary forms to go to war) When Iri and Rira split, was it a peaceful split or was there a civil war of sorts? Additionally, how long ago did this split happen? What do the Reshi actually do to interpret the Tai-Na on whether they should go to war with a nearby island? Cosmere Questions: Would a Shardblade kill the limb of a Kandra, or do they have some form of resistance/immunity to this? If they have a resistance, why/how does it resist a Shardblade cut? Would a Shardblade physically cut the "bones" of a Kandra with a true body made of stone/metal or would the limb still have to be killed first? We seem to be fixated with FTL and space travel, but are there any worlds that would be more interested in exploring the deep seas of their world? If so, have we seen this world? and/or Do we know enough about the culture/magic system to figure out how they would explore the deep seas?

I grilled burgers, porksteaks & sausage and an now fixing to go enjoy my labor.

LG31: Day 1 - Dancing Mist Our tale begins. The mist has set in and a solemn figure strolls through the dancing mist. Shoulders hunched, she makes her way to an imposing building, almost obscured by the veil. The Canton of Finance, the bank of the Final Empire. The mist’s fingers caress her body, swirling around her, almost...comforting. But no amount of comfort will help her, for she is to con an obligator. At the foot of the building, at the bottom of the stairs, she gives a deep breath and shudders. First step. Second step. She makes her way up through the dancing mist. A door, an imposing door, an imposing steel door stands in her way. A shiver, and a push. She’s inside. Men look up as she enters, an assortment of nobles and obligators. One raises an eyebrow, staring at her suspiciously. She smiles faintly at him and makes her way through the lobby, a spacious room with benches and tables along the side. She struts through the middle, hoping she looked confident until she comes to a large table at the end. The obligator at the table looks up and asks in a husky voice, “Appointment?” She nods and replies, “Fadrex city, I came to request an investment for a shipment to Fadrex City”. The man nods and looks down at his ledger. “Name?” “Ariel Gadth, related to the Hastings,” came the reply. “Everything seems to be in order, please make your way to the office at the end of the next hallway, ignore the bloodstains if you will”. Bloodstains? She wonders, “My thanks”. She pushes through to the next hallway, speed-walking to the office now. She enters the room without knocking, with a flourish of her hair. “I believe I am expected?” she announces arrogantly. The obligator in the room smiles, “Indeed…”. He studies her carefully and nods to the table next to him. “You will find all you need there, allow me to finish off this paperwork.” Two agonising minutes, and yes! She is homefree! She nods curtly at the obligator, snatches up the bundle and promptly leaves. She exits the establishment, wary of eyes watching her. The mists are there to greet her and she breathes a sigh of relief. The mist didn’t seem as animate as before… something was off. A slight rustle to her left. She turns, another to her right. She quickens her pace, eyes darting. Shadows in the sides of her vision, a glint of metal here, a shine there. Heart beating, hands sweating. She breaks into a frantic run….and runs into a body with a dull thump, she falls back onto the gravel, dropping everything. “You didn’t think we would be this easy to fool did you?” A scream. And the mists keep dancing. LG31 has begun! You have 48 hours to choose someone to lynch. Rules Clarifications: PMs are not open! Only Kandra may make PMs, and only two per cycle. Allomantic Tin only finds out the action, not the person targeted as well. Ties will result in a coin flip.

There have been some good responses on Reddit recently, especially as part of the AMA and Oathbringer updates. I don't have time to compile those yet (and some have already been posted here) but one on a separate thread about character deaths jumped out at me. Here is the whole quote, with the important piece in bold. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight_Archive/comments/5yejj3/comment/derrlv5 I'm pretty sure this is the first official pronoun for Adonalsium besides "it." I take this as unintentional confirmation that Adonalsium was a being/Vessel and (probably) male, something Brandon has been quite evasive about.

Language! I believe that's what they call Hoid because he keeps traveling everywhere

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And then the murders began.

The bloodsealer was actually drawn by a Sharder, @Botanica. Her other TeS artwork is here: She also has some other cool artwork in the gallery on other subjects.

I dreamed that Portugal had a child dictator sometime in the recent past. This kid demanded that no one give him an answer other than "yes," made a movie about himself, and installed glass doors and walls in every government building. For some reason, those doors were still there when I visited with some class or other. I was not the only one who kept running into them.

Yeah, I'm active, no need to hit me with the contribution crusade. I don't have any suspicions yet (I mean, we haven't been plating for half a day, anyone who claims to have suspicions now is probably an elim). I do have some general thoughts and opinions on what might be a smart thing to do. First of all, I recommend that Kandra try and make sure they use their two PM's each cycle. PM's are wonderful things that allow you to gain more info, and talk over ideas without immediately having to throw them into the thread for all to see. Kandra are also going to be useful for getting new metal vials where they'll do the most good, but remember that confirmed Kandra is not confirmed Noble. Second, the metalurgists. There are unfortunately no metals that have only utility for the village. That having been said, I'd still attempt to get the most out of the role, if not from the start, then at least once you've found someone you're pretty sure is village who can act as stockpile ( @Elbereth, @Darkness Ascendant, @Conquestor, I assume you can't give metal vials to yourself as a metalurgist?). The reason for this is that it's going to be important for the village misting to remain stocked with metals at all times, as you'll never know when a game-winning vote comes down to whether someone still has some brass, zinc or copper left. Before the last part, I'd quickly like to give the Arinian Disclaimer: "I am not certain about any of the numbers to follow. If it seems like I'm stating something as fact, it is merely because I forgot a 'maybe' or a 'probably'." So, the number of elims. If the 20% convention is used, there's 3, or maybe 4 elims. However, since they've got a faction conversion ability, I suspect there are going to be less of them to start with. There will almost certainly not be 4 of them (unless there's a massive amount of pewter among the village), and I suspect there are only going to be 2 of them. This does depend on the number of half-skaa around. So, those are my thoughts on the rules and what might be a smart thing to do. If you see something idiotic that I've missed, or a fatal elim-exploitable flaw, don't hesitate to point that out and throw a lynch vote on me(and for that matter, remember that my name is 'Jondesu' for purposes of lynching).

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

I guess you could say they 'Raysed' a murderer. ... Snark is the only thing I have to contribute to this conversation, carry on.

Sadeas is still alive.

Chapter Nine is now over, and with it the game. Due to me attempting to write an especially epic conclusion to Part One of The Most Important Words (the saga of Roshar games I will be running) - as well as a conflict in my work schedule - it will take longer than usual for me to post the next Chapter. I'm not sure how big the delay will be exactly, but I hope I'll need no longer than an extra day to take care of what's left. Thanks for playing, everyone. I look forward to seeing the survivors return in Part Two, along with a new, equally wonderful batch of characters.

Disclaimer: this is not intended to be sacrilegious (I'm a Christian myself). "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then the murders began." Not too far off from the original story anyway.

George Lucas Open on Kaladin, staring out at the battlefield. It is littered with both soldiers and Parshendi corpses. He stands alone in his vest and trousers, an unreadable expression on his face. KALADIN: Dead. All of them….dead. Half of Bridge Four is gone, because of me. Sylphrena floats up to him, a ribbon of light, before assuming the form of a young girl. SYL: Not-so, Mistah Kaladeen, sah! You-sa still have meesa! KALADIN: Uh, Syl? Why are you talking like that? You didn't talk like that in the last book. SYL: Mistah Lucas thought it'd be better for the KIDS! You-sa knows he loves dee children! KALADIN: Excuse me, Syl. SYL: Where-sa you-sa going, Kaladeen? KALADIN: To find the nearest chasm. J.K. Rowling Dalinarbledore gripped Kaladin's shoulders, meeting his eyes. "Don't you see, Kaladin? You are the Chosen One. Of all the Radiants at this school, you alone can unite the Sprenly Hallows and defeat Voidemort!" Kaladin looked away from Dalinarbledore's eyes, which always made him feel as though he were being X-rayed. "But….this doesn't make sense." "Of course it does. Voidemort chose you as his equal, which is why you can fly and do all of those amazing things." "But wouldn't I have been able to do that anyway, being a Windrunner and all? And while we're at it, why did I get Windrunning while Shalmione got Lightweaving? I mean, seriously, why are there differences in our magic, anyway?" "Because it's magic. Duh." Just then, Professor Sadeas walked by, scowling at Dalinarbledore. "You're smiling, Professor. Ten points from Gryffindor." "I outrank you, Sadeas." "Fine. Ten points to Slytherin, because I have better fashion sense." George R. R. Martin Sigzil stood alone on the battlefield. Around him lay the broken bodies of Bridge Four, Dalinar's warcamp, Sebarial's warcamp, and the entire customer base of a random tavern. "Looks like it falls upon me, then," he sighed. "I alone must carry this narrative to the end. And I shall. I shall." The arrow struck his heart from an unknown source, and there he died. Stephanie Meyer Pattern buzzed in deep chagrin. "Shallan?" "What?" "I know that your sketches are important….but shouldn't you be working on keeping the parshmen from destroying the world?" "In a minute," she said, chagrined. "Shallan, you have already made 499 sketches of Adolin Kholin's abdominal muscles." "And this will be an even 500." Just as she finished the sketch and held it to the light for a moment's admiration, the door swung open. Her chagrin was quickly replaced by delight. "Shallan," Kaladin breathed. "I'm sorry for intruding on you like this, but I had to see you. I didn't have time to put on a shirt. I hope you don't mind." Pattern's chagrined buzzing began anew, but Shallan ignored it. When the Almighty sent you a shirtless Captain, you didn't ask for details.

This is a concept that mulled around in my head for a bit, but then I finally got some free time to put it together. It'll be a series of Wayne-and-Steris vignettes. Enjoy. Frigid, Part I: Masque Wayne swung open the old oak doors and stepped into Wax's study. Lingering for a moment in the doorway, the scent of dust, metal shavings, book-cover leather, and single-malt whiskey made its way to his usually unhelpful nose. He inhaled and savored in the familiar aroma, closing his eyes and smiling to himself. It was a smell of friendship, kinship, and the shared bond of people who had gone through everything together. And of Wax's odd habits. He opened his eyes and stepped into the room. The usual surroundings unfolded in the lantern light. Wax had said something about not wanting to install electrics, the reason for which had shifted from "They're so unreliable" to "Maybe some other time" to "After the wedding" to "There's no point, they're already installed in the tower." Wayne did a circuit around the room to turn off the lights, walking from the bookshelf to the liquor cabinet. He turned to the desk, and saw in the faint light a figure in a mask, an apron, and some very threatening leather gloves, holding a test tube in some clamps over a small burner plate. Wayne cursed softly and reached for his duelling canes, but then paused and blinked at the figure. It didn't seem to notice him. Shuffling towards the figure, He began to fill his goldminds. He coughed softly. The figure did not respond. "Ruination," he said aloud. The figure looked up and tilted its head. "Wayne?" A familiar, if muffled voice came from behind the mask. Wayne thought he knew the voice faintly, and then it struck him. "'Ello, Crazy." "Hello, Idiot." "Loving the new look. I've heard the 'husband's welding mask' thing is all the rage in Bilming. Or did you and Allik go down the prom on a day out?" "I don't have time for your... usual nonsense today, Wayne. As you can see, Lord Waxillium has tasked me with-" Wayne stopped listening. He didn't even have to do the usual responses of "mhm" and "yup", or even nod, as she wouldn't notice anyhow. He glanced towards the burner plate. How, he wondered, is she not melting? He chided himself. Even though she was who she was, Wax loved her. And, being the best friend that git Wax ever had, Wayne figured he should respect his choices. No matter how... frigid. He began wandering around the room. He was in the middle of fairly swapping a few pens from the cabinet for a string of pink ribbon and some crackers from his pocket when a thunderous cracking noise came from across the room. Wayne threw a speed bubble up, reflexively flaring his bendalloy. After looking around and seeing no gun-toting bandits or insufferable brown-suited shapeshifters, he dropped the bubble. He always got a bit jumpy when storing health. "Preservation's Wings, woman!" "What?!" A soft but frantic voice piped up. "Wayne, what is it?!" "What is it? You just scared me 'alf to death with your gunshot allergies!" "Oh, dear. It must be the dust in this mask. I'm sorry for startling you." Wayne recoiled. Sorry? "It's, ah... it's fine. I'm 'boutta run down to the kitchens, see what I can nab, er, find." He paused, then spoke again. "You, uh, want anything?" "I could do with a baywrap, if there are any left over from tea. Thank you, Wayne." He managed a soft "Yeah," then slowly walked out of the room and down the stairs. Thank you? This was new for Steris. Probably the wedding, he thought, putting her in a better mood for a while. She'd be back to normal in... a few days, at most. As he was making his way down the stairs, Wayne realized: Steris hadn't even told him, in that pedantic and killjoy voice, not to steal anything. And for once, he didn't feel like it, anyhow

Rodel here. This is a short story that features Hoid. It takes place after Warbreaker. Feel free to comment. The Man with Bacon Kasta cried. Her mother had sent her out of the house, furious, because she was visiting a boy her mother had deemed, “not worthy”. But to Kasta, he was worthy. He was everything. Quenn was the most handsomest boy ever. Despondent, Kasta ran down an alley, intending to sob in a street corner until she felt comfortable enough to go home. She slumped down on a wall and sniffed. “Need some food?” The voice had come out of nowhere. Kasta looked up to see the strangest man she had ever seen. He had no shirt on, and one leg of his trousers was torn away at the thigh. He was quite well muscled, which made Kasta blush slightly. The man also had stark white hair, even though he looked as though he couldn’t be older than thirty. “Wh-what?” she stammered. The man snapped his fingers impatiently. “I’m offering you food,” he said. “You know, the stuff you gnaw on until it enters your bowels? Are you going to accept my generous offer or am I just going to have to throw it on the ground and piss on it?” His sudden crude remark made Kasta stifle a laugh. “Yes,” she replied, with more confidence now. “I would like some food.” The man grinned widely. “Good!” With that, he plopped down next to her and brought out a piece of meat with a flourish. “Presenting the best food in the cosmere….bacon!” he exclaimed joyously. Kasta giggled, accepting the meat. The man was undoubtedly odd, but he made her forget her problems. “What happened to you?” she asked, gesturing at his three-fourths of a pair of trousers. The man chuckled. “Well, you see,” he explained. “A very old friend of mine is looking for me, and he actually hired some poor fools to procure me. Luckily, I gave them the slip somewhere in Teod.” “Where’s that?” Kasta wondered. The man dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. “Never mind that now,” he scoffed. “Back to my intriguing story, I arrived here a week ago, and visited Hallandren. Now I’m up here.” He paused. “Does that explain it?” Kasta shook her head. “No,” she said. “What happened to your clothes?” “That’s also an intriguing story,” the man replied, blue eyes twinkling. “When I was in Hallandren, I impersonated a storyteller. Told a nice story to the Vessel and one of the Returned.” “Colors!” Kasta exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. “You’ve seen Princess Siri?” The man rolled his eyes, exasperation obvious. “Yes, yes, I have, she’s doing fine,” he said, annoyed. “May I continue?” Kasta nodded, and he did. “Just yesterday I decided to go, but somebody saw me pull off my beard. Caused quite the ruckus.” Kasta looked at him intently. “How did you get here in one day?” she questioned. The man held up a finger, cutting her off as he chewed his bacon. Then he swallowed. “Pewter.” he answered cheerily. Kasta’s eyebrows furrowed, confused. “Pewter?” The man nodded vigorously. “It works miracles,” he said. “But it has some effects. Which is why I needed bacon.” He went back to his bacon, jaw lethargically moving up and down. Kasta looked down at the ground. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She ate some bacon, then turned to the man again. “What’s your name?” The man’s face contorted, as if she had asked a difficult question. “Now that’s difficult,” he declared. “I’ve been called many things. Gheas. Idiot. Person with the Sharp Nose. Lunu’anaki.” He paused, thoughts deep in the past. “For now, you can call me Hoid.” Kasta smiled and stood up. She curtseyed. “It’s nice to meet you, Hoid.” she said. Hoid nodded distractedly. “It’s nice to meet you too, whatever your name is,” he returned. “Forgive me if I don’t bow. I’m terribly informal.” Kasta smiled and exited the alley. She felt good enough to face her mother now. As she made her way down the streets of Bevalis, a large man stepped in front of her. Startled, she stepped back. The man grinned evilly. “Step down this alley, pretty girl.” Kasta shook her head, trembling. “I will do no such thing.” The man’s face darkened. He pulled out a knife, blade glinting the in the afternoon sun. “Do it now, or I’ll gut you.” he snarled. Kasta shrieked in fear, then tried to run, but the man caught her by the arm. He threw her roughly into the alleyway, ripping the left sleeve and shoulder of her dress. He pinned her arms down with his knees. “Stop squirming, or I’ll kill you,” he yelled. He leaned in closer, whispering in her ear. “We’re gonna play a game. I’ll be the God King. You be the Vessel.” Before, he could go on, a voice cut in. “You would be executed for blasphemy in a heartbeat down in Hallandren, dear fellow,” said Hoid. “I’m not one who would want to get rid of blasphemy, of course, but all the same.” The man gaped at Hoid, who winked slyly. The man growled angrily, pointing the knife at him, in the process letting one of Kasta’s arms go. In a flash, Kasta lifted her leg and struck her assailant in the face. The man crumpled. Hoid clapped enthusiastically. “Oh, bravo,” he said with approval. “You would give the Ascendant Warrior a run for her boxings.” He helped Kasta up. “Let’s get you home.” said Hoid. ***** When Kasta’s mother saw her daughter enter the house with a shirtless man, her face went as white as the Royal Locks. But, as they explained, she calmed down enough to stop gasping. “I owe you my thanks,” she told Hoid. “What can I do for you?” Hoid shrugged, adopting an innocent look. “A shirt, a new pair of trousers, and some bacon,” he said. “Then I will depart.” Some minutes later, Hoid had been given the items he requested. As he exited the house, Kasta stopped him and caught him in an embrace. When she finally detached, Hoid looked astonished, grin now more of a grimace. “Um, ah, I must be going,” he stuttered. “I shouldn’t stay long in this part of the Realm. Edgli gets touchy.” He turned and began to saunter his way down the path. “Good-bye!” Kasta cried. Without looking back, Hoid waved farewell. ***** Some years later, before her children went to bed, Kasta would tell them of an eccentric man who talked of gods and royalty as if they were little infants. An enigma….who adored bacon.

QF22: Ghosts in the Night Or: Two-Headed Elimination The Ghostbloods are well-known for being a secretive organisation. It could be said that this secrecy is the only reason they have existed for such a long period of time. They carefully pick and choose their people, evaluating each individually before adding them to their members. They operate in small groups, each only aware of the one they report to and the others in their group. Everything has been done to minimise risk should one of their number be caught. The secrecy the organisation has thrived on has now bled completely through into the very lives of their members. It is said that a half-decent Ghostblood could walk out the door, and suddenly they would be a completely different person. A different face, different hair, all changed within a matter of seconds. It is for this reason that they are known as ghosts, an ethereal presence that many doubt even exists. But through time, they have become complacent, and their hidden nature has started to work against them. Their recruitment methods have become lax, slowly, and they have been infiltrated by their enemies. The Sons of Honour walk amongst their members, their own secrecy preventing them from finding out who they are. The order came down from someone - who, no-one knew - to purge the Ghostbloods of these people. The ghosts are grim, but determined in their task. The Sons of Honour are their enemy, they know this, and if they are left unanswered, they will slowly dismantle the organisation from within. They must be eradicated before that can happen, if the organisation is to have any chance to survive. In the quiet, forgettable town that this division operates in, an unnatural hush has fallen over the night. The normal folk go about uneasy, keenly aware that something is not right but unable to figure out what it is and entirely powerless to stop it. Within the houses, Ghostblood agents make careful plans to deal with the threat from the Sons of Honour, using their skills of subterfuge and skullduggery to fool their neighbours, friends, and even their family. But when every potential threat in the town is two-faced, how can one tell who is a friend, and more importantly, who is a foe? The Rules The variant is the same as a normal set of Elimination, but with one major difference; At the beginning of the game, the GM assigns half the players to be Day Players, and half the players to be Night Players. Players are then paired up, Day/Night, until everyone is in a pair (all pairs will be completely Village or completely Eliminator). In the event of an odd number of players, one player is both Day and Night. Day Players may not post in the main thread unless it is the Day, and vice versa. The pairings between players are hidden, and only the player knows who their partner is. However, all players start the game aware of whether each player is a Day or Night Player. Each player pair shares an Alignment and has the same Role, and they share a Role/Action PM. If a player dies, then the paired player dies with them. Day Players may not talk in PMs unless it is with their pair. Players may talk to their other half via the PM, regardless of whether it is a Day or Night Turn. In the event of one half becoming inactive for a complete Cycle within both thread and PMs, the active half may request to the GM that they take over both Day and Night. This will be stated to happen publicly if it occurs. During the Day, Day Players can discuss in the thread and place votes for another Day Player to lynch. Night Players cannot be voted for. This Turn will last for 48 hours. During the Night, Night Players may target other Night Players with their Action and if PMs are open, talk to other Night Turn players. Day Players cannot be talked to via PM or targeted by Actions. This Turn lasts 24 hours. There are no cross-Turn Actions. It is possible that the game will be Role Madness, but not by any means definite. Rollover will be at 9PM GMT, and the game will begin on Tuesday 14th at 9PM GMT. Roles Assassin - The Assassin's job for the Ghostbloods is to take out anyone who may be a threat. They have the ability to use a Kill Action every Night. Backup - The Backup has been trained in one of the other Roles, but lacks the go-ahead to use his skills. If a player with the Role that the Backup has dies, then a Backup is randomly selected among the eligible Backups to become that Role. The Backup Role cannot be detected until they become that Role. The Backup is aware of their Role. Hired Goon - The Hired Goon's job is to be a target while other Ghostbloods carry out a mission, and is hardened and tough in combat. The Thug's first death is nullified. Messenger - While at least one Messenger is alive, players may send messages to other players within their Turn. Shadow - The Shadow is able to conceal his own nature, and potentially that of another as well. Players targeted by the Shadow's ability cannot have their Day Player, Alignment or Role discovered. Spy - Who said that the Ghostbloods didn't have their own agents amongst the Sons of Honour? Each Night, the Spy may dig up information on a player, confirming whether or not they are a Son of Honour. Stalker - The Stalker is able to stealthy follow a player back home each Night, and is informed the identity that they go by during the Day. Strategist - The Strategist is privy to knowledge that most are not. Each Night, they may use their Action to discover another player's Role in the organisation. Surgeon - The Surgeon's task is to prevent the deaths of the Ghostbloods. They may save a player (excluding themselves) from death each Night. Alas, despite the theme of the game, Kas is buried in work, so I have no co-GM. Anyone want to volunteer? Mission Countdown Quick Links: Player List

So i was just thinking about how no one has mentioned that wit has giant eyes so he probably does have an epicanthic fold, right? Hoid has added the fold into this disguise to make him seem normaler, right? Just wanna asess the accuracy of some fanart

Having not read Partinel, I cannot say for sure, but perhaps the delay has to do with scale. A full God died and there was immediate fainlife, "chunks" of dead Ambition landed there and the Evil showed up much later. It could potentially account for at least some delay. Overall it's not bad, but I feel like there was a WoB saying that the evil was related to a shard we knew, and I don't think AU(and thus Ambition) was around at that time. I'm on mobile and can't find it that easily, but depending on the date or exact wording, your idea could still work

Ahh... no problem with cutting in my RP . But don't wait further RP(atleast in 10 hours) from me cause it's 2 AM right now and I gonna go sleep little bit.

Ignore me while I act incredibly pedantic and say that it's "Allomantic" Anyway, his incredible strength in Allomancy was already explained via two things: 1) He used the power of the Well and rebuilt himself to be very powerful in Allomancy.[In the WoB that it wasn't Lerasium] 2) Brandon has implied that there is a way to compound that increases Allomantic Strength. Conveniently, two more things. 1) For all his knowledge, he could not figure out how to make anything beyond Koloss, Kandra and Inquisitors during his thousand year reign. I feel like he would have learned more of how Hemalurgy functioned naturally before somehow figuring out how to hack the system. 2) If he could do this, why use physical Hemalurgic Spikes on himself? The soul interference from piercing skin plus the high amount of F-Atium power in his bracers should've been enough for them to not get Steel/Iron lines. Closing Thoughts: Your sDNA gene splicing could count as compounding to boost Allomancy, since Brandon only says "compound" without specific mentions of Feruchemy or Hemalurgy. He would definitely not share this secret with Inquisitors, for the purpose of control, which means that either he controlled a Kandra or performed the spiking himself. (despite the risks, I wouldn't put it past him to keep his secrets completely secret) I still wonder about what power his Bracers granted that he couldn't do in your method. Bit of semantics, but at what point does something cross the line and stop being considered "done via Hemalurgy?" If his dramatic effects were due to hyper-strong Allomancy, then it seems like they are pulled off by Allomancy, regardless of if he used Hemalurgy to become that strong. "Pulled of by Hemalurgy" seems like it would imply some side effect of Spike-granted power that cannot be done via natural means (Lerasium beads would've made him strong, so what's different about using the spike way?)

A dead Shardblade in the Everstorm is a mandrake's handshake with a branflake pancake.

I came up with a new one: Stonewarden Awakener. See, we don't know what Tension and Cohesion do exactly. We know that: Awakeners use mostly cloth and fabric in Awakening. Combined with ability to alter its flexibility/stiffness and (probably) malleability... You'd no longer be limited by the fact that you're using fabric in Awakening - you could alter it how you want at will. One moment your Awakened sleeves "grip what you must", the next moment you can parry swords with it. If you have long tassels, you could Command them to spring at enemies and then make them stiff and rigid and pierce their bodies. The idea started when I thought of Vasher using his clothing to enhance his limbs; I thought of designing clothes which you could Awaken to form an exoskeleton around your body. Stonewarden can make armor out of it (or use them offensively like in example above). Then I threw Twinborn in that, because that's what I do. As of right now we have an Awakener wrapped in Awakened exoskeleton which can also be used offensively (tassels. Tassels everywhere), who can inhale Stormlight (boost in physical abilities + powerful regeneration) and alter the physical properties of things he Awakens. Which Allomantic power and which Feruchemical power goes with that? Well, I think Allomantic pewter is good - it combines nicely with the enhanced abilities of exoskeleton + Stormlight. Another one could be Allomantic tin, to play along with the Heightened senses. Feruchemical powers... it's hard to choose from. We could go Feruchemical pewter just to add even more strength. We could go Feruchemical tin (although it's a very inferior choice to Allomantic tin). Feruchemical steel is always OP. Feruchemical gold is always helpful. Feruchemical duralumin could enhance lifesense (if it works on Connection). Feruchemical zinc would probably be the best - faster thinking to Awaken in combat situations. I think I would settle on Pewter/Zinc Twinborn or Tin/Zinc Twinborn, depending on what you want enhance more. All in all, the combination is Pewter/Tin & Zinc Twinborn Stoneward Awakener.

Ah. I haven't seen that one before. Then, if I understand the quote correctly, they have to be willing to change, but once the transformation has begun there's no ability to stop it, i.e. No "this isn't the Spren I wanted" moment. Allows for unintended changes but no ability for a change when you wanted to stay in your original form. Makes sense. Thank you

Is that this one? it's from reddit and @Yata always said it's hard to find it every time... fortunately I remembered he posted it in my thread about Allomantic Strenght

I could see Steel Inquisitors, as they're doing the "messy" part of Hemelurgy, singing a hard-rock version of "You'll Be In My Heart" "A Whole New World" for Siri and someone (IDK who) when she first comes to Hallandren. When Kelsier first meets vin, "Friend Like Me" I could also see Lightsong singing a parody version of Aristocats' song "Everyone Wants to be A Cat" titled "Everyone wants to be a God" I just want to see Bluefingers sing "Be Our Guest" for no reason at all.

Nope. Don't believe it. Not possible.

Dalinar out-Dad's the Stormfather and gets a (giant) Shardblade after all. He drops it on a Voidbringer army like a colony in a Gundam show. And Ashyn is Alderaan, so that's why the planet is so messed up!

I just got back from LGPE( Large Group Performance Evaluation, pretty much the big band exam, whatever it is where you live), and my band got a Superior rating(the best one)! I'm so excited!!!!

I realized that the end of Words of Radiance is really just Brandon Sanderson slapping us in the face over and over and over again. But we love him for it. It feels a little something like this (Every WoR spoiler) And by this point we are sobbing because we just got metaphorically slapped in the face, but also because the book is really really good. And we can't wait for Oathbringer to come out.

Just want to point out that Sazed has the power to bring people back to life, he just has to do it before they reach the Beyond, so I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem for Marsh

Got my leather edition of mistborn, and some interesting info about Harmony. I've wondered about this for awhile, and interestingly, while Sanderson confirms the possibility, he basically says it won't happen. (At least not with Harmony). The question was: "Like Adonalsium, could Harmony split into 2 shards OTHER THAN ruin/preservation with the right intent." (then in the comment section of my order I clarified as follows) "You once stated that it is plausible that with a different intent Adonalsium could have shattered into a DIFFERENT 16 shards. You have also said that Harmony is one shard (or could be viewed this way.) My question: Could Harmony split/be split into 2 shards OTHER THAN ruin/preservation (yet still complementing/opposite) with the right intent of the splitter? (And if not is this because Harmony is still too invested in scadrial as ruin/preservation?) His answer: "Almost anything is possible... but it is very, very unlikely that Harmony would split except back to ruin/preservation." My thoughts: while this may not happen with Harmony (and maybe goes against common sense for the shards?) It could happen at some other time or situation with another "double shard". Also, when he says it's "unlikely he would split EXCEPT back to ruin/preservation"... I don't want to read too much into this, but to me it sounds like there's a distinct possibility Harmony would split , if the right circumstances arose. (It Not unlikely anyways)

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. And then the murders began. —The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. And then the murders began. —Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Probably more cheerful than people were thinking, but I thought it could be amusing. The Lord Ruler's "You're Welcome"

Lifts father is Odium.

Unfortunately, with the game still running, we probably can't discuss the specifics of the inactivity in the game just yet, but I do still have some thoughts. I think one of the biggest things is people not really understanding, or acknowledging, the time commitments of these games. Really, any game probably requires, as a minimum, half an hour a day, reading the thread, and making a quick response. To contribute analysis or RP, you jump up to more like an hour and a half, at least. And depending on the format, you are expected to keep that up anywhere from a few days, to a month and a half (I guess that also depends on when you get killed). It's not a small time commitment, and if you skip that half hour, it makes it all that much harder to get back into it. I think a problem that does occur is that people don't actually work out how busy their life is for the duration of the game. Another problem is people signing up for games, and then not caring enough to remember they are playing. Another is having multiple commitments to games. Some of this I've said before - I think ever game should have a strategy in place to deal with inactives, whether a filter, or pinchhitters, or whatever else. I'd also be interested in having some sort of CAPTCHA to ensure only people who read the rules actually play. But a new thought is that I think people should be actively discouraged from playing more than one game at a time, and particularly not two LGs at the same time. Ideally, rules of games should be available well in advance, so people can prioritize which games they join. I think a reason people ignore their time constraints is because the games are all so interesting, and they aren't forced to choose, so play both. I personally haven't found the game environment hostile, although I'm both an R&R player, and someone who had been semi on hiatus, and will soon go on hiatus permanently, and do I think that game complexity has hurt people's ability to contribute discussion/analysis, I don't think that accounts for most of the inactivity. You know what the problem with working out what causes inactivity? The lack of talking Ultimately, I think it's a mix of things. And that's going to require a mix of solutions. Recurring players need to be conscious of the effect of their inactivity on the games they join. Ideally, they are honest with themselves, and do their best to only play when they know they have the time to commit. GMs need strategies both to handle when players temporarily have to deal with life, and to deal with players not willing to put the minimum required effort in. New players need to be clearly communicated what the expected activity is. Ideally change should come from the players, but not all the problems can be solved by players - new players who sign up and don't do anything, or players who have unforseeable emergencies. I think it would be valuable for the community to brainstorm ways for GMs to handle these sorts of situations. Apart from this post, and the one pointing to this thread, neither of which actually include playing an active game, I indeed kept to that. And it got me RPing. But the rule was a pretty silly rule that had little to do with the sort of thing I was talking about. You've repurposed it for the AG, which may help RP, although I found it hobbled me - it was harder to contribute lots of posts, or in a quick manner. The rules I was suggesting were less about forcing players to do something specific, rather providing easy to manage regulations to minimize the possibility, or impact, of players going inactive. Personal favorite use of a TL;DR!

Well, we know from the 10th Anniversary Edition of Elantris that Hoid tried to become an Elantrian at some point and failed--maybe the Moon Scepter is his next attempt at gaining access to the Dor, period?

In a WoK epilogue we get told that Ati, the holder of Ruin's shard, was a kind and generous person before his shard presumably bent him to its entropy-loving will. That got me thinking, why would a kind and generous person take up the shard that loves destruction? Assuming he didn't just get stuck being the last person to pick his shard from the Adonalasium-corpse raffle, I can only assume it was because Ati wished to limit the destruction that the Ruin shard was very capable of inflicting all across the Cosmere. Now Ati (hopefully) would have had an inkling that as time passed his ability to keep his personality intact and steer Ruin towards less catastrophic ends would be greatly impaired. So he had to build a prison...for himself. I think we have a WOB that Odium does not like to settle in a system, rather he prefers to keep moving. When a shard is in one place for too long, I suspect the shard begins to invest its power into the planet itself, effectively limiting the freely available power that a shard-bearer has at their disposal. The shard's magic-energy act like deep roots in a planet, if the holder of the shard tries to exit the system they're invested in, they will do so reduced as they'll leave a lot of their shard's power behind. So having an idea of how Odium would prefer to operate to maximize his power, Ati decided to do the exact opposite with his shard. Although the most Ruin-y thing to do would be to jump around the galaxy kicking over the various sandcastles that the other shards had made, Ati instead made a pact with the bearer of shard perfectly opposite to his own to create an entire planet. This not only bound up most of Ruin's power within the planet itself (he likely had to spend a huge amount of his power to create a planet instead of just settling there), and kept him stuck in one place, but also locked him in with a shard that would by sheer reflex oppose any of his attempts to cause widespread destruction. It's no surprise that Ruin was so angry and frustrated by the time the events in The Mistborn Trilogy occurred, his power being imprisoned and his will being constantly opposed was the system working exactly as intended. Scadrial and everything on it were Ati and Leras' mutually constructed prison to keep Ruin from spreading destruction all across the cosmere.

What does The final empire and pokemon have in common? Too much ash!

@Jondesu That's a good question, actually. I read it a couple days ago and now I can't for the life of me find it. I can't even remember who put it forth to give them credit... Maybe someone else on here can remember. But basically the theory came down to time. The facts we know are that Desolations have been known to kill off ~90% of Roshar's population, set technology back an age (bronze to iron or iron to stone), and at least one lasted 11 years. Given the time that it would take to repopulate and readvance in tech, each Desolation has to have at least 1000 years between them. I don't remember how the length of Desolations fit into it, but I remember they were a part of it. But if each Desolation was separated by ~1000 years then 99 Desolations plus the time since the Heralds dipped out means that Odium has been assaulting Roshar for over 100,000 years. Which means that Dominion and Devotion died over 100,000 years ago, too. Adonalsium would have had to be broken 100k+ years ago. It's likely Scadrial would have been created around the same time (or at the most several thousand years afterward), but then some how taken all that time to get to steam engines (apparently there's WoB that they were entering the industrial age prior to TLR) even though it only took them ~340 years to go from a renaissance-esque age to full on industrial. The whole timescale just reads false if there had actually been 99 Desolations. If there were only 9, the timeline would be far more manageable, the True Desolation would be Desolation numero 10 (and we all know how Roshar is with 10s), and some other stuff that I can't really remember... I really wish I knew where that post was. That person's argument was far more detailed and elegant than this Quasimodo of logic. The theory went on to postulate that the reason everyone thinks there have been 99 Desolations is because during the Hierocracy the Ardents were like, "'9' is a doodoo number... No symmetry whatsoever! How about '99'? Yeah? Better? Sweet, done and done. Let's get lunch. No braised longroot this time. Didn't stop '9'ing for an hour. Get it? Cause '9' is doodoo? Like what I said earlier? Ha! Ardent humor is the bees knees." Ahem... The trascript for that conversation went a little long... Anywho, that was the general, horribly-mutilated gist of the theory. Someone's theory. Not mine. Mine aren't nearly as well thought out or plausible.

I took a test on Soothing. It was a Breeze.

Happy Birthday!

Why did "Mr.T" think the diagram wanted him to ignore his bed in the morning??? ...because it was unmade... crap...MISTBORN JOKES... uuuummmmmm.................... ............why did the koloss cross the road? ..."because we are human."

I did, in fact, just log in to share my JRR Tolkien / Sanderson mash-up. I feel there is room for more than one - as awesome as yours is: JRR Tolkien: Kaladin peered out from behind the slate-grey rock. The Parshuk-Hai appeared to be retreating. He could no longer see their fell helms printed with the fell white hand of S-odium. "I think they've gone," he whispered, sinking back in exhaustion. "Oi think you're right, Mr Kaladin, sir", whispered Teftwise from beside him. "We're nearly at the chasm of Doom. Let's go Mr Kaladin, sir." "I can't Teftwise, I can't. I'm exhausted - this quest is too hard for me. I've failed, Teftwise. I always fail." "No you haven't Mr Kaladin, sir. Oi might not be able to carry that stormlight-infused, gem encrusted instrument of evil for you - but I CAN carry you!" Shifting his bridge to his left shoulder, Teftwise hefted his limp master onto his right and set off on sturdy, hairy feet up the fell mountain leading to the chasm of Doom. *** "We're here, Mr Kaladin sir", muttered Teftwise, peering gingerly into the broiling lava beneath them, "We've done it." "No Teftwise. I won't do it. The ring is mine. I deserve it, I have suffered greatly, people have died - all the people have died and its all my fault. That makes me sad and angry and I deserve a present. The ring is mine". Teftwise had never seen his master look like this before; his face leered as he waved the ring aloft and stepped away from the edge of the fell chasm. "A-r-gggh", screamed Kaladin, as a shardblade severed his finger. "Szollum". A pair of large, childlike eyes gleamed behind the giant blade, wielded by the spiderlike creature in a billowing white loincloth. "Stinker," screamed Teftwise, swinging his frying pan wildly at the fell assassin causing him to drop his blade which vanished. "My precious", crooned Szollum, cradling Kaladin's ring-adorned finger. "You Truthless Bridgehobbits stole my precious. It's mine, mine." Stepping backwards, he waved the bloodied finger and teetered on the edge of the precipice as Teftwise, enraged by the hurt done to his master, lifted his bridge and rammed the fell creature into the lava beneath. "We did it, Mr Kaladin, sir", Teftwise yelled crawling towards his master who was lying on the floor, cradling his bloodied hand and attempting to regrow his finger despite the absence of any stormlight. "Let's go home." "No, Teftwise. We can't. See how the land begins to shake. This land belongs to S-odium and, as he falls, so do the rocks. We have saved the Roshire - but not for us. It ends here for us - here at the end of all things." Kaladin lay back, exhausted. "Well, if this the end, Mr Kaladin-sir, it don't seem right to end without a song to mark the occasion" and planting his brave, hairy hobbit-foot on the fell rocks, he began to sing: . . . . Much rustling of pages and sounds of desperate thumbing as thousands [tens] of readers skip the song to the refrain of "Not a song. For the love of Stormlight, not a song, please" . . . As Teftwise finished the 427th verse, he heard the chitinous sound of a chasmfiend apporaching. "Mr Kaladin-sir, we're saved. Look it's Gandalinor, on the back of a chasmfiend. The fiends, they've come to rescue us." "So, they have Teftwise, so they have." Fade to black, in preparation for the twenty 'final' goodbye scenes. (With apologies to anyone who doesn't skip the "epic poetry" in a Tolkien novel. You are a better person that I!)

More WoK progress updates. How I feel looking at my progress when I have an assignment due Tuesday: Oh, and then there's Dalinar: …who is only slightly less insane….