Puck

Thank you SO much for starting this up! Since having a kid, I've not remotely been able to follow new developments. This post was invaluable. Keep it up!

I think it makes sense for it to be on a grander scale, like the War of Ascension or the War of Founding, or the War or Harmony (neatly ironic, that) or something like that. It takes on a sense of historicity/removal that I think we should be striving for. Generally speaking, wars aren't named after what the people want, but after the significant historical movement that they correspond to (eg - the Revolutionary War, the World War), the people involved (eg - the French and Indian War, the Civil War), where the war took place (eg - Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, etc.), or some other ansilary detail (eg - the 300 Years' War, the War of 1812). In fact, the motives behind certain parties participating is usually the least salient (or, at least, the least clear) part of a war. Besides, I'm pretty sure that all conflicts in the Final Empire could feasibly be boiled down to Atium

What's your favorite "wild, stab-in-the-dark theory" that ended up being right (yours or not)? How do you go about theorycrafting? What's your process? (a little reminiscent of Writing Excuses, i know ) How does zas get and stay on top of all those quotes? Where does one have to place the spike to steal that power? If you wielded Shard x, what would you do? (eg - if you were Ruin, what would you try and ruin? If you were Cultivation, what would you try and cultivate?) ... pretty lame, admittedly.

Some thoughts: - *seconding the in-depth Hoid podcast* - magic (rules as stated by brandon (a la essays), examples from canon, speculated unifying theories (foci/intents/fuel/etc.)) - the seventeenth shard (aims, sightings, members known and suspected, possible aims/objectives) - maybe an episode on unpublished/non-canon works (setting, plot, chronology, possible Cosmeric insights). there are a handful of Sharders who have experience with these, and it'd be great to leverage & share that knowledge (also it'd go a long way to dissolving a persistent "in-crowd" vibe). even though they can't be used for official theorycraft, it'd be great to have a better handle on these books so that, when they come up on the forums/podcast, everyone's on the same page. I'd love to see topics that were covered in the first two casts (what it means to be a Shardweilder, which books fall in the chronology of the Cosmere and why that's important, etc.) covered in more depth. I feel like the podcasts are a great vehicle for delving into one narrow topic very deeply . I know these first few are introductory, so a general-shallow coverage makes sense. But I hope they get deep quickly. Also, the podcast could be a great vehicle for live debates - rather than chronicling what we already know (which is a very finite list of discussion topics), have two people (maybe two guests, maybe two regulars who research preassigned positions before the start of the cast) debate and defend possibilities for things that are uncertain (which is a much bigger list). This would give the dual benefits of providing more than one flavor of podcast (broad chronicling vs. narrow delving vs. lively debate) to keep things fresh & interesting, and giving you more material (thus ensuring the longevity of the project). Another thought: start each with a little bit more news: not only new releases, but Brandon's tour schedule for instance. I know the info cold be gotten elsewhere, but it would help to make the cast a one-stop-shop for all things Sanderson. Just my 2 cents EDIT: my mobile device doesn't like this page's editor

Loved the podcast! I won't go into the things that could use improvement - I think you're already aware of those. But I loved the concept of an episode focusing around a central, epic theme. It allows you to keep things fluid so you can flit from topic to topic, while still giving you something to return to when the tangents run out of steam. This also reminded me where I was in my Brandon studies before life distracted me -- beside the Elantris reread, I was totally focused on figuring out the Unified Theory of Magic (which I'm pretty sure will prove to go hand-in-hand with Realmatics). So thanks for resurrecting that obsession

I would like to announce that my wife and I had our first baby - a boy, Liam - this past Thursday! (...and that I've only just had enough time and energy to post it )

Finally getting into the Song of Ice and Fire series. Now starting 'a Clash of Kings.' (...and halfway through 'Secrets of the Baby Whisperer,' but i'd only recommend that under specific circumstances )

Am I the only one also excited by Russell Crowe as Javert?! Definitely seeing this on opening night - Les Mis has been my favorite musical since I've known what a musical was

Welcome! I would make a joke about me being the King to your Prince but, alas, I am just the Jester around here Looking forward to seeing you around the forums!

Clever and endearing (perhaps awkward) response. Disclaimer. Warm welcome!