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I have an idea. My dear Sharders, My dear Radiants and Allomancers, and my dear socks and bookies, and writers, and cyborgs, and snake monsters, and hobbits, and Fremen, artists, rangers, writers, and nerds. *Eddie stands up "Not Nerds!"* and nerds. Today is my third shardiversary: I am three years on the Shard today! I hope you are all doing well as much, or perhaps more than, I am. I shall not see you long. I have written this post to bring you all together for a Purpose. Indeed, for Three Purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that three years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable sharders. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. Secondly, to celebrate my shardiversary. I should say: OUR shardiversary. For it is a group effort. My time here has been one of joy and fun thanks to all of you. Together we are a community of great people. It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the anniversary of my second Shardiversary post; though the fact that it was my second shardiversary post slipped my memory on that occasion. I was bad at math then, and keeping track of time did not seem so important. Then I said "My third shardiversary and to more to come!" I now repeat it more correctly: thank you very much for collaborating with me on three years of the Shard! I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT I regret to announce that - though, as I said, three years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE! Okay, I'm not actually leaving. I don't think it's the right thing right now. It is 100% not the time to leave the Shard. I just really wanted to make that joke. Come on, you gotta admit it: that was funny. I joined the shard 3 years ago. Three years! can you imagine it? I was so much younger then... I hadn't even started MC role-play, I was a smol child, fresh with the opinion that I knew a lot about fantasy when I was and still am clueless. Ahhh, yes, those were the days... I can still remember exactly when I started. I was sitting in my breakfast nook, having just received my mom's permission to get an account. It was bright outside. Ahhh, to go back to that house with the old furniture and sit there while going onto the Shard. My life changed that day. I'd like to think that it was for the better. This community provided me with different perspectives. This community has helped me to realize a fundamental fact. "People think different than I do and that is entirely okay." I thank all of you so much for helping me to realize that and other things about the world and the people who populate it. All of you are wonderful people and I can't name everyone who means a lot to me. I love all of you so much (yes, even you). My PMs are open to anyone who needs to talk! Just know that I may ask that we wait for a little bit before talking because I'm an idiot who has terrible priorities. (Ie, watching strongbad instead of soldiering through Inheritance so I can read more Terry Pratchett and Brandon Mull). *raises jar of Root and slice of pumpkin pie* I have no idea how long I will be on the Shard, nor how long any of you will be, but this I do know. I lost the game. *Eats pie and downs Root*

chat what do i do if it’s all becoming Too Much? if im dissociating and the world just feels Off like why is everything just Agh like why do i want to go to sleep and never Wake Up Again like bro everything is just No right now

You guys. You guys. THERE'S ONLY 39 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER. THAT'S 29 SCHOOL DAYS. I'M SOOOOOOOO READYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Also, story time! My little sister told me earlier today that she's concerned for me, because apparently I say a lot of my intrusive thoughts out loud. And I get a lot of those. She also said that she doesn't want me around her while I'm holding potentially dangerous objects, which I guess is valid because I was chopping some branches earlier with a giant pruner and I told her that if there was ever an intruder in the house to grab it and go for the jugular. -- "Boom, dead. And if that doesn't work, you can always go for the other major arteries. Femoral, brachial... basically any of those will make them bleed to death." She looks at me with mild confusion, mixed with slight horror. "...Why do you know this??" "A girl's gotta be prepared, [name]. You never know when you might need to kill someone out of self defense, or at least mortally wound them. Also," I add hastily, noticing the expression on her face, "I write fantasy books. With sword fights. You know this." My sister pauses, studying me, then reaches for the pruners, which I immediately pull away. "Okay, true. But maybe I should..." "No! ...Hey, do you think if I threw these hard enough, I could shatter the window?" "Honey, that's called an intrusive thought. We don't say those. Just give me the--" "No, Dad gave me these! It's my job! Give me that branch." She begrudgingly obliges, and I cut the branch into a few different pieces so they fit in our black trash can, then I pack them down into the tangle of other branches using the long wood scraps my dad left for us. -- Random comments like these aren't rare from me, but I probably have extra today due to the fact that I got less than five hours of rest. I couldn't fall asleep until about 5:45 (am) and woke up around 10. It was rough. Terrible, actually, but whatever. Hakuna Matata, right? Lol. Anyways, I'm gonna go eat a snack and then do my homework that I totally neglected for the whole of spring break. Wish me luck

WHOS EXCITED FOR REN SEASON?? I AM!!! so, here’s some REN FAIRE FIT PICS!!!! piece-by-piece walkthrough with info on each part, in case you’re curious: the outfit :3 i’m literally so obsessed i can’t— is it possibly slightly overkill? yeah, maybe a little bit. do i care? absolutely not. *ob* *sessed.*

One of the things that bothered me about The Hero of Ages was Elend’s duralumin-atium burst. It’s iconic but it always annoyed me why Elend could do what Ruin couldn’t - foresee Preservation’s plan and Ruin’s death. However, now that Secret History has given insight into precognition I finally understand Elend’s sacrifice. Elend never knew for certain if his sacrifice would be guaranteed to drive Vin to murder-suicide Ruin. But he aimed to protect the world and trusted Vin, so he sacrificed himself to help her. This is something Ruin - an unaware Vessel filled with the contextless embodiment of decay - was unwilling to do. Before heading west to the Ire’s fortress, Preservation showed Kelsier a future vision that starts from him heading west. The future vision held Connections between Kelsier and his soul to Preservation, Kelsier to everything and everyone on Scadrial, Preservation to the ground and air and metals. And in the vision, it held a path of future possibilities - many, thousands upon thousands, infinite, tangled with each other. Kelsier could only glean vague, general impressions because his mind isn’t expanded to sort through or understand the sensation, the information, or the individual possibilities. Elend saw into the future the same way Kelsier did - through glimpsing Connections. But he could understand all the possibilities because Atium expands the mind. When burning duralumin+atium, Elend became temporarily Connected to Kelsier, Vin, Ruin’s essence, the future, the past, everything and everyone in the battlefield. Those Connections are the blue lines pointing from his chest in the Physical Realm and the white lines in the Cognitive Realm. Seeing the future possibilities within those Connections, but understanding them all because of Atium’s mind expansion. Judging from regular Atium and Kelsier’s vision, he probably saw the ”thousands upon thousands” of possibilities that could result from his current action - the fight against Marsh. “I see now” is when Elend liked the general implication of the future vision - that he could drive Vin to sacrifice her life if it meant defeating Ruin. So he let Marsh kill him and hoped it would come true. But even the Shards of Adonalsium - those who foresee infinite possibilities and infinite actions - can be wrong about the possibilities they see as unlikely, likely, or thread towards. All he could do was trust Vin and hope for the best outcome. But where does this fit into the futures seen by the Shards surrounding these events - Ruin and Preservation? Ruin, the essence which fuels Elend’s future vision and the God whom foresaw what Elend saw. Preservation, the God Sanderson implies incorporated Elend’s death into his plan. I believe for Ruin, his inability to acknowledge Elend’s future vision was not a matter of seeing the possibilities. But rather, it was a matter of seeing them as likely possibilities. Ati the Vessel basically didn’t exist anymore. Ati didn't even remember what planet he was working on, virtually a shell filled with Ruin's Investiture. Ruin the God foresaw the possibilities within Elend's future vision, but either saw them as unlikely or dismissed them entirely. You could even say he was a god that no longer understood or acknowledged the loving sacrifice that existed within his foreseen future possibilities. Ruin the God didn’t embrace life or acknowledge that life needs to persist. Ruin didn’t sacrifice. He said he was life, and yet Leras/Fuzz comforted life when Ruin did not. And for this, he dismissed Elend’s futures and paid the price. Preservation protects. Preservation listens to the hearts of men, for it hears all thoughts of all Scadrians. Leras understands sacrifice, for the divinity sacrificed his mind and equal pedestal to Ruin. This was for the sake of protecting in the long run. This is why he wanted Elend to have the lerasium bead. Leras chose a successor who could live a life highly Connected to Preservation’s attributes, and might sacrifice her life for the greater good. He foresaw someone might use one lerasium bead for the pieces of the plan to fall together. And when the time came, He saw Vin’s lover as someone who might sacrifice his life for the greater good. Someone who could use the bead. Leras bet those possibilities would come into play at the last moment, did whatever he could to thread towards them, and hoped it paid off.

Alright so today, I’m wearing the Harmony hat (check Sanderson’s store if you don’t know what I’m talking about), my denim jacket, a t-shirt, and sweatpants, and my mom says bye to me by telling me: “You look like you’re gonna go catch Pokémon.” I cannot tell y'all how great my mom is.

Blue and orange tiles? Perry the blue and orange tiles!

I finally wrote a poem again! WARNING: It's probably the longest I've ever written. Why Can’t We Fix This?

Quick life update: I MADE POPPED CORN ON THE COB I POPPED IT AAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHA IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY Also, the fit today was absolute fire and I got told I was giving DM vibes, which I gladly accept. (No, my hair isn’t pink anymore :(( but it will be again) Anywho i have a boatload of homework how are you guys?

i'm going to prom with @Dead todayyyyyy we're gonna take pictures at a nearby lake before we go, so I'll try and post some pictures at some point today and i'm gonna be up until at least 3 am because of post-prom stuff! I'm really excited!! I really like my dress, and we figured out the hair, makeup, and shoes situation - I'm getting my hair done professionally still, my friend is gonna come over after that to help me with my makeup, and my sister did stop by with some shoes for me to pick from (and go out to eat with my brother and grandma while I went to the temple yesterday, but they did get me McDonalds so it's fine) and I chose black flats but yeaaaaa I'm really excited

When you wear all your Sanderson shirts when you're in public to maybe meet a fellow fan.

thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I have a lot of notifs, but I'm going on a field trip soon and I wont be back for another like 3 or 4 hours so I'll check them when I get back

life is weird

Okay it's WAY past morning, but here's some more details about prom! My gf slow danced a bunch of times and it was amazing The DJ played Rasputin and SO MANY people sang along He also played the Macarena, and doing the dance with all those other people was a lot of fun I didn't get prom king, but a friend of mine did, and we got to hang out this morning, so that was cool There was a photo taken of the senior class and it was a lot of fun wrangling everyone into place One of my friends thought that I said my gf is 13 (she's not. We're only a little more than a year apart in age), so that was… an interesting conversation There was, unfortunately, not a Rickroll this year After prom was over, my gf and I sat in my car and talked about GoT lore for a bit Right before we were about to kiss, Winged Hussars by Sabaton started playing. The beginning of that song is very intense and very sudden, and it was so unexpected that we both burst into laughter I didn't go to post-prom, but I still didn't get to bed until after 1am Those who did go to post-prom weren't allowed to leave the venue until 2 or 3 in the morning It was so much fun, and I'll definitely go next year, if I can get in as my gf's +1. However, I am EXHAUSTED. Not only did I stay up super late, I also got up at like 8, then ran around playing airsoft with a bunch of my friends for like five hours. That was fun, but WOW am I sore now.

This has been implemented.

you guys i got three new fantasy clothing pieces yesterday at the thrift store :3 :] i will post pictures later today, as well as pics of the whole current ren faire fit because i’m literally obsessed. i just need to find a decent necklace and a few extra accessories now.

I’m trying to start a drawing of my protagonist, Hadley (the “hero” to Mira’s story), BUT I CANT SCUDDING FIND A REFERENCE THAT I LIKE AND ITS KILLING ME. so if you happen to find any random pictures of muscular, warrior-looking women in cool poses please do send

Hey, I’m both! Kinda... I’m working on the therapist bit. Kell’s last words to Vin were also pretty harsh, if we’re being fair. And I do think some of what she said came from knowing that he wasn’t going to follow her Beyond. But I think she told him what she did because she KNEW it was the last thing she would say to him. And she remembered the effect Kelsier’s last words had on her. And she wanted him to remember them whenever he remembered her. Because Kelsier’s story has a long way to go. And there’s something in his future. Something I think Leras saw when he Preserved Kelsier and again as he died and Kell Ascended. Something Sazed saw when he refused to resurrect Kelsier because “Sazed believes in Kelsier more than Kelsier does.” Something Vin saw when she was Preservation. Her words were harsh, yes. But as Kelsier continues to survive, continues to plot and manipulate, continues to scheme and contrive, it’s something he needs to remember. Something he needs to hear from one of the few people he can’t ignore and won’t forget. Something he needs to keep in mind as he moves through the centuries; something to keep him on the right side of the line; something to push him toward becoming a better man. And Vin was never going to get another chance, nor a better one, to tell him. I don’t know if that helps, but that’s how I see it. She told him what he needed to hear, not necessarily what she wanted to say. And that’s love too.

ok i know i’ve posted twice already today but heres a mini life-update

you guys i have discovered a way to access school-blocked websites

YKYASFW you're in the middle of 3-4 other books, (2 of which are Sanderson) and your hand automatically reaches for Warbreaker...

guys I got some pictures from prommmmm I have to double check with @Dead to make sure I can post them, because he's in the pictures with me but yeah I'll ask him within the next two hours or so

*realizes I post on here WAY too much* When you have this conversation: (spoilered for length)

Omg you guys my girlfriend's Ren Faire dress arrived the other day and she is GORGEOUS. It's this white fluffy dress with a layered skirt, and she's going to pair it with a corset that has these floral patterns all over it and it's amazing. We're going in May, and I can't wait. (Still haven't ordered those gauntlets )

When you see a man with white hair and instinctively flare all of your metals

I have a request. Would it be possible to move the Shardcast tab one spot over between Gallery and Coppermind? I ask because I come here mostly to read the forums. I do listen to the shardcasts from time to time, but on a daily basis when I'm trying to click on the the subtabs, or the Forums tab, I'll catch the Shardcast tab with my cursor and the dropdown for it covers the sub tabs, and it's a little thing that happens so often if feels like a big thing. I realize this is a specific ask, and it's probably because it hurts me brain when it happens. I may be the only one who this happens to and if so, feel free to ignore me. I was hoping I'm not the only person this happens to? Either way, thanks.

My birthday is in two weeks. oh my gosh. guys, I’m literally so close to being an adult. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it here. I’m so glad I did

AAAAAA- I FINISHED YUMI THIS MORNING AND IT WAS AMAZINGGGGG!

straight chilling metro boomin across the spider verse album oooooo bangers all around

The original Ashynites used the power of a Bondsmith and an Elsecaller to send themselves directly from Ashyn to Roshar. So if they can make a more perfected and mechanized version of that, they might be able to make Worldhopping Oathgates that don't need to be paired up, or maybe they can just set up Oathgates in Shadesmar, the Oathgates allow Realmatic Transition. The main problem is getting Stormlight and Spren off of Roshar, which will happen at some point as seen in Sunlit Man. Something else I'm thinking about for Era 4 is the combining of Hemalurgy and cybernetics, so many possibilities there. Imagine having several 'chip' spikes that contain various powers, then slotting them into you cybernetics which would be situated over the correct Bindpoints. Then when you need a specific power you can swap between them without needing to go over the 3 Spike limit, which makes it so you can't be controlled. Maybe Attribute Spikes will be more common, imagine having 3 'Chips' of Iron, Zinc, Copper and Tin then having a Gamer interface for a kind of 'attribute slider'. So you can switch from 3 Iron Chips to 2 Copper and 1 Tin. So fascinating. Could even set up a bit of slang for that, the 4 Stats: Strength, Senses, Smarts and Stability. Sounds catchy to me. Who wouldn't want to be stronger or smarter whenever they want?

People. Of the Shard. (Rant incoming)

To the theatre, regarding security: Hey. I hate you. Did you know that? And I’m tired of you. Because you are mine. I know you, And so I can hate you. You no longer dazzle me, And so I can be exhausted. The hours I spend serving you Are no longer magical And that’s all right. I am becoming a part of you, As you are becoming a part of me. You are familiar, Even if I don’t always understand you. You are home, Even if you aren’t always safe. The extremes fade away, leaving routine in their wake. And routine… I used to think I would never stop being awed by you. But I have. And I’m glad. Because instead of my hero you’re becoming my mentor. Instead of my dream you’re becoming my friend. Someone I’d sit by on a bus, Someone I’d ask to watch my things, Someone I’d take a selfie with, Someone I’d laugh with, Someone I’d cry with. Your magic falls away and in its place I find something genuine. And now there is no question if it will last, Because even if it doesn’t, You cannot forget me As I cannot forget you. So thanks, My friend, For being my friend. Thanks, My friend, For letting me inside. And thanks, My friend, For the promise of tomorrow. Rue

Is it the look of a fire that you remember? Or the burning it leaves on your skin? Do you remember the orange flames reaching towards you, or the kisses left behind by the heat? The rain drizzles down onto the gray pavement and all I think of is your smile. I think, I think, i think. That was always the problem, wasn't it? I thought too much and you never thought enough. You wove yourself into the very fabric of my being, into the humanity in this husk we call a body. And now I can't look at the stars without thinking of what might have been. You had your demons, alright. But you always shied away from mine Did they scare you? Can you imagine how they scared me? Love was supposed to be the absolution, the salvation. Love was supposed to be a cup of tea on a winter day; a warm bed on a rainy day; wine on a moonlit night. Love was supposed to be so much more than this. And yet. Downy snow falls around me and it feels like your touch. I run my thumb through a lighter and your laughter echoes like a church bell. Because you were a fire, strong and burning How I wished we could have burned together But now my soul scatters away like the ash of an unwanted thing. Unwanted, undesirable Loved, craved, With you, I was all of these. I changed myself, bones cracking and heart shattering so you could form me as you wished. Weren't you supposed to accept me? Wasn't i supposed to be much more than clay? Did you love me for me, or for what you could make me? I don't think I'll ever know. I can only blame you as much as I can blame myself. Fire eats everything in the end, the buildings, the people, the life It will eat the earth itself and the birds will wander aimless on a barren wasteland. Because it takes its beauty from destroying And it's only lovely as long as you're not the one it's ruining We were never meant to be. We weren't "right person, wrong time" because for the right person there's never a wrong time. We were simply young and dumb, drunk on life and each other. I can't hate you, and I hope you don't hate me either. This chapter ends, now. Page turned.

I took the ACT today. Hoping for a 36 so I never have to take that bloody, flaming, scudding, sparking, storming, rusting, light-blasted test ever again

i need a buddy to go with me to some haunted hotels Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, either room 1513, 913, or 511 The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, room 401, 407, 428, or 217 THERES MORE BUT LIKE THOSE ARE MY TOP TWO WHO WANTS TO GO

So, let's talk money. Say you happened to have 250,000,000,000 U.S. Dollars. (250 Billion) And say you wanted to know how much that is. Let me tell you. A $1 bill weighs about 1 gram, right? Well, if you weighed your 250 billion dollars in pounds, 550, 800,000 pounds of paper money. To put that in perspective, The Statue of Liberty weighs 450,000 pounds. Your 250 Billion dollars is approximately equal weight to 1,224 Statues of Liberty. It's 249,838,677,396 grams. That's about as heavy as 42,369 fully-grown, male African elephants. That's a LOT of money! If you want to see this fascinating 2-minute video that goes more in-depth then I'll link it here. Video Link Anyways, this was an interesting trip, thanks for coming with me! ~ Stick

Y'all remember when I said I was going to the National Zoo? Welllll... it was 60 degrees (F) and rainy, so it got canceled. We did go to the Philidelphia Museum of Art instead and I got a bunch of cool photos that I might post at some point I'm still really behind on schoolwork and we still aren't very good mental health-wise, so that's why I haven't been on as much. Apologies to everyone I'm RPing with currently, I'm trying to do better. How are all of you? Anything interesting happen while I was gone? Anyway, Love you guys! ~ Stick

PROM WAS AMAZING. More details in the morning when I'm not so tired that I couldn't find my glasses… while wearing them.

Am I the only one who didn't know that Jared Hess, who directed Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, is directing the Minecraft movie? I think, I really think we're in safe hands. Bro, that movie is going to be a masterpiece of cinema. I cannot wait. That's actually got me hyped fr now.

As a word of warning to everyone on this thread...

GUYS my prom is tomorrow night and I'm so excited. My girlfriend and I are going together and her dress is GORGEOUS OMG. It's this deep maroon red with black accents that looks amazing on her. I'm going to be wearing a matching suit, the shirt is the same color as the dress, and I'll have black pants, a black suit jacket, and a black bow tie. It's gonna be so much fun. And since I'm a senior, I might be prom king. We'll see, ig. There's a lot of seniors this year.

We do want to do this. Thanks for reminder on this. Not sure when it will be done as Paleo is a busy guy but I do appreciate it.

I Heard it Through the Grape Vine. this song is me right now idk why it's like fun spring dionysus friends sunny upbeat warm confidence it's like. today. it's a pretty good day as you can tell. i love spring. (yes the song is about cheating but. it gives off good energy.)

*SIGH* I'm back after almost an entire week when I wasn't caught up enough on schoolwork to be online. *cues sobbing noises* Anyway! I'm back! I'm alive! I'M GOING TO THE NATIONAL ZOO SOON!!! WITH VEILLL No idea what else to say... I'm failing school so that's fun... I have a bunch of quotes to dump so ima go do that. Love Y'all! ~ Stick

It’s Tuesday! I’m actually kinda excited for choir today, and math shouldn’t be so bad! the only class i was like “eh” on today is english but it wasn’t even that bad HAVE A GOOD DAY PEOPLES

Oooh, oooh. Also Happy tax day.

Now this could be general propaganda or conditioning from holding Preservation, but I'm remembering the very beginning of M:SH where Leras tells Kelsier that one shouldn't trust Ati's essence even in a diluted form. We also know that Ruin helped orchestrate the demise of TLR so... I'm a bit suspicious of trusting the knowledge gained from Ruin's power. Hopping over to Roshar, Renarin seemed to be able to see Odium's visions of the future and saw Dalinar as the champion of nine shadows and his own death at Jasnah's hands. This wasn't a controlled vision, it was probably linked to his old epileptic seizures, and it didn't show Renarin's desired outcomes but apparently Odium's goals. So... how confident are you that the future glimpsed from the SR that you are trying to discern is really according to your wishes? Did Ruin nudge Zane to choose the wrong Atium shadow to keep Vin alive when Vin managed to split the Atium shadow? Granted that may have been from Hemalurgic influence and not solely Atium's power, but we also saw Vin fight 2 Mistborn and a squad of Mistings alone when she killed Shan Elariel. I do wonder if that wasn't just pure skill on her part while wearing a Hemalurgic spike and burning Atium against a more experienced Atium burner. Vin's major triumphs over others while burning Atium seem to be directly supportive of Ruin's escape with her survival as a nice side effect. Be wary of anyone claiming to know the future. Advice from Hoid, so take it for what it's worth. Beyond that, I expect burning Atium to impart a substantial portion of Ruin's Intent into my soul. It seems like no accident that Electrum/Atium alloys optimize you for close-combat killing. Maybe Malatium tries to let you pinpoint and identify the target's weaknesses based on personal history, though we rarely see it used (and didn't get much info on the Inquisitor). It wouldn't surprise me at all if it's technically possible to seek out constructive use-cases for the vision granted by Atium, but that the default is destructive or negatively competitive in nature. Even Elend's glimpse into the SR ended with him choosing to get axed. If combat, dominance, and destruction of your enemies is the main objective, then yes, Atium is your friend. If those elements aren't a core piece of your agenda, then I recommend being very careful. In the right usage, we saw Yomen as an almost normal human outmaneuvering Vin as one of the most skilled Mistborn ever seen, so yes, it can be very powerful with applied foresight or peeks into the SR. I end with: highly risky, have someone who can see Spiritwebs or Connections confirm what Ruin's essence is doing to your soul before committing to large-scale consumption. In the right scenario it can prove more pivotal than Lerasium, particularly when it was a renewable resource, but not one I would recommend using lightly.