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Hold on to your hats, I have information for you. First I just want to comment on how incredibly kind and cool Brandon is. It was my first time meeting him and it was definitely a highlight. On to the good stuff, Brandon confirmed all the radiant orders on my chart as being correct and in the right place. He also provided the name of Jasnah's order. He also gave me the correct name for the force we were calling heat and gave me the name of a new force. I am about to correct the chart and will be posting it shortly. Also worldsingers is not an order but he RAFOd Brightcallers as an order. I didn't get a chance to ask any other questions because we had a little bit of discussion around the chart and confirmed also that the Heralds are all correct too. Also we need Peter to make sure that we spelled Jasnah's order correct as we didn't get an official spelling from Brandon. One other thing is that he was entirely certain but there was discussion around the colors matching correctly to the orders on the chart too. ETA: So here is the chart in all it's glory. It includes information that is in the Steelhunt but the info also became available at the Beaverton signing so I am including it. 2nd Edit: Typo and color matching too. 3rd Edit: Stonewardens to Stonewards The chart has been updated per Peter's notes about it later in this thread. Please note that the Herald names are a mix of ancient, Vorin and just the number for the herald. Also note that the Surge names have not been finalized or canonized and are subject to change.

The last two videos The Q&A's: Reading #2:

The NYT created the children's fiction list in the first place because Harry Potter was dominating the hardcover top ten for months if not years and adult books couldn't hit #1. Then they created the children's series list so that any children's or YA series that has three or more books out won't clutter the children's fiction list. Then they created the YA fiction list so that the children's fiction list isn't only YA books. Basically they kept deciding "we don't want these books on this bestseller list" and making a new list to shunt them off to. The answer to your question is no, a book cannot be a bestseller on the YA list and the Adult list at the same time. The USA Today top 200 list tracks everything in one list. Hitting #1 on that list is much more difficult than hitting #1 on a Times list. AMoL did it. Steelheart was not close to #1 on USA Today.

A friend asked about Wit's sword which Brandon said we'd have to wait to find out about but seemed like he liked the way the theory was headed. (Theory is the one from somewhere else on this site where the sword Wit carries in WoK seems like another black blade from warbreaker.) I asked one question from here and another I had of my own. The first question was in regards the black gem and if it held a Spren to which he said that the theory was on the right track and that there is something going on in relation to the creation of Fabrials and with the spren and gemstones. (In my recording) During my signing I also asked about the storms in WoK and whether they were in any way like he pool in Elantris. He said they were not exactly the same thing, I did not have this part recorded but believe I remember correctly, but that he saw where I was going with the theory and was in he right direction but that they were NOT THE SAME thing. Might want someone else to ask this at another Q&A or signing for confirmation. Introduction: Reading #1:

Are we sure it's a woman? Maybe Rayse has girlish arms and fabulous hair? That would certainly make me Odious. EDIT:

While Kurkistan here anticipates your struggles and gloats behind a curtain of knowledge, allow me to direct you to the Cosmere 101 and Question and Answer threads, so that you might avoid some confusion. They are neither the most complete descriptions of the Cosmere, nor the most up-to-date ones, but they are definitely a good place to start. Once you familiarize yourself with those, you should know enough to start searching the interview database and expanding areas of your knowledge you feel particularly lacking.

I have recorded video from the El Cerrito, California event and will be editing it then uploading the video(s) to youtube and will link them here as well when finished. The videos are the two readings and the Q&A Session.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qc95BUbIFnxw4WIeu1HnmC6pu_WxjXgvfou_KY8pY40/edit?usp=sharing Ym Interlude from the El Cerrito, California reading.

I noticed this on Star Trek wikis also. I find it confusing, but it appears to be a widespread convention on fan wikis. It does solve real problems when deciding when the "present" is, especially when prequels get involved.

I just went digging for the spike and survive quote that we have been discussing. We have been remembering it incorrectly it appears (unless there is a similar but different quote out there). Here it is: Quote I think this should add a bit of clearer flavor top the discussion.

Hey (again), folks! I just came back from the http://brandonsanderson.com/upcoming-events/#860'>Wheeling signing in the Chicago area, and it was pretty wonderful. Better than the Naperville one a few days ago. Brandon started off with a little off-the-record kind of chat during which he talked about a number of random things, including but not limited to how he once got lost driving to a signing (which is why they now drive him around), and how he was not actually Brandon Sanderson, but a bot. Mark XVII, if you are curious. With the preliminaries done, Brandon talked about what inspired him to write Steelheart. The story was published on his official website a couple of weeks ago, I think, but I can't find it quickly for some reason... Anyway, once that was done, he answered a few questions he gets on every signing (questions about his favorite books, favorite characters, what got him into fantasy/writing, which of his books have sequels in the near future, etc). He then did three readings from upcoming books (Eshonai's viewpoint chapter from Words of Radiance, Wax and Steris' wedding planning from Shadows of Self, and Stephen's date with Silvia from Legion II), separated by general Q&A sessions. He did the signing and personalization of books after that and answered a few questions. And then I interrogated him... So here's what I (and 1-2 other people) asked. My questions come mostly from the http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/383-the-ultimate-list-of-questions-for-brandon/'>Ultimate List, similarly to the first Chicago signing. --- From the general signing Q&A --- Q: Pat Rothfuss recently worked with the folks from http://goo.gl/8vwi1c'>Albino Dragon to create a Kickstarted Name of the Wind deck of cards in which each face card features a character from the book. All those designs were discussed with Pat, and the final result is shaping up to be pretty spectacular. Are there plans, or if not - are you open to planning, - to do something like this for one or more of your own worlds? A: I know about Pat's deck, it's really awesome stuff! I can only say that I do have plans to do something similar, but you will have to wait for Words of Radiance to find out more about it. [At least that's what I think he said. This was my question, so I didn't think to record it, and frankly 10 seconds after he was done talking, I realized all I remembered was "yes" and "Words of Radiance"...] Q: Anything you can tell us about Steelheart's sequel, Firefight? A: It starts off in Chicago, but then moves to New York. It will show off an... interesting version of Manhattan, similarly to how Steelheart's showed off an interesting version of Chicago. It will also introduce three new Epics. Q: Was Hemalurgy inspired by your time in Asia, and more specifically - acupuncture? A: Yes. A lot of the stuff in my books that looks like it came from Asia really did come from my time there. [This relates to something Brandon said in the previous Chicago signing - that the drawing on the front sheet of the Way of Kings, the one with surges and Knight Radiant orders was inspired by the Kabbalah ] Q: Was Calamity and its appearance in Steelheart just kind of an ad hoc? We know that it showed up about a year before the Epics started showing up, so people naturally assume one was the cause and one was the effect, but was that really the case and are both of them just the effects of something else? A: Good question! I will say that this is something I've done before, so my fans will kind of expect it. I am aware of this expectation too, and I am careful about repeating myself. [He didn't actually say "yes" or "no" here, just kind of danced around the question] --- From my "Preliminary questions" thread --- Q: Feruchemy is the “balance” between Ruin and Preservation. Would any combination of Shards create a “balance” magic, so to speak, or are only certain Shards compatible? A: [Heavily paraphrased:] Feruchemy ended up being a balance system, because of how polar Ruin and Preservation were. Any world with at least two Shards will result in a similar phenomenon. Q: Like Roshar? A: Like Roshar. There is something like that going on there. Q: Aside from the Greater Roshar system, are there any other multiple shardworld systems? A: Yes. You have not necessarily seen them though. Q: How do you spell "Lyss" the woman Jasnah meets with in the WoR prologue? A: Not sure, but I think it's Lyss. --- From the Ultimate List --- Q: Could a Seeker who was properly trained and experienced detect AonDor or Awakening? Similarly, does a Coppercloud block an Awakener's life sense? A: A Seeker could sense somebody else using magic not native Scadrial. RAFO on the Coppercloud blocking similar magic. Q: If Ati had somehow managed to give up Ruin and returned to being a regular person, would his mind have gradually reverted from its corruption by Ruin’s intent, or would he always be determined to destroy? A: Over time Ruin's influence would fade, but Ati would remain a Sliver, so there would be some permanent effects. Q: Do the Spiritual and Physical Realms have names, like Shadesmar is the Cognitive Realm? A: Kind of, but not really. Shadesmar is just a rough translation of "Cognitive Realm" in the language of whoever first found out about it. Other people, planets, and worlds wouldn't call it Shadesmar - they would call it whatever their words for "Cognitive Realm" are. This applies to the Physical and Spiritual as well. Q: Are all of the Heralds who gave up their Honorblades still alive? A: Good question! RAFO. Q: Are Renarin and Adolin Dalinar's legitimate children? A: Good question! Yes, they are both legitimate. Though Renarin didn't get as much of the hair, which is probably what people are asking about. Q: Fabrials replicate Soulcasting abilities. Is it possible for fabrials to replicate all such Surgebinding abilities? A: Yes, good question! Fabrials can replicate all of the Surgebinding abilities. Q: If a Dhakor (Dilaf) could erase a symbol written by an Elantrian (Raoden), could an Elantrian erase/heal a Dhakor bone-symbol? A: This is a theoretical possibility, but not a specialization of AonDor. Q: Is there any other canonical way to refer to a set of Shardplate and a Shardblade other than Shards, so as to not confuse them with the Shards of Andonalsium? A: They call them just Shard(s). It is a little confusing, because there are other Shards, but they don't know about them. I call them a set, but there is no canonical way to refer to them. Q: Is Cultivation's Shardholder still alive. A: Good question, what do you think? Q: I want to say, but that's based on my knowledge before I read Lift's interlude from Words of Radiance. Now I am leaning towards no. Based on that interlude, it looks like spren have essence from both Honor and Cultivation. It's almost like they exist in a spectrum, on one end of which is Honor, and on the other - Cultivation; so there are spren that are, for the lack of better example, 90% Honor and 10% Cultivation, and there are spren that are 15% Honor and 85% Cultivation. A: That's a very astute observation! Q: And since we know that Honor is Splintered, then it might be the case that Cultivation is also Splintered, and their Splinters form the spren. Q: Are Honorspren Splinters, or do they hold Splinters? A: Honorspren would be termed Splinters. Q: What is Stormlight? A: I don't want to answer this, but I'll just say "Investiture." Q: Did David get Steelheart's absolutely correct, or was it just close enough to allow him to destroy Steelheart? A: It was absolutely correct. This is something David and Reckoners will actually discuss in Firefight. The second book will reveal much more about the Epics' weaknesses, and you will find out that there is actually a pattern to them, even though everyone thinks it's random. Q: Are weaknesses somehow related to things, events, or phenomena the Epics feared, or hated, or disliked before they turned Epic? A: RAFO, second book. This is the exact question people - and David - are asking in the second book. Good question though. Q: Are there still no Splinters on Scadrial, after the events of the Alloy of Law? A: Yes, there are no Splinters on Scadrial. Unless they've been brought. [several people cried out "Hoid!"] There are no Splinters of Ruin or Preservation. Q: Does Nightblood need to sleep? A: (Laughs) Nightblood does not need to sleep, but he sure thinks he needs to. Q: Will Llarimar become Susebron's high priest? A: I would not be surprised of the events too him there. Q: Do you think he would be unhappy with the position? A: No. Susebron is going to make at least, if not a good God King, then at least an earnest one, and Llarimar would approve of that. Q: What command would you have to give to an Awakened object like Nightblood in order for it to not go insane? A: I am going to RAFO that about Nightblood, but - is Nightblood insane? It just has no concept of... It was commanded to do something it was not equipped to judge. I would not call Nightblood insane. I would say that you have commanded something with no concept of morality to make moral decisions, and that's very confusing to him. Q: Ashe says to Sarene "your god" (emphasis added). Do Seons (and Skaze) have a religion/god? A: They have an inkling of the nature of their original Shards, which they would consider their gods. Q: Kind of like a first, a prime, a parent? A: Yes. They kind of know what happened that created them, and they also know this is not the god being worshipped (by Sarene), so... I once again feel like I could've asked better questions, but even after going through the entire list, those are the ones I found most likely to not be RAFO'd, while still getting us some meaningful answers. Maybe, maybe not. At the time I was too busy being a fanboy.

HI I'm a longer time reader but first time poster. Sorry if I was suppose to this in the introducing myself forum since this is my first time but i just thought is would be more appropriate here. I just finished reading the book and I was wondering if you guys thought it was possible that the professor was digzone in the past. I suggest this because well he has the ability to make the underground (dig using matter disruption or something like that) and he has the ability to gift his abilities. I assume digzone must possess both these abilities or at least something similar to the dig/matter disruption ability. Also, the professor seems to know intimately how gifting your abilities will affect the one receiving the gifts. Which I say would fit if the reason the diggers went crazy was because digzone was gifting them to much and the epic mental effect causes them to go crazy. Not to mention if he was digzone then he would be in charge of building the underground which would explain why him and tia have such detail maps of the steel catacombs and the rest of underground. However, there are two obvious things that go against this theory that I can't explain. One is that the tensor/Reckoners seem to make circle holes well the the underground is squared but maybe that has to do with the tensor focusing the professor's power in a particular way, idk. The other one is the bigger problem which is that if he was digzone then he once worked for steelheart which means steelheart would of recognized him. Back to the positive things that go towards the theory. There is also the fact that professor seems to harbor the same hate for steelheart as David (David comments on seeing the same look in his eye) which to me at least suggest they have some past history with each other. Lastly, I don't remember the book ever saying what happened to digzone after the diggers went crazy. However, they did talk about him in my opinion like he is no longer affecting the city. Which implies to me he is either dead or no longer working for steelheart and I don't remember the book ever mentioning he died. (Sorry ahead time if it did mention what happened to him and I just totally missed it while reading which would render this whole theory/post pointless. So what do you guys think? p.s. Sorry if this topic was mentioned before I didn't see it.

It's sometimes funny how Brandon reigns over my life... A while back it was a particular Writing Excuses episode that introduced me to Patrick Rothfuss and his Kingkiller Chronicle. Spectacular books, but there is already a thread for them. The reason I bring this up is because it was Pat who introduced me to Jim C. Hines' Magic Ex Libris series. Magic Ex Libris, the first book of which is Libriomancer, is a really geeky fantasy, very similar to the Dresden Files. Like, very. I thought that might be a problem when I was reading Libriomancer, and boy was I wrong about it. Yes, it's a modern day urban fantasy whose main protagonist is a young male with access to magic and pop culture references. Which is similar to Dresden, yes, but it's also very different. I won't go into specifics - I say all this to ease your fears of plagiarism and repetitiveness, and convince you to give the series a shot. Now, the books themselves. The thing I loved the most about the magic system is how impossibly appealing it is. It's brilliant really. Because in its core, libriomancy allows its users to pull objects out of books. For example, you are a libriomancer and you love Brandon's books (and money) so very much, you go grab a hardcover of The Way of Kings and you pull a few diamonds out of it. Feeling sick? Just grab that healing elixir from Narnia. In great danger? Nothing a lightsaber won't fix! Curious about how The Stormlight Archive will end? Reach into Robin McKinley's Beauty, in which the Beast's library contains every book that has been or will be written! You are starting to see how this is a series by a book geek, for book geeks, with the main character being a book geek. Thinking about it is a vicious cycle, I'll tell you that. Oh, also Jim Hines is a really cool dude. Cool in a "I made a Facebook post about him and he randomly showed up and replied" kind of way. Or "we chatted on Facebook for a little bit and then he made this post and tagged me." So instead of discussing his books, I'll send you to go read them

Hello. I first read Brandon Sanderson in the Mistborn series. I was already a fan of the Wheel of Time series and was excited to learn that Mr. Sanderson had been chosen to complete Robert Jordan's series. I have read the Way of Kings and am enjoying the re-read at Tor.com. I finished Steelheart last night. I am interested in learning more about the cosmere. I did not realize this was in his books until I started following the Way of Kings re-read at Tor.com.

I live in the Philippines. I don't think we'll be winning new Steelhunt codes any time soon, Kadrok, not unless Brandon gives some away online. Anyway, good luck to everyone who can participate in the hunt! :-) And please hurry up because I want to see the new Cosmere-related info sooo bad...

Greeting to all members here By: Niv Borsuk

Writing Excuses has two new episodes this week due to a goof on our part. We had planned to hold Mary's brainstorming episode back until the spring, but we forgot that there was a direct followup episode. The followup got released first and people were confused, so we've gone ahead and made it a two-episode week. Here are the episodes in chronological order: episode 51, Brainstorming with Mary, and THEN episode 50, Outlining the Mary Way. InkWing has a new blog post up about their December deadlines and the Windrunner pin, which they're giving away in each T-shirt order, or which you can get by entering the contest in the blog post comments. I have two events in Utah this week. Dragons Keep Magic The Gathering Draft & Signing, Orem Date: 12.13.12 Time: 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Place: Dragons Keep Address: 48 W 300 N Orem, UT 84601 Phone: (801) 225-5215 Schedule: Draft: 6:00 p.m. Signing: 9–10 p.m. Limited amount of potential draft participants; sign up now. Cost: $12.00 Dragon's Keep Standard Draft Pricing and Prizes This one will focus on ALL of my books, and while there might be a few copies of the Mistborn Adventure Game for sale, this is my holiday signing for Utah Valley. Because of that, we'll bring a lot of copies of various things to sell.</p> Worlds of Fantasy at the Salt Lake City Library Date: 12.15.12 Time: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Place: Salt Lake City Library Address: 210 East 400 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Phone: (801) 524-8200 Schedule: See the library website for the full schedule, which begins at 10:00 a.m.. My events are as follows: Fantasy Literature and the Re-imagined Myth with Brandon Sanderson 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m., Nancy Tessman Auditorium Sponsored by Utah Humanities Council A discussion exploring the questions; from whence did Fantasy Literature Rise? What is its place in contemporary culture? Where is it going? Brandon Sanderson Q&A: World Building 1:30–3:00 p.m., Lower Urban Room Brandon Sanderson Signing 3:30 p.m., Night-Flight Comics at Library Square Bookplates for A MEMORY OF LIGHT will be available.</p>Here is the Salt Lake Library's press release on the event: Popular Fantasy Author Brandon Sanderson Speaks at The City Library Highlights Worlds of Fantasy Exhibit on Display December 10, 2012—Salt Lake City—Fantasy is a major component in our cultural zeitgeist. The past decade has been filled with literature, film, games, and art that capture society's desire for the exploration of magical worlds. From Harry Potter to Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, our pop-culture world is one obsessed with fantasy. Join The City Library for a series of events highlighting the mystical and magical. On December 15, The City Library will be transformed. An ongoing exhibit featuring sets and pieces from a locally-produced fantasy film, Flight from Shadow, will be the backdrop for a series of fantastic events, including an all-ages costume contest—from the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Robert Jordan, wand-making classes, film screenings, book browses, tours of the exhibit, and a performance by the Salt Lake Pops Orchestra. The feature of the December 15 celebration is a lecture with famed author Brandon Sanderson, beginning at 12pm in the Main Library Auditorium. Sanderson is best known for finishing Robert Jordan's epic series, The Wheel of Time. The final installment of this series will be released on January 8, 2013. Sanderson will also host an intimate Q&A, focusing on world-building, followed by a book signing. Other Worlds of Fantasy events continue through the month of January, including Dungeons and Dragons at the Chapman Branch, and a continuation of the Fantasy Genre Speaker's Series, focusing on art, film, and deconstructing Middle Earth. The Genre Speaker's Series is funded by the Utah Humanities Council, and Worlds of Fantasy has been sponsored by The City Library, University of Utah Department of English, Fort Douglas Military Museum, McGrew Studios, Wagonland Adventures, Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlor, Razor's Edge, Abbie Warnock Photography, Badali Jewelers, Wheel of 9 Productions, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, The Downtown Alliance, Gryphon Games, Night Flight Comics, Utah Film Commission, and Marcela Torres. For more information on Worlds of Fantasy at The City Library, visit www.slcpl.org/fantasy. Source

Could It be they are ELSE SCHOLARS and not ELSE CALLERS because Jasnath is a scholar so that would be an order that fit her.

Oh, this is exciting stuff! Of course Jasnah would be Transformation & Transportation - I would say that I called it, but I was only entertaining the thought (because of the "lightning scene" - Soulcasting at a distance). The Dustbringers will be an interesting one to think about, I need to reason it through at not-one-PM. Kalak's order will also be interesting. Surface Tension and Transportation - I wonder if that gives them teleportation. Probably. Palah is also a curious one, though I can't even begin to fathom what you would do with Growth and Light. Lightweavers weave the light, the appearance, the form of something to transform it into something else (though I fail to see how that differentiates from them from the Elsecallers). So, Palah's order manipulates the light, the shape of... living things? Could physical transformation be possible under Surgebinding? Her essence is pulp, after all... What else... Stonewards have Surface Tension. That should give them the wards aspect. So the other surge should be related to stone, earth, stability, weight, something like that. Strength? Really (physically) powerful warriors who augment their physical attributes with Surgebinding? EDIT #1: Heh. If the Stonewards' second surge turns out to be something like "weight," I am calling Ishar's Gravity + Weight order the Fatties EDIT #2: Stormfather, Ishar's essence is flesh!

I very much doubt that I stole your thunder! I didn't get to any of the other questions you guys had. I can't wait to hear from everyone else who was at the signing. Shardlet was sitting by Brandon recording everything so I bet we get tons of juicy details.

I first heard of him on Dragonmount after he'd been selected to finish WoT during a flame war between " He's awesome you should read his books!" and " He sucks, he'll ruin the whole thing!" and I thought that if AMoL turns out ok I'll read his other stuff! Some time later I were suposed to studie for a test I had the next morning and so i was browsing the web trying to find a book i had read years before when I stumbled upon Warbreaker which I finished just in time to catch the buss for school. Warbreaker was awesome and I just had to have more from this guy so I went and bought Elantris and Mistborn. It's was some time after this while checking for updates on AMoL that the coin fell down and I made the conection between AMoL Sanderson and Warbreaker Sanderson.

I don't know, I might be used it. "When X does this, yada yada... Later, when they do that, words, words..." sounds perfectly fine to me.

A few Wikipedia searches suggest that writing about characters and events contemporary to the book(s) go in present tense, while stuff that's history even for the books go in as past. So Vin would be present. The creation of the kandra would be past.

Honorspren who are extra honorable attract Eddard Stark.

Oops... I write most of my articles in present tense but none of the admins have ever complained. (Except history sections, those I do in past tense)

Okay, I'll give an upvote for that, Argent. I had been mentally composing a bit of a summary if Hawk followed up, but now you've stolen my chance, and I just look like a big meanie.

I can provide those from the Infinity Blade novellas. I think you guys got the rest of the ones that I've got access to. Infinity Blade: Awakening Infinity Blade: Redemption (This one is kind of hard to pick a real 'first' line for.)

whoops, ok removed the banned stuff

Just a guess, but if you look closely to the surge glyphs in the Windrunner Order (Gravity and Atmosferic Pressure), you can notice two things: The top one looks like something is "expanding" from bottom-top. The bottom one looks like something is being pulled top-bottom direction. The "Word of Sanderson" said that the glyphs represent things in a "abstract way" that, sometimes, only the person that know what the glyph meaning can understand. So I'm guessing that the top one is Atmosferic pressure, and the bottom one is Gravity. So the Skybreaker would get gravity was a surge. Another thing is that the growth glyphs sure looks like something growing check it out. I allways forget this one, tks for the reminder =)

It's up to you, really. I still think that Brandon will make the Steelhunt materials publicly available sometime after the event is over - thus giving the participants enough time to feel special, but also not excluding the majority of his fans from the fun. But if that doesn't happen, I think I am at least allowed to tell you what Steelhunt content we've unlocked so far (we get a new entry every 50 unique codes), and let you decide whether it's worth it: Words of Radiance - an interlude that seems to reveal a lot about the nature of spren (among other Cosmere things). The character of the interlude is a girl called Lift. Legion: Skin Deep - the full chapter of the reading from Legion's sequel Brandon has done on several signings. It's the one with the date between Stephen and Sylvia. Shadows of Self - the full chapter of the Shadows of Self reading that starts with Wax and Steris planning the guests list for their wedding. Sixth of the Dusk - I am not actually sure what the deal with this one is. I know it's a sample chapter from a story Brandon wrote for his podcast, Writing Excuses. It's set somewhere (new) in the Cosmere, but that's all I (we) know about it. So... is it worth it?

BRAINWAVE! Maybe the special quality of a Lerasium spike is that it doesn't make the holes in your mind/soul that certain forces, can use to influence or control you? By "certain forces" I mostly mean Ruin, but the Kandra and Koloss and possibly the Inquisitors were able to be compelled by Emotional Allomancy. I can't imagine Ruin and Emotional Allomancers are the only forces in the Cosmere who could capitalise on those "holes". If it is too much to believe that Lerasium doesn't make holes, perhaps it is the case that a Lerasium spike has some kind of "cover" which bandages the holes it makes.

Lift reading....... Transcript please..........

Assuming I'm Alethi nobility, but not undergoing a gender change, I think I'll go with the blade. I'm really more of a defensive person, so I'd prefer plate, but since everyone knows it's "unnatural" for women to be interested in war, I'd probably be expected to give my plate to my nearest male relative, like a good Vorin girl. So I'll pull a Shallan and have a secret shardblade.

I'm definitely suspicious that dust is her weakness. That said, I was convinced all through Steelheart that his weakness was that SH could only be harmed by someone that did not want to, and I was wrong on that.

I asked about this today. David was absolutely correct with his final guess - Steelheart can only be hurt by someone who doesn't fear him. We will also find out more about weaknesses in general in Firefight. I also asked whether the Epics' weaknesses are related to things, events, or phenomena they experienced negative emotions (fear, hate) before their transformation. This one is waiting for Firefight.

Well of Ascension: Alloy of Law:

Every clue you've pointed out ascribes convoluted theories to otherwise simple explanations. David is never once shown using a power he wasn't expressly gifted, and if he does instinctively take powers there are many occasions where he would have done so throughout the book that he didn't. You claim that the reason he didn't trigger the Dowser is that his instinctive control is so god-like, he can perform an impossible illusion of something he's never seen before and that he cannot currently see, all without even knowing he's doing it, when it takes him hours to make the Tensors do anything at all. Also, the Tensors show us that you can FEEL it when you actively use a power; where was the sensation of crafting an illusion? But I do think you're right about a mild form of autism. It makes sense that no one survives the Foundry as a fully-functional member of society.

I'm poor so I don't I want plate that will shatter my precious Stormgems. Gimme a nice invincible Shardblade.

I'd take a Blade. Unless you're a KR, you have to get outfitted in plate before each battle. Unless your Dalinar Kholin, you only wear your plate in battle. With a Blade, I'm always armed even if no one can see it. I can cut through any obstruction, so I'm not likely to get trapped, and I would be able to put up a good fight against most opponents. I could even theoretically kill me a thunderclast.

If David could copy or steal powers, why did he have barely enough power to stop a bullet when Lime Light was using almost everything he had to kill Steelheart? If David is an epic, why doesn't he exhibit any of the signs that epics typically exhibit when using those powers? If David is an epic, why didn't he steal Steelhearts powers when his life was in jeopardy? And finally, if David is an epic, knees is about the absolute worst epic name I've ever heard.

My brother has been reading WoT since it first started when we were still kids. When Jordan died, and Sanderson was named the author who would carry on to finish the series, he immediately went out and bought every book Sanderson had written up to that point. I just happend to see Elantris lying on a bookshelf at my brother's house one day and asked to borrow it. I was hooked from the start.

(yes, double post, but of very different natures, so it's allowed. ) I guess I should probably share my story, since most of you haven't heard it. I used to shop at a Waldenbooks in one of the local malls often enough that the employees there knew me by name, and that I wanted to be an author myself. One of the employees (Steve. I think he's in the acknowledgements of a couple of the books), knew this and suggested Brandon to me, figuring I'd enjoy his works. I have to say, honestly, I put him down the first couple of times. I was given the hardback the first time, and didn't have the money. I was given the paperback the second time, and the back didn't catch my attention. (Really, that back is TERRIBLE!) Well, Steve told me one time that Brandon was going to be at this huge Authorpaloza type thing, and since I wanted to be a author I should come and pick his mind. This was on Black Friday, and it was insane! When I tried to find Brandon I was directed to the front. I asked one guy, who instead of saying "No, I'm not him, he's over there" he was all like "I'm not him, but let me talk your ear off about about medival history." (Which, was kind of cool. Also, when I said Brandon's name he was close enough to turn around and see who had said it, but I of course wasn't able to go over...) From there, my mother demanded I come home, so no luck that time. However, a little bit after that he held the pre-release launch party for Mistborn, and I was like "This is my chance!" I also decided if I was going to pick this guys mind, I should probably know something of his writing. It was only proper to support the guy, right? And while I was planning on picking up Mistborn, I figured I should also go into it knowing his stuff.) I picked up Elantris. I was blown away, simply put. I remember discribing it to people as a book that had predicitable twist, and things that you could never see coming. (I think it was the twist ending that I loved the most. I am usually able to pick up on foreshadowing a mile before it actually happens, so for someone to surprise me was awesome.) I went to the launch and ended up having a million questions to ask. At one point I had my recept, and kept on scribbling questions on the back so I wouldn't forget. I actually got teased for it a bit at the time. Mind you, this was a group of MAYBE 20 people asking questions. The total number of books sold had to be less than 100, and most of those were only sold because the book was being offered 3 days before the actual release date. From there it's a long story about how I ended up here, in charge of the site. I don't know that you guys would want to read that wall of text...

too fun! I had to finally stop lurking and join the forum, just so I could join THIS topic. I love WOT, but... After she's just barely begun to learn Soulcasting, Jasnah sends Shallan and Danlan on a super important quest to chase the Ghostbloods. They spend the entire journey trying to show up each other and establish which one of them is really in charge. Elkohar gets assassinated and Jasnah spends four books rallying support for her own bid to the throne, in excruciating political detail. During this iterlude she has to get rescued from numerous ill-thought out adventures chasing a sinister member of her guard who turns out to be a lecherous high-ranking meber of the Ghostbloods. Any time one character helps another character, that character gets mad and claims they didn't need any help. However, all characters will be completely sure that the other characters can't do anything without help. (edited for grammar and clarity)

A major plot point would revolve around a childrens game. All the female surge binders would consider all the male surge binders insane...or maybe just illiterate Shallan would have viewings...or maybe just draw extremely accurate pictures of things that aren't visible Kaladin would be so bedazzled by Shallan that he'd fall off a wall the first time he saw her. The Ghost Knights would be heroes of the past trapped in a horn that could only be blown by one waif that Kaladin adopts because he looks like Tien. The void bringers wouldn't leave home without their stew pots.

Kaladin and Dalinar bring back the Radiants. The next book, rather than advancing the plot, will be about what every single other character in the series was doing while Kaladin brought back the Radiants. Adolin will find out that Dalinar is not his father, and then despite how awesome Dalinar is, readers won't see him again until the last book, where he will teach Adolin to find peace while simultaneously hanging out with Shallan in Shinovar. The series will end with Kaladin switching bodies with Szeth and heading off on wild adventures. Adolin will take a break from the crusade against Odium to buy some grain. Kaladin, instead of rejecting the Shardblade, would spend ten books carrying it around. Despite his Shardblade literally trying to kill him at one point, he wouldn't ditch it until he got mad and chopped some guy's hand off. The quality of food will degrade throughout the books, culminating in Elhokar holding a fancy feast and literally serving his guests rust. One of the Parshendi would see Kaladin and start worshiping him, causing him to become a major threat that had to be defeated. Odium would be defeated because someone yelled at him in all caps. Cultivation would be a horse who keeps appearing randomly nearby important plot points.

- Shalash isn't the Mistress, but people will constantly come up with that theory. In fact, Shalash won't be revealed until Book 10, and she'll be some random character we've never heard about before. - Whole 1000 page books will go by with Kaladin, Dalinar, Shallan, Szeth, Jasnah, Navani, and Adolin all completely absent. - By Book 3, all characters of any significance will be able to take down 10 Voidbringers without breaking a sweat. - Kaladin will spend books going mad before getting over it in one chapter. - Most of the bad guys will be killed, then revived and killed again after doing nothing important. - Kaladin will get hooked up to some random woman he meets out of nowhere. - Hoid will die at the end of the series. - Odium is actually an impostor and when it looks like he's been beaten at the end of Book 5, Jasnah will reveal that the real deal is still out there. - Dalinar will start up a Radiant school with the help of an obviously evil guy. - A bunch of Shin will kidnap Navani and leave Dalinar doing nothing awesome as he spends books chasing after them.

Thanks for the information! Though there isn't much point in discussing since Peter's statement, I strongly disagree: For one thing, there could be great stories set before DE, for another, there could be more about the "lifting of the veil" and for a third, "Realpolitik" doesn't sound bad at all (to me), if written in such a great SF-setting and by such a great author as Brandon. Just to state my pointless point.

He has no plans to return to the Defending Elysium world. But there will most likely be more Legion.

Drizzt, surprised no one has said that yet, even with the recent books being less than awesome. (Legend of Drizzt, R.A Salvatore) Quentin Coldwater (The Magicians, Lev Grossman) Ganoes Paran, Karsa Orlong, Fiddler (Malazan Book of the Fallen, Stephen Erikson) Kvothe/Kote (Kingkiller Chronicles, Patrick Rothfuss) Waxillium Ladrian (AoL) Kaladin (WoK)

It was the AD 5000. My name is Cylopet Hornet, from the X1574 Secret Agent Division. I am sent by MR.X, known more popularly as The Boss to stop an attempt by the mad scientist MR. H to assassinate Jesus Christ, the figure whom religion people simply love to worship during every Sunday and set up special occasions like Christmas day for. Mr.H believes that Jesus is the source of the influx of religious wars in the world today, between the True Followers Of Jesus, the Christian sheep, and the Jesus' Disciples, the top three religious groups of the world. Mr. H, in his desire to help the world reach the stage of perfect peace had made attempts to assassinate a fair share of number of people from the past. The killing of Adolf Hitler was Mr. H's attempt to destroy the Nazis. He sent a group of special robot agents into Hitler's home before he was born to kill his mother. His attempt succeeded in destroying Hitler, it prevented the mass termination of Jews by the hands of Hitler, and this was something that Mr.H was proud about. He boasted about it frequently whenever he had the courage to circulate videos of himself to the general public. "By my invention of the time travelling machine and employment of robot agents to kill off nasty historical figures like Adolf Hitler, I prevented the mass termination of Jews and stopped Germany from getting into the wars and saved many lives. Thanks to my work, the Nazis were wiped out for good in our world today." What this evil terrorist did not mention was the fact that millions of people became mindless zombies in our world who had to be exterminated. They were related in blood some ways or another to Hitler. Millions more became confused over certain sectors of their memories. This was the case for the Jews. They were unsure if the holocaust did happen. The Nazis were wiped out, but the Fazis came into our world scene. World wars 2 did not disappear from our history. A man named Razolf Mamoth of France joined Italy and Japan to commit the crime of world wars 2. The scientists of The Time Machine Control Headquarter were working on ways to fix the problem that the assassination of the mother of Hitler had caused. Confused jews, rise of the Fazis, the chaos in history classes over what actually happened—people remembered something of the Nazis, did not understand how the Fazis came into our world, and in general could not reconcile their confusion. Thanks to him, our world today was with more problems than less. Scientists were still trying to figure up how to undo the works which Mr. H had done—resurrect Hitler's mother and patched up the history that Mr. H had changed. Now, this mad man wanted to assassinate the baby Jesus, to be exact, to assassinate the mother of Jesus before Jesus could come into the world. Imagine what the world would become. My wife, yes, my religious wife would be deeply affected. What would she become if her precious beloved Jesus suddenly disappeared from the history of mankind? It was simply incomprehensible! She, Marataa, was so crazy about Jesus. She talked non-stop about Jesus, attended song writing classes to learn how to compose songs about him. Although she was not a pastor, she knew everything in the bible from Genesis to Revelation. She was not an evangelist but she preached to me non-stop to believe in her Jesus as my Savior. She tried to bring our sons to Sunday school when she thought I was not looking. Personally, I had no concern for what happened to this Jesus. But I would not want my wife and the millions of people who believe in Him to become confused when a large part of their lives and reason for living suddenly disappeared. The robot agents that Mr.H had sent to assassinate Jesus must be stopped at all costs. The time machine that I was in jerked to a stop. I had arrived at my destination. I checked my watch. Oh gosp, I was five seconds late, the robot agents had probably arrived before me. For all I knew, Mary might possibly have already been assassinated. In the world that I lived in, a second was decisive over the fate of the future. I hastily put on the invisible Alpha Red goggles, which would allow me to detect the robot agents that Mr.H had sent to a manger in the town of Bethlehem in Judea to destroy my wife's savior. The robot agents who Mr.H had sent to kill Jesus were invisible to the naked eyes. They could only be detected with the use of my Alpha Red goggles. I, too, was invisible to the eyes of the people living in the past. This was due to a time travelling suit that I was wearing. I took out my robot ray rifle. The time machine door opened. I put on my machine-manufactured wings that gave me the abilities to fly in the sky. I flew out of my time machine and prepared to shoot at the robot agents I expected to arrive anytime soon. To my shock, I saw bright beautiful beings hovering over the manger of Jesus. The dismantled bodies of the robot agents were scattered all around the manger where my wife's savior would be born. These beautiful beings were armed with gigantic swords. They were dressed in beautiful white robes, and had beautiful wings on them. I found myself to be awestruck by these beings of great beauty that my Alpha Red goggles detected. Oh, their voices…I had never heard such beautiful voices. They were singing in unison, their voices were different in tones, and yet they united together to form a beautiful chorus of heavenly song. I would pay millions to listen to their enchanting voices, again and again. Could their voices be a lure to drive me to a state of relaxation so that they could kill me more easily? The thought broke me out of their melody traps. They must be the new inventions of Mr.H, sent to kill the mother of my wife's savior. I aimed my robot ray rifle at them, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. My robot rifle, which was 100% workable, malfunctioned for the first time in my life. This was impossible! At the same moment, one of the beautiful beings with wings flew towards me. That is it! This is my end. I had failed in my mission and I will die at the hands of Mr. H's latest invention. I would never get to see Marataa, again. "Do not be afraid, Mr. Cylopet." The beautiful being spoke with a deep voice that was as loud as the sound of waterfall and yet as soft as the tip toe of guilty teenagers trying to sneak into their beds after they came home late. How this was possible, I could not know, you had to be here with me, and listen to the voice yourself before you could possibly know what I was talking about. "You know my name!" "Do not be afraid, Mr. Cylopet," the beautiful being spoke again. "I am a servant of the High and Almighty One who reigns forever. The robot agents which Mr.H of your world had sent to assassinate Mary, the blessed lady of the Mighty God, had been dismantled by us." My mouths opened wipe. These… these beautiful beings… they were… they were the angels. Angels… were real. "You are most honored, Mr. Cylopet. You are the only man fortunate to witness the birth of the Savior of the world from your world. Join us in the chorus to celebrate His glorious birth." I sang like never before. My voice resonated with the angelic choir I was fortunate to sing together with, and it resonated in turn with the shepherds who arrived shortly to sing together with us. I had never enjoyed singing so much before in my life. "What happened to you, Cylopet?" Marataa asked. "Nothing happened," I lied. I knew christians were not supposed to lie, but I hoped God forgive me for this one. The secret of the time machine was something my occupation would not allow me to tell to my wife. "But you had never wanted to attend my church before, why the change this time?" "This Christmas, I wanted it to be different. I wanted to accept Him, Jesus, as my savior." Marataa could not understand what was happening to me, and why there was this sudden change in my attitude towards church and Jesus, but she broke down into a sob, right there and then, at the church's service. Everyone in the church was looking at us, but she did not care. She went right on, praising Jesus, again and again for my salvation, and I praised Him together with her.