Leaderboard

There has been underlying discontent in Britain against the EU for decades, of varying strength. Britain has, historically, never been as engaged with Europe as continental countries - and indeed, didn't join the Euro when it was introduced in the EU. One of the main parties in British politics, the Conservative Party, is particularly prone to infighting over the EU. David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, has promised a referendum on British membership in the case of treaty change since 2009, but supported a 2013 Private Member's Bill to hold a referendum by 2017. He was blocked from introducing this into UK law by the Conservative's coaltion partners, the Liberal Democrats, and so made a referendum a manifesto pledge for the 2015 General Election. The Conservative Party won a majority in 2015, and so Cameron was forced to hold to his pledge. One should note that this is all with a backdrop of growing support for UKIP - an anti-EU party over the last few years putting pressure on Cameron to shore up his right flank, and serious pressure from Conservative eurosceptic backbenchers. Arguments put forward for 'Brexit' include a desire to restore sovereignty to the British Parliament - many laws are made in Brussels, by the European Commission and European Parliament, a desire to limit immigration from the EU, which is currently unchecked as part of the single market, perceived EU regulation of British business, and British payments to the EU that it does not receive back as a rebate or subsidies. Arguments against 'Brexit' included predominantly the advantages of membership of the single market, which greatly eases trade within the EU, Foreign Direct Investment into the UK dependent on EU membership, and arguments that immigration has been positive, and EU regulations have protected workers' rights. The referendum result has been extraordinarily close - with 52% voting to leave and 48% voting to remain. Geographically, results to leave have been overwhelmingly in England and Wales, with London, Northern Ireland and Scotland voting to remain - albeit being outweighed by those votes to leave. The consequences of leaving are not fully known. The process to leave the EU is the triggering of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, which leads to a 2 year negotiation process between the UK and EU as to the terms of leaving. Although the referendum was technically non-binding, and so doesn't automatically trigger Article 50, the Prime Minister is certain to trigger the withdrawal in the near term. It is not yet known whether the UK will remain in the Single Market, or the terms of trade with the EU - these will be decided on as part of the Article 50 negotiations. The implications of the vote on domestic politics in the UK is the likely increase in speed of the David Cameron's resignation - if not immediately, then likely in the next couple of years, rather than towards 2020. There have also been suggestions of a revolt against the Labour Party's leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who is widely seen as not having pulled his weight in persuading Labour supporters to vote in. It is not yet known what will become of UKIP - the party formed solely to ensure the UK leaves the EU. Internationally, there is now increased agitation in other EU countries for their own referendums on membership - the UK's leaving will likely have a significant impact on the French and Italian elections in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Edit: David Cameron has now announced his resignation, with his successor to be decided by the Conservative Party conference in October. He will not be triggering Article 50, leaving it to his successor to do so. The Conservative Party chooses it's leaders through a sounding process among the parliamentary party, which decides upon two candidates. Conservative Party members nationally then have an opportunity to vote and decide between the two candidates. There is much speculation that this will lead to a general election being triggered, in order for the new Conservative leader to claim a mandate. This would further delay the triggering of Article 50, and push final exit of the EU back to potentially late 2018 or early 2019.

Night 6 [write-up always pending] ------------ Aonar/Hael were lynched! They were Padan Fain/Mordeth! Vote will be edited in. Meta is still Mayor Edit: 24 hour cycle, 11PMEST, Saturday the 25th

For any and all who might be interested, I have found a ponified version of Dalinar's army just before marching out to meet the Parshendi.

When you get a card from your colleagues on your last day at work that incorporates numerous Mistborn puns (because I've gotten three of them to read all of the Mistborn books).

We have seen the spiritual realm already, in fact. Secret History spoilers:

So, I'll admit straight up that I'm pretty terrible at just assigning MBTI types to characters. I know my own (INFP) but it's often difficult for me to choose the letters, even for characters that I know well. Therefore, I decided to cheat. I took the sorting test while answering as I feel Renarin would have. Results were fairly conclusive: INFJ. This website calls it "The Advocate." The question seems to come down to whether or not Renarin's a J or a P, but in testing, the results gave me 85% Judging. He seems to me to be a person who is far more in favor of planning and structure, whereas Adolin is far more 'go with the flow' Perceiving. This description paragraph in particular struck me: Sound like a certain duel or chasmfiend attack to anyone? Renarin catches flack from people sometimes for trying to help in ways that do more damage than good, and that description above pretty much nails it. Advocates are also noted to be exceptionally good at "seeing through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, Advocates step past manipulation and sales tactics and into a more honest discussion" which amused me for our Truthwatcher.

I made an experiment: I read Navani's first scene again: the one where, after her return to the warcamps, she attends the feast and meets Dalinar. And I made a conscious effort to get away from Dalinar's perception, taking his POV comments with a pinch of salt, instead keeping in mind every good thing I have learned about Navani since getting my first (bad) impression of her on my first read. The change is striking: I suddenly see a sympathetic woman with a keen sense of humor. Dalinar's reaction to her is downright hilarious. Yes, she's forward, but I caught myself liking her for it! She's just as blunt as Dalinar... so: maybe even a good fit?! Everyone in the 'I don't like Navani' faction (which I think I may have just left - I'll reserve final judgment until after an entire reread): try it sometime! Gosh, that's humbling. Am I really so easily prejudiced that a first yet possibly false impression can survive three entire reads??? And now I can only hope that no one here feels betrayed...

One beauty standard I thought of was that of ancient Greece. They prized natural beauty, and for one reason or another, they considered unibrows to be part of that natural beauty. So, if a woman didn't have a natural unibrow, she'd use animal hair to give herself the appearance of one. If makeup in this world is taboo, I think that focus would shift to other aspects of a woman's appearance—form, hair, eye color, facial features. Hairstyles might become quite elaborate in this world; curls, braids, pieces to make the hair look fuller and bigger than it is, enormous and ornate hats, powder to enhance or even change hair color, hair extensions, jeweled hairpins—I think all of these would be major aspects of the fashion industry. Similarly, jewelry would probably become more popular and more of a status symbol; I imagine wealthy women with dozens of delicate interlinked bracelets covering their bare arms. It's up to you whether this jewelry would be big and heavy or small and light, or which metals would be used to create it. Or if metals would be used at all. Colored beads and wood might be more common materials, given the need for miners to extract metals. Of course, this doesn't mean every woman would wear jewelry; if it's popular, some women could make a statement by eschewing it altogether. Conversely, if it's not popular, a woman could make a different statement by wearing as much jewelry as humanly possible. It's up to you whether this would be considered bold and daring or hopelessly gauche. Clothes would make more of a statement than they do in our world. This doesn't necessarily mean they'd have to be elaborate; the current fashion could be similar to that of the late 1960s (bell bottoms and peasant tops, long dresses and fringe) or the early 1990s (plaid shirts and torn acid washed jeans) but without makeup, women would make a statement through what they wore. And, naturally, fancy clothes would be even more important than they are now. Without fancy eyeshadow or lipstick, women would rely more on clothes to show the effort they put into their appearances. Additionally, different aspects of a woman's appearance might be considered desirable. Modern makeup ads emphasize the lips, eyes, and cheeks, since those are where the most makeup is usually applied, and in the greatest varieties (think of all the different shades of lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow). Greater emphasis could be placed on eye color, with women whose eyes aren't naturally a desirable color changing their eyes with contact lenses. Depending on how entrenched the taboo against skin markings is, an especially daring woman might even paste small jewels directly onto her skin, causing a ripple of controversy similar to that when a woman in our world shows a lot of skin. On that note, how much skin is permissible to show is another thing you'll want to consider. Is a bare midriff considered desirable or dangerous? Do women show off their unmarked skin, or do they cover it up for safety? Are piercings allowed, and if so, where are these piercings placed? Do women enhance their natural faces by adding nose, cheek, lip, and eye rings—or is that considered too close to skin markings for comfort? Are piercings even legal? Feet and hands are another thing you'll want to consider, odd as that sounds. What sort of hands are considered desirable—small, large, delicate, or strong? Long fingers or short? Is nail polish taboo? Do women grow their nails out, or cut them down to the quick? Are gloves popular, and if so, what kinds? How about feet—small feet or large? Slippers, boots, tennis shoes, ballet flats, high heels—what does a woman wear when she's out on the town? Are bare legs considered beautiful, or would no woman be caught dead outside the house without a pair of stockings? If stockings are worn, are they plain or adorned, patterned or solid color, skin-toned or bright, sheer or opaque? Finally, what body type is considered desirable? Are women told they ought to be slender and boyish, or full-figured? Is extra weight considered a sign of poor health habits, or of wealth? Women's fashion will be geared toward enhancing or giving the appearance of the desirable body type. For instance, if women want narrow waists and full busts, corsets might be common; but if a slender and boyish figure is all the rage, women with large busts might use stays or bindings to flatten their chests. How safe or dangerous are these tools? And that's a lot more questions than I thought I'd write. Hope it helps.

Since somebody else hasn't mentioned it yet, I'm adding one more piece of evidence in favor of this theory, from Bands of Mourning.

I think it would be funny if it was the Stonewards. Their Herald was the only one to not forsake his oath after all. But what makes it funny is the thought of Stonewards employing a 'great subterfuge.' I picture a bunch of huge guys in full plate tip toeing away in single file at night lol.

I've noticed that Brandon is generally far more receptive to thought-experiment-based questions regarding his magic systems than he is to direct questions. So I'm proposing this thread for Cosmere mechanics questions (i.e., not character/plot/worldbuilding questions) as well as potential in-universe experiments to investigate these questions in-universe. Please post the question you want answered (Q), as well as the experiments you would perform (E) and potential hypotheses and how they would relate to particular experimental outcomes. Some of these will be easier than others, so I'd recommend secondary questions based on certain outcomes and/or possible consequences (C) of each answer (A). The archetype for this thread is Krhriss' wonderful interrogation of Wax in Bands of Mourning. Examples: 1) Q: Does aluminum block Steel/Iron Sight. E: Take two equal-mass/shape metal pellets and coat one with aluminum. Can a Coinshot can see lines any difference in the lines pointing to the aluminum-coated one? C: Can you use aluminum to shield valuables from detection or to smuggle weapons under the nose of coinshots? Can aluminum be used to protect metalminds that are not embedded in the body? A: No lines. E_2: Does partial blocking protect the object from steelsight? How much coverage do you need? Is there a strictly line-of-sight effect (note: Line-of-Sight not required for protection against soothing) Lines equally strong. Aluminum probably unuseful as a shield. E_2: Repeat with much thicker Al block. Visible lines, but less strong. Is there a threshold to total blockage? E_2: Try with different thicknesses of aluminum, different coverages, etc. 2) Q: what happens to metals when they are burned? E: Put an allomancer into a hermetically sealed chamber that is very carefully weighed during the process. Have them burn different metals at different intensities and record the weight for the chamber. C: Could you figure out a way to collect the metals that are burned and reuse them? Is there any chance for long-term metal depletion on Scadrial? Can you recycle metals? A: Weight unchanged. Metals not 'destroyed'. E_2: Carefully filter air and test for trace metals. E_3: Test to see if there is a weight-change _while burning metals_ to see if active use of investiture conveys any sort of weight change. Weight changes. See if you can use this to quantify allomantic burn rate among individuals. E_2: See how this change correlates with allomantic strength in specific contexts (I suspect that burn rate is uncorrelated with innate allomantic strength, even if one individual can push harder with a faster burn. So TLR and Vin would use up their metals at a relatively similar rate despite a vast disparity in power levels). Subquestion 2.5: Can you quantify Mass-Investiture equivalence with a sensitive enough scale? E: (a) Carefully prepare two identically-massed metalminds and then Charge them to different levels. Can you see a weight change? C: Feruchemy is considered here in case allomantic metals are completely destroyed. Note that this experiment would only be able to provide upper bounds for Mass-Investiture equivalence and couldn't be used to completely rule out 'no conversion'.

As requested: Hello internet, I exist.

THE SHATTERED STATES as for the magic system, how many people can do it? If it's a secret power then what you said would make sense. If it's common, then people would always know it's an illusion and your powers would break

If there is I can't find it. Might be... misplaced or something.

Nighthound's theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxJrjV4PNXA Lucentia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwvlbJ0h35A The Metal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtjSHm3ZH0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckAr_nNK-Ig The Metal on Lucentia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLu07aXTEKY

It's sentences like these that make Brandon sit back and laugh like a mad scientist.

@Jondesu Gave your stuff a listen and I dig it. Keep working on your craft and continue to be genuine in what you write and you can't go wrong. @AndrewStirlingMacDonald Very enjoyable I can totally hear the cinematic aspects.

I think it is more that any Herald has to break under torture, not go mad. The first time one gives up, they are all sent back. That's why there has been such a long gap between desolations this time- Taln was such a tank that he endured torture for 4500 years, so long that he went mad, whereas the weaker Healds usually only last a few hundred years before giving out. Well given Nalen's actions, that certainly seems likely. The Heralds have started going insane, and their goals and motivations at this point are up in the air. I think many have a strong sense of guilt for what they did and leaving Taln. But surely there must be some of the nine left that still care about humanity enough to fight for them.

I'm preparing to write something for the NaNoWriMo Camp and I have an idea I really like about the world I'll write in. I don't want to write too much about the world itself, as it's still under construction, but there is one thing I want to consult. Technology in this world is, more or less on our current level. They have airplanes, they even have means to send first humans to their moon (if there was one, haven't decided yet). They don't have anything like Internet however, but that's not that important. How do you think it would affect the world, if having any marks/tattoos/signs/dirt on your skin was taboo? You play with a pen, you accidentally draw a line on your finger -> you have to go wash it as fast as possible. You'd feel like if you weren't wearing any pants in public. Woman cannot wear any make-up, how would they enhance their looks? Would the fashion evolve differently? Bullies in school would chase others around with pens and draw something on their skin. Jobs, that are often dirty in our world, like coal miner wouldn't really exists in this culture... or would be delegated to slaves/workers from other cultures... or would require full body suits to protect from the dirt. What do you think?

I'm upset that UK voted to leave. UE was doing such a good job of integrating nations, allowing for easy travel, easy investments. I understand that British people may be afraid of immigrants, they may feel that their jobs are being stolen... Also there is this obvious thing that UK pays a lot cash to UE funds, while it doesn't receive as much in plain cash back. However, it receives other benefits. Easier trade with all other UE members, cheap work force, laws shared with other UE members that make life simply easier. There are many Polish citizens that want Poland to leave UE. They're currently not in majority, because wherever you look in Poland, you see something that is build using UE-money. They are however rising the same arguments. Some even yell that Poland is giving UE more money than it receives, while driving their car on a road funded in 90% by UE to work in a building that was build with 80% UE funds To me, this fight for "independence" from UE is wrong. Can someone tell me what UE laws were harmful for UK or PL citizens? What is the UE doing to you that you don't want? British say that immigrants take their jobs... well that's not that simple. The plumber from Poland is gonna need to eat something, live somewhere, have fun somewhere. This one person is going to help create couple of other work places for one he/she takes. It's not like there is a limit number of people that can work in given country. Number of jobs will grow with number of people. Besides, it's not like there were that many British plumbers, nurses or builders willing to work for the money the immigrants are being paid. If in the next couple of years a Ukrainian or Lithuanian will try to get the same job I want, I'm not gonna whine about it, but do my best to present a better offer to the employer. Isolation is not a way to go. Now I wonder what will be the impact of this decision on British economy, I don't know much about it, but I guess it will be interesting. What will happen with Polish workers that are currently in UK. I'm also afraid that we'll have France exiting soon... A nice video about immigrants:

Sorry for the incredibly long wait for this, everyone. Finally, we can get this up and running again. I'm going to post the Sorting Hat scene this time tomorrow, at the latest, so if you want to post anything before that moment (conversation at the house tables, anticipation for the waiting first years, etc., now's your chance. Gregory climbed off the train, leaving everything behind. His suitcase apparently, would be taken along seperately. He followed a cry of “First years! First years over here!”, leading in a direction towards a gigantic, brutish looking teacher. He hung back from the crowd, all squashed together (what was the point of hamming yourselves in like canned tuna?) and followed them off the platform. As they marched on, boots trudging through the mud, Gregory looked around. There was no sign of Eleanor, Lizzie, or Lorelei, but of course there wouldn’t be. Gregory smiled. At least something good would come from all of this. As the crowd ahead of him turned the corner, they began to gasp and point. Gregory rolled his eyes. They probably saw a kitten or something. Gregory never saw the point in all of this ooohhing and aaahhing. What was the point? At the end of the day, cuteness was irrelevant, Cuteness would never change the world. Then Gregory round the corner. Despite himself, he had to feel a grudging respect for the view of the great big hulking castle ahead of him, silhouetted by the moon. He’d read up on Hogwarts before he’d arrived, but somehow the view couldn’t be captured fully in photos or words. “Listen up” came the gruff voice from the front. “First years go across by boat. Four to a boat. Hurry up now. Don’t want to be late for your own sorting.” Gregory jerked back into the present moment, watching people streaming towards the boats with their new companions. Gregory hung back, looking for an unoccupied boat. Eventually, he saw one, and clambered into it, and slowly clambered onto it, trying not to rock the boat too much. Slowly, many of the boats began to drift out onto the lake, lights attached to the front of the boats illuminating the lake in a stunningly beautiful scene. “Wait!” Gregory shifted in his seat. Behind him, he saw those three, rushing up the path waving their arms. “Wait for us!” The bearded man quickly muttered a curse. Quickly, he pointed his umbrella at Gregory’s boat and muttered a quick spell, sending it to a stuttering halt just off the dock. “You three! In there, quickly!” The three waved in thanks, then turned towards the boat. And saw Gregory. There was a moment’s pause. “Well, best be off” said the teacher, climbing into a boat of his own and heading out into the lake. Slowly, the three girls walked down to the boat, watching Gregory as though they thought he might turn into a serpent at a moment’s notice. Gregory watched back. How did they -? Why -? “You’re late enough.” Gregory made sure his voice remained neutral, not giving anything away. Lorelei stared at him for a moment. “There was a delay.” She replied, in the same wary tone. Why doesn’t she just accuse me outright? She’s got nothing to lose, surely… “You’re here now, anyway” Gregory continued. “Best get in. Everyone else is halfway across the lake already.” Slowly, the girls clambered into the boat. Once they were all settled, the boat began to stream after the others. Nobody spoke. At one point, Gregory thought he saw something massive… shift under the lake, and by the sudden stiffness of the others in the boat, they probably did too. Still, nobody spoke. As the fleet in front of them began to enter the cavern, slowly cutting out all the light except from their own thin, pale beam on the front of their boat, nobody spoke. Gregory stared at the others, and the others stared at Gregory. Finally, their boat drifted into the cavern, joining it’s place on the dock. Quickly, the four of them got off the boat, joining the others waiting there, anxiously whispering about what was going to happen. Gregory chose a spot, far away from both the crowd and the group of girls, and waited. Slowly, the crowd began to follow the giant bearded man, up a series of stairs and winding passageways. Gregory tried to remember the path they took, but he soon gave up. Up one staircase, turn left, through a painting that was hurling abuse about house-elves, take another staircase to the left that turned to the right when Hagrid stepped on it, tell the armour that “The birds are in the wasp’s nest”, turn around, head into another corridor, through a hidden door, up one more staircase, until they finally seemed to reach their destination. “Wait here he said. And passed through into another room.” There was a brief glimpse of many more faces, sitting at four tables, then the door shut, and they were left alone. Each of them looked around, wondering what would happen and what the other would do next.

Let's revive this. No one else has put Renarin as an INTP, but I do. Here's why: He is obviously introverted. Everyone agrees that he is intuitive. He seems thinking with his interest in hearing about fabrials. I put him as P because he can't decide to go into artentia. His inability to choose a career path seems very much P to me. I am curious as to what @FeatherWriter thinks about this. (Please note that while I consider myself to be an INTP, I do not relate much to Renarin's character.) Vasher as INTP This one might be biased. Vasher has consistently shown introverted behavior. He has intuitive ideas. He has a lot of grip on his thoughts (but not much grip on emotions.) He is adaptive and is not shown to do very much planning.

Answering your "how do we think Brandon will introduce them to each other" question... Well I think that the first people to enter the space age would be the Fjordell because: 1. Elantris was set hundreds of years before The Final Empire, so they have a head start on most of the other peoples. 2. They don't have some factor that slows down their progress. Both Arelon and Roshar have magic users to provide things for them. Roshar is also war-torn. Civilizations who are spending all of their resources to gain more equipment for their troops usually don't have the time and resources to progress in technology. The citizens of the Elendel Basin have crops and soil that are unnaturally fertile. Even Sazed says that they could have progressed much farther if their soil was normal. Minor shardworlds have other limiting factors, like the Shades on Threnody. The second people to enter the space age would be the Scadrians. They are unified, so they would not be hampered by any war. Their civilization is also super-huge. However, this doesn't matter, because the Radiants and Elantrians can both travel into the cognitive realm, so they can travel to other shardworlds. They would be the first people to interact with eachother. Then, the Nalthese will join the circle. There's only one known Nalthese worldhopper currently, so they will probably be next in line. Last will be Scadrial. Worldhopping in Scadrial will most likely only work with Atium, because Demoux is an atium burner. Technologically, the Selish probably already have space travel because there's at least eight hundred years between them and the Alloy of Law. They will share this technology with the other shardworlds. Regarding your main question (about combinations)... Well, there are most likely a number of ways nicrosilminds could interact with other investiture. But since we don't actually know anything about them, I can't say for certain what those could be.

Vasher and that old grumpy Zahel seem very similar... Not to mention Hoid, Hoid, Hoid, Hoid and Hoid.

After an extended wait, It's finally here! THE WAY OF KINGS PART 2- THE SADESHANK REDEMPTION Adolin: Well off to kill the ChasmFiend. (The DISTRACTION for the CHASMFIEND FAILS. SEVERAL HUNDRED EXTRAS die horribly.) Dalinar: We must protect the civies. Quickly, charge the monster! Sadeas: Stupid civies, can’t even dodge a ChasmClaw. Elhokar: I’ve stubbed my toe! This is an assassination attempt! (The CHASMFIEND attempts to CRUSH the KING. DALINAR CATCHES the CHASMCLAW while FORESHADOWING. The CHASMFIELD cannot TAKE THE HEAT, and DIES) Dalinar: Looks like I made... ChasmCakes. Elhokar: Did you see me stub my toe! Someone tried to kill me Dalinar:... And that’s your first concern? MEANWHILE, at the WARCAMPS Kaladin: ALL RIGHT, MAGGOTS. LISTEN UP! FROM THIS DAY ON, WE’RE GOING TO BE THE BEST BRIDGE CREW ON THESE SODDING PLAINS. FIRST, WE’LL. Teft: Nobody cares. (KALADIN picks up and carries a PLANK.) Kaladin: (Muttering) This will show them. It’ll show them all! LATER (KALADIN visits an APOTHECARY) Kaladin: I’d like to buy some antiseptic, please. Apothecary: Can’t build bridge with no spheres. Why did the parshman cross the road? Kaladin: On second thought, I’ll make my own. MEANWHILE, IN THE DESOLATION Dalinar: Where am I? Is this another of those stupid visions. Little Girl: Daddy, I’m scared of the Voidbringers. (The VOIDBRINGERS attack. DALINAR picks up LITTLE GIRL) Dalinar: I danna want no trabble. (The VOIDBRINGERS attack. DALINAR beats them up with a LADDER. While doing so, His SHIRT EXPLODES, forcing him to expose his SAFEABBS) Knights Radiant: We’ll take it from here, citizen! Dalinar: Why am I here? Why is this happening THE ALMIGHTY?: THE FORSAKEN ARE FREE. Dalinar: What you say? THE ALMIGHTY?: THE PORTAL IS OPEN. THE DRAGON IS REBORN. Dalinar: Is he trying to say something? THE ALMIGHTY: 地獄、ばか。おそらくあなたはそれが良いアイデアと思われるものを作ることができる Dalinar: Maybe this means I should trust Sadeas! LATER (KALADIN lies in bed, listening to his FABRIAL-SDAT.) Kaladin: Do I get up? I should, but if I do, I'll probably get half the bridge killed. Rock: Stupid Wetlander. Can’t even get out of bed. Kaladin: I must keep training! How are the wounded? (KALADIN puts on SURGICAL GLOVES and a MASK. He proceeds to EXAMINE the wounded BRIDGEMEN, who he is carrying on a PLANK. Kaladin: I need antiseptic, or Mummy Rot will set in. Mummy Rot is the last thing we need. AT THE FEAST Adolin: The rock the king stubbed his toe on was definitely moved. However, all the Geologists we’ve consulted say that it was probably an accident. Dalinar: Storms! If only there were someone trained both in Investigating Murders and magic. They’d probably do a better job than us warrior-nobles. Harry Dresden: Here’s my card. I take paper or plastic. Dalinar: Do you take spheres? Harry Dresden: No. Elhokar: In light of the recent attempt on my life, I’m appointing the shifty who’d probably seize the throne in the event of my death to investigate the attempt on my life. Because we all know that soldiers make great cops. AT BRIDGE FOUR Teft: Breakin’ Rocks in the Hot Sun! Syl: I fought the law and, the law won. Kaladin: Enough singing. The last thing we want is to turn this into a musical. Now let’s pick some dandelions knobweed for my genius plan! Syl: I have some knobweed. (SYL blushes.) Syl: It’s not like I picked it just for you or anything. I-I just picked too much this morning! IN A BATTLE, LATER (DALINAR beats up PARSHENDI) Dalinar: Boom! Pow! Building kick! Explosion! (The PARSHENDI die.) Dalinar: I’ve kill so many of the inhuman monstrosities that murdered my liege. Now I feel terrible! AFTER THAT Gaz: Time for Chasm Duty! (The BRIDGEMEN groan.) Kaladin: I found a spear. (KALADIN does some advanced SPEAR-FU. PARSHENDI NINJAS come out of nowhere and attack him but he BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF THEM.) Teft: ...wow. Rock: So none of you wetlanders are going to question the fact that Ninjas just appered out of nowhere, and barely even fit in this setting. Syl: Its not like I’m impressed or anything... THEN Dalinar: I think I should abdicate, bro. (NAVANI removes her SHIRT. The revelation of her HAND is SCANDALOUS.) Navani: I think that’s a terrible idea. You know what might be a good idea? Getting over [REDACTED]. Dalinar: I don’t know. But if I did, would you be my wingman? (NAVANI pouts.) So, do you want more? Do you want to see me do mistborn, or Warbreaker? Will anyone help me with my story for NaNoWriMo here? Will I stop asking questions that nobody cares about? FIND OUT NEXT TIME, in THE WAY OF KINGS PART THREE- HALF-SHARD LIFE!

This is... something... that I came up with. Its inspired by the Wheel of Time ISAM summaries. I'm sorry. PART ZERO: FROM SHINOVAR WITH LOVE Szeth: I don’t want to kill the king, but I must. Because Rock. Dalinar: I’m drunk. *Faints* Jasnah: I’m doing NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE Szeth: Gavilar! Why won't you kill me?!? (SZETH mostly kills GAVILAR) Gavilar: You must tell my brother he must get what he cannot have. (GAVILAR holds out PLOT DEVICE) Gavilar: Its dangerous to go alone. Take this PART ONE: ALETHI HISTORY X Cenn: I’m gonna die, aren’t I? Dallet: Friggin n00bs. Kaladin: I’m a squadleader! (A SHARDBEARER attacks. The KALADIN’S SQUAD is WIPED OUT.) FOUR MONTHS LATER Shallan: I’m on a boat! FIVE MONTHS LATER Kaladin: I’m a slave. Life sucks. Syl: Hello Kaladin (Looks away). D..don’t get the wrong idea. I...it’s not like I want to make you a Surgebinder or anything. Kaladin: How do you know my name? Syl: How do you know your name, bakka! Meanwhile, SOMEWHERE ELSE Shallan: I’m a young noblewoman from a quaint farming village. Jasnah: What do you want? I’m very busy. The narwhal bacons at midnight. Shallan: BLAM! EXTRA HERESY!- I mean, I want to be your ward. Yeah. Jasnah: Then jump off that cliff. Scientifically. (SHALLAN jumps off CLIFF. She survives SOMEHOW) Jasnah: You think you’re qualified to be my ward? Why is that? Shallan: I’m naive and inexperienced, have no formal training, and my house is in ruins. Jasnah: And you want to become my apprentice as an opportunity to gain the fiscal stability needed to gain the capital loan to open your own restaurant in order to raise the revenue to save your family. Shallan: Wait... what? Umm... yes. That’s it exactly. Jasnah: Shut up and take my money. Meanwhile, at the SHATTERED PLAINS Kaladin: Please let me fight again. Assignment Woman: You want to fight? Fight has five letters, which is one fewer than sphere! And one sphere is what a slave makes in a day! You want to steal our spheres! Send him to bridge four! (An AIR RAID SIREN sounds) Gaz: Time for a bridge run. Get in line, lordling! (HOURS PASS while KALADIN and BRIDGE FOUR carry the bridge) Kaladin: I can’t wait till we get there. Parshendi: (singing) Oh I just can’t wait to be king~ Gaz: We’re here. Cross and reverse, then charge the chasm! Parshendi: Dakka dakka. (The BRIDGEMENT CHARGE. It SUCKS, and MOST of them DIE, except KALADIN, who FAINTS) Syl: Wake up, Kaladin! You’re going to be late for the bridge run! Kaladin: Ugg... Syl: Not that I came all the way out here f-f-for you or anything! I just happened to be passing by. 3 σx= 1 WEEKS LATER (KALADIN is on a FABRIAL-TRAIN, clutching his FABRIAL-SDAT) Kaladin: Everyone else is dead. My life sucks. NINE YEARS AGO Kaladin’s Dad: This girl made one rude gesture too many, so we’re taking her finger. Kaladin: Is that even legal? Kaladin’s Dad: I’m a back-alley surgeon. What do I care? PRESENT DAY (KALADIN walks to a CLIFF to consider COMMITTING SUICIDE) Syl: I-I made one Blackbane leaf too many, and I was w-wondering if you wanted it. N-not that I made it just for you or anything. (KALADIN slowly grasps the leaf while EMOTIONAL MUSIC plays) Kaladin: I- (KALADIN turns away from the CHASM, which EXPLODES behind him. DRAMATIC MUSIC plays) Kaladin: TODAY, I’M CANCELING THE BRIDGEPOCALYPSE!

So, as Gavilar lay dying, he suspected Thaidakar, Restares and Sadeas of being behind the murder. Thaidakar and Restares are bith involved in Secret Societies, something that Gavilar also was. That is why Sadeas name popping up there is suspicious. Either Gavilar just suspects him because he's an oily prick, or because Gavilar knew that he was part of one of the Societies. Another thing about Sadeas is that he knows who Amaram truly is, something few others seems to know. Might this be a lead to show that he was part of the Sons of Honor?

That's so nice of them You know your a Sanderfan when you find that your life has been wasting away from all those Sanderson books you read and reread

I've got this magic system concept that's been bouncing around in my head for the past couple days. It's based on actual illusions and magic tricks. Basically, your power in the magic is based on other people's beliefs about what you can do with the magic. It grows as people's subconscious "awe" for your power grows. The more people you can trick, and the more convinced they are of your powers, the more powerful you become. So in order to gain more power, you have to continuously create the illusion of doing more with the magic than you actually can do. People must be convinced that you're more powerful than you really are. The most powerful magician's true level of power is cloaked in mystery, and they have to continuously race to outdo themselves, always trying to pulling off more impressive tricks and illusions in order to exceed their reputation. Also, on a different note, I'm working on a world building project set in an alternate reality where the Union lost the American Civil War, and the United States splintered into several nation states, with the District of Columbia ending up in control of just a few States in the North East. It'd be a ton of research to do this well...

It was more difficult than I would have thought, actually, despite the fact I'm rather obsessive about him. I'm going to lay the blame for that at the feet of someone who decided we haven't yet needed any Renarin POV in canon. My kingdom for a Renarin POV, honestly. Brandon, ya killin' me.

Ah the Cosmere MBTI thread. I love this thread. Renarin definitely is an INT-J or P, but I would classify him as INTJ as opposed to INTP. Renarin just seems orderly and organized, but I have little arguments for it. I personally attribute his difficulties in finding a career to rigidity related to his autism more than a personality quirk: he just sees one possibility. It makes more narrow-minded than others, which is a trait he shares with his father. INTP doesn't sound like Renarin: he never tries out ideas on others for the shake of seeing how they would react. In fact, he is doing the complete opposite: he prefers to be completely sure of his words before saying them. INTJ are my complete polar opposite and I have, on average, difficulties interfacing with individuals within this personality type. Or perhaps it is I have several terrible experience with some which I have unjustly associated with personality types. I, of course, do not relate very well with characters such as Renarin or Jasnah. Edit: This last test gave me ENTP, a weird one for me. I typically test either ESFJ or ESFP depending on how much importance the test puts on cleanliness of the workspace... Seriously, my desk is a mess.

@Mestiv, if it's any reassurance to you, there remains a substantial proportion of the British populace who do not opposite immigration - leave won through building a coalition of those who feel discontent at globalisation and immigration, and substantial elements of the 'traditional' wing of the Conservative Party - voters who would have been far more concerned with sovereignty and self-rule than immigration. Bearing this in mind, certainly less than half, probably significantly so, of the electorate did vote based on immigration from Eastern Europe being a concern. On the question of Scotland, it becomes very interesting. The coalition between the SNP and the Scottish Greens has a very narrow majority in the Scottish Parliament, complicating the process of calling for a second referendum. Even if the Scottish Parliament calls for a second referendum, a referendum can only be the parliament in Westminster. Given the turbulence leaving the EU will cause to the economy anyway, it is likely that the government would seek to avoid further uncertainty in the economy, and without the SNP becoming part of a coalition in the event of a snap election (a possibility to confirm the mandate of the new conservative leader elected in October), I don't foresee Westminster allowing another referendum. Also complicating is Scotland's status with the EU, if it did declare independence. Scotland would not necessarily be a member of the EU automatically - with many in the EU instead saying it would have to follow the formal process if accession. This is, in turn, made difficult by the position of Spain. Spain, seeking to set an example to Catalonia (a region of Spain calling for independence) has said in the past it would block Scottish accession - all EU member states have a veto on new members joining. Finally, there is there question of whether Scotland could succeed alone. When the last referendum was held, oil prices were at close to $100 per barrel - with oil revenues contributing a significant part of the proposed budget. Now, though, oil prices have plummeted - and are expected to stay roughly around $50 a barrel. This makes presenting any argument for economic security when independent far more difficult, although it may be offset by the promise of greater growth in the single market. @STINK, I mentioned Cameron's resignation and it's implications in an edit to my first post. Personally, I believe Cameron's position was untenable after the loss - he'd have been unable to pass legislation, held hostage by a eurosceptic bloc of his MPs, and wouldn't have had credibility in the Article 50 negotiations. In my mind, though, he's made the right call with regards to staying on until October - providing a little stability whilst the more volatile, short term effects of leaving OK the markets are weathered.

@Eccentric Hero Thanks for reviving this. Last year, when this came around, I snooped about a bit, but never took part as much as I wanted to. I recently did some personality tests from different sites. https://www.16personalities.com/enfp-personality stated me as a Campaigner (ENFP-A). I'm more extroverted, Intuitive, I "feel" more, and I am Prospective as well as a tad bit assertive. Haha, I'm like Robert Downey Jr, Will Smith, Robin WIlliams and Drew Barrymore\ http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp stated me as ENTP, I'm more extrovertive,Intuitive, Thinking and percieving Haha, and http://www.my-personality-test.com/personality-type/?profileid=8294271984402003800 class me as INTP, like Einstein, Jimmy Wales Charlotte Gainsbourg and Tina Fey. XD

People who complain that the air conditioning is making them cold but then refuse to put on an extra layer of clothes like a sensible person and instead insist on jacking up the thermostat to 78 F. What about those of us who are uncomfortably hot and sweating at 78 degrees, even when sitting still? We can't just keep taking our clothes off when we're already down to a single layer. (And even if we could, I'd probably STILL be sweating once I was in only my underwear.)

The very fact that Hoid used it to transit to the Cognitive Realm means that it is a shardpool. A Perpendicularity as they called it in Secret History... That allows crossing the borders

Just fixed this portion tonight. For those wondering, Amra is still mad with Prot after the argument at the end of the last submission, and is not mollified this time around. When Prot leaves to find the majus, she's promising they will have a long talk when he gets back, about running off, and to discuss their future. Hopefully a lot better than demure and sticking out her tongue! I think this will also tie in a lot better with the ending.

@Amanuensis Calling me out like that is what convinced me to suck it up and play LG22! ...Part of me thinks you wish you hadn't now though...

I'm having a hard time reconciling that whole "taking care of our own" thing the Ghostbloods have going with Sadeas. Even Ialai seems like a stretch. Maybe having ties to the Ghostbloods or being used by them, but mroe than that is hard to image. Ialai may be ripe for recruiting now that Sadeas is dead though.

Sharpness would have nothing to do with it. She just needs to get the shots to the right speed and they'll get through anything. Anchored Duralumin Steelpushed bullet sized metal would be enough, and even without that she can easily close down on Tony, dodge anything he has and get the few Pewter blows she needs to give him an extradural and severe internal bleeding with pulmonary contusions without having to even consider actually cracking his armour, something I also think flared Pewter would manage in a prolonged set of strikes.

I do not think it would be as easy for an Inquisitor as it is for a kandra, if you mean by switching it up is removing one and putting in a different one. Kandra can move their bind points around, and form flesh around the spike treating it as spiked, while with a person, it actually has to be stabbed in. Remove an extra spike from a kandra, and it can close the hole easily. Remove a spike from an inquisitor, and you have a gaping hole lol

Easier/better Awakening by "supercharging" breaths with stormlight (breaths are more or less Investiture and so is stormlight, so maybe you could combine them)

All it might take is one Elantrian drawing a map, and having it glow. "Yeah, this is the coast, mounta-" "GLOWING MAP! What did you do?!" "Idk!! I was just trying to show you how to get to the beach!"

Also some similarities between Elend and Suesebron, how they both start out pretty naive to ruling and become epicly awesome leaders. While we're here, can I just say, I would love to read a conversation between Jasnah and Elend. I feel that they would either become best friends or scholarly mortal enemies... Also, banter between Lightsong and Shallan. I feel that it would be a lasting friendship of Wit, sass and puns. But, I must say, there is no character that is similar to The Stick. Stick is the perfect character. You go Stick.

This thread has not been abandoned yet! And I am kind of annoyed by this new site layout. It logged me out in the middle writing a long post because I was taking too long, so I had to start again. Anyways, this update will be mostly character designs because that's what I like doing, and if there's no point in doing stuff you don't like in your own free time. Words of Radiance Cast Since I don't think you can click to open images to full size, CLICK HERE to open up to its full screen stretching size. Some notes about this: I drew Sadeas to have a punchable face, and Amaram to be less punchable because he's supposed to be a smarmy smug wannabe-Radiant who looks like a normal dude from the outside. I imagined him to be late 30's or almost or about 40, because Jasnah was 34 as of WoK and he was her almost-husband. Taravangian is supposed to be like a wise sage kungfu master grandpa, who looks harmless. Taln wears yellow because topazes are the gemstone of the Stonewards, but later I looked it up and found out that topazes can come in other colours than orangey-yellow, but it was too late for that. Wit has a medieval pageboy haircut because his job is to something like a King's minstrel and his blue eyes are somewhere in between light and dark. Tyn I wanted to include her, but she died 1/3 of the way through WoR, so she's hardly a major character. I actually liked her. The coat, as I have mentioned before, is similar to a cowboy's duster and Mongolian traditional dress. It's also inspired by the leather buff coats worn by musketeers in the 1600's, which are weatherproof and warm while being useful for hand-to-hand fighting. These things are pretty good at being knife proof. You can look them up! Veil Veil is something like what Tyn's little sister would be, since Shallan keeps her own voice when she Lightweaves. But Veil is tougher and slightly older. And she wears all of Tyn's clothes. Someone mentioned it before, and I thought it would be amusing. Shallan gets Adolin, but Veil gets Kaladin. I think Kaladin would really like Veil, but we all know that's never going to happen. But hey, Brandon said that there would never get a traditional love triangle, so maybe this will happen in Oathbringer. Kaladin and Veil Shallan and Veil And something different... Eshonai's Victory Eshonai's only canon picture is the chapter header icon in her PoVs. She looked like a tank!!! And because I was inspired by the Predator movie series, I draw her as huge and physically imposing relative to the other characters. But she still has a human-like face that isn't fully monster, even in Stormform. I tried to make it expressive, but clear that she's not human, hence the creepy glowing eyes. This is my impression of a chrysalis and gemheart. In my imagination, they were giant glowing, roughly faceted chunks of crystal that had mysterious flickering lights coming from the inside. And the "violet ichor" of chasmfiend blood was like a goopy slime that dripped out when you pulled the gem out of the chrysalis. Who knows, maybe it's really the texture of purple ketchup. Costume designs now! For Adolin, Shallan, and Kaladin. ALTERNATE COSTUMES Adolin - Summer uniform, with half cape. Shallan - Fancy feast dress. Her motif is flowers because "blossoms and cake", so this was inspired by lotuses. Kaladin - Amaram's squadleader. What does a takama/warrior manskirt look like? Whatever I tried looked silly, so I threw in a slit for mobility and called it a day. HALF DRESSED Adolin - Unlike Kaladin, his socks don't have holes. Shallan - What do lighteyed women wear under their havahs? Kaladin - Bridgeman uniform. The vest was inspired by boating life vests. MODERN AU - CASUAL Adolin - Fashionable, but not edgy or statement clothing. Pretty much like a magazine page or store mannequin clothing. Shallan - Shops at the thrift store, because that's what artsy people do. She dresses modestly, but comfortable. Kaladin - Doesn't care about his appearance. URITHIRU KNIGHTS logo closeup Because it would look pretty cool on a t-shirt. MODERN AU - HOBBIES Adolin - Kendo practice. It's almost like duelling... Shallan - Safari naturalist, from the thrift store. It's called vintage, you know. Kaladin - Leather race suit. When you're on your bike at the track going 300km/hr, it's almost like flying when you don't have magic. I always thought Kaladin was a bit of an adrenaline addict. And if the modern AU had an animated series Sitcom Edition, it would be something like this: Date Interrupted Shallan and Adolin go to the local malt shop or greasy spoon diner, and Kaladin is there. Rock's Diner has pictures of the Horneater Peaks, Rock with his friends Lopen and Teft, and the Bridge Four freedom forehead tattoo design. And if the the duelling preparation room had lockers, Shallan would draw something for Adolin to stick to the inside of his locker. Other girls would write glyph prayers for their suitors before a duel, but since Shallan is not like the other girls, she would do something more creative. Because Vedens are not as stuffy as those silly Alethis! First Base Yeah, I know it's naughty. Avert your eyes!!!! And now, obligatory silly stuff! MULTIVERSE CROSSOVER! Would these two like each other if they met? Who cares, it would be awesome!!!!! If this really was a buddy cop movie, there would be walking away from explosions, one-liners, Horatio Caine sunglasses moments, saving the girl, and creative interpretations of the legal code.

How about a Pulser Paramedic? They'd be the first on the scene and could slow time for critical patients, allowing additional help to arrive or to reduce the time they need to spend in transit to the hospital. Since in many cases (heart attack, bad wounds) every second counts, being able to reduce the time spent waiting for proper treatment could save lives.

Long Game 22, Day 5: Threads of the Pattern The night once again found itself lingering, settling over the village of Drell's Crossing without an end in sight, they darkened, cloud-blotted sky not letting any of the ambient light of the unnaturally still full moon shine down upon the villagers, the curtains of midnight seemingly unrelenting. Time seemed to stretch and squeeze, pulsing in time with an odd, eccentric rhythm, distorting the villagers senses even more, the chaotic forces pulling the town apart seam by seam. Tazrim Maim found himself prowling the newly disorganized streets of the Drell village, starting to associate it's name with the blood and chaos that seemed to plague it lately, cursing inwardly at Ruon's insistence they stay here and try and fight evil at it's roots before it could spread and destroy the land beyond the town's borders. He tried to tell himself it was just a child's fancy, the young wannabe gleeman with his filled of songs and stories filled of glory and triumphs, not even thinking for a second the deadly undercurrents of death and danger that lurked behind every corner. Maybe that was why he had took pity on the poor child, with their notions of adventure; it reminded Tazrim of times when he was that young and naive. Maybe that was why he had found himself seeking out Tar Valon, the most wonderous city in all of the land, trying to learn from the best and do something similar with his life. That had been why he found himself training to become a fully fledged warder, not that much older than Ruon was now. Of course, Tazrim couldn't channel, and Ruon being able to meant he had a very dangerous road to walk ahead of him -- no matter how brief and fleeting it would be. That's what he kept telling himself; that's how he had found himself stuck here, in this isolated village in the seeming middle of nowhere, as it slowly tore itself apart. He had traveled the land after his former bondmate had died, an Aes Sedai of the White Tower, together they had roamed the land and done the bidding of the greatest force the world had known. And for all the troubles it had caused him and her, despite all the times he should have died years prior, he found himself alone, their link severed when she had met a gruesome death when he hadn't been there. He had felt the shock and terror pouring through the bond, of course, and that had hurt even worse, knowing where, when and how she had died, and not being able to do a bloody thing about it. He wouldn't let the same thing happen to Ruon, no matter how crazy and dangerous he might possibly become. For he knew that he could've been the same person, in a different life. And things were wrong here, in this bleak little village, he admitted to himself. Perhaps that was why he had stayed, too. Not sure what to do to stop the evil and corruption consuming the town, but unable to stop himself from doing something. Besides, what else could he do, as a lethally trained warder? So he placed his hand down on the hilt of his sword as he strolled through the darkness of the town, cursing again at the night that seemed to not vanish, wondering how many hours ago it had been that he left Ruon, albeit reluctantly. The young channeler had even had the gall and audacity to order Tazrim to go roam the streets. Order him. Like he was a full-fledged Aes Sedai, and was in control of the bond. There was still so much the young gleeman had to learn, and those lessons would be that things never worked out in life like they did in the stories. Still, he found himself obeying his channeler, regardless. Old habits seemed to die hard for an old warder like himself. Despite the feelings of foreboding he had to shake off when leaving. It felt like the pattern was warping and twisting around this light-cursed town, fraying the fabric of the pattern and pulling their threads out one-by-one, until there was nothing left but a dark void where light used to thrive. He shook his head, dispelling the ominous thoughts from his head, telling himself to stay focused. He couldn't let himself be distracted. A moment's hesitation could cost him his life, and ultimately Ruon's life as well. He decided to finish one more circuit of the village, making sure nothing was amiss and everything was as it should be -- quiet and peaceful. If the wheel wills it, at least, he added grimly to himself. He walked across the newly located village green, still uncertain what to think of such an unraveling of the pattern, ignoring the darker patches of the blood stains from previous nights' grizzly encounters. The moon passed out from behind the clouds suddenly, washing the village green once again in surreal moonlight, illuminating everything. Tazrim Maim pulled up short, noticing for the first time the sets of eyes watching him from all around him. Golden eyes. Waiting for this perfect moment to strike. He knew instantly this was one battle he couldn't win, instead turning to flee, hoping and wishing Ruon had disobeyed him for a change, and decided to follow him into the night. The sudden rush of padded feet and snarling growl right behind him was all he had time to hear before death launched itself upon, the horrible, flashing pain of teeth sinking into the back of his neck as he was tackled to the ground. He managed to rollover onto his back, flailing with his arms and legs to protect his vitals. All he could see was the full moon, shining and shimmering above him, it's calming light seeming to mock him, as the shadows snapped forward once again and blotted out the light one last time. *** Cubik Rube stopped dead in his tracks, mesmerized by the sudden chorus of wolves howling out to the moon, singing their song of triumph. The savage roar signaling what had to have been another successful hunt, if the proximity of the howls were any indication. He decided to not go that way, instead wanting to turn around and flee in the other direction. Unless that's where they want me to go, he told himself, trying to shake the unsettling fear of paranoia that had buried itself deep within him. He could feel the chaos and fear that had permeated the village gnawing away at him, wearing down his sanity. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this. The fireball almost came as a sweet relief when it's light and heat came barreling towards him, blinding him in the instant flash of light and pain, knocking him to the ground and blotting out all other senses. He was almost disappointed when he awoke hours later, injured, but still miraculously alive. *** Ruon felt the bond get severed as soon as it happened. Could feel the pain of the tearing and rending of flesh that had killed his warder. Poor old Tazrim, was all he had time to think before the grief and anger consumer and overcame him. He had slipped out of the safehouse him and Tazrim had established, refusing to be left behind while his old warder had all of the fun and excitement. He regretted those feelings now, as he bolted out into the night, the sudden rush of adrenaline and blurry anger overcoming him, blotting out all other senses and rationale. He knew the old man was already dead, could feel the last of his life drain away. Another thread pulled from the pattern. It's light forever extinguished. Ruon would make those that were responsible pay. He no longer held onto the childish fancies of adventures and songs filling his mind. He had more than enough, and with Tazrim's guidance, was going to grow up much faster than he anticipated. He reached out to Saidin, letting the horrible, magnificent torrent of energy and power fill his veins. Molten lava pouring through him, burning his blood within his body. The icy, arctic cold of winter freezing him to the bone. The flood of the one power threatening to sweep him away in it's blazing ocean of chaos and power, scouring him away til he was nothing but a pile of ashes. That was the battle he fought everytime he seized the source, when he filled himself with saidin. But now he drew in more and more of the power, more than he knew was smart too. It was too much too handle safely, more than what he knew what to do with. But still he drew more, the burning river of power fanning his anger, like a heavy wind to a fire, stoking it up higher and higher. He screamed in a furious rage, knowing he had to do something with all of the power before it overcame him and wiped him -- and probably this village -- away completely. With a anguished effort, he willed all of the power into the sky above him, throwing his hands out and forcing the threads of spirit, fire, and water up into the night. The wind rushed in, like a flood of water filling in a sudden void, the rolling clouds darkening even further, twisting and turning in sinuous lines above the city, hiding the moon and light once again. A single lightning bolt struck down out of the heavens, it's light piercing the night like a dagger with a painful, tumultuous roar, blinding him instantly, the thunder deafening. His whole body hurt all over. Especially his side, where he reached down and was surprised to find blood flowing freely between his fingers. Like a dagger, was all he had time to think before the blade was driven into his back this time, the icy hot pain shocking him once again, as he lost his old on saidin, the shock of that driving home the pain even further as he crumpled to his knees and fell down into the dirt. He knew now that life was, in fact, not like the songs or stories. Because in the stories, the heroes never died. *** Alain Stern hefted the axe back out of the tree, digging it out of the trunk before re-positioning and swinging once again, putting all of his might into the blow. He grunted with the effort, exhaling with a rush, wiping the sweat from his forehead before digging the axe out of the bark once again. Swing. Chop. Dig out. Repeat. Those were the motions he kept repeating in his head. The mantra he gave himself to keep up his rhythm, not letting himself rest for a moment, giving himself time to think. Or time to mourn, he thought grimly, before cursing savagely at himself and attacking the tree once again. The pain had receded to a dull ache, a tight pressure built around his chest, weighing him down with the burden of his warder's death. He had known what he was getting into when he had gotten himself a warder, laughing again at the irony of a male channeler finding somebody loyal and insane enough to be bonded to a madman. But despite working with saidin for years, he knew the taint was catching up to him. He knew it was only a matter of time before the madness took him completely, leaving him a crazy husk of his former self before he lashed out at those he loved, and any poor fools still around him. That was what Keland had been there for, to help calm him in his rages, to remind him of who we was and how to struggle through the taint. Thinking of his former warder brought another fit of rage, so he expelled it the best way he knew how. He chopped at the tree once again, reverting back to his former skill set, preferring the exhaustion the manual labor brought him. And the clarity of mind, once he had driven everything else out of his mind. He knew it was the only way. With a loud snap, the tree finally bent to his will, the cracking sound, like thunder, driving the thoughts from his head again.In a rush, he seized saidin, letting the icy, hot flow of it into him, filling his body. He coughed and gagged on the taint, the thin layer of evil floating at the top of the pool of power. Like a film of oil on top of a well, one could never dig a bucket into the water without taking a small portion of the oil. He was familiar with the fetid feeling of the taint seeping into him, but he wasn't ready for his vision to swim, seeing two images as one as the tree started falling the wrong way and almost on top of him. In a panic, Alain weaved a thread of air, yanking the falling tree out of midair and heaving it over onto the pile of trees he had created in his manic fury these last few nights. It was the only thing keeping him going. Dozens of the fallen trees lay in a misshapen mound, a teetering, unbalanced cairn. That was how Alain felt, as if any step would be the last step, and he would fall headfirst into insanity, and eventually death. The limber settled with a loud crash, shaking the ground as it's weight crashed down onto the other fallen trees. He just had to keep chopping. To keep himself occupied. He grunted once more, lifting the axe up over his shoulder, ready to move onto the next tree. He couldn't let himself be distracted for even a second. A part of him realized he still held onto saidin, and he found he didn't want to let go. The struggle to not let the power overwhelm and wear him down was a familiar fight, like an old friend that he was used to. And he couldn't afford to be alone with his thoughts. So he kept fighting, unsure of what he would do if he ever succumbed to it's powers. Or started thinking of what he would do after the trees were all gone. And suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, a tremendous roar of sound, and a concussive blast of air as he was tossed off of his feet and thrown back a few yards, landing hard on his side and knocking the wind out of him. The clouds poured in overhead, as he realized he could now see the night sky. Not because the moon had peeked out behind the shrouding clouds. He realized the light was coming from below. Near him. Oh, he slowly thought, piecing everything together, the pile of trees.... he felt the bolt of saidin as it ripped through the air, tearing the sky asunder as the brilliant bolt of lightning blasted down near him, igniting the fallen timber in a giant explosion. If only he hadn't kept himself so distracted, he would have felt it before it happened. Laying on the ground, his body bruised and aching, he realized he just didn't have the will to get back up. He could hear the shouts and screams as people began to wake and see the conflagration of trees as they ignited, the tongues of flame reaching high into the sky and illuminating everything around him. He knew he could do something. Use a weave of air or water to put the fire out, to displace the heat somewhere else and spare the town of the impending threat of spreading fire. But.... why even bother? He told himself, finally letting the flood of emotions he had been blocking come rushing in. The sadness and the regret taking hold of him. He closed his eyes, letting a single tear leak out. It's pointless anyway, he thought. The shadow seems to have already won. At least for him. So he didn't move, and didn't feel the desire to save himself, as the flames spread and washed over him, burning away his fears and sorrows. Another thread in the pattern snuffed out. It's light extinguished. And probably for the better, Alain told himself one last time, as he closed his eyes and let the pain burn away. *** Mashadar flooded the village, it's misty fogs shrouding the streets, it's smoky tendrils seeking another target, another victim to bring to the perfection of the Waiting Shadows. Slowly pouring through the streets of Drell's Crossing, like poison coursing through veins before the morning sun burned away the mist. But not before another person was brought into it's own grip of corruption and evil. *** The whitecloak didn't even try to suppress the yawn, as the never-ending night finally seemed to abate, the morning sun burning away the terror of the night as they saw another sunrise. They didn't even speak as they hauled the prisoner to their feet, pushing them out into the light and slamming the door on their backs. It was time for another day in Drell's Crossing. And with it, more blood. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Somebody was detained! Hellscythe was killed by Wolves! He was a Village Warder! Bard was killed by Darkfriends! He was a Village Channeler! Araris died by lack of Warder! He was a Village Channeler! Rubik was attacked by a Fireball! He survived. Somebody was Corrupted by Mashadar during the night. Day 5 will be extended and last until 12AM (MIDNIGHT) EST on MONDAY June 20th. (I know, extending it to a weird time again, but this will make the rollover easier for me that night!) (Refer to Hael's handy countdown below for proper timing. He can math better than the GM.)

From the Way of Kings, we know that the Ghostblood symbol is composed of three diamonds that overlap each other. In Words of Radiance, it is described as a triangle (I hope nobody considers that a spoiler). I tried looking for fanart depicting this, but all I can find is this (from the Stormlight Archive Wikia): I have two problems with this: First, the first diamond doesn't overlap with the third (breaking the "overlapping with each other" rule). Second, the symbol isn't at all triangular. Unless this was confirmed by Brandon to be accurate, I'm gonna have to conclude that this isn't the Ghostblood symbol. Earlier today it came to me that the symbol might be based on Borromean rings, three rings linked to each other. Googling for "Borromean diamonds" gave me this (from this page by an origami artist named Francis Ow): Now that's more like it! Just change the colors so that it looks sinister instead of girly and it would be perfect. Notice that the center is a hexagon, and six is the number Shash, the number of Blood. Also, the number three (three diamonds, and the vaguely triangular shape), Chach, is the number of Spark, the Essence of souls. Soul + Blood is... Ghostblood! What do you guys think? Is this similar to your conception of the Ghostblood symbol? I could try making my own (less bright and less pink) version of this, but I know quite a few Sharders who are very talented artistically. Any of you guys want to help? Edit: I just realized that "Borromean rings" is not strictly synonymous with interlocked rings. Borromean rings are arranged such that removing one ring results in two non-interlocked rings, whereas something like gimmal rings, for example, are strictly interlocked. The origami above isn't even Borromean; the creator calls them "interwoven diamonds". Forgive me for using the wrong terminology! *bows head in shame* Update: Here are some low-quality images I made of the pattern/symbol. Update: Brandon says my idea is not correct. Oh well.

Spoilers for all cosmere works including Words of Radiance, as well as the first couple chapters of Liar of Partinel Brandon posted years ago, with the understanding that the latter is not official canon and the eventual published version will probably bear little resemblance to it. One thing in particular jumped out at me in the epigraphs in Words of Radiance. In the dragon's response to Hoid's letter, there was this bit, paraphrased as I don't have the book in front of me at the moment: 'Haven't we caused enough destruction already? The worlds you now tread bear the mark and design of Adonalsium....' The phrasing of this struck me as extremely significant, because the arrangement of those words place the idea that the Shardworlds bear 'the design of Adonalsium' under the umbrella of destruction the dragon believes he and Hoid are responsible for. As in, the two of them are in agreement in considering Adonalsium's influence on these worlds to be a bad thing. We've speculated for a long time that Hoid was not only present at the Shattering of Adonalsium, but that he played a part in it. We also know that Adonalsium was opposed by a force or by an individual or individuals, and this opposition according to Word of Brandon is still around today. We've speculated that this opposing force might be the Great Evil spoken of on the world Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is set on. I propose that the dragon's response strongly hints that he and Hoid were actually the opposition, or at least part of it. We also know that there is a force possibly greater than Adonalsium in the cosmere (the God Beyond?), and at a recent signing Brandon said the opposition to Adonalsium once created a great weapon that is still around. Finally, let's look at the word Adonalsium. Adonai means Lord or God in Hebrew. The suffix ium can be meant to denote an element, metal or synthetic compound like barium or helium, it can signify a place like gymnasium, or it can be a derivative of personal nouns, often denoting the associated status or office. Point being, it sounds less like a name, and more like something ASSOCIATED with god or being godlike. Even though its doubtful the word Adonai has any significance in the cosmere, and its use is most likely a play on words, I think the intent behind its use is the same. So with all that said, here's what I think happened. In the few chapters Brandon posted of Liar of Partinel years ago, Yolen was depicted as a world where the gods were dead and the planet itself was in a state of slow decay, with all life being threatened by an unstoppable blight that was slowly consuming and transforming anything it came into contact with. Humanity huddled in cities built within dwindling circles of protection. Maybe the blight was a symptom of the gods being dead, maybe it was the work of the cosmere's Great Evil, maybe it was a completely natural force. Again, its possible all of this will change in the published version of Liar of Partinel when Brandon finally returns to it, but I think the basic setup there might still be similar. Picture a world whose people are faced with an evil slowly strangling the life out of their planet, with no hope of divine intervention, because all their gods are dead. So they decide to make a new one. Somehow, using some complicated bit of realmatic trickery, they harness the power of creation, tapping into the spiritual realm where it resides most fully and creating a physical manifestation of it, so it can directly manipulate the Physical Realm. They call this synthetic god Adonalsium. Maybe its a metal like atium, maybe its a place where the power can be concentrated, maybe its made up of little pieces of the world's dead gods, who knows. But like everything in the cosmere, it needs to exist across all three realms. It needs a cognitive aspect, someone to sit in the driver's seat. Someone needs to BE god. And this is where Hoid, the dragon and the rest of the opposition, including the original sixteen Shard holders come in. They're not all friends, some of them hate each other's guts, but they're all in agreement about one thing. Nuh uh, they say. No way. No one human can be trusted with the power of God. They're not going to just stand idly by while some human with delusions of grandeur ascends to godhood and remakes the whole universe according to his or her whims. They can't stop Adonalsium from being made, but they can make it less effective. They build a weapon that shatters it, splinters the power-of-creation-made-physical into sixteen Shards. Sixteen of them each become caretaker to a Shard, dedicated to keeping it safe and preventing it from falling into the wrong hands, lest anyone put Adonalsium back together again. Rayse ends up with Odium because truthfully, nobody else wants to go near that particular Shard. Hoid protests, but his concerns are ignored - it doesn't help that he'd abstained from taking a Shard, he didn't want that responsibility. With their newfound power, the Shardholders discover they aren't limited to this one little world anymore. They scatter around the cosmere, the better to keep the Shards apart from each other. Like Brandon always said, they have some choice on where they each end up, but not complete freedom as its decided that Ruin and Preservation should go somewhere together, in the hopes their opposing Shards will cancel each other out....Devotion and Dominion go somewhere together in the hopes their complementary Shards will balance each other - Devotion's presence softening Dominion's absolute tyranny even as Dominion's presence gives Devotion a slightly obsessive edge....Endowment's considered safe to be left on his or her own, and so on and so on. Time passes. They all, Hoid included, realize their mistake too late. They got their Realmatic Theory wrong. From the moment Adonalsium manifested a presence in the Physical Realm, it had a Cognitive aspect, even before bonding with a human mind. Like a spren in the Physical Realm without a Nahel bond, it didn't have full sapience, a personality of its own, but it had its own idea of what it meant to BE Adonalsium, to be God. When it was shattered, that fledgling cognitive aspect shattered too, becoming sixteen specific Intents. A spren bonded with a human mind is never going to overwhelm that human mind with its own cognitive aspect, because its too small a piece of Adonalsium. Its only a tiny splinter of a single Shard, its own identity not enough to supplant a human's idea of what it means to be him or herself. But a full Shard? No single human mind could compete. Eventually, every Shardholder's cognitive aspect warped, remolded until only the Shard's Intent remained. As the dragon said in his response, they, like Rayse, became more force than personality. And so, despite Hoid, the dragon, and the sixteen Shardholders' best intentions to prevent someone becoming God and ruling absolutely, they ended up with sixteen little gods and multiple worlds reshaped according to Adonalsium's designs, with countless billions of human lives rendered insignificant in the face of the Shards' grand power struggles and single-minded dedication to their Intents. Hoid hops from world to world desperately trying to do damage control while working towards some endgame he hopes will make things better. The dragon just wants him to butt out like he himself has so they don't make things even worse. Meanwhile, the 17th Shard, a collection of humans with knowledge of Adonalsium are convinced they know the secret 17th ingredient/Intent Adonalsium's original creators forgot to include, and if they can just put it back together again and add their extra 17th Intent (perhaps 'humanity'?) they can make everything right, but to do that they need Hoid to sit still and stop meddling. To which Hoid says 'oh you adorable little toddlers. I remember being that young and naive. Go play in the Purelake, the grownups are busy.' And that's what I think is going on.