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We already know that something was different about Taravangian's day of brilliance. On Adrotagia's chart, his intelligence was completely off the charts, something that could only be expected maybe once every two thousand years--this makes it immediately suspect for the rabid theorizers of the 17th Shard. Furthermore, we've actually seen that when Taravangian is smart normally, he actually gets worse at predicting the actions of other people. After all, he suggested a law that people under a certain IQ should commit suicide, and expected it to actually work. Something doesn't add up here. It's always been my opinion that on Taravangian's day of brilliance, that he was intelligent enough that his mind transcended the Cognitive Realm and saw into the Spiritual Realm in some limited way. This would explain the discrepancy between this day and every other, as well as some of Taravangian's more unlikely deductions. Let's put aside the fact that he apparently knew each and every one of the most powerful people in Roshar well enough to reliably predict how they would react, despite being demonstrably worse in some ways at predicting the actions of others on his more intelligent days. You might even explain his knowledge about Taln (ch. 83), the honorblades (ch. 78), the secret behind the Recrearnce (ch. 84), and the Unmade (ch. 81-82) as piecing together knowledge from old legends and Gavilar's visions. But how, in Chapter 88, could he know exactly when the Everstorm would strike? And, of course, the epigraph from chapter 85. "But who is the wanderer, the wild piece, the one who makes no sense? I glimpse at his implications, and the world opens to me. I shy back. Impossible. Is it?" This gives me the impression that more's going on here than simple guesswork, but that Taravangian was actually seeing something. The evidence doesn't stop here, though. We've seen descriptions of other characters looking into the Spiritual Realm before. Compare the descriptions Taravangian gives to of the day he wrote the Diagram to these descriptions of looking into the Spiritual Realm. ... ... ... ... Now, you might be wondering, "Didn't Taravangian just say in that last quote that he didn't see the future?" Yes, but as shown in the first quote, Taravangian doesn't actually remember any of it. He's just basing that statement on the fact that there are errors every now and then, which is consistent with seeing into the Spiritual Realm. So, between the uniqueness of that one day, the inexplicable accuracy of the Diagram, and the similarity of the description to other instances of peering into the Spiritual Realm, it seems clear to me that that's what Taravangian did on that day. But what does all of this mean? I find it pretty ominous that the guy who looked into the Spiritual Realm figures the measures he's taking are the best chance humanity has for survival. I also find it interesting that both the Diagram and Nale, two of the most knowledgeable factions we know of, both oppose the return of the Radiants. Only time will tell...

Just remember, it's not about the guy, it's about you. No one is entitled to your attention, even civil lunch room conversation. He might not like it, but you will be helping him learn important social cues. Personally, I would also let your best friend know. Particularly in high school, it's good to have allies in these sorts of situations.

Round Seven: The Inevitable Eight The waiting is over Sennti fans. This in Al Vron reporting live and boy do we have a slugfest in store for you. It’s been a good game so far and the combatants on the field are ready to give it their all so sit back and enjoy the action LIVE. I hear one of the combatants down there is Keira’s cousin. She’s been training with her quite a bit which is unusual for Keira. Keira has always had a bit of a bloodthirsty image and a lot of times people go after her for it. But despite her bloodthirstiness, she’s a heck of a player on the field. I wonder if her cousin has picked up some of Keira’s touch. If so, we will probably see a lot more blood spilt today. Looks like some of our fighters are ready to fall. Any moment now and things will really pick up. Dunquaivel is still standing. She’s had one heck of a game. Everytime she get knocked down she just gets back up and is ready for more. She’s a real battler. We could do with more like her. Man, look at them go. This game has some of my favorite things. Knifes, backs and blood. My partner sometimes says the strangest things. “Al” she says, “there’s more to life than Sennti.” I swear it’s like she speaking another language or something. I mean the words make sense individually but put them together and it’s complete nonsense. Ryth. A strange person to be sure. He hasn’t done as much as others but his presence has been felt by all. Anonymity is good for a while but the longer you last the less places there are to hide. Farewell Ryth. Better luck next life. And Dunquaivel is down. There seems to be some zombie prejudice here folks. Why, it almost seems that these contestants know what happened last season. Will she stay down? Will others rise? See it here first in the Arena. Well Keira’s cousin is history now. Personally I think she was pushing too hard and it backfired. Regardless she knows how to play the game. I see a lot of Keira’s arrogance in her cousin but none of her skill. And so dies Jonly. Our latecomer. You know Sennti fans, Jonly almost didn’t make it into these games. Can you imagine what these games would be without Jonly? Well, I guess we will find out. Dunquaivel - Daniyah was lynched. They were from Sel. Ryth - Silverblade has been killed. They were from Sel. Keisha - Little Wilson has been killed. They were from Scadrial. Jonly - The Only Joe has been killed. They were from Sel. Round Seven has begun. 47.75 hours to get your orders in. Vote Tally: Dani(7): Wilson, Len, Con, El, Stick, Stink, Lopen Wilson(4): Silverblade, Ec3, Joe, Nyali

LG25: Day Five - Rabbits Galore Two rabbits hopped through the village that night. One was an innocent-looking tiny white bunny, hopping along the road. It turned up a garden path, jumping from stone to stone like the grass between was untouchable. It made its way to the house, up the front porch steps, flinching a little at the shadow of a hanging pot. Then it jumped up to a chair seat, then a table, then a window sill. The window was cracked slightly open, so it just pushed it open further and hopped to the floor. The bunny made its way through the house, weaving around chair legs and scattered books, to where Varg was sleeping. It sniffed the air cautiously, hopping a little closer to the bed. Then in a single motion, the Rabbit of Caerbannog ripped out Varg’s throat, letting his lifeblood flow out everywhere. A few minutes later, a little rabbit was hopping back out along the garden path, still spotless white. Little Bunny Foo Foo, Hopping through the village Picking up Lorien And bopping him on the head! Conquestor died! He was a Hallandren Villager with Awakened Rope! Dalinar has died! He was a Hallandren Villager with 2 pieces of Awakened Clothing! Breath was stolen! Day 5 has begun. You have 48 hours to decide who to lynch. Quicklinks Player List PMs will take a few minutes to send out, sorry.

Of course. Oh, you meant if I could give you one? That's a different matter entirely. In that case, no. This is Al Vron bringing you all the latest action. Looks like we got ourselves a brawl brewing down there Sennti fans. Dunquaivel, our newly return participant, is surrounded as is Keisha, the so called ringleader of the Anti Sel Alliance. Both parties have equal numbers both for and against them. All it will take is one little voice to tip the scales. Who lives and who dies? Stay tuned to find out live in the Arena.

Cosmere characters doing song covers! Or rather, it's me, singing from the point of view of various Cosmere characters. I've definitely stolen the format "Broadway So-and-so" from the Homestuck fandom, who used to have a whole slew of singers rewriting lyrics and singing them in-character. No, they're not all Broadway songs. Actually... I don't think I've actually covered any actual Broadway songs, but that could be fun... Anyway, I realized I'd never really posted my covers here all in one place and thought I should probably try to fix that. The newer ones are more polished as I've gotten better recording software and equipment, as well as just figuring out how to edit songs better with practice, but I figured I'd post even the rougher ones. Relistening to some of these is making me want to redo some. The Cosmere lyrics for each song are in spoiler tags to keep this from cluttering. If there's no credit given for the cover track, then it's one that was either an official version provided by the artist themselves, or it's one that I pulled the vocal track out myself. From most recent to oldest: It's Over, Isn't It? Character: Paalm, Shadows of Self Original: "It's Over, Isn't It?" by Rebecca Sugar and Deedee Magno-Hall (Steven Universe) Piano Cover: ThePandaTooth Lyrics: Light Runs Out Character: Shallan, Words of Radiance Original: "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic Karaoke Cover: Cyberwave Karaoke Lyrics: Let It Go Character: Vin, Well of Ascension Original: "Let It Go" by Idina Menzel (Frozen) Lyrics: (Inspired by those written by @Lightflame) Additionally, I've done a few songs that are Cosmere-focused but aren't actually from any specific characters. Those are always fun too. Fandom Monster's Beautiful Darkside Description: Written in honor of the annual "Cosmere Fandom is Still the Worst Fandom" writing challenge, which is always a good, fun time to make everyone you know distressed and crying. Also, I love sad fanfics. Fandom monster's gotta earn her title somehow. Though technically the lyrics could work for any fandom, it was specifically written for the Cosmere. Original: "The Beautiful Darkside" by The Classic Crime Lyrics: Cosmere's Happening Description: Meant as a "fandom anthem," this one cheers out references to events and places all over the cosmere, because heck yeah, why not? Original: "Something Big" by Shawn Mendes Karaoke Cover: YOU SING Lyrics: In the Final Empire Description: A Survivorist hymn, meant to be from a later era, looking back on the time of the Originators before. (Also the first song I ever covered like this!) Original: "In the Bleak Midwinter," Traditional Hymn Instrumental: Sarah Brightman Lyrics: (written by @EHyde) So, that's what I've got for now. My SoundCloud has a few other covers, but for other fandoms. I'm willing to take requests, though of course, it depends on how well I know the song, if I can adapt the lyrics, and if I can find or make an instrumental track to sing over. Someone on tumblr asked me if I'd do a cover of "Colors" by Halsey for Warbreaker, so I might end up doing a Vivenna and Siri duet for that one. Let me know what you think!

I'm at work. Taking a break. Panic attacking. I made some mistakes and really stormed up, and I'm panicking, and.. Sorry. The 17th Shard is my happy place.

I prefer to keep my options open so far as toppings go, though I am in a longstanding relationship with peanut butter.

Sorry--just saw the posts! Thanks for putting it up, Vreeah! Here's one of my favorite Christmas cards: Pride and Prejudice and Pet hair.

Do we have any theories on how strong Vasher is on Roshar? We know that he's still suppressing his Divine Breath, and that he's at least hacked the magic systems enough to survive on Stormlight/raw Investiture rather than Breaths. My thoughts are as follows; What effect would the red lightning (Voidlight? o3o) have on him with regards to living? How does his body differentiate between using up his Stormlight stockpile and his Breath stockpile? I assume he still has a stockpile of Breath for the Weeping, or some stored in clothes etc like emergency rations. When he absorbs Stormlight, does he glow like Kaladin would, or can he suppress it like Shallan does with her Lightweaving? Since we have WOB that he's been on Roshar before the events of WOK, has he met any of the Heralds? He certainly knows the stances of swordsmanship well... did he have a hand in creating them? And finally... how strong is Vasher? We know it's possible to fuel a Returned with Stormlight, so it stands to reason it can fuel Awakening too... but would the Stormlight run out of the Awakened object at the natural rate of disappation of a Lashing or being infused in a sphere? What about a Stormlight fuelled Lifeless? Would it be able to function for more than a few minutes? I'm just wondering if during a Highstorm, after seeing a Thunderclast and figuring out the visualisation, Vasher could make one of his own with Stormlight-fueled Awakening. Or an army of Stormlight Lifeless that would be able to fight on for the duration of the storm. Of course the Thunderclast would require the Heightening that allows for bringing rock and metal to life... but we don't yet know the rate of conversion for Breath and Stormlight. Does one Broam equal one Nathalian Breath? Does one Highstorm equal enough Breath to reach the Fourth Heightening? We don't see in the narrative anyone notice pockets of bright colour or changes in it around Zahel, so he doesn't have much Breath on him when he meets Kaladin, enough to notice at least. Though Kaladin would have other things on his mind, and unless the effect was striking enough to make a Darkeyes' eyes seem bright while being close to Zahel I doubt the Alethi would notice anyway. I wonder if Stormlight Heightenings would have the same kind of effect as Biochroma with the hack? Anyways, what do you all think? Thoughts? ^-^ Condemnations for stuff that's already been discussed/answered in another thread?

Greeting to all the Cosmere Elite! I have lurked for years now, as I don't have much time for social media. But there is enough going on in the Cosmere, and enough theorizing and random conjecture, I have been lured from my position as a reader and watcher, and will occasionally join in with tidbits of my own. I have a pleasingly complete memory (not quite photographic, but I can remember almost everything I read), even though I am a bit older than Brandon (Sanderson). I will reference where necessary, but like I mentioned, this will only be an occasional jump into the conversation. and probably not a lot of back and forth to look up references. I am very pleased with the congeniality and depth of many of the members here. and hope to increase my sociality with you. I am a director of engineering and have children ranging from 26 to 4, so I apologize for not being as constant as many good threads require. That said, I shall begin posting. Forgive a novices style and technical faux pas, but know I hold you in the highest regards. 1stBondsmith

You mean something like this?

When I was younger, I'd get rash (I have atopic dermatitis. I checked google and I'm issuing an average warning on googling) but it wasn't so bad I couldn't eat things. Well, there was a time I couldn't, but it was when I was even younger. I had a harsh reaction to dairy, so I couldn't even eat butter. Now I have no reaction from eating food and that's very good, since there is a cremton of foods I'm allergic to. That leaves me with dust and pollens. A story to cheer things up: two or three years ago, early spring, I had a random allergy attack. When I was riding a bus to school my eyes started to tear up really bad (strange as there was no other reaction like sneezing or anything). I went with it. In English class I was called to board for a check-up of vocabulary... all the time red-eyed and tearing. My teacher asked me, full of concern in her voice, if everything is okay and "are you going to burst into tears? Because lately one younger girl did". The funny thing is, I was acing through this and remembering all the words while wiping my eyes once in a moment and then she asks me that xD I laughed and explained "Allergy!". That relief on her face, priceless. EDIT: That depends how strong the allergy is. Some can ignore it... but I know of a girl who cannot eat almost nothing normal. IIRC the only meat she can eat is shark. Cannot eat bread. Those things. She is allergic to some stuff in the clothes and wears primarily silk. I may be misremembering details, but you get the picture.

I think that one of the best parts of the Coldplay concert on Wednesday was in Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, when they got to the line "But still I'll raise the flag" and Chris Martin brought out the Utah state flag. He then proceeded to wear it on his head for another few measures or so before continuing on as normal. Basically, if you ever get a chance to see these guys live, take it.

You know you're a Sanderfan when you draw Aons with condiments. I've had an Aon Rao burger and an Aon Mai bowl of ramen already.

Instead of killing you, how about I just advise you go and get a dust mask?

First, my username has finally found a home. I don't know... if your host is Aggrajag, your security team needs to be constantly on watch for an Arthur Dent-incursion. Drake Marshall has the right of it. The Question is not "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?", and it never was. That is the broken, Golgafrincham-descended answer -- their crash-landing in prehistoric Earth disrupted the program and completely invalidated the results. We aren't actually allowed to know the Question, because we already know the Answer. It was stated by Prak, who knew everything that was true, that if any being ever knew both the Question and the Answer at the same time, the Universe would spontaneously vanish and be replaced by something infinitely more complex. There is, of course, the possibility that this has already happened, but we needn't get into that just now.

If we manage to live long enough that is

I first heard of Brandon when he was selected to complete WoT. My initial thoughts were "oh no!!!" But he wrote Jordan as good as Jordan did, so I picked up WoK and WoR and was totally in awe. Then I read Mistborn and came across the odd name of Hoid...and then discovered the Cosmere. (INSERT SNOOPY DANCE) My wife (who is also a big fan) makes fun of me fangirling. Looking forward to the rest

This quote supports either theory. For example, in Chess, what your opponent can do next turn is very limited, and thus easy to remember and easier to predict which move your opponent will make. The more turns out you go the harder it becomes, to the point where you surpass your ability to memorize and predict. For example, one of my favorite Chess quotes (bold+underline emphasis added): I can definitively believe he touched the SR, but the problem is that given enough intelligence and enough information, he could also memorize and predict much, much better, and when he reached the limitations of his new abilities, could have still use intuition to determine the most likely outcome. Another problem is T stayed present enough to write everything down and write a way to translate the anew language he created. But in the SH quote: But maybe T touched the SR and then wrote down what he saw afterwards? The other problem I see is that e.g. Cultivation or Odium could have been influencing him, and I'm not sure if we can tell the difference. One thing I like about your theory is that there's no direct influence on T, so every decision made based on it is all on him. That's a lot of blood on his hands, with no one to shift blame to. Anyway, have an upvote for such an interesting theory.

"The fish rots from the head. So I say, cut off the head!" "Of the human race." -- Billy aka Doctor Horrible and Penny

That almost makes it sound like Nightblood is the Cosmere's equivalence to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. That Investiture has to go somewhere, but it's not like other forms of Investiture, where it still remains usable after being absorbed by Nightblood. Good job, Shashara, you kicked off the Investiture Death of the Cosmere.

That makes a disturbing amount of sense, actually. I should make some radish earrings. I drew a thing.

Soon(tm), it's okay if you blame me. It will be a thing. I just did another thing which affected that thing so I need to fix that.

Tell us the truth: you're secretly Luna Lovegood, aren't you?

Some of my friends aren't readers...

Here in the wilds of the 17th shard we have a excellent example of the spoiler tag conversation!

I always thought that this quote was just a deathrattle. Why does it have to be a title or world hopper when it can just be a simpler explanation?

So in one of my classes I've had to read a bit about Gilgamesh and Hammurabi, and I've had fun just reading through some of Hammurabi's laws. This guy was hardcore. One of his laws was: "If a builder build a house for a man and do not make its construction firm, and the house which he has built collapse and cause the death of the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death." Talk about an incentive to do your job right.

I notice with the cats at least that all their eyes are pointed in the same direction... so that seems like food or a dangly string or something like that to me, hehe

So it's raining cats and dogs... Literally? Granted. Since the nightwatcher regrettably does not have the power to change the minds of people so profoundly, she gives you the second option. The axehound the government took from me is tested extensively on in a lab and somehow gains superpowers. The axehound, being able to turn invisible, escapes from the lab and you find him. You can't control him telepathically but you can speak with him telepathically. Your bane is that several important government agencies are after you now. You are a rather high priority target for stealing an alien organism with superpowers. I wish for a row of tamed chasmfiends that I can teach to dance and sing an ode to Hoid, so as to surprise Dalinar.

Considering Brandon wants SA to stand on its own, we're unlikely to see Vasher Awaken anything with Stormlight. We might get some tiny reference to indicate he did, but it won't be important and likely not on-screen. He's just a nice Easter Egg, but probably won't even be that important to the overall story, and certainly not with any obvious benefits to being Returned, or Awakening, since non-Cosmere-Aware readers wouldn't understand. jW

triggered. I hate peanut butter...just too "nutty" I guess. I can understand why you would dislike it after a year of eating it every day EDIT_ I just realised that Tor.com released the first Malazan book for free. Just sign up and pick USA or Canada and u can get it

I'm actually feeling alot better today. The Shard, cure to most diseases

Not for the cookies my friends....for the cake

That's a vary interesting idea, what would be the resulting intent be if your where to bring these shards together. Odium + Honor would presumably be something along the lines of Vengeance, Odium + Cultivation in my head is Poison Ivy if she was God (no idea in regards to what the name would be though, also I may be misinterpreted Cultivation altogether). As for anything else I have no idea.

Wait, what?! 1. Mr. Evil? How by Kore's second name am I evil? 2. I kind of doubt Elberethw ill protect anyone except herself. 3. How is Sel the titan? Sel has three players. So does Scadrial and Roshar.

... Was he writing a Guide to Being Creepy or something?

Q: Has Hoid ever visited the planet Braize? A: [sing-song, delighted] RAFO. Such a big RAFO! The biggest RAFO! I am sorry if someone else has suggested this before. But I can't help but think, "Why is it so important if Hoid visited Braize?" Then I started thinking, "Is that because Yolen and Braize are the same?" My only proofs are speculation, and the fact that Adolnasium had created spren on Roshar before the Shattering, and that life could not develop naturally on Roshar, since the star in that system is too young. If anyone could ask Brandon if A. "Is Yolen still around in the Cosmere?" or B. "Is Yolen Braize?" That would be really neat. Thanks for reading my crackpot theory.

From the site rules (emphasis added). And if you read that more recent thread all the way through, you would see that the conclusion was Braize cannot be Yolen. If Frost never left Yolen then he would know that he is still on Yolen. What Frost and Hoid say in the letters makes no sense if Braize == Yolen. Which was discussed in that thread.

Several times in Warbreaker, we see Denth and Tonk Fah display surprising abilities through Vivenna's POV. Denth moves fast--"inhumanly so," according to one of the slum lords he confronts--while Tonk Fah is super strong. The explanation we're given for Denth is that he's super fast because he's a Returned (or proto-Returned), and the explanation for Tonk Fah is that he's just a strong guy. However, I have a different theory. First, I don't believe those answers fully explain what we see happen in the book (see explanation below). Second, I believe that there are several clues that seem to hint toward a different answer in a very understated, Sanderson-esque way: That one or both of these characters is using feruchemy (or possibly allomancy) to store and enhance traits: speed, in Denth's case, and strength, in Tonk's case. (I've tried to find other examples of this theory here and on Reddit and so far have not, but TBH the search functions on both sites are quite bad so if this is an existing theory please excuse the repost!) Here's the evidence: DENTH: Denth is known for being "inhumanly" fast. Several times, we see him display this ability while fighting, though only in brief flashes. The best example is in the confrontation between him and a slum lord who's meeting with Vivenna. Here's how she describes the confrontation:"There were flashes--reflections of sunlight, and bodies moving too fast for Vivenna's shocked mind to follow. Then the motion stopped. Grable remained in his chair. Denth stood poised, his dueling blade sticking through the neck of one of the bodyguards. The bodyguard looked surprised, his hand still on his sword. Vivenna hadn't even seen Denth draw his weapon. Now, we know that Denth is not just an average guy. He is one of the five scholars and, like Vashar, some sort of Returned. However, I don't believe that explains the degree of speed he displays in this situation at all. Denth moves so quickly that Vivenna, even with the enhanced perception from her Breath, sees only "flashes of color"--essentially a blur--when he moves. That implies that he's not just a little bit fast, but in fact too fast for the human eye to see. Vivenna blames it on her "shocked mind," but that explanation doesn't make sense--because everyone else in the room is shocked too. The guard who was stabbed looks "surprised" and hasn't even had time to draw his sword. Grable hasn't had time to stand up. It's almost as if time stopped for a second for everyone else but him. The only other case we've seen in the Cosmere of this kind of speed is through feruchemy (the inquisitors do it a few times in Hero of Ages) or bendalloy allomancy (which happens a few times in the Wax and Wayne books). And there's on evidence that one gains super speed simply by being a Returned. If that were the case, then Lightsong or Susebron could have used them during the final battle scene to gain the element of surprise. But they did not seem to have such an advantage, or anything more than slightly greater strength and speed through their "ideal" bodies. Of course one problem with this theory is that Denth doesn't seem to have used allomancy or feruchemy on Vashar. However, I believe that could easily be explained by the fact that a) he was sort of toying with Vashar at the end there and he simply could have been out of stored speed or out of bendalloy at those moments, and chosen to fight normally. (Note that Viv does NOT have the same problem of seeing Denth's movements as a blur when he fights Vashar. They're both fast, but not so fast they can't be seen.) TONK FAH: We don't know that much about Tonk Fah, but we do know the following things: He is kind of a sociopath who can't help but kill things, including his pet animals. He seems constantly compelled to kill and destroy, unable to avoid it. Sort of like someone might act if they had, oh I don't know, been corrupted by Ruin via a hemallurgic spike? He seems like a simple overweight sidekick until he's in a fight, when he seems to transform into a muscular and dangerous fellow. Here's Vivenna's account of that happening:Tonk Fah cracked his knuckles. Vivenna glanced at him, suddenly noticing that Tonk Fah seemed more...dangerous. The idle, overweight man who liked to nap had vanished. In his place was a thug with sleeves rolled up, showing off muscles that bulged impressively. ... Then later: "Aw, did you have to let him go so fast?" Tonk Fah said, sitting down on the floor, looking morose. Whatever he'd done to look dangerous was gone, evaporating faster than water on metal in the sun. And he loves to sleep, even a surprising amount. Just moments after the scene above where his body changes, he starts sleeping mid-conversation: "She frowned, glancing at Denth. Tonk Fah, amazingly, was already snoring softly." Sounds a lot like the Steel Inquisitors, who are known for having to rest a lot for feruchemical storage purposes. Unlike Denth, Tonk Fah is NOT a Returned or one of the five scholars, so unlike Denth, his physical transformation and abilities cannot be explained in that way. HOW IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED: While we can't prove this theory is true by any means, I do think it's at least plausible. So how could these two have become allomancers or feruchemists? Simple. Denth, or both of them, could have been to Scadrial. We already know it's plausible for a Returned like Denth, and one of the scholars like Denth, to be a world-hopper--because we **STORMLIGHT SPOILER** see Vasher appear as Zahel in Words of Radiance. It's completely plausible, then, that Denth could also be a world hopper. And we know it's possible for people to gain allomantic or feruchemical abilities. We see it a bunch of times in the Mistborn books, most commonly through the use of hemallurgic spikes. Moreover, Denth is an expert on investiture as one of the five scholars. Thus, it's entirely plausible for him to know, or learn, how feruchemy, allomancy or hemallurgy works and use it to his own benefit. In fact, based on what they did during the manywar, I would argue that Denth (and the other scholars like Arsteel) would likely WANT to do this, since they seemed highly motivated to create and use the most powerful forms of investiture possible (and also, as scholars, out of a simple desire to understand). And as I said before, if they DID have hemallurgic spikes that would explain certain personality traits of both characters. For Tonk Fah, who's not the brightest tool in the shed and was already probably a little crazy, it would explain how he become a complete sociopath who loves killing (kind of how Zane's mental instability made it easier for Ruin's influence to change him). It would explain why he kills innocent animals all the time, as opposed to the explanation being that he's simply a brutish sociopath. And for Denth, it could partly explain how he went from being a good guy (back when he was buddies with Vashar as a scholar) to a bad guy now. Yes, his sister's death is obviously a big part of that, but Ruin's influence could add to it and explain why he says things about not being a good person any more. Lastly, since we do not have any POV chapters from these characters, we would not hear Ruin's voice in their heads or anything. SUMMARY The abilities these characters display are completely consistent with what we've seen from allomantic or feruchemical powers. They are not displayed by any other character on Nalthis through the use of breaths, including the Returned. The characters had the means, motive and opportunity to acquire such powers. And hemallurgy would explain some of their personality traits. Thoughts? Reactions? Am I completely crazy for thinking this? Thanks!

I highly doubt Demoux was a worldhopper before HoA. He was very much a naive young guy, and I don't see a worldhopper with knowledge of Adonalsium helping found a religion that worships Kelsier. My guess is that he got recruited into the Seventeenth Shard sometime after the Catacendre.

First post yay! I assumed that the destruction of the economy was understood to be the destruction of atium production, which the nobels used as a means of wealth.

Sanderson pretty much confirmed my theory from 4-5 years ago with this hint that he gave regarding worldhopping: "Raoden has misinterpreted one of the Aons." That would be Aon Tia and it gives a way to worldhop directly from one point in the Physical Realm to another. Of course, that requires some sick level of mathematics (we know the boy that counted numbers in Elantris was kinda cool). Anyway, I know many of you still don't believe this one, but I am quite convinced in this. Another point in favor for this one is, in JordanCon Q&A. Sanderson said that when he is ready he might give us a star map indicating the position of all the Shardworlds. And everything of this sort in the books is written by the likes of Khriss and Nazh, which means that one of these knowledge seekers will be drawing it imo.

Another brain blast! What if it's connected to the system of trade that Hoid said Kelsier destroyed in Secret History? The people in the Restaurant can't grow their own food, mine their own metals, or anything like that - they need to import everything from other Shardworlds. When the Pits were destroyed, the Restaurant lost access to its cheap and plentiful metals!

Of course the Dark Alley got the Lord Mistborn involved. I mean, he's one of the greatest Hemalurgists Bakers throughout the modern Era! *ahem* Adolin- "Father, why is that guardsman boogieing down so well?" Dalinar- "I was hoping you'd notice that. He's Kaladancing." Adolin- "Where'd you find such a wonderful dancer?" Dalinar- *flashback to the day Kaladin break-danced to save Dalinar from an equally fresh Shardbearing Parshendi* "it doesn't matter."

Q: What do you call a fight between to coinshots? A: A boxing match!

I have little basis for this post, but it is, after all, a theory. So bear with me. I postulate that the Heralds are the cause of the Desolations. Roshar believed that the Heralds always came back in time to fight and lead humanity against a Desolation, but what if that Vorin belief is only partially based in truth? What if the reason that the Heralds always showed up in the brink of time to lead humanity in the face of an oncoming Desolation is because they knew about its oncoming because they caused it? We know that Brandon is a fan of having his Shard-gods (like Preservation and Ruin) make deals with each other to preserve life on their respective planets. What if Honor and Odium struck a similar agreement? Odium is full of hate and wants to destroy anything that isn't as miserable as he is (since misery loves company), and he is incredibly powerful. He can eventually overcome Honor and Cultivation, so Honor devises a plan to extend the life of Roshar--he strikes a deal with Odium. The deal could conceivably have taken place like this: Honor can't stop Odium from destroying life on Roshar, but he can limit Odium's influence in some way. The key to Odium's getting full access to the planet: the Oathpact. Honor and Odium agree to a deal (much like Ruin and Preservation), where Odium is allowed to vent his hate on Roshar, subject to Honor's terms. This is where Honor's nature comes into play, as he asks for 10 volunteers to hold the key to Roshar's future in their hands. These 10 people will hold Odium's access to Roshar in their honor. Honor and the Heralds are honor-bound to conform to the terms of the deal and give Odium a chance to destroy Roshar, so the Heralds go to Odium's stronghold to be tortured until their honor breaks and they grant Odium access to Roshar. Odium, however, is bound by the agreement to return the Heralds to Roshar so that they can resist him. This is why the Heralds always arrived before the Desolations--they broke and granted Odium access to cause the Desolations! I propose that whenever one Herald broke, all 10 Heralds were sent back to Roshar. That would explain why Taln, known as Stonesinew and possessing (I infer) the strongest will of the Heralds, was able to resist allowing another Desolation for 4500 years until the book. Without the other Heralds to break first, Taln could resist the torture he was subjected to up to his natural breaking point. This could explain why he said that "I have failed," when he arrived in Kholinar--his will broke and he was returned to Roshar according to the terms of the Oathpact with Honor and Odium to resist the Desolation. This theory of the Heralds themselves allowing the Desolations, that their honor and will was all that stood between Odium and Roshar, and the as-of-yet unrevealed provisions of the Oathpact is an interesting one. I'd like to hear your thoughts. I didn't word this well at all. I'm tired. Sue me.