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Day 14: Not Again Senn felt that looming sense of deja vu that he’d been feeling ever since that first man had died with a warning on his lips. He watched as the entire town fell into chaos and couldn’t help thinking that it was all too familiar. Now, he was staring at pages upon pages of reports about what was happening in the village; all of it dismal. There was a lack of food and supplies. No preparations were being made to stop the coming horde. Buildings were being looted and burned. And it all felt like he had been through it all before. He could almost tell what the next page was going to say before even looking at it. Senn rubbed at his temples, trying to massage away this portending feeling he had. He felt so helpless at the moment. He knew that he should be down in the village trying to add some sense of stability and try to steer things away from this course, but it seemed as if this was fated to happen. If it wasn’t, his feelings of deja vu wouldn’t still be there, right? Eventually, he couldn’t take just sitting there anymore and so he began pacing. This triggered another episode of deja vu in him and it just made him more antsy. What were they to do? Was there anything they could do? Were they meant to just die here, again and again; never learning from the error in their ways? He paused in his pacing. Again? Where had that idea come from? He’d never been through something like this before…. Had he? Suddenly, he just knew that he’d find his inkwell would be dry. He didn’t know how he knew, but it would be true nonetheless. He had what seemed like a vision of him going to collect a new one and then returning to his study, only to be ambushed and killed. He shook himself back to reality. The vision had seemed so clear and so detailed, but it couldn’t possibly be true. He had noticed that it had been snowing out in the vision and there wasn’t even the hint of frost in the air yet in the season. Even so, it was with a shaky hand that he finally built up the resolve to reach out and check the inkwell. *slosh* Senn let out a breath that he didn’t ever realize he’d been holding. The inkwell was still easily half full. His sense of deja vu had been wrong. He mulled over that last bit in his mind for a moment. His sense of deja vu had been wrong. If it had been wrong here, then that meant it could be wrong in other areas too! Perhaps the town wasn’t fated to fall! Perhaps there was still hope! For the first time in weeks, Senn turned to look out the huge window that dominated one wall of his study and looked out at the town of Tyrian Falls with something bordering on optimistic resolve. He smiled. He didn’t notice the figure standing behind him in the reflection of the glass until he felt something tug at his throat and soon after the world went dark. The only thought that Senn could muster before dying was, Not again… Night 14 is over and Day 14 begins! You have 48 hours. Seonid was attacked! They were a Regular Villager! Good Luck! Player List

I was there for about half an hour but I did manage to get one question in. Wish I had gotten there earlier. My general remembering of my question: Q: In the Stormlight Archive, there's a relationship of some sort between the Chasmfiends and the thunderclasts (Brandon generally agrees here). Is there a similar sort of relationship between white spines and the Midnight Essences? A: Yes, but it's a more tenuous one. The Midnight Essences imitate whatever's around them. I interpret this to mean that the Midnight Essences were imitating whitespines during Dalinar's vision, but that there isn't necessarily a deeper relationship there.

Don't worry. The con staff picked up the recording device. I'll get it from them tomorrow. Preliminary report from Day 1: Brandon started his signing almost an hour early, which was perfect for me because I had to leave shortly after getting my books signed. Hopefully I'll get more chances to interact with him tomorrow. I had fun talking to other fans in line and handed out about 150 business cards directing people to the 17th Shard. Probably 10% of those acted like they might join, so I'm hopeful that we'll get some new members and maybe induce some of the lurkers (I met quite a few) to make accounts. I also got to present Brandon with a copy of my Seusslight Archive fanfic. I'll post images over here later tonight. The signing line was recorded, and @yulerule was standing by the table to listen to all the questions being asked. If the recording is unclear, she may be able to clarify or add context. I got several questions answered. Wording is from memory, but should be pretty close. (book photo in spoiler) Q. What Radiant order would accept Allomancer Jak? A. [written] It would depend on the spren, but possibly. There are a few that would have liked him once... A. [verbal] There is some portent in that answer. Note: There are several ways you could interpret that, but I took it to mean that the spren who would be attracted to Jak were killed or estranged during the Recreance and would be unlikely (or unable) to bond with him now. (book photo in spoiler) Q. Do oathgates obey physical realm speed-of-light constraints? A. [written] Nope! Good question. A. [verbal] We are playing fast and loose with causality Q. Nalthis has 5-centric numerology. A. Okay... Q. Do regular humans count as the fifth type of biochromatic entity? A. I'm going to RAFO that for no good reason, but for lots of good reasons. Q. We know that recording things can lock spren and cognitive elements into certain states. Does the existence of the written Diagram have a Realmatic effect? A. [cautiously]The written Diagram does have a Realmatic effect. Q. Did Taravangian know that when he wrote it? A. Define "know." In the sense that a table knows it is a table, yes. Note: This response didn't make a ton of sense to me. Maybe the transcript will clarify things, but his hesitancy and body language made me think that my theory in this vein is mostly not correct, even if some pieces of it are.

I currently own card decks featuring characters/art from the Song of Ice and Fire universe and Name of the Wind universe, and I was thinking about how awesome it would be to own a Cosmere card deck! I haven't seen them anywhere so I'm assuming this hasn't been done, but I hope they do this eventually. In the meantime, here's some cool ideas (I think) for who would be on what card: Hearts (Elantris) Ace - Hoid (As the beggar) King - Raoden Queen - Sarene Jack - Hrathen Diamonds (Warbreaker) Ace - Hoid (As the story teller) King - The God King Queen - Siri and Vivenna Jack - Lightsong Spades (Stormlight) Ace - Hoid (As Wit) King - Dalinar Queen - Shallan Jack - Kaladin Clubs (Mistborn) Ace - Hoid (As Informant) King - Elend Queen - Vin Jack - Sazed Obviously Mistborn and Stormlight will be bigger series and could have their own decks eventually to account for all the characters, but for now I thought this was the best combination. Let me know what you think!

Mistborn spoilers:

"It's offensive." --SpongeBob!Coworker, on a picture of a shark with horse legs and tail

Erahon wasn't my first fantasy - I remember reading world travel magic unicorns books when I was 7-8 which were probably among my first, and I had read and watched a fair bunch of oh, Star Wars and Harry Potter and Enid Blyton by then - but I really liked eragon at the time. Wait back up, confession: I saw the eragon movie first and thought it seemed cool so I read the book. Then rewatched the movie and thought what the heck did they do to it. The first book was great fun, adventuring, dragons, fun side characters, great. Eldest I like too. Brisingr was a lot of describing trees. Paolini could have saved it in my eyes if he nailed the ending, but there were a few things that really didn't work for me. That being said: as an early teen dying to be a writer, his writing Eragon at 15 was a massive inspiration to me. I may not love the end product but the experience of reading the books and watching interview with Paolini do have an important place in my ......psyche? #todayfromthetherapistschair

Question: What qualities would attract an inkspren? Answer: Inkspren don't like how variable humans are, it's a thing out of Honor, so a person who is willing to think about their life rather than reacting by instinct would work for them. The scholar is the perfect example but for instance a soldier who is very thoughtful and doesn't just rush into battle would work for them too.

Night 14: Highly Unfortunate Miscommunication “Hasing the wasing of being! Hasing the wasing of innocent!” Sart shouted the words back to the mob of people who were chasing him; not that it seemed to deter them. It was as if they couldn’t understand him at all! This entire situation was all due to some miscommunication. He had tried to speak up at the latest meeting between the remaining villagers and claim that he thought Herwynbe was trying to lure them all into a false sense of security. Somehow, him saying, “Ising of the believing wasing the Spiked. Ising of the trying to be of the deceiving. Ising of the wasing Herwynbe.” had made the rest of the villagers think that he was one of the Spiked! They took it as if he was gloating to them and from there, it didn’t take long for the chase to begin. “Hasing the wasing of innocent! Being of the idiots, you having the being of!” It was no use. Evidently, no one in this town could speak proper High Imperial. Sart would just have to escape and let them cool their heads for awhile. Surely after a little time and clear thinking, they’d realize their mistake… right? As he ran, he couldn’t help but notice how run down the village had become. It seemed as if every other house was either boarded up or burned or broken into. Where once there had been happy families living in peace, there were now the skeletal remains of homes. And it didn’t stop there. The shops were in just as bad of disrepair. The blacksmith’s forges were cold when they should have been burning brightly to make weapons and armor for the coming battle. The food stands were bare after someone had destroyed all of their crops and orchards. The late Rin’s metal shop had been looted days ago and there would be no new salves from El’s Apothecary. It suddenly hit him during his mad dash through the town just how much destruction had been done in only two weeks time. It was horribly depressing and Sart began to seriously doubt whether or not they’d even make it even if he could lose the mob hounding him. He went to dash around the corner of a building, hoping to shake his pursuers by constantly changing direction. He hadn’t even made it around the corner when a gnarly looking staff seemed to come out of nowhere from around the corner and knocked him upside his head. He stumbled and fell in a daze. He barely had time to recognize Aralis and his thumping staff walk around the corner before the rest of the villagers caught up to him. After that, he didn’t have to worry about the state of the village anymore. In fact, he didn’t have to worry about anything at all…. Day 13 is over and Night 14 begins! Sart was lynched! They were a Regular Villager! PM are OPEN again! I repeat, you can PM again! Votes: Sart (5)- Jondesu, I am Stick, Herowannabe, Araris, Wilson Herowannabe (2)- Seonid, Sart Stink (1)- Wyrmhero Conquestor (1)- Joe in the Bush I am Stick (1)- Stink No Vote (2)- Wonko, Conquestor Player List

It's finished! Or, as finished as it will get for a while. I printed a physical copy to give to Brandon at Boskone, and he seemed to enjoy it a lot. I wish that I had been able to put more illustrations in it, but there simply wasn't time. I am inordinately fond of my Thaylen eyebrows illustration, though. I feel like it really captures the spirit of the mashup. I'm also quite pleased with the Unkalaki tongue twisters. If only I had figured out a way to stick "Airsick lowlanders!" in somewhere. Anyway, here is the book! (Spoilered for size) I hope you like it! I also had some partial drafts for Stormlight versions of other Seuss books that I didn't make the cut for inclusion. So there may eventually be a sequel or improved draft that includes The Bitter Battle Book (about the war on the shattered plains) and a version of Green Eggs and Ham ("Amaram, Lord Amaram, I do not like the Diagram").

TL;DR: I hypothesize that the Southern Scadrians' medallions introduced in The Bands of Mourning avoid of the problem if their users being unable to tap the medallions' nicrosilmind by (temporarily) granting their users the ability to tap nicrosil, similarly to how the primer cubes can "replay" Allomantic powers. --- So, I've been chatting with @Spoolofwhool and a couple of other guys in Discord - about Cosmere things, but most often about the nature of necrosil as an Allomantic and Feruchemical metal. We did a lot of going around in circles and went on a lot of tangents, but one thing that came out of a few hours worth of chat is that I now have an idea about how Allik's medallions can be created. But first, let's talk about why they don't make sense. Here's how the medallions are described in The Bands of Mourning: So we have an unkeyed nicrosilmind filled with the powers of an iron Ferring. Already there are several powers in play - nicrosil Feruchemy, aluminum Feruchemy, and iron Feruchemy. Reading the entire passage, there is also copper Feruchemy, but I think that the mechanics involved in creating a medallion with one power are different from the mechanics involved in adding a second or third, so we'll ignore that for now. So how do three (or more) Ferrings (whether they are natural or Hemalurgic - we'll get to that later) create a medallion that allows anyone to fill/tap Feruchemical iron? Let me list a few requirements before we try to assemble them together in a hypothesis: If a necrosil Ferrings (a Soulbearer) simply fills their nicrosilmind, this metalmind is only available to them (it is keyed to their Identity) Aluminum Ferrings (Trueselves) can fill an aluminummind with their Identity, allowing them - if they had access to other Feruchemical powers - to create unkeyed metalminds of those powers. Given an unkeyed metalmind, only a person who can tap the given power should be able to tap it. For example, the unkeyed goldmind Wayne got in The Bands of Mourning was useless to Wax, as Wax cannot fill/tap gold. So we seem to have a lot of the ingredients we need for those medallions. If a Soulbearer got their hands on an a piece of aluminum and the power to fill/tap it, they could create an unkeyed nicrosilmind by dumping their Identity while filling the nicrosilmind. From here, they can hand the proto-medallion to an iron Ferring, who will then be able to drop their Identity in an aluminummind (assuming they too could do what a Trueself does), fill themselves with the ability to fill/tap investiture, and then fill a nicrosilmind with their own ability to use Feruchemical iron. Voala, a medallion! There are some variations to these steps, but all of them boil down to creating an unkeyed nicrosilmind. For example, you can start with the Soulbearer, have them create a (keyed) nicrosilmind, give that to a Trueself, have them drop their Identity - which VenDell speculates is possible: From here, it's the same. We have a person with both the nicrosil and aluminum Feruchemical powers, so they can create that proto-medallion that is the unkeyed nicrosilmind. There is a problem with all of this, however, and I've been intentionally ignoring it. The problem is that even if you could create a medallion (and obviously they can be created), regardless of the mechanics behind it, how is Marasi (or almost anyone) able to tap the nicrosilmind in it in the first place? Once she gains the ability to use Feruchemical nicrosil, everything else is fine - she can fill herself with the investiture stored in the medallion's nicrosilmind, which in turn grants her the power to use iron Feruchemy. But that first step, the ability to tap nicrosil, that seems problematic... Fortunately, there is hope in this WoB: So, not much new in this WoB - we already knew you could hack yourself and gain access to powers you are not supposed to have. But the medallions don't appear to be spiking anyone who puts them on, so it's pretty safe to assume that it is not the way they grant their bearer the ability to tap nicrosil. But I include it here because it is directly relevant to the medallions we are investigating. With this in mind, if we accept that what the medallions are doing is similar to Hemalurgy in the sense that they graft a special bit to their bearers' Spiritweb, one that allows them to use Feruchemical nicrosil (akin to being spiked with the same ability), then we need to turn our efforts to figuring how an item could grant Feruchemical powers without much stabbing. Fortunately, we've almost seen one! The primer cubes seem to be doing almost exactly what we need them to do - they get charged with a specific power (admittedly it's an Allomantic power, but it's not unreasonable to assume that they can work with a Feruchemical one as well), and then they "pulse" that power around them. Now, Allomantic powers work differently from Feruchemical ones - it's a net-positive system, after all. For Allomancy, the primer cube seems to work by "memorizing" the power being used nearby, and then replaying it a little later - either by "pretending" to be a metal being burned (letting the power of Preservation in), or by using its own power source to replicate the effects of the original power; not important which one. It's possible that the cubes work similarly for Feruchemy, but because of the much lower energy investiture requirements of Feruchemy, the effects would last much longer. In other words, I suspect that the medallions really contain an additional bit of metal in them, a little bit of harmonium, that "records" a nicrosil Ferring tapping their metalmind; maybe even the Ferring who created each individual medallion (to avoid Identity shenanigans), and then continuously grant that power to whoever is touching the medallion. Once that's taken care of, whoever is wearing the medallion can finally tap the nicrosilmind in the medallion and grant themselves whatever additional power the medallion is supposed to give (e.g. the Feruchemical ability to store/tap weight). So that's it. I think the secret to the medallions is harmonium. It, similarly to how it functions in the primer cubes, grants whoever is holding the medallion the ability to tap nicrosil by "replaying" a pre-programmed nicrosil tap - which they do, filling themselves with whatever ability was stored in that nicrosilmind. I am, of course, aware that what I am doing is making the existing evidence kind of fit an idea I had, but I also think a lot of the pieces fit nicely. Harmonium is a large unknown quantity, of course, but what I am assuming about it is similar enough to what we have already seen it do so I think that's safe enough. I am also aware that there are some problems with the theory (which I won't mention), and I am looking forward to getting those hammered out sometime prior to the release of Oathbringer, so I can chat with Brandon about it all I know I also hinted at we'll look into the Ferrings involved in the creation of the medallions might be created via Hemalurgy instead - but the theory is already longer than I intended it, so we'll leave that for another day. Maybe when we discuss what the Excisors are, as they sound vaguely Hemalurgic in nature, and are required for the creation of the medallions.

That's terrible. Hydra's image color is green, not red. Whoever made that cup has clearly never read the comics.

<Currently at a party, so writeup to be edited in later.> <At party, so really only telling seekers their results> Jondesu was lynched! He was a Citizen with no items Arinian was killed! Ecthelion was attacked, but survived! Votes: Jondesu (3): Bugsy, Arinian Doc (0): Ecthelion Alvron (1): Doc, Darkness ascendant Magestar (2): Alvron, bartimaeus Drought (1): Elenion Bugsy (1): Jondesu Darkness Ascendant (2): Silverblade, Conquestor

Boskone Day 2 Preliminary Report Not a ton of questions answered, but a few juicy ones. Perhaps the biggest: VOIDBINDING CHART IS CONFIRMED! As he answered another question, Brandon mentioned in passing that yes, the rear endsheet of WoK is about voidbinding. That has been RAFO'd and argued a bunch over the past several years, so I was shocked to hear him share that info. (at ~46 min in the Rithmatist Q&A) In general, Brandon tended to expound on his answers this time around, rather than going for the short Yes/No/RAFO. The events of the day: A demo of Mistborn: House War, which @DAdam got to play. He can give a report on that. Brandon arrived near the end and gave us about 20 minutes of impromptu Q&A. A panel with Joshua Bilmes (agent), Moshe Feder (editor), Michael Whelan (artist), and Emily Sanderson (wife) talking about the making of his career. It was fun to hear their stories of how they met each other, and hear them compliment (and poke fun at) one another. No book related questions. Rithmatist Q&A. Fans met to discuss the book, and Brandon joined us part way through to answer questions. Tons of background info on the world, magic, and writing process of the Rithmatist. After the allotted time, he moved out into the hall and transitioned into a general Q&A. (Unrelated to Brandon: I also got to have a great conversation with Max Gladstone, and later with Jane Yolen, both of whom were super awesome.) These recordings are available for you to listen or transcribe: (links will take you to Google Drive) Friday Signing Line (2 h 18 min, 260 MB) House War Q&A (22 min, 42 MB) Rithmatist Q&A (55 min, 103 MB) Career Panel (56 min, 105 MB) Note: no book-related questions Questions I asked (paraphrased): Q. Could a Soother prevent a listener from attuning a given rhythm? A. No. A coppercloud could, but I hadn't thought about emotional allomancy interacting. See, the rhythm isn't your emotion and doesn't determine your mood. It is a direct connection to the spiritual realm. So I guess soothing could make it harder just like it makes anything harder, in the same way that driving a car would be harder. It is possible that a coppercloud could play with it. Not a normal power of a coppercloud, but you've seen them do stuff similar. Q. From the Great Circle in Nebrask we know that defenses can be scaled up immensely. Could you also scale up and make a Godzilla sized chalkling? A. This is theoretically possible. Q. If you draw a line of Forbiddance on a chalkboard on the ground and hit the line, will the chalkboard move? A. (heavily paraphrased) No. I get asked this a lot. Rithmatist started out in the Cosmere, so many of the Cosmere rules of perception apply. If you try to draw a line of Forbiddance on something that doesn't cognitively seem stable enough to provide support, the magic won't take. Once the line is in place, moving it is extremely difficult. If you did manage to move the line or the thing it was drawn on, the magic would dissolve. Unless the canon versions of books 2 & 3 contradict this, assume that the same rules apply to Rithmatic lines as to speed bubbles. Other important Rithmatist tidbits: Book 3 is to be called The Nebraskan. The Rithmatist was originally set in the cosmere and was designed to showcase some spiritual realm entities (including both the shadowblaze and the forgotten), to demonstrate how they work. They are different from cognitive entities in important ways, including that they find linear time (and any sort of structure, really) to be a foreign concept.

Then you get temporarily hurt, learn about yourself, and grow.

I agree with both of these points. I think it's important to note that the typical view of a god ( at least most Christian views) are of a perfect, omniscient being who is not bound by Intents. Comparatively, Sazed is just a mortal who took the shards and while he did have his copperminds, he was far from omniscient. He did what he thought was best, and it didn't turn out perfect, but can you blame him? He doesn't instinctively know what he should do. Couple that with the fact that the opposing nature of the two shards make it hard for him to act, and you can see why things turned out the way they did. Also this piece from BoM, I think this is important beacuse maybe Sazed does interfere more than the people realize. The only viewpoint characters we have are regular mortals, none from Sazed's view, so I think its a very real possibility. Overall, I think he has done a pretty decent job.

oh Elodin the master namer .... what can i say that has not already been said. such an vivid and surprising character .... so surprising in fact that he seems to have dethroned Elend and maried Vin. rly good idea if cards like these are made i would buy them intantly

This is a super cool idea! I like most of the choices, though I feel like four Hoids would be better as the Joker cards (some decks have 4 Jokers, I believe, plus that's Hoid in a nutshell). For Aces, I'd go with Shards - Aona, Edgli, Tanavast and Leras or Sazed.

Continuing on with my Highprince translation attempts, I've found two possibilities for this glyph: My interpretations on this glyph are spoilered below for length. *Apologies for the crappy mouse-writing* What do you think? Does the glyph work better as Ruthar or Thanadal? Did I miss anything? Just for fun, I'll attempt to narrow this one down by using the last "Unknown highprince glyph": Next, I went to a new glyph to interpret, and came upon this one: Interpretations below. Just for fun, I'm attempting the translation of the last "Unknown" Highprince glyph, in order to narrow down the Thanadal/Ruthar above. Here's what I have so far:

It is a Core Possibility, and Rithmatist is not officially one (but Peter has an argument that it, and Alcatraz, should be).

I think you meant:

Warbreaker spoilers below, but I freaked out and quite literally jumped out of my chair during my first readthrough of WoR when I realized that

Perhaps Cusicesh is one of the unmade, and some hero long ago measured and recorded Cusicesh coming out of the water and performing its routine at 7:46 am a long time ago, and now it's stuck in this cycle; forever condemned to just the briefest glimpse of what it used to be. Locking an unmade into a relatively harmless moment. What a champ. I'd hate to see what happens when the recording is destroyed...

Hello everybody, my name is scyron. I have read all the Cosmere and most everything else of Brandon's except for Alcatraz. As seems to be the case with all newbies as of late, I have lurked on here and the Coppermind for quite a while and have finally decided to come out of the shadows and participate. During all that time spent lurking I've learned a few things: Never accept cookies from strangers. I've heard they are bad for your soul. (so don't even try) Avoid Dark Alleys at all costs. All kinds of disturbing stuff goes on in there. Anyone who does not read Sanderson's books is an airsick lowlander Hoid... just Hoid Reckoners is in fact, not Cosmere Stick is a Stick, a whole Stick, and nothing but a Stick Brandon Sanderson is the best author to ever exist and this is the best fandom (who am I kidding, I already knew that). Congratulations to everyone who finds this! You are the true fans! I'm excited to get to know all of you and look forward to my time here.And this one! Kudos to you if you got this far -scyron

/u/Topsyt on Reddit posted a great theory today about Cusicesh. And I think one of the comments, by /u/statemint, rounded the theory out really well. You can see the link for the original. Cusicesh Cusicesh is a massive (100 ft tall), strange spren (supposedly) who appears every day in the Kasitor Bay of Iri. He appears at the same time (7:46 am), splashes out illusory waves of water, rapidly flashes various human faces while facing the Origin, and then submerges. He is locally known as "Cusicesh the Protector", and many worship him. Those nearby, who witness Cusicesh's display, feel "drained" according to Axies: Dai-gonarthis Dai-gonarthis, also called the Black Fisher, is only mentioned once (quote below). /u/Topsyt notes that his name (and alias) has a strong resemblance to Dagon, a pagan, Canaanite deity associated (traditionally) with fish. This follows the usual naming convention for suspected Unmade (see Moelach/Nergaoul and Moloch/Nergal). Paired with the cryptic introduction of Dai-gonarthis, there is little doubt he is an Unmade. Connection: the sea Note that both Cusicesh and Dai-gonarthis are related to the sea. Cusicesh "resides" in Kasitor Bay and splashes illusory waves of water. Dai-gonarthis is known as the Black Fisher and is perhaps inspired by a god that has connections to the sea. Connection: "draining" people Notice what the person in the Death Rattle above is saying. The speaker feels deep hurt and sorrow then calls to Dai-gonarthis. Next Dai-gonarthis "holds" that sorrow and "consumes" it. Might we say that he has "drained" the speaker's deep emotions? We have strong reason to suspect that the Unmade affect (or, perhaps, infect) the people within a certain area. Nergaoul causes the Thrill while Death Rattles are related to Moelach, and from what Taravangian says we have reason to believe that proximity to these matter. Could it be that Dai-gonarthis is an Unmade who siezes and consumes... emotions?... something from those who are nearby. This is very similar to Axies' experience with Cusicesh, who left feeling "as if something had been leeched from him". Two Interpretations /u/Topsyt argues that Cusicesh is Dai-gonarthis. There are a number of connections between the two, as we have seen. He further argues that Brandon likes to hide things in plain sight, and Cusicesh as an Unmade would be just that. There's also a notable conversation between Shallan and Pattern where Shallan (somewhat mistakenly) relates Cusicesh and Odium. A tease perhaps? /u/statemint takes another approach. The connections between the two are certainly present. But how do you explain Dai-gonarthis's... apparent weakness? Under the original theory, we can only guess. Maybe he has been weakened somehow. Maybe he is biding his time. Maybe he is having more influence than we realize. But perhaps there's an obvious answer. Cusicesh is known as "the Protector". Could it be that he is, indeed, protecting the Iriali from Dai-gonarthis? Could it be that Cusicesh is actually a spren who is holding Dai-gonarthis captive, consequently limiting the range and effect of the Unmade's influence to nearly nothing? Additional Speculation From the Wikipedia page, Dagon was sometimes viewed as a "protector". If Cusicesh is indeed Dai-gonarthis himself, this connection seems fitting. Furthermore, Dagon was also sometimes considered a judge of the dead. Perhaps this is related to the faces that Cusicesh displays? (this fits with either theory, I think) What do you guys think? See any other connections here? Anybody have additional insights on Dagon which might hint at more? If the "draining" feeling is associated with Dai-gonarthis, what do you think is going on there?

I forget which one it was I joined shortly after my Ed: separation. Not divorce. I met some true dregs of the opposite sex lol that made me run for the hills! seriously though if your ready and can spare it for a mth then do it. Who knows maybe you ll meet him/her. If your leery about attempting then just hold off for now. let us know. We care about ya

Great point. I tracked it down, it's not a WoB, it's from Peter. That's gonna throw off my work, since I had assumed all Alethi Js were English Ys, and I'd only identified one potential English J.

O_o I can't unsee it now.

He definitely had his Hoidsense during the events of the first Mistborn trilogy. source That sounds exactly like Hoidsense to me.

Popping in to note that I have spent the better part of the last five hours catching up on the week's worth of thread I missed (this past weekend was... mm. 'Not pleasant' is a kind way to put it, and I haven't had time to catch up since then.), not counting this thread as yet. As it is after midnight, I am now going to bed, and will read this thread and post in the morning. Also, even assuming 100 wpm (given I was very distracted and reading critically is slower, but my usual wpm is about 500), 5 hours makes that 30,000 words in the last two and a half cycles alone. You guys talk a lot.

I didn't like the characters as much. They feel....flat. And they felt similar to Wax and Wayne. But I liked the plot very much. I had suspicions about Davis being a dupe in another Snapshot, but I did not expect Davis planning to kill Chaz at all. The Brandonbot never fails to deliver plot twists. I do hope to see more of this world, it's one of the most interesting worlds among his works. Is this a Core Possibility? (omg is Rithmatist one?)

oh dear. Good luck on finding a new advisor! and good luck with your out of school activities. *hugs*

I just finished reading it and while I do think it is a good story it is definitely not my favorite thing Brandon has ever written. Which is perfectly alright not everything will resonate as well with everyone, and I'm sure there is someone out there that will love Snapshot in the way I love The Rithmatist, that person just isn't me. I will admit that I did not see either twist coming (that Davis wasn't real or that he was planning to kill Chaz). I think part of my issue is that it could be argued that the ending is essentially "And it was all a dream", but then again there is the question on whether the people in Snapshots are real or not. @ccstat Makes a great point about it being fundamentally hopeful, but I don't know if I agree. Sure one person can make a difference, but in this instance the good guy dies whereas the murderer lives, which is kind of depressing. I do want to learn more about that world though.

My reaction is that I am at work today and can't read

Cycle 2: Life is a Dance Avrao Ngao danced. Dancing was not correct. Dancing was lifeless movement compared to this. This was Flight. This was life. But there was no other word that she knew to describe it. Her feet moved from stone to stone in the empty moonlit square, each one never touching the ground for more than a breath. On occasion, the butt of her Spear, or the palm of a hand would hit the ground instead, and she would flip through the air, always landing with a smile on her faces, and closed eyes, the Spear out to one side to balance herself. She danced through the square that before had been used to execute a hundred skaa. Svetao had once told her that places of life could not be turned into graveyards unless they were forgotten and ignored. This square was no graveyard. It had been a market. It had been a debate hall. It had been a bustling school, and a training yard. It would not be remembered for the executions, as long as Avrao remembered it. She swept a foot out, an arm swinging in the opposite direction, the spear twirling across her shoulders. She spun to a standing position, spear at her side in a dramatic pose as she finished the dance, her chest heaving with exertion. For the first time since the start of the dance, she opened her eyes. The mist swirled in circles around her, mimicking the moves of her dance. They spun and flipped and flowed around her, She turned slowly, admiring the thick patches of it. It was everywhere, filling the empty air with a warm caress. She felt at home in the mist especially when she had the Spear. It welcomed her, like a loving mother. A soft clapping filled the square, banishing the peace of the night. She turned, narrowing in on the sound. A man stood on the edge of the square, clapping with a gentle smile. “That was beautiful, a work of art. Please, who are you?” Avrao grinned. “My name is Avrao. Who are you?” “Someone who collects things. Tell me, that spear, it feels, powerful. What is it? Where did you get it?” She raised the spear, admiring it once again. “It was a gift from my mother. She claimed it was the Spear that took the first life of the Survivor, and the last life of the Lord Ruler.” “Amazing. An artist, and a Historian? You are a treasure girl. You preserve, and you create. Please, may I hold the spear?” “Of course, for a gentleman such as yourself.” He held the spear like a mother cradled a newborn. He wrapped his arms about it, grinning in excitement. “This is brilliant! Where did you mother find it?” Avrao shrugged. “In a dusty old cupboard was all she ever said about it. I kept it in another until she died.” “Please, may I borrow this, and return it on the morrow? I wish to study it in detail.” “Of course! History and Art are meant to be shared. I’ll be dancing here again tomorrow night, just bring it back then.” They said their farewells, and departed. Avrao smiling as she danced down the street, sending ripples through the mist. She danced through Luthadel, until she arrived at the house she shared with nearly a dozen other skaa. No candles were lit, which was odd for this time of night, but not odd enough to deter her from entering the building. But the smell of blood, that was enough. The pale light of the night flitted into the doorway. Avrao stood frozen, staring at the scene. A dozen dead skaa filled the room. All of them had been torn apart by something, something vicious. There was a throaty growl from the dark recesses of the building, and avrao could only watch, as the shadows slid off her killer. Bugsy was lynched! They Survived! Daniyah was killed! She had Item: Spear of the Survivor and Item: Colourful Stone A Player was attacked, but survived! Votes: Drought (0): _stick_ Silverblade (1): Conquestor Arinian (1): Bartimeaus Jondesu (3): Phattemer, Assassin in Burgundy, Elenion, Bugsy Bugsy (5): Jondesu, Lopen, Ecthelion III, Alvron Doc (1): Daniyah Time until Cycle 3 Player List:

I could read entire books about Syl taking a stand. The other big moment is her standing up to the Stormfather in WoR.

Revelation/Thought - we know he's been reading the way of kings for a long time. There is this: He is hearing a voice speaking the First Ideal to him a little over 1/3rd of the way into WoK, at a point where the killing in a battle is sickening him and he's trying to summon the Thrill My guess is, he has spoken the words well before. Maybe even years ago when Gavilar was "studying tWoK", maybe shortly thereafter, when he changed his ways and started "reading" it for himself. Eitherway, my guess is that potential Bondsmiths when they speak those words, start their bonding of the Stormfather, which is the vehicle that allows them to receive the visions in the first place. Only potential Bondsmiths can receive the visions is my thought right now. Any previous healing... probably from the Thrill, maybe the Thrill also gives access to Stormlight. It's probably a type of Nahel bond with the corrupt Unmade spren. If that is the case, it would explain why the feeling is familiar, even before his staring to form a Nahel bond.

We were all thinking it anyway

When Elhokar ends up at Lopen's mom's house at the end of WoR...that's pretty funny lol

To tell the truth I really didn't care that much for the Shallan character so that quote didn't do anything for me. I am a sexist I prefer Kaladin's story. Even though I am a sexist I really enjoy the Jasnah character. I root for Jasnah and Kaladin to end up romantically entangled:P

Unluckly no, it was a long digression to the role of the Identity in Realmatic Theory. From a simple question Bradon give us a lot of Information of Investiture's Interference there and how the Identity is the key part that allow your Investiture to not work aganist you. EDIT: I probably mixed two WoB together, one it is: and the other the explaination about drawn Stormlight from an active Shardplate EDITING THE EDIT: I found the other (from a Post of mine):

Here is one I made today, not specific but still I think it gets the feeling of being a Sanderson reader.

This is the one Spoolofwhool's referencing. *Saved as "Hoops to awaken" in my mondo-folder of WoBs. Note that it's a paraphrase; and though it's a few months before the anyone with Breath can Awaken WoB, that one is also a bit sketchy to extend out to anyone with Breath can awaken, since the statement wasn't really in a worldhopping context: it could easily be interpreted as "anyone from Nalthis can awaken".

I remember to the contrary: anyone with Breath can Awaken. You might be thinking that not all Innate Investiture can be used for Awakening.

Quite sharp answer, on the point: Rereading Arclos wording is quite ominous and reminded me of the blurb on WoK: "We watch the others. The assassin. The surgeon. The liar. The highprince. But not you." Axies is a Siah Aimian, the ones with blue nails and crystalline deep blue eyes, who can change their appearance (including writings on the skin). Arclo: "I can pass for human almost as well as a Siah can these days,..." - Siah Aimians still cast shadows in the wrong way, see Axies interlude in WoK. Dysian Aimians are mentioned first by Wit to Dalinar in WoK: "I wonder if you could do that to a man. Pull him apart, emoton by emotion, bit by bit, bloody chunk by bloody chunk. Then combine them back together into something else, like a Dysian Aimian." I don't know if there is more about them in WoR, since I have only the hardcover version (e-books are so much easier to search). Until Oathbringer is available, another reread of WoR will be possible, though. Now the question is: Are all sleepless Dysian Aimians, or are there other kinds?

Reminds me of an episode of an old TV show called Psych where, because of a rather long story, the main character, Shawn Spencer (a notorious goofball) must run for mayor. Before his first televised interview with a reporter, his campaign manager tells him that if he is asked a question he doesn't know the answer to, he should answer the question he wishes he'd been asked instead. So…. Interviewer: Mr. Spencer, if elected, how would you balance the city of Santa Barbara's budget? Shawn: (after a long pause) You know, people think I like red jellybeans the best, but I'm actually very fond of the blue ones. It's not half as funny when Trump does it.

WoR Spoilers

Okay, I think I got it. Here we go: