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  1. I was with a group of people talking with Brandon for two hours in a hallway, and it was fantastic. A lot of what he said was awesome, and I retained some of it, but it would take some time to say it all specifically. Here are some random details. - Dalinar's wife isn't some minor character who's been mentioned somewhere else. She's someone completely new. - In one of the Interludes in Oathbringer, there's a character reading a bad romance novel, and he went nuts with the purple prose. - He hates the Hobbit movies. - His youngest son, Oliver, watches a ton of YouTube videos, and now believes that when you stop playing with something, you have to give the "Please like and subscribe" spiel, so he does that all the time. - He says the secret to approaching an editor is to ask them about what books they're editing, then pitch your own book at the end of the conversation. When he sold his first book, he spent three hours talking to the editor before he pitched his book at the end. - There are beta readers who are only just realizing in Oathbringer that Kaladin has depression. - His cat has a really long name. It starts with Pine Cone, and that's what they can the cat, but I think the full name is Pine Cone Neko Hello Kitty Chan Sparkle Oliver Sanderson. - I mentioned asking him about the Shardfork in the AMA, and he said, "Oh, so you're the Shardfork guy. You put that idea in my head." He said that he'll draw a fork in my copy of Arcanum Unbounded. - He said that foreshadowing is actually one of the easiest parts. His sweet spot for twists is 1/3 people guessing it ahead of time and most of the rest figuring it out on the page before. - Sixth of the Dusk is roughly 200 years after everything else in the Cosmere. - When working on Wheel of Time, he asked how Morgase was pronounced, and the two people he was talking to disagreed on how Robert Jordan pronounced it. Also, he had recordings of all the pronunciations sent to him, which he put on his iPod and shuffled with his songs. - He mentions fan theories and drawing the lines before fanservice when taking over The Wheel of Time. He mentioned that a lot of people wanted to see Narg, and he could have put him in there, but he didn't, obviously. But lots of people were asking about various things like sideways gateways, and he thought, "If 9 out of 10 fans are thinking about it, somebody in world should think about it." He gave my Shardfork as an example. - Sazed counting down the religions in The Hero of Ages wasn't originally there, but he added it to give the character a sense of progression. He says that negative progression can be as interesting as positive progression. - He finds Indian names difficult. - Another author, Kay Hawkins, showed up to give him a copy of her first book, The Stars Will Rise. She said that she met him earlier when she was going through a rough time, and now she's better and has her book out. All in all, it was great talking to him. He's really nice, and I would recommend. My brother is going to be there with people playing Magic with him tomorrow. I don't play Magic, but I'll be hanging around there.
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  2. LG33: Term 3, Month 1 - Work Telar stood in the dark and cold, looking around him. He wasn’t even sure where he was now, and probably wouldn’t be able to do anything until morning. All he knew is that he’d followed… something… here, and then it had vanished without warning. He walked over to the nearest wall and slid down it. Seemed he had a lot of waiting to do… He slipped into thoughts of the past. The Chancellor’s speech, his work, the meaning of life. Perhaps his work, that which he created which no one else had thought of before - perhaps that was the meaning. He wasn’t sure. He’d have to consider it at length later, when he wasn’t freezing cold in a strange alley at night. He tried to doze off, but something more than the cold kept him awake. A sense of being watched. He suddenly started to full wakefulness and looked around. That was his last movement, but for falling to the ground. He gave a gasp, and then silence filled the night again. Varda was angry. “What did you boys think you were doing?” Medicus Novis, Greyson, and Darian looked at her with the same guilt. “We didn’t mean to, Chancellor, honestly,” Greyson said. “You didn’t mean to cause a student to die? You were the ones who led him down into the streets and left him there.” “It was just teasing him and making him a little scared,” Darian protested. “That may be true. I, unfortunately, can’t afford to believe that. Telar was found dead the next morning. There is absolutely no proof you didn’t have foreknowledge of what would happen. “I’m sorry, if you’re innocent. You are henceforth expelled from the University, and may never set foot on its grounds again after today.” William Opuscule glared at the bars. They were the obvious way to escape. Too obvious. No doubt they had been reinforced in some way. The walls and floor would be the same. The door? Well, maybe. He’d check that out later. It would have to be clear enough that the warden, as he’d taken to calling him, could get in with the food. Of course, he’d been told not to escape. But he figured that didn’t apply to him. That instruction really only applied to insane people. “And I’m not insane, right, Bart?” Yep. Well then. Out the ceiling he’d go. He grabbed the wooden spoon provided with his meal. “Care to give me a lift, Bart?” Yep. They’d told him that nobody had escaped from the crockery in over 20 years. That suited him just fine. It would mean that he’d be the first. *** William stumbled out onto the roof of the crockery. Hah! He raised a triumphal arm weakly. That’d show them. It had taken him over a month of scraping, but they didn’t pay attention to the ceiling as they had the walls. Once he’d gotten the rhythm down, it was easy enough. Now he just had to escape to… Hmm. The university suited him like nowhere else he’d known. “And plus,” he reasoned, “There’s things going on here. Real interesting things. No need to leave just yet. Maybe when things cool down, eh, Bart?” Yep. Randuir was killed! He was a Student! Arinian, Drake Marshall, and Straw were expelled! PK has broken out of the Crockery! (All credit goes to him with his writeup.) A name was used. Arinian, Aonar, BrightnessRadiant, Eolhondras, Joe, Jondesu, Orlok, and Ornstein were elevated! Term 3 has begun. You have 42 hours to submit all orders (actions, Imre, elevation points, etc). Player List 1. Queensteph - Vintish Noblewoman 2. Randuir (Telar Pike) - Yllish Commoner Student 3. Hemalurgic Headshot (Noremac Quwester) - Aturan Nobleman 4. Aonar (Aodhan Breacadh) - Edema Ruh 5. Wilson (Sloan Walker) - Cealdish Commoner 6. Straw (Medicus Novis) - Yllish Commoner 7. Paranoid King (William Opuscule) - Yllish Commoner 8. Ornstein (John Springer) - Aturan Nobleman 9. Jondesu (Vell) - Yllish Commoner 10. Drake Marshall (Greyson) - Cealdish Commoner 11. Assassin in Burgundy (Jurdaan Longfell) - Yllish Commoner 12. Burnt Spaghetti (Dele Fajro) - Vintish Noblewoman 13. Orlok (Locke Alveron) - Cealdish Commoner 14. Magestar (Magestar) - Vintish Nobleman Insane 15. Alvron (Stryker Nox) - Cealdish Commoner 16. Arinian (Darian) - Aturan Nobleman 17. Stick (Stick) - Aturan NobleStick 18. Darkness Ascendant (Balthazar Myrrh) - Yllish Commoner Student 19. Cluny the Scourge (Cluny) - Aturan Nobleman 20. Silverblade (Ryth) - Cealdish Commoner Insane 21. Amanuensis (Esuan) - Yllish Commoner 22. BrightnessRadiant (Amelia) - Aturan Noblewoman 23. Eolhondras (Eolah) - Yllish Commoner 24. STINK - Yllish Commoner 25. Hael (Glavion) - Edema Ruh Insane 26. Sart (Titud) - Edema Ruh 27. Joe (Chalks) - Yllish Commoner
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  3. Brandon is now running a Magic tournament, and the Winners will be in Oathbringer. I'm not in it, because I don't play Magic, but I'm hanging around because my brother is there. EDIT: My brother asked for Pink Pinkness's power, and Brandon didn't have one. I asked if I could make something up and it would be canon. He said okay, so I said she could distort your vision so that you can only see pink things, and nothing else is visible to you. That's canon now. (It was a group effort, though.) EDIT 2: I asked him about the Weeping. By the end of the Weeping, all spheres are dun, so there's no Stormlight. This would have been a problem for the Radiants, so did they do anything special to get Stormlight. He said that with the information I have now, there would be weeks where they would be without Stormlight. I asked if the Highstorms and Weeping used to be different, with the bells of Kharbranth as evidence. He RAFOed me.
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  4. The reading was cool! I didn't record it (I might have if I had space on my phone), but I'll give you the gist of it. Also, at the signing, he answered my question and my brother's question at the signing. Mine relates to the reading, while my brother's is about Reckoners. My question: My brother's question:
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  5. Well, here we go. My date starts in a couple of hours. Wish me luck.
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  6. His Imperial Majesty, he who I am honoured to address, my future self. I write, as is now custom, to remind you of our journey. The keystone of this month, of course, is our elevation. I told you of the complaint we received last term, made as I understand by a student envious of our glory and majesty. I will have my revenge upon them, when I discover their identity. I trust, in your omnipotence, and righteous anger, that you have also taken action to make an example of their family, as is fair and proportionate? I eagerly await discovering what we have done to them. I was summoned to the Horns, following the complaint. We are fortunate, however, to live in enlightened times. The Chancellor, whilst weak willed, is capable of recognising my power and potential. Perhaps hoping for mercy when I come to rule, instead of punishing me, elevated me. She's entirely wrong, of course. There will not be mercy, but it is entertaining to watch her seek it. The chair of the psychologists' society contacted me, today, suspecting unusual behaviour in my mind, and wishing to observe me. It is greatly pleasing to me for another to recognise the magnificence of my mental functions, and it will be an honour to demonstrate my superiority to them. I hope that they can learn from studying me, and that we can raise a new generation of Vintish children cultivated in my image. With warm regards, and wishing you an entertaining day, Locke Alveron, in the second month of our second term at The University.
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  7. His father's letter had filled Telar with a sense of guilt. He hadn't been completely truthful about how well his studies had been going in the last letter he'd sent home, and he hadn't been able to bring himself to write another one since. Still, his studies had bee going somewhat better since then, though Telar still couldn't imagine himself becoming a doctor, like his father wanted. With a sigh, Telar put the letter down and started looking for some paper to write a response. AS he did so, he noticed a new scrap of paper on the floor of his room. He picked it up, and was surprised to recognize the graceful writing of his aunt. Telar wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at the letter. It must have been a long time though, as the room seemed to have gone all misty. He looked at the blank appear he'd picked up to write a reply, but he couldn't think of anything to write. Instead he packed something light to eat and headed to the archives. There was probably some additional assignment or exercise he should really be doing, rather than writing letters, or thinking about home or...
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  8. The Cognitive Realm is one of the best-kept secrets of the Cosmere. Sometimes it almost feels crowded considering how little people know about it. Between the Physical and Spiritual Realms, the thoughts and ideas of intelligent beings take shape in this dimension. Worldhoppers use Perpindicularities to enter this realm physically and take shortcuts to other worlds. It is also the home of the spren of Roshar. In this Letters from the Cosmere Elsric takes a solid look at the Realmatic Theory about the Cognitive Realm and how its rules work for a Worldhopper. Here is this episode's transcript: I wonder if writing two letters back to back for the same person makes me conceded, or desperate. It seems haughty that I would already have something apparently so important to inform you about. Yet I waste your time with frivolous sentences about what I happen to be thinking at any given moment. The fact that I am enjoying the thought of you forcing yourself to read this right now seems to establish the point quite nicely. Well now that we have that out of the way, you must understand that the scholar in me cannot simply let my first letter be whisked away with only a generalized version of “The Cosmere.” I mean the fact that you found me in my little Manor on Nalthis proves that you understand that much about the Cosmere already. But I needed to start somewhere and I cannot help but think that someday someone will be reading these words who has never learned Realmatic Theory before. So, to you my future reader, turn back now before the insatiable curiosity grabs you by the throat and drags you away screaming. It will be easier for you to just move on, living your life. Now that I have your attention, dear reader, and your annoyance dear recipient, I wish to better define the Cognitive Realm and its import on my life. I first discovered a perpendicularity by accident. I had been delving into the secrets my rivals were trying very hard to keep. Let me remind you that a perpendicularity is a location or event where concentrated investiture creates a hole between dimentions. I like to think of them as Shard Pools. Call me simple minded, but they are places where investiture pools together all at once. I have thought long and hard about this. We exist in three (known) levels of existance simultaneously. We are very familure with the physical nature of our existance for it is the one we we are born interacting with directly. We are also existant in the spiritual realm where our essence is at it’s most pure. Somewhere between these two realms exists the Cognitive realm. This realm exists as a smoky mirror of it’s more substantial counterparts. The Cognitive realm reflects the physical realm in general shape, but is maluble and easily changed with investiture, which essentially is energy from the Spiritual Realm. The three realms exist in states that are fundamentally different from each other, despit the fact that they are intertwined. The physical worlds upon which we live are large planets suspended in around suns. We live on globes where if we travel in a strait line for long enough, we will end up right where we started. These spheres are the separated from others like them by vast distances in space. The Cognitive realm follows a different set of ruls. Everything there essentially exists on a 2 dimentional plane. Now it’s not literally two dimentional, for when you visit it will feel similar to the surface of your homeland. If you think of a planet as a globe, then the cognitive realm is like a map of the globe. Essentially they are same in shape, but the Cognitive Version of the world has edges that extend into the beyond. When you move off the cognitive world, you step into a dark zone where little to nothing exists. This essentially is leaving the planet. In fact, all cognitive realms are connected to every other world populated with intelligent beings. Because the landscape is created and maintained by intelligent, cognitive thought, it means that the gaps between worlds is relatively small. This two-dimensional existence and connection between the various worlds is what allows worldhoppers like myself to travel across the void and into other nations and cultures. One of the great secrets of the Cosmere is not just the fact that there are other worlds with people on them, but that there are more than can currently be visited. In my travels, I have passed over worlds with populations that are isolated from the rest of the Cosmere. Worlds where there are no natural perpendicularities. Someday I hope to visit these worlds somehow, perhaps discover how humans came to live there without the intervention of a Shard. I’d even assume that they have no access to investiture, but that would be presumptuous of me. I also need to note something that I forgot last time. Each world looks different in the Cognitive Realm. Now there are consistencies, like how bodies of water tend to be represented as stable landmasses in the Cognitive Realm while typical landmasses are large churning oceans of thought that can be quite deadly to a worldhopper who is not careful. However, each world’s cognitive realm has it’s own flavor. For instance, much of Scadrial’s Cognitive Realm is made up of massive seas of mist, whereas on Roshar the ocean seems to be made up of tiny glass beads. Naturally I will be able to tell you more about the Rosharian landscape and Cognitive Realm once I get there. Now you need to remember that these oceans are not a natural phenomenon like a lake or river. These swirling depths are manifestations of the millions of minds that live in the Physical Realm. All things that have a name, a concept, or dream are manifested as tiny intelligences in the Cognitive Realm. The more personification or sentimental value that people give their objects in their world create larger, and more powerful cognitive minds. It is the use of these cognitive minds that, make living in this Realm possible for these cognitions can often be enlisted to help you, especially when you have investiture to offer. Lastly, I wish to comment on the freaky pale sun that hangs ever present over the Cognitive realm. Here there is no night or day, it’s just constantly a dull grey. The ball of light that you can see is the Spiritual realm. Honestly I’m not sure how that works but the other worldhoppers I have run into have mentioned that fact. Somehow that is what connects us all together. It’s strange, and I am sure I will have more to say on that eventually. I know I come off bitter in these letters, but you must understand my reluctance to getting involved. I don’t think I am any better at sharing information that you and your kind must be. Yet, your master’s proposal was intriguing to say the least. Besides, I owe him for saving my life. Don’t get too comfortable back there, you’ve reawakened the scholar in me. Once I get to Roshar I will locate and use a perpendicularity to return to the Physical realm. I hear it is quite a place to visit, although the rumors coming from that direction do not bode well. Until the next letter, Elsric
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  9. The Term is over. Term 3 will be posted in 6 hours.
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  10. Also, I haven't seen it mentioned, he did a reading from an from Oathbringer Interlude.
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  11. So basically, they can detect the movement of electric charges, yes? Then yes, they would in theory be able to see impulses in human nervous systems, but it would be very very VERY dim. If electric current is visible to them, then their sight would only tangentially be related to voltage. A rough analogy is to think of water flowing down hill. The voltage is the slope of the hill, but your character only sees the water flowing. Voltage is in fact a bit more complicated than that, since voltage in a circuit is only really used up in resistors, and not in wires. Which means, if they are able to see current moving in a wire, then they will be able to see electricity without knowing anything about the voltage. Of course, you could decide to let them see both voltage and current, which would be pretty damnation useful. So what does this mean for his vision abilities? Well, human nerves have a voltage across their inner and outer surfaces of about 0.07 volts. That's small, but not too tiny. It's something you might be able to come across in everyday life. Now, for the actual current of a nerve cell. I did some Googling around, and found that the average movement of charge across a neuron sell membrane is 10e-12 amps. That is tiny. incredibly tiny. Like, a millionth of a millionth of a standard amp. So, of the two, your character would be better able to see nerve impulses using voltage. However, if you limit yourself to just being able to see voltage, your character wouldn't be able to see actual electricity, just places where electricity is being used. I.e they'll be able to see the light bulb, but not the wires. I would recommend letting them see both, as that would give them a pretty wide spectrum of electrical phenomena they could detect. As for the heart, yes, it is regulated by electrical impulses, but they are very week. You could easily disrupt the flow of charges across a cellular membrane, prevent the neurons from firing, and lock up the muscles. Strokes are a completely different beast. They occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen carrying blood, usually via a blood clot getting stuck in an artery, or internal bleeding in the brain. Neither is really caused by a problem with electrical infrastructure in the body.
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  12. Hmmm... none with the same name, got a couple with powers that might fit? Border: Can manipulate the strong nuclear force in a 2 dimensional area, causing anything which enters this area to be disassembled at a subatomic level. Achieves this by drawing a line with some part of his body, a wall of faint green light is then projected upwards from this line, disintegrating anything that touches it. (Energy not completely conserved, decay produces only mild radiation, light, heat and mild lower wavelengths) Whitespace: Can manipulate written text, cannot change individual letters but can freely move the letters around so long as they don't collide with any other letters. Given the spacing of most documents this usually limits him to increasing the spaces between words or lines. (Highly restricted telekinesis, non-mentalism) Shatterswing: Can extend the range of force from blunt weapons, usually carries a metal mace which he can use to strike opponents up to a distance of 100m away. (Non-conserved, applied equally across area at strength of swing, opposing force acts on air, not Epic.)
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  13. The problem is again that Harmony didn't know the Spike's metal and this is really really strange if the Spike was made as part of his own power. But if we considerate Harmony as a liar (possible but unlikely in this context), it remains the problem of Harmony as unable to detect a Spike fueled by his own power.
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  14. I'd guess I have most in common with Shallan, too. I've slightly curly red hair and freckles, I'm an artist, and I can go on and on about random facts of flora and fauna. In school I work best when the teachers use visual aspects. I can remember pictures better than most other things, besides random facts that have nothing to do with anything. In my own mind, I run through possible witty conversations, and when I type or write, I can come up with clever things to say, but when it comes to talking to people face-to-face, I go quiet. I do lie to myself, and that's a problem in my life. I know that all this might seem a bit too much like Shallan, but it is the truth. Here, I have proof of my artistic ability. I'll hide it in the spoiler. Don't look at it if you're going to be judging me for bragging. And it's sideways.
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  15. I'm there at Ad Astra, and it seems pretty cool. I was on a elevator, and Brandon was walking by. I said, "Hey," because I wanted to greet him or something. Then my mom screamed, "BRANDON SANDERSON!" (She hasn't even read any of his books until The Emperor's Soul just today on the drive.) I'm still feeling ridiculously embarrassed.
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  16. @Oversleep Your move, flat earthers.
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  17. So, we have a small group of cosmere fans on fb and we were talking about ships and all, and one thing let to another and we came up with weird shardic realizations. A little NSFW, so putting up a warning. And if such posts are not allowed in this forum, by all means let me know or delete it. It's chill. Endowment would be the hottest of all shards because she is obviously well 'endowed'. If Devotion and Dominion were a couple, It would be pretty safe to assume that they were into bondage and stuff. If human x spren is possible, then shallan is the luckiest teenager in Roshar. Cuz pattern vibrates. If there is a survival shard, and the shard holder was female, it is very possible that "there is always another secret" refers to Kelsier and The shard holder's children. There were other way more nsfw stuff, but I am kinda hesitant to put them here :"D
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  18. You don’t want to play this game. No really, there are plenty of far better games to play than this one. Games that take place in the Cosmere, or Starwars, or I hear that Herowannabe is making an MLP game? Seriously, that game will be a lot funner than this one. This one doesn’t have Lightsabers, or Ponies, or even killing! It just has some namby-pamby sleep sticks and weird looking glasses. But, since I can’t discourage you from playing this game, I might as well tell you something about it. My Country, Nallhalla, has been infiltrated by Hushlander Spies. They’re still following Biblioden’s teachings, about how the world is scary, so we should ignore it, and not learn anything. They’re trying to put you to sleep. That’s not a Euphemism, they’re literally going to put all dissenters into Coma’s. But hey, as long as you’re woke, they can’t win. But, they’re not going to lose unless you can capture them, or put them in coma’s. Coma’s are a *very* civilized way of fighting. Much better than the barbarous guns and swords that can only kill people. So, you know. Get your friends together, hold them down, and zap up with a sleep spear. Or just punch them really hard. Or they’ll do the same to you. Luckily for us Free Worlders, we’ve got help. Those rascally, Devilishly handsome Smedry’s are on our side! They’re all talented, and deserve to rule the world, but they’re nice and don’t. Some of them can Dance really badly (I once saw Folsom punch a guy into a Coma on accident once.) While others can do things like trip, or look ugly. Oh! And we have a bunch of knights on our side! An honourable order of Paladins, tinted blue, who are extremely lawful: The Sapphire Guard The Knights of Crystalia! They’re lead by an incorruptible council of three, who can legally capture and hold people for indefinite periods of time. And there’s absolutely no way any of them are Working for the Librarians. Nope! All safe roles them. Definitely. . . Anyway, our last resource are the defectors, who were won over by our beauty and grace, and decided that they wanted to live here in Nallhalla, without elevators, or complex machinery, or video games, or, convenience stores. . . Man, I kind of want to defect to the Librarians now. But Smedries would never defect, so i can’t. Right? *Off-stage whispering* Oh! I’m being told I can defect. That’s cool. Uh, I just remembered, I have to go, uh, bake a casserole, yes. I’ll definitely be back later, and not at the head of a librarian Army. Bye! With love, Sabaneta Smedry Actual Rules: Player List: Bridge Boy (Squirrelmort) A Squirrel wearing glasses and wizard robes. Magestar (Ratsegam the Bold) A man who was Tagged Seonid (Shem Smedry) The master of the Archives. Cloudjumper (Fodder) A hard to distinguish man Ecthelion III (Aaron) A very contradictory man Yitzi2 (Jack) A Videogame Engineer Ornstein (Pavelock) A Physiologist who trains locks. Herowannabe (Herbert) a Micropachycephalosaurus (type of dinosaur) scholar who delights in regaling people with obscure trivia, usually about his own species. DroughtBringer (Master Namer Smedry) A Smedry with a talent for not being around when needed. BrightnessRadiant (Jemma) A Completely not Evil Bibliophile Randuir (Rand) Not the Chosen One of an Ancient world ending Prophesy. TheMightyLopen (Celica) A Seemingly Naive little girl. OrlokTsubodai (Orlok) An average citizen who does his best to ignore politics. Queensteph (Alex) A Girl who despises, and is despised by, Librarians Sart (Thomas) An Occulator with a n extensive collection. _stick_ (Stick) A Mokia native. Unodus (Agent Deuce) A detective, skilled at sleuthing out criminals. Elbereth (Ella) A cute, innocent little girl) Cluny the Scourge (Cluny) A collector of books and Lard Spectator List: (Btw, Spectators have no influence on the game, and cannot be targeted.) Alcatraz Mr. Sanderson himself Little Wilson Signups end: Quick Links: FAQ/Rule Clarifications:
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  19. I find this interesting. I have read many commentaries of people relating to one character or the other, but I think this is the first time I read someone stating their relate to Kaladin because they too were forced into a career they didn't want. I have often stated how I felt Kaladin never really wanted to be a surgeon, even when he appeared to have settled for this path, I still didn't believe he truly wanted it, so to hear another reader relating to him for this reason, well, I find it very interesting. This being said, I thought this aspect of Kaladin's life hasn't been given a strong enough focus. I thought it was interesting, but it sort of took a back seat with other stuff which is a shame as I find parents forcing their kids into a given career to be an interesting story arc to have within a work of fantasy. It is a hard phenomenon to explain and I feel it remains hard to comprehend: how can someone so social, so outgoing, so readily talking to everyone have trouble making friends? It defies people's expectation. How can it be true? Even to this day, I dare not make anything more than a superficial contact with others, I am still mindful as to whether or not they like me (or not) and it is quite painful at times. I thought with time, with age, it would all go away, but it remains, it lingers. It just doesn't go away: I still struggle with these things and while I am old enough to be able to talk about it, to phrase it, to analyse it, to write a 10 pages report as to why it happens, I still cannot solve it. So yeah, when Adolin realizes nobody actually likes him, it really gets to me. This being said, having a blunt personality does have advantages. It is terrible when it comes to interpersonal relationships, but it does wonders within the work environment. Being a straight-forward, a get down the basic and a results oriented individual are valuable assets within many professions, providing you can learn to manage people's emotions more efficiently. This being said, I think diversity is what makes those stories appealing: everyone can find a character they can relate to.
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  20. I just left. I was the metal head in the second row. That was a lot of fun, it was my first con/signing. When he signed my books I asked in SoS I look forward to doing that again and getting him to sign the rest of my books, which are in storage awaiting a pending move.
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  21. The Cosmere character I relate the most to is Adolin. I relate to his outgoing, social personality combined with his inability to form meaningful relationships with his peers: everyone knows him, he knows everyone and yet, he has no friends. I was very touched to see an author attempt at dropping such a character into a work of fiction as, typically, authors wanting to represent hardships into personal relationships will choose to broach it from the awkward introverted character (such as Renarin). The truth is, yes, extroverted talkative individuals can have problems with relationships too: some of us are too intrusive, too blunt, take too much space without intending too and others do not like it. As a result, yes, some of us will just close up onto ourselves, but closing up for an extroverted isn't the same as for an introverted: you are still very talkative and social, but not about the things which are important because important things are weapons to be used against you. Worst, if you were to make a move to actually develop a meaningful relationship with someone you actually enjoy spending time with, then this person might as well reject you and then where would you be? Left with no one to talk to, to spend time with: better to ignore it, to not try and to stay within the blissful ignorance as to whether or not others actually like you. I also relate to his blunt honesty, his straight-forwardness into calling a stone, a stone without attempting to sugar-coating it. I also relate to him not being a blind follower, to question before believing and to him being downright pragmatic. No, Dalinar, even if you think they are true, it does not make sense to base your decision making on visions. So yeah, I loved how Brandon tried to write this character and I found it extraordinarily refreshing.
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  22. I'm confused, I thought it was certain her spike was trellium?
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  23. You won't be disappointed. ... About the book that is. If the GM is to be trusted this game will surely disappoint.
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  24. I'm gonna have a new nephew in November-ish. That's in addition to a niece within a couple weeks and my own son in July (kids in my extended family always seem to arrive in sets of three).
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  25. Hey, when a cat decides they're going to push something off a flat surface, no kill squad in the world can stop them.
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  26. I' m going to my school prom with my crush.............. I feel electrified.
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  27. No, you have to say, "One is an evil, murderous insect, and the other is a chasm fiend."
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  28. We know they broke their oaths, trapping their spren in Blade form and abandoning them and their Plate. We know from the in-universe Words of Radiance that some number of the forsworn Radiants were killed after the fact and also that one Order out of the ten did not participate in the Recreance and 'entertained great subterfuge at the expense of the other nine'. The Diagram suggests that there is a secret of some sort which broke the Radiants and could be employed against them in the present day if it becomes necessary to destroy them. What we definitely do not know at this point is why.
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  29. Hey, did you see Vasher? Who Zahel you talking about?
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  30. Q: How do you get a one-armed herdazian out of a tree? A: Wave! Disclaimer: This joke was told by Brandon to a fan at a signing, so it's not originally mine.
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  31. You guys can upvote me for that here, if you want. You know, or not.
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  32. Q: What do you call a fight between to coinshots? A: A boxing match!
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  33. Howdy doody yall. I'm kind of new to the whole forums thing, so I apologise preemptively for all the mistakes that I am bound to make. I've read All of Stormlight so far and am about to finish BoM. In the future I hope to read Elantris and whichever I can scrounge up next. Also I wont eat the cookies... whatever's wrong with them.
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  34. I asked Sanderson if the Cognitive Realm changed based on what people considered to be mystical, such as being composed of mists or spheres, and he said that the Cognitive Realm was indeed related to people's perception.
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  35. That is brilliant. Kudos to my new headcanon.
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  36. I'd like to point out that Nale, at least, believed he was helping the world. He thought the Radiants returning would lead to a Desolation, so he did everything in his power to try and stop what would essentially be the end of the known world. We know how incredibly wrong he was, but his intentions were to help. I wouldn't be surprised if the other Heralds had similar reasoning for their actions as well.
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  37. The apothecary doesn't tell you how many items are available. It just tells you what items are available and how much those items are. Or if an item is sold out. Based on LG18, though, I'd guess there was only a single gram to start out, and that the apothecary won't be stocked every turn but more likely every few turns. So if something sells out, it'll take a bit before it's back in stock. I would point out that Drake has done some fairly elim stuff, just not in relation to Steph. It's more in relation to Burnt and the discussion around the gram. If Burnt isn't a Skindancer, I'd look long and hard at Drake, because he probably is (yes, I'm aware he said the same thing about me). I find some of his comments last night to be....I don't know. I don't want to say inconsistent, because then he'll just say that Villagers are inconsistent, but perhaps odd and, to use the word Orlok used with Burnt, incongruous. Insert my comment about bodyguards also protecting from two sabotages.... I'm....not sure what changed his mind from "marginally suspicious" to the case now being "strong enough" to vote for her.... It seems to me that all of his reasoning above applies equally to both eliminator and villager. And he acknowledges that fact. It was after this that I mentioned that I'm pretty sure you can't purchase two bodyguard contracts at the same time. That point seems to be the salient point in his suspicion against Burnt: that a rich villager would've purchased two Bodyguards rather than a single gram. Less certain, but keeping the vote on. So he went from thinking it marginally suspicious and not voting, to having a strong case, and voting, to now being less certain, but keeping both votes on. Now enter Burnt, who said she purchased it for paranoia and to keep it out of the Skindancer's hands. I'm not really sure what my read on Burnt is as a whole, but I think this defense does merit something. Because it does make sense from a villager standpoint. This is Drake's response: So....he explains why it totally makes sense for a villager Vint to purchases a gram....which is just more to add onto his previous reasons for a villager to want a gram.... Now, at this point, I would expect him to retract at least one of his votes. But....he doesn't. Because "the gram purchase is odd enough".....why? You yourself, Drake, have explained it away thoroughly of why a rich villager would want a gram over a bodyguard. So what makes it odd? And then he adds this: The exact same thing can be said about you, Drake. And your reasoning about Burnt makes your continued votes on her even more unusual. Are you sure you're not trying to do what you're saying I might be trying to do? Moving on. That's actually a very good point. And I already stated that he seemed really certain of Steph's alignment. This speaks more about the knowledge Cluny has and his own alignment than it does about Steph. But he was playing the new player card last cycle and now he's suddenly coming down like he knows what's going on. That's...quite the shift. Based on Burnt's comments, I'm torn that her motives for buying the gram were actually evil. I also don't really view her comment about Imre as a threat. More just a "go ahead and expell me; it won't stop me being able to do things, because I'm rich and can buy everything." I can see how that can be taken as an eliminator troll, but the tone I'm getting from Burnt is more of a bored villager who's looking for other ways to keep herself entertained and she knows she's rich enough to do that. Because of that, Burnt Burnt. My votes will instead go on Drake and Cluny for the reasons stated above.
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  38. That last bit interests me, because could you become so flexible that you're essentially a living person made of rubber? Able to bounce off walls like a dodgeball!? Lol I'm having fun with this.. I don't get why there isn't a Heat surge though... Or is division just that (molecules moving at a rapid rate creating heat and fire) Anyway I'd love to see how fast Kaladin can actully travel. because gravity 9.8 meters per second squared. So when he does a double lashing is it 19.6 meters per second? or is it 96 meters.. (does it multiply or just add more to the accelaration.) And how would Terminal velocity act upon multiple lashings?! Gah I'm in total nerd mode.
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  39. Since I'm still a proponent for a Shard of Wisdom, I'd put Ingenuity in the same set as it. For the purpose of fitting in with your idea, how similar would Wisdom be to either your Sight or Transcendence? Following the premise that the Shards influence the world they inhabit towards their Intent, it should create a world filled with clever people. Ramifications of cleverness on the magic system seems contrived, since the higher tiers of every magic system needs a smart/clever individual to crack the secrets. Perhaps even the basic aspects of the magic are highly complex? Actually... the magic system might be so simple that it hurts, to keep the clever from acting too high and mighty. Brandon might even pull an inverse between being clever and having imagination. It'd be less well defined than his other works, but a lack of hard limits will wreak havoc on a mind trying to find the best things. Just look at how insane we have gone trying to parse through the unknowns in his well defined systems
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  40. I feel like Brandon is watching these posts and laughing evilly as we wander ever farther in the wrong direction...
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  41. So I have wondered for a while what "The Evil" on Threnody is that ravages the Homeland and first banished the people of that world to the so-called "Forests of Hell". Even in Arcanum Unbounded, Khriss (who seems to know a LOT about the Cosmere and the Shards) states that very little is known of it by anyone. But then, after reading the other things mentioned in Arcanum Unbounded related to Threnody, a theory formed in my head that seems completely logical to me but is very likely a RAFO kind of thing to ask. So here's the backstory: According to the essay written by Khriss/Sanderson in Arcanum Unbounded, Ambition inhabited the Threnodite System shortly after the Shattering, but was eventually found there by Odium, who was on his vendetta to become the most powerful being in the Cosmere. The two Shards clashed violently throughout the three Realms, and their epic battle resulted in the Splintering of Ambition and the death of its vessel. The entire system was affected by it, particularly on the planet Threnody, which has two main continents. The smaller one consists of the Forests of Hell, the normal people, and ghostly creatures called the "shades" while the larger one (the Homeland) is dominated by the Evil. The theory: As seen in the form of the shades, Cognitive Shadows of people exist on Threnody due to the way their world works. What I wonder is if people come back as shades after death, why not a Shard of Adonalsium itself as well? My theory, to put it plain and simple, is that the Evil is the Cognitive Shadow, or shade, of Ambition itself. A Cognitive Shadow made from an entire Shard is not unprecedented, mind you. Take the Stormfather on Roshar, for example. After Odium Splintered the Shard Honor and killed its vessel as he had done to Ambition (and others), an enormously powerful Cognitive Shadow formed out of Honor in the form of its spren, the Stormfather. I believe that the Evil on Threnody is the same thing in regard to Ambition as the Stormfather is to Honor: a really big, really dangerous Cognitive Shadow. After all, what do the shades do on Threnody? They attack those who break the Simple Rules, devouring their souls and dissolving their bodies. Who's to say that the Evil, as a Cognitive Shadow of Ambition, isn't just a shade like all the others? It was a person who died, and on Threnody, those come back as the shades. But seeing as this one was so powerful (a storming Shard of Adonalsium), then wouldn't that make it an immensely powerful and really huge shade that can consume an entire continent and feast upon the souls of men in multitudes (as as it is described doing in Arcanum Unbounded)? So there's my theory. The Evil is Ambition's shade. What do all of you think?
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  42. What's the worst thing a Scadrian laying on the surgery table could hear just as the anesthesia starts to work? "Please pass me the spike."
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  43. "When you opened this book, you signed up for suffering." True, true.
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  44. Fixed that for you. Wise? No. Fun? Heck yeah!
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  45. Adolin's reputation for short-lived courtships should be familiar, but there is a curiosity in the WoK. A girl named Danlan Morakotha manages to catch his eye and quickly grows close to him. However, by the end of the book, she is still with him. The events at the end of the book are very fast-paced and focus on other things, but as far as we know, at the time that Adolin left to assault the tower with Sadeas, he was still courting her. Now, it could be because she has a higher tolerance than the other women of the court, or that Adolin has somehow managed to keep her on his own (with a bit of help from Navani, in the form of avramelons). However, there is a bit more to her that makes her suspicious. As noted by Dalinar, Danlan was barely in camp for a day before she started seeing Adolin. In fact, during the few hours that Dalinar was digging the latrine trench, Adolin had gone from merely being intrigued by Danlan and wondering if Malasha is the "one for him" to actively courting Danlan. Typical Adolin-paced relationships. But this courtship continues on far longer than normal. It took me awhile to come up with a rough estimate of how long this period is. But it is a week and a day from Dalinar's decision to abdicate (at the end of Part 2, when Danlan and Adolin had started courting) until the beginning of Part 4, when Dalinar and Sadeas start cooperating. It is an unspecified number of days from the beginning of this cooperation until the battle when Dalinar starts using Sadeas's bridges (and when Kaladin starts wearing Parshendi armor). I'm going to guess five or six days as a rough estimate. It is another ten days until the second Tower assault, and until the end of the book. So all in all, a bit more than three weeks. And with no hints of their relationship slackening. So what? Does this mean that Adolin has finally settled down with a girl? I doubt it. Danlan seems to have some special qualities about her. It appears that she is "just the type that attracted Adolin." And yet, she is intelligent enough to even impress Navani. She manages to land herself a job. Where? As a clerk, handling the spanreeds. The center of almost all private communication into and out of the Kholin camp. The perfect place for a spy. When she is having lunch with Adolin's companions, Danlan further distinguishes herself. She makes a point to point out that she hasn't been in the camps very long and is ignorant about the political situation there. When Adolin contradicts her and says that she is incredibly clever, she looked "oddly annoyed for a moment." Oddly annoyed, as if she were trying to hide her intelligence. She makes another statement, trying to get Adolin to talk to Dalinar about "relaxing all of these foolish restrictions our camp is under." It strikes me that this is not something that an intelligent girl would say. My guess is that she is trying to play off the stereotype of an average court-going girl who is more concerned with feasts and balls than anything else. Now, I am convinced that Danlan is not a simple lighteyed girl who happens to be dating Adolin. But what is her ultimate objective? I have some speculations, but not very much to back them up with. You can take your pick. 1. She is working for the Ghostbloods. 2. She is spying for Sadeas or another highlord. 3. She is a spy for Taravangian (who may or may not be a Ghostblood). If number 2 is true, then there is another, highly interesting possibility. In the whole Stormlight Archives, there will be ten books, with a different character as the focus of each one. Brandon has pondered on the possibility of doing another book on Kaladin, but that is not a certainty. So chances are, this will be the only book with Kaladin's flashbacks. Kaladin briefly mentions that when he was bummed after letting Tien die, a girl named Tarah saved him from working himself to death. And he has also apparently failed her in some significant way. Though she is only mentioned two times in the whole book, those passages hint at some greater significance. And yet, she is in the past. The opportunity for Kaladin's flashbacks has come and gone, but this significant character from Kaladin's past has not been explained. Although it's possible that her name could have been thrown in as added flavor, but I do not believe that Brandon would add something like that in there, knowing that she will remain unexplained. Tarah is going to come back. Two mysterious women, one from the past and one from the future. Both under the reign of Sadeas (I'm assuming that Tarah was somehow attached to Amaram's army, which is under Sadeas). There isn't much of a connection beyond these two points, but I find it an intriguing possibility nonetheless. There are a few minor problems with this particular option, though. 1. We don't know anything about Tarah. It is too soon to know for certain whether or not there is a possibility of Tarah and Danlan being the same person. 2. Amaram is coming to the Shattered Plains, but this becomes known around the time when Sadeas and Dalinar start working together--a week after Danlan first appears. This theory might have been more convincing if Danlan had arrived at the same time as Amaram. Of course, this can be explained away easily. The difference between an individual booking passage on a ship and an army marching overland, perhaps? Regardless, it is my belief that these women are significant, and that we will be seeing more of them in Book Two. For reference, the chapters that mentioned: Danlan: 28, 52, 58 Tarah: 62, 63 I had to pull from various places to get the timeline somewhat accurate. Out of curiosity, has anyone gone and made a timeline for the book yet?
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  46. Hey guys, in case you didn't know, game two of this is up in the RP section http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5630-game-2-the-devils-den/page-1
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