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  1. This weekend at WorldCon, someone asked Brandon about the historicity of The Girl Who Looked Up: I noticed three key differences in the versions: Shallan's message is that we're monsters; Hoid's mesage is that failures make us greater Hoid's version says there was no light before, only starlight Shallan says Stormlight; Hoid says God's Light Shallan says the wall was destroyed; Hoid says the storms "boiled over" the wall Recognizing the difference in morals is essential in approaching the basis of the legend. The story isn't about either; it can, however, be made to be about one or the other. But if we're going to examine the story as a retelling of events, even a mythological retelling, it doesn't have to be a word of warning or an admonition of strength. Looking at the similarities (the presence of storms, the existence of a wall, going from Lightless to Light), we can guess that there is some historical basis for the story, regardless of how it's used. And with the revelations at the end of OB for Humans as Voidbringers, I think it's pretty clear that the story is connected in some way to that context. So, let's contrast Hoid's story with Shallan's to try to figure out some details; I'm going to assume the differences highlight what Hoid says, and that he'll have the more faithful account. The Differences The "land of shadows" is explicitly called out by the text as something Shallan didn't know about, but that made the whole story make more sense. Like how people didn't know there was a wall; it was because they actually couldn't see it. Hoid mentions people seeing by starlight, which I think will throw the Domed Shinovar theory into the garbage before I can even articulate it. This darkness must be metaphorical; the Wall isn't physically the mountains that protect Ashyn, it just happens to be a parallel. In the context of the story, I don't think they had the sun on the other side of the wall, either; their lives were illuminated by God's Light normally, and the experience of the people inside the wall changed to match that. There's no event in the story that grants people sunlight; their hypothetical options would be Storms and Light, or Safety and Darkness. That's why I say the story is metaphorical, though much of the metaphor was drawn from the very real events of humanity venturing out of their appointed lands. "Stormlight" vs "God's Light" is another key difference. There are a lot of gods in the Cosmere, but who would Hoid call God? His point of view in the Elantris 10th Anniversary scene implies that Hoid believes in the God Beyond. And the end of WoR, he has a conversation with Jasnah where he says Tanavast wasn't God, and that she'll "find God in the same place you're going to find salvation from this mess. Inside the hearts of men." If he shares the views of Frost, who calls Odium "God's own divine hatred," then there would be a connection to Adonalsium there. This ties in with the metaphorical nature I highlighted in the last paragraph; the story is a metaphor for something going on in the hearts of men, about something bigger than a migration to a new planet. The last difference makes me wonder what the Wall represents. Shallan's story changes the nature of the world, through the destruction of the Wall allowing the existing storms to break through. Hoid's changes the nature of the Storms, where they now boil over the Wall, but the Wall isn't destroyed. I think this ascribes some sort of intelligence to whatever is represented by the Storms; it now enters where it did not, not because the obstacles are deeper, but because someone took its Light there, and now it continues to return there to replenish that Light. This isn't an act of Man; it's an act of God. The Religious Allegory As a pretty religious individual, I'm seeing heavy parallels to Christianity throughout this story, highlighted by the differences listed above. The girl stealing Light, but bringing Storms, is very reminiscent of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in Eden. They received knowledge of Good and Evil, but they also received the curse of mortality. Since then, the message of Christianity is not returning to the Innocence of Eden, but moving forward to a new kind of Glorification; not going back, but pressing onward. That's the same thing we see in this story; life was fundamentally altered, this is what made things the way they are now, and there's no going back. God's Light is also a concept that appears in real-world religions. Some books of the Bible, 1 John in particular, use Light as a metaphor for God's Truth, or specifically the Scriptures. It's not pleasant to be under the scrutiny of God's Light, but it does reveal areas of sin in our lives. That's extremely similar to what the Light did in the story here; it made life harder for humanity, but they're not going back to when they were blissfully in darkness. The Storms boiling over, instead of the Wall falling down, also reminds me of a key aspect of Jesus' teachings. Man doesn't attain to reconciliation with God; God, through the person and works of Jesus Christ, reached down to accomplish that reconciliation. That's why I said above that the Storms reaching over the Wall isn't because the Girl's actions brought the Wall down; it's because God now sends his Storms across the wall. So, why do I sound like Billy Graham, rattling off all this Christianity? It's to hammer home that this is not about the physical exodus of humans from their appointed place on Roshar; Hoid's story makes me think it's something bigger than that. I don't think it's how they stole spren and Surges on Roshar, either. The humans had Investiture, they had Surges, on Ashyn before it was broken. It's not just that they lived in a place without Stormlight, without that particular brand of Light; they were in a place with no Light at all. I think the story is about the way humans first came into Investiture. (Using the term to mean "magic" here; yes, Investiture comprises everything, but this is referring to the magical, the supernatural, the very reason this is a fantasy series.) There was a time when Humans were apart from God, and didn't have Investiture; but something changed, and someone took Investiture, and their actions spread to the rest of humanity. Something great, something terrible, and something that could never be undone. The version of this story that grew on Roshar took influence from their history with the Singers; parallels of humanity stealing something is not hard to find within our own world, and it is the same in the cosmere. The White Hair There is one very important clue that is in Shallan's version, but not in Hoid's. Shallan, without realizing why, made the girl's hair white at one point in the story. But she always called her a girl; never said she became an old woman. White hair, on someone who's not old, has always been a mark of Hoid. I think this is a story about Hoid, about what he did to change the very way humanity interacted with Investiture. Hoid, as an architect of the Shattering. The version of this story on Roshar may have become about a girl, but I think the original inspiration for that girl was none other than our mysterious worldhopper. Hoid asked a very peculiar question of Shallan during his telling of it: Hoid is certainly not a child who stayed out of the woods, and he's at the crux of all the Cosmere stories. Imagine that he is asking Shallan what she thinks about him, about what he did to help prepare for the Shattering. He ultimately did not take a Shard, but he could have been one of them, and they all know who he is. He calls himself bold, for seeking to take the power of Adonalsium. And he calls himself stupid, for unleashing the Shards upon the cosmere. In Conclusion Yes, the historical context of the story makes it clear that this version was developed after the humans arrived on Roshar, and it draws much of its setting from the way humans took the planet, the spren, and the Storms from the Singers. But there's also a deeper meaning, from a time before the humans had a God, before they had any Light, before they had Investiture, before they had Shards. They took the Light, they killed their God and took His power upon themselves, and the universe has never been the same since. But none are willing to go back to how it was before, to give up their Light.
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  2. It is my pleasure to present the first rap of the second tournament. Beware the OB spoilers
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  3. Introduction With the recent Idaho signing I know that a lot of us have had our heads spinning over that 'Pre-shattering Weapon' WoB, especially in how it relates to Hoid. After listening to the related Shardcast episode I left with a few takeaways from the conversation the crew had that I wanted to share with you all. Before I get in to this, I want to warn you all that at its core, this theory is crackpot. I think I've made a lot of interesting connections but at this point we just don't have enough information on the related topics to make reasonable conclusions. With that in mind, strap in cause this is a long one! The Case For Aluminum As was discussed in the Shardcast, my hypothesis is that Aluminum is the remnant of the weapon used to destroy Adonalsium. It simply makes sense when you deduce things. To defend yourself from a seemingly all powerful being who's essence was the basis of all things and who you were deeply Connected to, it seems reasonable that the first step would be to stop that being from detecting you, manipulating you, or influencing you in any way which just so happens to be the primary passive effect of Aluminum. Having made this conclusion, lets take a step back. If the weapon used to kill Adonalsium is now expended and not in its original from, Aluminum itself cannot be the weapon and its properties may not be the same as its theoretical original form, so we're kind of missing a crucial puzzle piece. This is about as far as any of my theories pre-Idaho got, but the extra clue of how it relates to Hoid's power got me interested enough to dig deeper. The Realmatic Effects of Aluminum After hitting this dead end, the next step towards understanding what this illusive weapon is came in finding what other things in the Cosmere seem to share properties with Aluminum. After thinking about it for awhile, I began thinking about Allomantic Aluminum. Despite it's inert properties, it is somehow able to provide a magical, investiture related effect. Digging a little bit deeper, I remembered this WoB: Thinking this kind of sounded familiar I remembered this scene in Oathbringer: I was just as stumped as Venli was until making the connection that Timbre also happened to be a Spren existentially linked to metal, it being the essence linked to Venli's assumed order. Both Timbre and Aluminum seem to be able to, as Brandon described the latter's effects "[clense] the spirit of unwanted effects of other Investitures". Seeing as how the only thing aluminum and Timbre share in common is this whole idea of metallic properties, I began thinking about what other phenomenon in the Cosmere relate to metals, and naturally I shifted my focus on Scadrial. The Link To Godmetal With all these new ideas and connections in my head I began thinking about how metals may be used in the defeat of a Shard-level being and immediately things started making sense. In the Mistborn series, there has been a clear theme in what is being used to combat Shards/Spiritual beings on that planet: Godmetals. While regular metals, tied to the magic, investiture, and essence of the planet, can be used to blind Shards; this seemingly Scadrial specific effect is nothing compared to a power that transcends the Metallic Arts and the resident Shardworld, Godmetals. As seen when Sazed encounters Trellium, they can directly act as a weapon against a Shard-level being, a property necessary for any weapon that has a chance at defeating Adonalsium, but there is an even more interesting example that I believe ties this whole thing together. Something I never really thought of was how peculiar it was that Ruin had no ability to sense or interact with Atium directly, something seemingly made out of his own power. It was completely dark to him, the plot of the whole third book even revolves around how he needs it to defeat Preservation. Haven't we also seen this effect of an un-sensable metal elsewhere... Conclusion Looking at all these connections, it seems so natural and obvious. The exact kind of long term, hail mary twist Brandon likes to pull on us. I believe that pre-shattering, Aluminum was Adonalsium's godmetal. A piece of his essence that he couldn't find, touch, or manipulate from the spiritual realm but had power within the physical one, a power that could be stolen and manipulated against a being that encompassed all of reality as was the case for Ati. For gods sake, the title of the series where all this is taking place even alludes to a metal with magical properties. The fact that Adonalsium is now dead and shattered could explain why this hypothetical godmetal has become inert and lost its magical properties. Afterthoughts So this is as good an educated guess as I can make on this topic. I probably left a few loose ends lying around in the theory but I'm writing this one a bit more fast and loose than i typically do due to its nature as a pretty speculative crackpot so feel free to press me on those. I'm interested in what you all have to say, if you have any ideas drop a comment. Have a good day y'all!
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  4. Are you suffering from: - Small lacerations on the fingertips (sometimes known as papercuts) - Neck pain (as if whiplash from frequent plot twists) - Back pain (from carrying around books that are entirely too big) - Red eyes (but definitely not from crying) If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you may have a disease called Sandersitis. There is no cure known at this time, but frequent infusions of extracanonical information can alleviate the pain. Side effects may include sore ears, headaches, loss of sleep, loss of friends, or worsening of any of the earlier listed symptoms. Ask your doctor if Arcanum is right for you.
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  5. Marne called the Synod to order. The experience was unreal for him. Today, their scheduled monthly meeting was to be held, yet in the chaos of the hunt for Spiked, none of the agenda seemed relevant. Budgets, news of the surrounding world, minutes of their last meeting together—none of that mattered anymore. The Synod’s finances were immaterial if they were unable to survive the onslaught of the Spiked. The only news that mattered of the surrounding world was how close the Lord Ruler was to knowing that Tathingdwen was the last outpost of Feruchemy. And the last meeting’s concerns were a trifle compared to the crisis each Synod member now faced. The Synod, at least, had recognised that the current situation merited strong leadership, and had striven to act accordingly. Marne, however, realised something else. He had lost control of the Terris, and the Synod could no longer check the rising tide of suspicion. The Synod’s credibility had shattered, if not when the news of the Spiked reached their ears and they had failed to act, then instead when Valwyn had been killed and revealed to have a Pewter spike embedded within him, a typical Synod aristocrat—and a Spiked servant of the Lord Ruler. However, whatever control the Synod had ever held over the Terrismen was slipping, and essentially gone. The Terris had not heeded Marne when he had called for a nonviolent response to the Spiked. The Terris had not heeded the Synod when they executed one of its members, despite the protests of those who knew him. And the Terris had not even heeded Olaf, who commanded their respect for wilfully rejecting the Lord Ruler, when he too had stood up for the condemned. So it was that Marne stood at the head of a toppling aristocracy, Olaf at his side, with the man pensive as ever. Robbed of its effective power, the Synod, its numbers greatly diminished by the attacks of Spiked and innocent alike, sat in a half-circle around him, waiting patiently. Marne rose to speak. “My friends, I believe the first order of business that we have to attend to is not the typical item on our monthly agenda, yet with the recent turmoil, it has become the only concern of this body for quite a while. With the Spiked having infiltrated our very congregation, the Synod has held emergency meetings, stirred up the Terris populace, and attempted to judge the accused, in an effort to contain and resolve this situation. I admire everyone who sits on this council for their dedication to this task for the past week.” Taking a deep breath, Marne continued. “However, given that the Spiked pose such a serious threat, and since the Synod is so integral in resolving any and all threats the Terris face, I believe it is wise to assess how well we are controlling this...situation. And I must say, I believe we have lost all control.” A subdued mutter ran throughout the room. Marne pressed onward. “I do not mean that we have lost all our power. However, we do not exercise the degree of control over the Terris that we normally hold. Neither my efforts nor those of Olaf have stopped the bloodshed, despite our high positions, and at this point, they are unlikely to. Therefore, I see only two things that can be done. “The first is to allow these killings to continue. I dislike this greatly. All you know my distaste of violence to decide arguments. However, the Terris will kill regardless of my stance on the current trials. All that remains for us is to pick battles that are more winnable, and to serve as seasoned voices in the proceedings. Our influence in that manner may be of greater help. “The second is also against my liking, but was suggested by Olaf. Would you like to explain it to the Synod, Olaf?” Marne asked. The thin man nodded, rising from his seat and facing the congregation. “I’ve leveraged some connections as the leader of House Ffnord, and it turns out one of the spies assigned to this city in my network knows an assassin, a deadly Coinshot. His services are expensive, and I do not think our wallets could withstand more than one use of his...talents, but should we as the Synod decide that someone merits removal, we have a means with which to do so.” He sat back down, impassive as ever, and the whispers of the Synod drifted up to Marne, conveying a mixture of distaste and excitement. Marne fought down an urge to weep. Here was a group of men he had known his whole life. Now some were dead, some were Spiked, and the others, including him, were resorting to coins in the dark and mob rule to preserve their institution. Hardly what he had envisioned when he took the oath as the leader of the Synod, five years previously. Hurriedly dismissing the meeting, Marne turned away from the Synod as the tears trickled down his face, and the trials outside the meeting-house of the Synod commenced. --- HanTor had never told his fellow Spiked that he was not, in fact, a Ferring. Nor was he a human. The Lord Ruler had wanted someone who could be trusted to obey his commands unflinchingly, and as his personal Kandra was away on a separate mission, HanTor had been assigned to the job. As a Fifth Generation Kandra, HanTor had spent most of his life in the Homeland, but his skills at crafting a body were not diminished by his inexperience with the outside world. He was more practiced with his True Body of quartzite perhaps, but he adapted quickly, if not happily, to the more fragile bones of humans. As the protégé of his Second Generation tutors, he had learned a lot about the Terris people and their traditions, enough to fool even his companions so long as he kept quiet. The most pressing problem had been gaining Feruchemical powers, for no Kandra possessed those abilities and he would rather avoid faking it, even with the Blessing of Potency granting him some of the strength and stamina of a Pewter ferring could gain. HanTor had therefore been smuggled into Tathingdwen a night early, searching for an isolated Ferring whose life he could steal. HanTor could not disobey the First Contract, even on a personal mission for the Father, so he had been forced to rely on an infiltrator who had been in place long before the Spiked had arrived. He never saw his contact’s face, even as he stood and watched while they tortured an isolated Sparker’s deepest secrets out of him. HanTor hoped never again to see a human pierced with so much metal that they resembled nothing so much as a pincushion. A simple pair of spikes was all well and good, and an exception could be made for the brass spike that had now been inserted into his shoulder, but metal was meant to go on the inside of a body, not protrude from the flesh. HanTor shuddered as his contact limped away with a sack of spikes and discarded bones thrown over one shoulder. He hoped the rest of his team would be more sensible and less … violent. HanTor found that he regretted Valwyn’s death. There were the obvious reasons of course; his death meant their infiltration of the Synod had been exposed, there was one fewer member standing between HanTor being forced to choose between his mission and the First Contract’s prohibition of killing humans, they would have to move out of the caverns that reminded him of the Homeland, and HanTor would be forced to speak up more despite not being confident in his ability to properly imitate a man he’d only known for an hour. Yet beyond all these practical reasons, what HanTor found he missed most about the deceased Spiked was the loss of a man who had treated him as an equal. He knew that this was only because he was disguised as a human, but he found himself resenting the Terris people who had killed Valwyn. Cleansing Tathingdwen of Ferrings was no longer merely a mission to him. Alongside his remaining companions, he would avenge the death of the first human to ever respect him as an individual. The next day, HanTor formally began his campaign of vengeance. The Sparker whose bones he wore had been a recluse, which limited HanTor’s ability to publicly act. Nevertheless, he worked to fill the void left by Valwyn’s death, quietly suggesting to the townspeople which Ferring should die next, contributing more to the secret conferences his fellow spiked held. For most of the day, his new plan of action was successful. The Synod, splintered by the loss of two of its members, one of them a traitor, did nothing to prevent the chaos spreading through the village. Accusations were being tossed every which way, and it appeared no-one could come to an agreement. Then, everything went wrong when Citona suddenly declared herself to be a member of the Synod and announced her intention to kill HanTor. Where before anarchy had reigned, the villagers were suddenly all too eager to obey the dictates of an authority that had been found to be corrupt just the previous night. As the angry villagers converged on HanTor, he tapped his Zincminds, draining every drop of power he had amassed during his stint as a Ferring. Instantly, his mental processing sped up, beyond even what he imagined a Blessing of Presence would do for him. In the few seconds remaining before he could be consumed by the mob, he crafted a last, desperate speech. “My friends!” he cried out. “I am not your enemy. I-.” His words were cut off as an irate Ferring smashed a chair into his head. The impact caused no harm, but it served as a signal to the rest of the group. Quartzite would have been able to resist the trampling of feet and the crushing blows of furniture and garden implements, but human bones were not nearly as sturdy. The initial attacker leaned over HanTor’s broken body. “You realize of course that you don’t have any friends. You never have, and now, you never will.” When Marne came out later to view the carnage, he found HanTor still alive, but immobile from having his entire skeleton fractured. HanTor tried to cry out to the Synod leader, but his shattered jaw rendered the sound as an unintelligible moan. Marne seemed to understand, though. He rummaged through HanTor’s pulped organs, finally managing to pull out the three spikes that granted him life, sapience, and power. Marne began the walk back to the Synod with the artefacts, leaving HanTor’s corpse lying in the field. Kidpen was lynched! He was a Spiked Zinc Ferring (Sparker)!! Vote Count: Kidpen (4) randuir (2) Cadmium Compounder (1) Worldhopper from Yolen (1) phattemer (1) Sart (1) Night 3 has begun! It will end in 24 hours, on Monday the 20th of August, at 9 PM EDT. Please note something—I’ve been occupied, and have had little time to post rules questions in-thread, but if you successfully double-fill your metalmind, please send in a fill order at the beginning of the Day or Night turn immediately following your double-fill, to confirm that you wish to fill your metalmind. Player List: 1. Rathmaskal as Laksam, an ash sweeper from the Eastern streets 2. Xinoehp512 as Ereheman Tresni, a man with his priorities backwards 3. Steeldancer as Steel, the fastest sculpture of a squid wrought entirely in steel in all of Tathingdwen 4. Randuir as Zihel, a worldhopper looking for his twin brother 5. I think I am here as Itiah VI, a missionary on a mission Village Steel Ferring 6. Bort as Tee Mai, a tailor specialising in offensive clothing 7. Cadmium Compounder as Ethin Hallil, a cadmium Feruchemist and SCUBA diver 8. _Stick_ as Stick, President of the Tathingdwen Tautological Society of Tautology 9. Jondesu as Remart, a man back from vacation armed with vaguely ominous statements 10. Kidpen as HanTor, a lonely Kandra that’s definitely not Spiked, nope Spiked Zinc Ferring 11. Elandera as Era, an old woman who claims to have been alive before the reign of the Lord Ruler Village Pewter Ferring 12. Snipexe as Snip, a fabric cutter in the local quilt shop Village Iron Ferring 13. Worldhopper from Yolen as Tarin, a Sparker with a wonderful, awful idea 14. Alvron as Izzy Dedyet, who is not dead, feels happy, and thinks she'll go for a walk Village Full Feruchemist 15. Phatterner as Citona Vinid, a seemingly faithful follower of the Lord Ruler 16. Ark1002 as Kardik, a Full Feruchemist 17. Araris Valerian as Valwyn, an honest rug merchant Spiked Pewter Ferring; Rug Merchant 18. Coop772 as Irion, a Full Feruchemist with hidden potential Village Copper Ferring 19. Sart, a stuttering Nameless
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  6. Hi, I'm Wyndlerunner. I used to lie awake nights, contemplating the mysteries of the Cosmere, I got no sleep, so I was too tired to read during the day. Then, I discovered Arcanum. It helped me alleviate my insatiable curiosity, and helped me get my life back together. I would recommend Arcanum to anyone suffering from Sandersitis. (If you are currently using Arcanum and have not improved, ask your book vendor about our extra strength treatment: Arcanum Unbounded)
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  8. Hello everyone, and welcome to the SECOND COSMERE CHARACTER ROAST BATTLE TOURNAMENT! When I first started the tournament, I didn't think that I was going to get enough people to start anything, and I was so happy when I got the first 16 to sign up! Quick shoutout to everyone from Tournament One, thank you all so much for helping me to make this happen! And of course, a competition is only as good as how long it lasts. Everyone in Tournament Two, I am so glad that you all signed up– you guys have chosen amazing characters, and I am so excited to see what's going to happen! Our amazing group for this round includes (spoilered for length)... Thanks again, everyone! Now... to kick off Tournament Two, here is our first group of competitors! @Herowannabe, with STICK! @AC12, with PATTERN! @Rhapsody, with SYL! @EdgedanceroftheDawn, with SHALLAN! LET THE SECOND COSMERE CHARACTER ROAST BATTLE TOURNAMENT COMMENCE!
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  9. *Takes out spikes* *Realizes where he is* *Hastily hides spikes away again* "Nothing to see here, just Sudiov going about his normal business, waiting for an answer"
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  10. RUIN: *slaps Marsh* "This bad boy can fit so many spikes in him" MARSH: "I'm not going to tell you again, Ati. Stop slapping me." RUIN: "Not a chance." *slaps Marsh again* MARSH: "I hate you." RUIN: "Your lips say 'I hate you,' but your eyes say--" MARSH: "I'm going to Splinter you in your sleep?" RUIN: "Well, I was going to say 'nothing because you don't have them anymore,' but that works, too."
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  11. I firmly believe that I exist, therefore I am a stick!
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  12. My question has to do with how the use of stormlight is supposed to restore the physical aspect of the Radient back to the way their spiritual aspect views itself. I have this weird thing where I don't really remember what people look like until I see them again (it's not face blindness), and it applies to me as well. When I'm not looking in the mirror, I have a lot of trouble remembering what I look like when I'm not staring at myself in the mirror. As a result, my mental image of myself is like a larger version of the way I looked when I was a child. So, if I or someone like me formed a nahel bond and gained the ability to draw in stormlight to heal, do you think they would be restored to their mental image of themselves rather than how they look physically? Does such a strong mental imprint count as being part of the spiritual aspect of a person? What if the Radient had never looked into a mirror or suitably reflective surface; would their spiritual aspect of themselves be closer to the way they see themselves or the way they're actually put together?
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  13. “Arachnerd,” the young woman replied. An Epic, Riley thought. “I’m… just trying to find some coffee, honestly.” Riley realized that she did seem like she was in need of a caffeine boost. She paused for a moment, thinking. “How, exactly, did you do that stuff to those police officers, Riley?” What?! Riley couldn’t keep the shock from showing on his face. How… how did she know that? She was an Epic, but if she had been spying on him, all the way in Sherwood Park, it raised some frightening questions. Who else was watching him? He never was truly safe, even when the feds hadn’t found him. The implications… he didn’t want to think about it. Arachnerd was still talking. “I mean, do you conserve thermal radiation, or just shoot ice and fire from your hands? If you conserve, can you pull it from anything, or just living tissues? Does it go through you, or just move from target to target?” Riley stared at her for a moment. Really living up to the “nerd” in Arachnerd, there. Should he tell her? However, if he didn’t, how long would it take her to figure it out? “I conserve,” he began. “That’s simple enough. But…” He trailed off, plotting. “If you want specifics, you’ll need to tell me a bit about your powers, which I assume are spider related.” Sparks, he was smooth. He could pat himself on the back for that later.
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  14. The Lord Ruler: To show YOU the power of flex tape, I slapped Kelsier's face in half! *car salesman slaps human body* This bad boy can fit so many spikes in it.
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  15. So... you guys remember this? Well, I have a new entry... ~~~ Them: So I started reading Mistborn... Me: *squeals* *screams* *screeches* *hugs them* Them: *gasping for air* Can’t... breathe... Me: It’s amazing, isn’t it? Them: (grudgingly) It’s pretty good... but you are NOT allowed to say “I told you so.” (I said it anyway.) ~~~ BONUS CONTENT where I troll them (Mistborn Era 1 Spoilers): ~~~ After MONTHS of desperately trying, I finally did it guys... Moral of the story? You know you’re a Sanderfan when the first thing you do is post all of this on the Shard.
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  16. On Roshar, the people believe seeing the future is evil. The few instances we've seen of foresight are associated with Odium. At a recent signing, Brandon said this: I find the bolded part where he trails off to be amazingly fascinating. Given the rest of the conversation, I propose that seeing the future is dangerous because of the following possibilities: 1. It draws the attention of the Shard (or its agents as explained below) that is powering the foresight. 2. It is heavily influenced by the intent or motives of the Shard that's powering it. 3. It's an ability granted by the Shard on purpose in order to manipulate events toward a future that the Shard (or its agents) desires. 4. It aligns you to the intent or motives of the Shard. This can be short-term (see atium below) or long-term. Repeated uses may cause a more lasting efect. 5. There's also the always-present conundrum of trying to change the future after you've seen it. Without context, you have no idea if changing your actions will cause that future or if not changing your actions will cause that future. The true answer could be any of the above, none of the above, or some combination of the options I've given. In order to evaluate possibilities, I've discussed the instances we've seen of people seeing the future, either as a summary, or as specific text, or links. Atium: We know how atium fuels Allomancy. It lets you see a few moments into the future. It also increases your mental and physical capabilities in order to take advantage of that knowledge. Sazed speculates in one of the HoA epigraphs that This appears to correlate to possibility 4--That seeing the future via atium temporarily aligned a person toward Ruin, the essence of entropy toward destruction. It might also explain why, after using atium as a metal mind and burning it for so long, TLR had such Ruinous impulses--mass slaughters, willingness to let the nobility destroy each other, etc, etc. After a thousand years of compounding atium, it's likely that he was very Connected to Ruin. It might also tie into possibility 3, assuming the possibility of Ruin wanting Rashek to become such a despot that he's overthrown just as the Well is about to fill, opening the way for Vin to take and release the power. Endowment: Endowment appears to be able to see some of the future, and sometimes her Splinters, the Returned, can pick up on this as well. We see this in Warbreaker, when Lightsong has his dreams and visions of T'Telir burning. She appears to send her Returned back in order to do a specific task (or set of tasks) based on what she sees, giving rise to possibility 3. Endowment apparently wanted the Hallandren and Idrians to persist, and sent back some of her Returned to help prevent the coming destruction. She probably has multiple contingency plans for if one of them dies before his or her task is accomplished. Wyrn: In the Elantris Annotations Brandon says: And Given that the Seons are Splinters of Devotion, (Love) and the Skaze are Splinters of Dominion, it seems like the Skaze are manipulating Wyrn in order to achieve their goals (Goals hinted at in the new epilogue in the 10th Anniversary Edition of Elantris) , tying back to possibility 3. Devotion and Dominion are both splintered, but the Skaze may retain enough of Dominion's intent to want to have complete dominion over the world (or maybe re-assemble Dominion?). And we come to the Stormlight Archive! We have more examples of foresight in SA than we have in any other book. There are three primary examples of it: Moelach: On the bridge between life and death, Moelach grants visions of the future, that the person utters in a cryptic and strange way, a phenomenon coined as Death Rattle. We don't really understand much about how this works, but the Death Rattles have been startlingly accurate, if incredibly obscure, so far. However. Moelach is a Splinter of Odium (along with the other Unmade). The Death Rattles we've seen so far all seem to be related either to the conflict between Odium and most of Roshar, or related to the people that are in that struggle. I have no absolute proof of this, but it's not a wild assumption (imo) to think that Odium, via Moelach, is using the Death Rattles to affect people's behavior. I realize this is putting conclusion before evidence, but I feel that it's a credible conclusion. Moelach is one of the mindless Unmade, as far as we know, so he's unlikely to have motives of his own. As a Splinter of Odium, Odium must have created him for a reason. We know Odium has a pretty good grasp of possible futures. Creating an Unmade to give people glimpses of the future (in a rather morbid way) to get them serving his purposes isn't beyond the realm of possibility. Renarin: We know very little about how Renarin's abilities work, and what types of things he can see, or how they will affect events. We know that his spren, Glys, is a Truthwatcher spren corrupted by Sja-Anat, another Splinter of Odium, and that Glys is likely what grants Renarin the ability to see the future. Renarin has seen Jasnah killing him. This would end him as a Radiant and as a Kholin. I confess, I am unsure what purpose his death would serve in Odium's cause. However, Renarin also saw Dalinar turning into Odium's champion. This would obviously be quite a desirable outcome for Odium. Given that Renarin has done a few things in order to try and warn about or prevent the things he sees, did he, consciously, or subconsciously, take actions that helped to bring that set of events into reality? We don't know yet what effects this might have, so I'm unsure which of the above categories this could fit into. The Diagram: Taravangian believes that he wrong the Diagram out of pure human capability and insight, rather than foresight. However, according to this WoB: As we know, in the Spiritual Realm, all times and places are essentially one. Seeing into the future in all other instances has been seeing into the Spiritual Realm. If Taravangian was closer to the Spiritual Realm than the Cognitive Realm, then he's likely incorporating at least some parts of what he sees in the Spiritual Realm into the Diagram. What we've seen him do so far has seemed to align him toward Odium's desires and motives. However, he was granted this ability by Cultivation, who is at odds with Odium. There was a lively discussion in this thread about the Diagram being a plant (pun intended) put in place by Cultivation. That T's actions, although they seem at odds with Dalinar+co, actually are meant to help them; and that T himself is unaware of this. As you can tell, I subscribe to this theory myself. This would fit in with possibilities 2, 3 and 4 above. Cultivation seems very crafty and careful, playing the long game with Dalinar, with Lift, and probably with T. And finally, we have Hoid. He has an ability to know where he needs to be at any given time. We don't really know most of his motives, so there's no way to determine what "where he needs to be" means, exactly. We're also very unsure as to how he knows to be in those places. We do know he uses something similar to Chromium Feruchemy in order to tap Fortune, but possibly isn't Feruchemy itself. We don't know what Shard he draws on, what intent that Shard might have, or if it's even a Shard at all. If someone can manage to tap directly into the Spiritual Realm without intervention from a Shard, it seems like Hoid would be the one. I'm also sure he's self-aware enough to know when/if he's being manipulated by whatever power he's using. So in short, I have no conclusions to draw about Hoid's abilities, other than a reiteration of his own speech to Shallan: There's always the risk, in seeing the future, of bringing about the exact consequence you want to prevent. That might be the simple answer to this entire question. Won't my face be red if it is! So, there is my long winded theory about the dangers of seeing the future. Please feel free to add to it or rip it to pieces, and thanks for reading!
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  17. It's officially off to the printer. Start saving up; you've got 3 or 4 months to scrounge up $100 for it (plus shipping). Who else is planning on buying it? I know I will be. I'm hoping they put The Traveler in as a bonus scene, like the extra Elantris scene for the tenth anniversary. And the Hemalurgy table will be neat to have - we've been waiting on that for a while, and if it's anything like the previous Metallic Art tables, we should learn a lot.
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  19. Hello! I've been trying to write something like a book for a while now, I've had all the ideas in my head but I can never quite get them on the page. This marks my first attempt at actually trying to construct a prologue for what will hopefully be a book (I've only ever done short-stories before), so that's exciting! I guess. I'd appreciate feedback, prologues/chapters and the like are new to me. When I was writing this, though, I kept getting the nagging feeling like I was writing a ripoff Reckoners book, since it's meant to be a superhero story. But I guess everyone's first book is a ripoff of someone, right? So, yeah, the prologue (sorry for rambling). This isn't actually from the POV of the main character, and its meant to be set 20 years before the events of the story. In it, stuff happens. So, yeah, here we go! I've included the prologue itself in a spoiler tag below, and beneath that I've got a Google Doc link in case any of you want to give feedback that way. Otherwise, any sort of comment in this thread would be greatly valued by me. Thanks! Prologue: Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PA0GG3PG99bRQ8o5Zgcrhb8RTyXJEPU3KOOmawMcUz0/edit?usp=sharing
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  20. From the album: What Happened In Oregon

    I’ve been listening to The Best of Times (explicit) by Sage Francis and it made me think of past!Kokichi. so take a broken ‘kichi

    © SH is BS, this Kokichi is mine

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  21. So, I’m a sucker for misattributed quotes so here’s a few Edmonton ones.
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  22. Well, I just happened to stumble on a panel to submit ideas for Dublin, so I told them our ideas and they wrote them down. Still not guaranteed we'll get in, but hopefully it will help.
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  23. Relevant thread to the current discussion. More on the specifics of what Shai accomplished, and not Fanghur's question.
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  24. *playing happy clips of jubilant axehound pups and windrunners soaring in the sunlight* Other side affects may include, but are not limited to: obsessive WoB hunting, moderate to severe procrastination, eye strain, excessive theorizing, acute balderdash syndrome, reckonersisntcosmerepleasestopaskingorillfeedyoutothekandraism, stress and/or anxiety, Capitalization syndrome, whatisingavilarssphereitisntobviousbrandonplease disorder, and in severe cases, death. Consult your doctor if you are using 17th shard or Coppermind while using Arcanum. This may result in extreme loss of motivation and increased procrastination, which can be fatal. 17th Shard cannot be held responsible for any abuse of Arcanum, or its affliated sites.
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  25. I don't think we have 100% of the picture, but there is speculation that the Aimians are keeping people away from an Unmade trapped there. Hessi's Mythica speculates that Dai-Gonarthis* may have been involved with (or the cause of) the scouring of Aimia. Given that Akinah has given a nickname of "The Void's Playground" (per Kala's interlude), there may be some truth to that. As to "those who could pull secrets from your soul," my wager is on Sja-anat being capable of this. She is called the Taker of Secrets, after all, but we curiously have not been explicitly told why she is called that. * Hessi also seems hesitant about the existence of Dai-Gonarthis, but in that one question ("Is it truly Dai-Gonarthis?") I got the impression that she doesn't want to believe whatever her sources had to say about Dai-Gonarthis. I also feel that Hessi is a little scared of Dai-Gonarthis's rumored abilities as well. Given the hint from the Way of Kings Death Rattle ("...Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep!..."), and the possibility that Dai-Gonarthis is one of the sapient Unmade, I'd be a little scared too.
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  26. You know you're a Sanderfan when Arcanum is right for you.
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  27. Arclo comes. I’m pretty sure he counts as more than 16.
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  28. I know, right? Funny story, I actually put everything into a team randomizer, but everything actually turned out pretty storming awesome this tournament.
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  29. Bro i read the Silmarrilion. And in order for a Balrog to be even close to the size of a Chasmfiend, it would have to grow at least 10 times larger. Whips and Swords of fire are effective weapons, but the can’t make up for the raw size difference. And just because a Balrog killed an Elven Craftsman doesn’t mean it can compare to the juggernaut that is a Chasmfiend. And not to mention that there are many Chasmfiend. damnation you massively overvalue Wizards. We have literally never seen any impressive feat of magic from any of them. The fact that Gandalf carries a sword is testament to his skill as a Wizard. No wizard worth their salt needs a sword. And Gandalf did die with that Balrog, he was resurrected. And let’s not forget this was a Wizard aided by one of the rings. Even with one of the rings of power, he still fell against a simple Balrog Sure Malkor is crazy strong, but Odium has proven himself to be able to efficiently murder gods. He killed Devotion and Dominion at the same time. If any thing could destroy Melkor, It’s Odium and Ruin. And I’ll concede the point that Elantrians don’t match up to wizards, but there are many of them, and few Wizards. The wizards would be easily overrun.
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  30. You know your a Sanderfan when you do this to your children -
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  31. Hello =) first of all: thumbs up for writing the prologue and for having the courage to post it here. Yes it reminded me of the Reckoners, but well, every superhero story somehow reminds me of the Reckoners. But I also got the feeling, that you're approach isn't the same, and that you can move your story in a direction that won't feel like Reckoners 2.0. But after reading the prologue I simply don't know enough of the setting to really judge that. But if you want to bounce a few ideas back and forth just contact me. I added my feedback to the text itself in red, see the spoiler box below. I hope you can understand it, and that it isn't too much and that it helps you. When I give something to my beta I ask her/ him to simply comment everything, and that's what I did here. Because even if I don't agree, I always value their opinion. If you have any questions please ask.
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  32. "THIS.IS.ROSHAR!!!!!" - Dalinar
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  33. Totally get the spoiler trolling thing. When @Box Turtle was reading WoR for the first time this summer, she was expressing her desire to shank Sadeas to me. I said "yeah, you kinda just want to stab him through the eye, right?" and had no idea that I had spoiled Sadeas' death for her.
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  34. @Rand al’Thorres And a piece of general advice: Don't try to understand each word. Just continue reading. As long as you get the sense behind a sentence it's fine, because you understand the book. And don't give up. It gets easier with every single page you read. When I started reading in english I kept something to write next to book and if an unknown word appeared often then I wrote it down to look it up later. I was a good way for me, because I could continue to read and and learn new words.
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  35. Alcatraz. Definitely Alcatraz. If I could understand Alcatraz when I was six (though I was pretty smart for a six year old), even someone who isn't very good at english should be able to.
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  36. First of all, I’m 90% sure you will love Alcatraz because it is amazing. But to help with your question I’m thinking Rithmatist might be the best out of the ones you mentioned. But I would also second @Quantus‘s opinion about Reckoners.
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  37. Reckoners. From a pure language standpoint, one of the defining traits of the Young Adult sub-genre is the use of simpler language (on the general logic that younger readers will still be developing their vocabulary). So by that logic Id start with his YA stuff, which unfortunately does not include any Cosmere as far as I know. However, the Reckoners trilogy is one of the more enjoyable things Ive read recently (Superheroes destroy society!). Unless you just generally superpowers or post-apocalyptic settings, it's not going to be too simplistic despite being Young Adult.
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  38. I think you highlight here how much he HAS progressed. I'll explain why when I'm at my computer later. But the most important thing for Kal to do is to get better at celebrating despite his Depression (which he did), try to work out a solution for the Windrunner ideals vs his surgeon ideals (which he attempts more than ever and makes headway), and realise that it is ok for him to fail, sometimes it can't be helped and it's not his fault and others (like Dalinar) can share the responsibility to save. And that is the Ideal he is currently teetering on. i think he progressed a lot, people just seem to expect book characters to have a clear, forward and never relapsing journey. Which is absolutely not how life works,and his refusal to depict that is where Brandon shines, above many lauded "literary classic"'writers
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  39. Introduction Since my trip to Wisconsin, and talk with Brandon, I have been constructing a theory in my head about the exact function of how Magic is used throughout the Cosmere. Using various WoBs and different example from the text I planned out a post that went through each magic system and explained how it works at a realmatic level, and how it uses Investiture to affect the Physical, Cognitive, or Spiritual Realm. Today i finally sat down and wrote the whole thing this morning and formatted it this evening. If you see any discrepancies or false claims, feel free to comment after reading. If you have anything to add, please do so as well. See the the WoB and refrences down below that are numbered according to where they show up. The corresponding number will be posted within (parenthesis). Enjoy! Magic Allomancy The genetically inherited sDNA of an Allomancer gives them connection in the spirit web that a person does normally have. When a person is snapped this allows for a shard's investiture to flow through them using these inherited spirit web pathways, I believe these pathways are what endows each power, with each new pathway (or pathways group) giving them 1 Allomantic ability.(1) When the investiture flows through them they channel it into said pathways, giving them the ability to change internal (zinc, brass, etc.) and external (copper, bronze, etc.) phenomena within the three realms. Zinc and Brass both use the investiture to influence a being's spiritual aspect through the cognitive realm. Copper uses its investiture to disrupt the pulses that investiture gives off. This is similar to how Shardplate makes it harder to affect the wearer with emotional Allomancy (2). Bronze uses investiture to recognize these pulses and translate it into something the allomancer can understand. Tin eyes and thugs use the investiture to bolster the physical connections in the spirit web. Brandon has described the realms as the spiritual realm being a light, the cognitive being the beam, and the physical being the surface that is hit. Tin eyes and Thugs circulate more investiture than normal through parts of the light as to make the image on the surface brighter in some areas.(3) Iron and steel use investiture to generate kinetic energy in the physical realm by using connection in the spiritual realm (Kelsier or Brandon, can't remeber which likened looking into the spiritual realm to the steel sight of an inquisitor or the blue lines on an allomancer) to relate the general mass of the allomancer to what ever the investiture is pushing on. I believe that with enough investiture, a steel pusher could push on normal objects and people, but that it more easily affects metal because the investiture is keyed in by metal, so it is a path with MUCH less resistance. This is just a theory, however, and is only backed up by the fact that Inquisitors can see all things with Steel Sight. Duralumin forces all investiture out through the connections instantly, amplifying their affect in that instant by flaring it more than could normally be achieved. Aluminum immediately forces all investiture out through that connection, wasting it all and throwing it back into a shard. Nicrosil and chromium do these things, but to other Allomancers.(4) Gold and Electrum both use investiture to strengthen other connections that could have or will be. This gives images in the physical realm that the allomancer can see. In other words, it shows connections that aren't actually there yet, which gives off a limelight in the physical realm, which only leaves a ghost image in the physical realm. These ghost images grow in power until you are given a near vision, if flared hard enough as a powerful allomancer or when used with Duralumin. Atium does this, but with the external world. When burned hard enough or with duralumin it breaks the Atium Magic connection itself and allows you to glimpse into the spiritual realm. Cadmium and Bendalloy do a similar thing, which is why they are in the same category as Gold and Electrum. They enhance connection to the overall timeline, which brings your physical self closer to said spirit connection, kind of like a timey whimey steel push or iron pull. If it is a future connection, you, and those around you (again, external) rush towards the future. If it is towards the past you put on the time brakes and skid, leaving you and those around you closer to the past than normal. Lerasium gives you all the above connections, but as to its other effects I cannot guess. Feruchemy This magic works in a similar fashion, but instead of snapping in new connections, it utilizes the connection all humans are born with. This is why a snapping isn't required (same with Awakening). It raises the "Investiture pressure" of these different connections or lowers them, and stores the extra inside of the metal mind keyed to that connection via metals. This is why a person cannot use another's metal mind. The investiture that it has been affected by has the marks (or identity) of that person's own spark of life (or innate investiture). I think that new investiture is still added to the soul when the sDNA is inherited, but it just enhances or connections rather than adding completely new ones, so extra space from a snapping is not required. Iron, Steel, Tin, Pewter, Electrum, Gold, Bendalloy, Cadmium, Bronze, Brass, Atium, and Zinc all work this way, very simply. Gold is a little more interesting than those others because it is similar to how Stormlight heals, and will probabaly be similar to how many other magic systems regenerate the magic user. Copper is a bit different. It completely erases the memory that exists and stores it. Adding more new memories back then stored still does not require extra snapped out space because gaining new memories is a function that happens unmagically. Chromium works pretty basically, but has interesting implications. In Secret History [spolier]One of the Ire alludes to people being able to find locations they wish to find by using Fortune (4). Brandon has also said that Hoid uses Feruchemy to be where he needs and wants to be. Nicrosil allows one to completely store away their extra magic imbuing connections in a similar way that Copper can completely store memories. I'm not sure if you regain your connections when you stop storing, but I doubt it. The ability to gain extra connections does not require extra snapped out connections because everyone has the ability to have extra connections added. Aluminum stores your sense of self, or Identity. We have not seen much of this power directly in action but we know that . Duralumin works by reducing and enhancing one's Connection to an area. This allows for someone to have connections similar to someone who has grown up in an area, giving you an understanding of the local languages, etc. When Compounding is used to fuel Feruchemy I believe that the Investiture used in the Feruchemical charge is able to ride the new pathways to the old ones they affect, essentially taking a path of least resistance, and thus increasing the investiture efficiency when used. It's like like getting energy from a poor conductor, then shooting it back through a super conductor rather than using a bad conductor once again. You get more energy back in then usual. This is again, just a theory, as I have no way to prove that allomantic connections are any better than regular ones at carrying investiture, but this makes sense to me. Hemallurgy: Before I explain how I think this works I want to look at the Three Realm Light analogy once more. When the light is turned on, specific portions of the light correspond with the image upon the surface. When a Hemallurgic spike strikes the portion of the image that corresponds to where a magic inducing connection is on the light, it uses ruin's investiture to pierce the three realms (Like a perpendicularly, Brandon alludes to what I am speaking of now in my Madisson report) and absorb the connections and investiture that is there. This spike can then do the reverse, and spit out those connections and investiture back into a new soul. This is why everyone can use Hemallurgy, it doesn't utilize connections inside the host to key into investiture, but rather it uses the type of metal to do so. I can't explain the connection to blood, but I just want to point out that blood is related to the spiritual realm, so there is probably something going on there. Maybe it acts as a insulator for the investiture and connections within the spiritual realm?(5) Surgebinding When a person who is snapped bonds with a Spren it fills the snapped out space with new connections, similar to Allomancy. When a person speaks their oaths it adds more investiture pressure to these new connections similar to Feruchemy and also increases investiture efficiency within these connections as well as in the enhanced healing, speed, and strength connections. This process allows for the magic we see utilized in the surges, which I will explain below. Before I get to how exactly the surges worked I also want to talk about the spren side of things. I think that as more oaths are spoken, not only are the spren dragged farther into the physical realms, but they are also imbued with more connections and also allows them to key into Honor's investiture to transform into powerful invested objects. Shardblades work by being invested enough to puncture through the realms in a similar way to spikes, and then rip off and destroy parts of the soul. Nightblood is so much so invested that he can completely evaporate a being's entire presence in all three realms. Sharplate works by being invested enough to disrupt other investiture. It basically stops Shardblades from being able to puncture the wearers spirit web. Since it is so heavily invested it also deflects allomantic pulses and other investitures. We don't know much about many of the surges, so I will explain the ones we have seen. I will update this theory as we learn more about the surges. Gravitation This magical connection works by internally affecting the Shardworlds connections and hold onto a person. It does similar things externally to objects that are lashed. Adhesion This works by manipulation the part of the spirit web that deals with air pressure, making the portion of the physical image that deals with air pressure more so bright, which sticks other physical objects to it. Illumination This works by creating ghost images in the physical realm in a similar fashion to Gold and Electrum. I think this allows Truthwatchers glimpse images of the future and allows Lightweavers to... well... weave light. Soulcasting This one is pretty unique compared to the ones we have seen so far. This works by allowing the magic user to create new connections in another soul, and then forces investiture through those new connections to make them the path of least resistance, transforming the spirit web and changing the physical realm image. Adhesion: Works in a similar way to Abrasion, but with friction instead of air pressure. AonDor Now this magic system I don't really understand, because we still don't understand how it is initiated. I will probably update my theory on this subject when it how initiation works on Sel is told to us in Arcanum Unbound. Awakening This works by sending pulses of investiture into an object in a similar fashion to emotional Allomancy, with the command being an analogue to the emotion that a rioter wants you to feel. This investiture then creates new connections in the Awakened Object's spirit web, giving it a kind of sentience. When enough Investiture is used to create this mind it can create near complete Robot like minds, such as Noghtblood. So basicly, Awakening is like coding a soul, and then using investiture to power that soul. Lifeless already have code there, and stone lifeless are a similar enough image to leave an impression of a code, so they are able to follow the new code given to them as if they were a human. The breath cannot be taken away, and I'm pretty sure this is because of the complexity of the person or type IV's spirit web, kind of in the way that the beyond cannot take away Cognitive shadows as easily if they have more spiritual connections. The different Heightenings work in a similar fashion to Feruchemy, in that it enhances various preexisting Connections within the spirit web. Effects of Magic Use of any magic within the Cosmere, or any handling of Investiture, effects ones spirit web. One way it can be effected is by the investitures Intent. Any investiture, no matter how small, affects ones personality with its mandate. In large amounts this can lead to a person subcoming completely to the Intent, becoming a shell with which the power acts. They are basically just riding the power at that point, as opposed to directing it. This happened to Ati, most likely.(12) Another way Investiture is Savantism. This happens when wasted investiture accumulates in l, basicly investing these different connections. When I talked with Brandon at Oddesey Con it was confirmed that things have been invested and are used to the investiture in their souls begin to wither away when there is no longer investiture running through it, such as the stones and wood in Elantris. When this happens to an Allomancer it gives them extended abilities with these connections in the soul, but leaves them in a burned out a damaged state when not burning. Looking at Spook and the Three Realm Light analogy, I belive that he left those areas on the light too bright for too long and ended up burning the image surface. While the light is dimmer, the image remains burned, leaving him with the effects that he had. These damages can be looked as as boons, but are especially dangerous in the physical Allomancy connections.(13)(14)(15) Relevant WoB (1) Brandon: Over time using the magic will invest you, on Scadrial. Most of the power is not coming from, on Roshar the power isn't coming from the person either (He cut himself off, so I assume this is how it works on Scadrial even though he didn't finish his thought) so I'm going to have to back up on that one and say, yes, the mistborn are as invested as a Knight Radiant, because in both cases the majority of the power is coming from somewhere else, but there is the spirit web. Investing the wrong term, but you have all these connections in the spiritual realm, so yanking you away from them, or rewriting them (like soulcasting or forgery) is harder. (2) Brandon: Yes, investiture disrupts investiture. It's harder for her to even soulcast a regular person than, say, a rock. (3) I could find this refrence, although i just read it hours ago. If anyone finds it splease PM me and i will update this post. (4) BRANDON SANDERSON (REDDIT) 1. It's consistent in the Spiritual Realm. Location isn't particularly important there. 2. Very interchangeable, but not always simple to apply. 3. Investiture can not be created or destroyed. It follows it's own version of the laws of Thermodynamics. JOE_____ (REDDIT)So what happens to the investiture that is lost when a person is spiked and the spike isn't set in the new person immediately? Does it return to the big pool of investiture in the sky like the power from wheel of time where if its not actively being used it returns to the source? BRANDON SANDERSON (REDDIT)What happens to someone's body when it's not being used by a particular person? The system is built to work like that.(5) Brandon: Right, Hoid talks about Perpendicularities on Scadrial, if you go look at that there are certain places he talks about that. ,eyes just say that large concentrations of investiture can cause a puncture through the spiritual realm straight to the physical realm. If you know how to use it, you may transition. That's not the only way but is the primary way. Guy: And of of Course you can soulcast (Elsecall?) to get there. Brandon: Yes. Guy who asked about the four armed spren: Now that's a very interesting analogy you just made, you said "punctured" almost as if it were a spike. Brandon: Yes, yes, that was intentional. (6) QUESTION Can Odium pick up pieces of a Shard without changing the nature of his Shard? BRANDON SANDERSON Any investiture, over time, will slowly change one’s personality, no matter how small that investiture. (7) INTERVIEW: Mar 20th, 2014 WOR Signing Report - IronCaf (Paraphrased)IRONCAFIn what ways is the process of becoming an allomantic savant like body building or other exercise?BRANDON SANDERSON [Paraphrasing] That is not an inapt metaphor for it. It's like a wedge gets in the soul and cracks it, and investiture can fill it up. IRONCAFAnd using allomancy breaks it further? BRANDON SANDERSONYes. (15) Random lady: In Elantris it talks about how to wood and stone in the city is rotten and crumbling. Why does this happen? Brandon: This is because when objects become Invested for long periods of time their spirit web changes to accomodate the investiture. When the investiture was pulled up of the stuff in Elantris it's spirit web was severely damaged so it showed that in the physical realm. This happened with the Lord Ruler when the Bands of Mourning were ripped out of him. Conclusion If there is anything you guys think I should add or fix, please let me know and I will update the thread. Feel free to share your thoughts.
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  40. Well done. My only contrary thought to this is that I believe there were pre-shatterring magics and investitures. This is a very thought provoking post though.
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  41. Wow, thanks, you guys! I really appreciate you having the time to look over my stuff, and your feedback is definitely helpful to me and things I could improve on. Thanks! Sorana, I really appreciated your in depth feedback in my story, almost line by line! And MetaTerminal, thanks for your overall opinion, with certain examples. I believe it’s important to have a little of both. At the risk of repeating myself, thanks!
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  42. I didn't realize you had been odium until I chose him. He is going to be fun to write. And that trinity battle. That and Pattern V Syl. This round will be entertaining for sure
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  43. *pulls out knife* Wait. *puts away knife* *pulls out rocket launcher*
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  44. In-world we see that there are Era 2 laws about the use of Allomancy; and even in the Final Empire, obligators were trained to detect "misuse" of Allomancy (and the Steel Inquisitors had a duty to, ah, "punish" the misuse of Allomancy). But restriction on the use of Feruchemy has not (yet) been mentioned. Maybe it's because it's largely a Terris Community thing, with Feruchemists outside the Village apparently being somewhat rare? And what with God Himself (Harmony) being of Terris origin, and a Feruchemist originally, there might be some unease about restricting the use of copperminds or something, when the Words of Founding are literally a divine coppermind dump. There's also the fact that while you can have a Seeker on hand to try to detect Allomancy (if there's no Smoker blocking him/her), they haven't figured out a way yet to detect the use of Feruchemy, even if a WoB suggests that it would be possible for a talented Seeker to do so. So the best you could do would be to ban known Sparker Ferrings from chess tournaments, and trust that the Terris wouldn't let a Sparker "cheat" in that manner (since from what we see in Shadows of Self when Wax visits his grandmother, they don't share their information on who is what kind of Feruchemist with non-Terris folk except in special cases). Medallion technology would make enforcement of such laws difficult, in any case. I might not be a Soother, but I could use a medallion to Soothe and then chuck it and there'd be no way to trace the Soothing back to me, and so on. Same thing with F-zinc. More interesting would be Ferring-only matches to see who was more skilled with managing their resources. Like Brute-on-Brute wrestling matches with identically sized empty pewterminds issued to them at the start, and the same short amount of time to fill them before the match began.
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  45. You know what? Yes. I'm in. This'll be fun. Being the choosing of Spook. Wasing the surviving of burns. Ising the fitting of rapping of battles.
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  46. I'm sorry. But the books have been out for nine years now. That's long past the point where things are usually considered spoilers. And it's a minor plot point that I called in 1998! That's almost twenty years ago! Am I allowed to talk about the Lord of the Rings? (Published in the 50s?) How about La Morte D'Arthur? (Published several centuries ago?) The Illiad and the Oddesey? (Ancient Greece) How far back does a book have to be published to be mentioned without worrying about spoilers? This forum usually says six months for information from a new book not to be considered a spoiler. Considering that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out eleven years ago, we are long past the point where spoiler tags would be expected, let alone required. It would be one thing if the book came out a year, or even two years ago. Eleven years?! I'm really sorry that you feel you were spoiled, but eleven years is a bit much to expect someone to use spoiler tags, especially for a well known work.
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  47. I don't think you need to be a Sanderfan to have that reaction to the last Divergent book.
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  48. When you begin to wonder if someone on the Shard is Brandon Sanderson, who created a dummy account, and is giggling at all of our amazingly wrong theories. Edit: Sorry for the double post...
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  49. My Talent is info-dumping. I am the handy NPC who always has vital information for your quest just before you need it. Or don't need it. Or never will need it. It might not even be for your quest, but it's definitely important to someone, okay?
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