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Curiously that's what I thought in the beginning as well when I heard Maya was an Edgedancer's blade, but the more I think about it, the more I believe he'd be perfect Edgedancer material. I don't have much info about them at hand, but from what I can remember they're the most graceful of the Orders - and that's an attribute Adolin definitely has. Healing is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think about him, but neither was it with Lift in her first chapter in WoR. But: Adolin playes a part in healing/helping heal Shallan and Kaladin. Remember how much Kaladin hated lighteyes? Adolin (as well as Shallan) played a huge part in changing that. Also, their Oaths are about remembering the forgotten and listening to those who are ignored. The remembering part fits his family's background - where Dalinar forgot about Evi for a long time, Adolin always remembered her. He kept carrying her necklace as a good luck charm. And the listening part: Adolin was the first one to actually believe Kaladin about Amaram. (The first lighteyes, that is.) I think that somehow fits.

... but they looked like a Vorin ardent, a Fjordish evangelist, and a Hallandren priest, so we never knew.

TBH I'd really enjoy giving Pippin a staff and telling him "Yer a wizard now Pip!" and see where it goes.

Day 1 - A Shadow of the Past The wind blew across what passed for plains, here in the Spiritual Realm. The man who had called himself Sheon Idris in life turned his face from his contemplation of a steel and gold crown, now worn with the use of many years. The single word etched into the metal was practically worn away now, though his eyes could see it as clearly as the day he had carved it himself. Unforgiven. He looked to his left, expecting a visitor to appear, as had often come when moods like this came upon him. But that was right, she had moved on. Or had she? He couldn't remember. With a flicker of his will, his attention turned back to the Physical Realm. The Shards were preparing for war again. Incredible devastation. Incalculable destruction. All because of him and his meddling. A universe torn apart, just like its god. And every time he had attempted to put things right, things had only gotten worse. The Shardic Coalition and the wars against Odium, the great Civil War, where his own followers had torn the power of the Shards from his grasp and held them in containment. And then the Silverlight War, which had ended with Autonomy ruling the entire Cosmere for...how long had it been now? Time passed slowly here, or at least the perception of it did. And he was so old now, and so tired. Was it time to give up? Time to admit that he could not put back together what had been broken, and each time he tried it only broke things further? Time to go on into forever, and...well, whatever came after? Maybe. After all, how long had it been since he'd actually tried to pull the strings of the cosmos? Longer than it should have been, for sure. But the thought of just giving up and giving in awoke his old stubbornness to something like a sullen fire, deep within. He had failed many times, seen death and destruction and pain and loss and hate and horror so many times. And he would not sit back and let that win. He had a job to do, tired or not. Old or not. Once more into the breach, this time counting for all of them. He called up his avatar, the body he used to walk the realms. It had a name, didn't it? Something...stirring. Something that reminded him of...of colors on the flags of Hallandren, or electric lights in the night of Scadrial, or the smell of freshly fallen rain after a Highstorm. What was it, again? Ah, that was it. Hoid. The Wanderer. King's Wit, once, if he recalled right. He had probably been a storming good one. And with another little flicker of will, he stepped into Silverlight. The Shards were about to go to war again, for whatever reason. It would be chaos, and he could use chaos. Khriss was still out there, and she would try and stop him, and he would use that too. With a little laugh, he went off to play with their war, one last time. Unforgiven. But not yet broken. - - - - - - - - - - - - Welcome to AG 5: One Final Blaze of Light! As a reminder, Day 1 will not have a lynch, but you may otherwise use any Day Turn actions freely. You should all have received role PMs by now - if you haven't, please contact @A Joe in the Bush or myself immediately. Player List: 1. Amethyst Scorpion 2. Azure Mouse 3. Amber Vulture 4. Charcoal Hyena 5. Chartreuse Penguin 6. Coral Swan 7. Cream Tuatara 8. Emerald Falcon 9. Fuschia Ostrich 10. Indigo Weasel 11. Ivory Dragonfly 12. Magenta Albatross 13. Mauve Crocodile 14. Melon Dingo 15. Mint Heron 16. Onyx Flamingo 17. Opal Lion 18. Oxblood Beagle 19. Pearl Chameleon 20. Plum Rhinoceros 21. Quartz Zebra 22. Saffron Iguana 23. Sage Kangaroo 24. Salmon Meerkat 25. Sapphire Elephant 26. Scarlet Octopus 27. Sunburst Toucan 28. Taupe Gecko 29. Turquoise Gorilla 30. Violet Axolotl The day will last until Wednesday, January 16th, 1:00 AM, Mountain Time

My completely unbiased poll for no apparent reason. Do you want Adolin to resurrect Maya and become an Edgedancer? Me personally I want him to resurrect Maya but I don't want Maya capable of a bond. A shardblade yes, a KR no. Part of my desire is to have fewer KR PoVs, and part of it is that I'd like to see some consequences attached to what happened to Maya in the first place. She can be brought back from certain doom but some things just can't be fixed, and I find magic in worlds tend to devalue consequences like that.

This forum holds immense amounts of information but it's very hard to go through each and every one thread looking for interesting theories (especially ones from older books). So I'm making this thread in hope of resurfacing old and lost theories and ideas. Please describe or link personal favourite theories (yours or other people's), theory-crafting posts and ideas below. Here is one I like from @hoiditthroughthegrapevine:

Already, Discord had arisen in Silverlight. An individual was claiming to serve no master, nor work with any allies. A remnant of Autonomy's influence, no doubt. The sapient beings of the Cosmere were meant to work together in Harmony, not isolate themselves from each other in the name of freedom. But then, Autonomy had never been about freedom, had she? Her and the Shard known only for its desire to Survive had complemented each other nicely; withdraw from others, keep to one's self, avoid trust, maintain existence at any cost. A bleak way to live, but an acceptable one for those who chose that path. As always though, the Shards warped their Vessel's personality to extremes. Autonomy could never recognise that civilisations could only advance and grow cooperatively, while Survival forgot that a life merely spent prolonging one's existence was hardly a life at all. As for the solitary claimant, well they were probably lying. There could be no neutrals, not anymore. The time for solitude was over. In this new era of the Cosmere, working together was the only way forward.

From WoR Epigraphs. "When Simol was informed of the arrival of the Edgedancers, a concealed consternation and terror, as is common in such cases, fell upon him; although they were not the most demanding of orders, their graceful, limber movements hid a deadliness that was, by this time, quite renowned; also, they were the most articulate and refined of the Radiants." I think Adolin checks the boxes for what we know about Edgedancers. I like that Lift is basically the antithesis of this too, nothing like subverting expectation.

It snowed this weekend. We got twice the amount expected

The "Adolin shouldn't be a KR because not everyone needs to be a KR argument" has always read to me like "you know what Harry Potter needed? a Muggle main character." To attempt to quote Vasher without WoR in front of me, Roshar is "invested to the hilt and looking for a place to stuff it all." Sort of intrinsically its a story with a ton of magic in it, and I think anyone who's a main character is going to have to interact with it in some way, whether it be as a KR, Navani and her fabrials, or on the weird frontier like Adolin and Renarin are in their own ways. Yes, there are going to be characters who aren't interacting with magic but I think by necessity they'll be increasingly sidelined. And I'm okay with that. In fact I'd find it increasingly difficult to believe that Adolin would be able to contribute much of anything moving forward if he doesn't end up going Edgedancer other than just some background moral support for Shallan and I think he deserves more than that as a character

I'd love to see Maya revived, both because of the spren resurrection and potential Radiant powers for Adolin. He and Lift would make a great Edgedancer team, especially as Lift is not a warrior (and has a pacifist for a spren :D). I wouldn't be bothered by Adolin becoming a full KR. He works as he is now, but there are a lot of books to come (and hopefully, he'll be in all of them and not die off) and since he's been so awesome with Maya from the beginning I beieve he deserves this "reward". I'd also be fine with him only getting part Radiant powers, like Maya as a Shardblade any maybe the healing factor of Stormlight. But in the end I'd much prefer Adolin becoming a full Edgedancer, just because it would be incredibly entertaining and because of the potential figure skating AU: Adolin would LOVE the glittery costumes ... Oh, and I want to see Syl's face when a corpse-wielding Shardbearer just ... revives the corpse. Something definitely is going to happen with Maya. I can't imagine Brandon just giving us her name and Adolin summoning her in less than ten heartbeats without anything more coming from it.

It's an absolute travesty that he was not allowed to keep that name. And I have another episode for you fine folks. Before we start, I'd like to thank @Snipexe for providing the initial idea for an Enforcement core in the catacombs, and @Voidus for providing me with Wisp's profile. Episode Four: First Dates Club

Hey I need assistance i'm not sure if I exist. Thoughts?

On Saturday, I auditioned at the All-Area contest. I got first chair, which means I get to go to All-State!

I mean, in my opinion, Adolin is pretty graceful where it counts; as far as being articulate goes, neither is Lift and she's 100% a confirmed Edgedancer.

David Charleston had a very stringent set of goals for his life. One: join the Reckoners. Check. Two: kill Steelheart. Check. Three: buy a Chicago style hot dog. Check. Four: ...cupcake. That last one wasn't necessarily something that had been planned out as precisely as the others. Honestly, it hadn't even been on the agenda until this morning. The smell of fresh baked goods after a lifetime without them, like an angry High Epic attack, had a way of reshaping your schedule. "The way I see it," David said, walking briskly with his rifle slung over his back, "Back before Calamity, companies would have breakrooms where people would, you know, take a break." "Your understanding of the world before your time never ceases to amaze me," Abraham said dryly. He said it with a smile. Since the Mitosis incident he'd normally been the one to accompany David on these occasional excursions into the city; after all, someone had to. "I'm going somewhere with this," David replied. "I'm saying that, in some of those breakrooms, you'd probably find cupcakes. So us making this detour is basically like any regular person with a cubicle job." "Except instead of a cubicle, there are murderers with superpowers waiting for us when we're done." "Well, yeah. That'd be the biggest difference." Abraham stroked his chin for a moment. "Truth be told, I am glad to have avoided the cubicle. Small victories, I suppose. This was still a terrible and rather pointless metaphor, David." "It's not a metaphor. It's more like a rationalization." "Why on Earth do you need a rationalization for buying a cupcake?" Honestly... he didn't have an answer for that one. That was sort of the thing you understood or you didn't. David didn't fully understand himself. Maybe it was the tension in the air; killing Steelheart had essentially declared all-out war against the Epics, and they were acting in turn. Just walking down the street he had to keep a constant eye out for anybody who looked like they might start shooting laser beams out of their eyes or summoning marshmallow golems, because, well, they might. And it wasn't even the ones who wanted to incinerate him on the spot he was most anxious to pick out of the crowd. Blonde hair and a thin figure still made him do a double take every time they walked by, and not for any of the normal reasons. In so far as having a dead but reincarnated almost girlfriend who might be evil wasn't normal. The long and short of it was, little distractions meant all the difference in the world right now. Even if they felt unearned, with how much the world at large still sucked. Then again... Newcago had changed, and it was hard not to appreciate the fresh new pace the city enjoyed even when you were constantly checking over your shoulder for lunatics with guns for hands or lightning in their fingertips. The city was already almost unrecognizable from the dark dystopia that Steelheart had ruled; even aside from the novel sensation of daylight, the buildings themselves were different. Paint was going up at a rapid pace. No longer was it a neverending labyrinth of drab stainless steel architecture; now pastel blues and the brightest of reds all blurred together like a clown in a washing machine. Abraham said the clashing colors gave him a headache. Prof, when asked, expressed indifference. But to David there was no better symbol of the change they'd brought to the city, except maybe the little businesses beginning to sprout up here and there. Back in normal days, hot dog stands or small home bakeries wouldn't be anything unusual. But here and now, they were the mark of people beginning to act like people again. A bell rang when they walked in the business door, which put a grin across David's face that Abraham only shook his head at. A bell on a door! He hadn't heard one of those in years! But even that little wonder was quickly overtaken by a fresh wave of incredible smells. There was a display case at the front of the shop that shielded tons of cupcakes. Every one of them was a tiny masterpiece; their forms were as cupcake-y as could be, and the frosting on top of them danced in all sorts of designs. Most had black and red roses delicately emblazoned across their tops. Others were plain except for a pretty shade of orange. A couple had somehow been decorated in a creative military camo motif. Still others swirled with the brightest, most flamboyant colors imaginable, topped with what he assumed was edible glitter. Just from looking at these he was briefly a kid again. A kid in a world where candy and pastries were just a trip to the store with Dad away. "Whoah, hey, real customers. Hang on and I'll be right out." A woman's voice snapped him out of it, and he straightened as she made her appearance. To his surprise she didn't actually seem that much older than him. She had the permanently widened eyes that most newcomers from the outside world had when they arrived in Newcago, and a couple of lines across her forehead that no teenager would have had in the world before Calamity. But setting those aside she looked like a normal young woman, maybe nineteen or in her very early twenties. With her vivid green eyes and smooth black hair she might even be pretty, if David noticed that sort of thing in women who weren't toting at least three guns. She poked her head out of the kitchen, evaluating them for a moment before recognition lit up in her eyes. He should have braced for that. As much as he'd tried to stay mediocre and unnoticeable his whole life, all of a sudden everyone knew his face. "I know who you are," she said in a matter of fact tone. She put a tray of fresh cupcakes down on the counter, those green eyes drilling into him. "I've seen your face before." "Er, yeah," he replied awkwardly. He still wasn't sure what to say when the citizens singled him out like this. Abraham chuckled behind him, which was not cool given teammates were supposed to have each other's backs. "You," the woman went on, "are the dorky guy who was greeting newcomers last month." "Oh." He'd been doing that a lot here lately, always trying to make a good impression on those who'd come flooding into the city upon hearing the news. As many people had left fearing the inevitable Epic reprisal for Steelheart's death, it had been important to him that those who had braved the harsh roads of the Fractured States had met a friendly face. He put on a smile for the baker. "Yeah, that's me. Just trying to make everyone feel at home." "You were doing a pretty good job," the woman noted. "Then Instabam showed up like ten minutes after I got here. That was a little less comforting but I guess it turned out okay." He grinned awkwardly. "So you were part of that group. Sorry for the weird first impression." "Ha!" she actually grinned back, looking genuinely amused. "Instabam, weird? He was the bottom of the barrel. I know weird. I grew up in Portland." With that she turned around, working on something in the cabinets behind her as David's eyes widened. Abraham whistled softly beside him; not many people had made it out of Oregon in one piece. Megan had. She also had rarely talked about it, and he'd never pressed her. The chaos, the turf wars... they were all the stuff of legend even to the lorists, and those rare survivors who'd seen the happenings with their own eyes wouldn't often talk about it. Yet this woman had made it out. Not only had she survived, but she was also one of the only Newcago immigrants bold enough to start their own shop. "Anyway," she went on, turning around with even more of the brightly colored cupcakes, "I think you're eligible for this new policy I'm trying to start. People who've killed an Epic get a free cupcake. Instabam qualifies you. Barely." David blinked. He liked seeing the people of Newcago finally taking risks again, but this... "That is... bold," Abraham remarked. The woman shrugged. "If you're a target just for starting up a shop, you don't really have anything to gain from being subtle about it. Worse that could happen is I get murdered by an Epic, which, let's face it, would happen sooner or later anyway if you guys didn't catch them first." "I guess that's one way of looking at it," David admitted. "Look at you. Fighting the Epic establishment with cupcakes." "It's more profitable than just making fun of their fashion sense," she said with another little smirk. "Now. There's a scaling system to it. Instabam was only worth one free cupcake. But others are worth more." Abraham raised an eyebrow. "You've put thought into this?" "Yup. I call it the ATTD system. The cupcakes scale according to how happy you are to hear 'And Then They Died.' So hearing Instabam is dead is only worth one. But Nightweiner-" "Nightwielder." "-that's what I said—is worth two of my cupcakes because two equal the amount of happiness people have hearing 'And Then He Died.'" "I am not sure if you are ambivalent towards Epics or very confident in the quality of your baking," said Abraham. "Definitely the latter." With that she turned her eyes back to David. There was a twinkle in them; the same kind of twinkle that were in Cody's. Hurt, maybe even diminished, but still very much present even when everyone else had lost theirs. "So anway, what I'm getting at is that Steelheart is worth at least three. You might be able to talk me into four." Aaaaand suddenly that grin and that twinkle made sense. David kicked himself for considering otherwise. "You know exactly who I am." "Uh, obviously." She gave him a flat expression. "I'm not stupid. Well, that's arguable since I'm giving out free cupcakes for dead Epics in a city that still has Epics. But that just makes it worse that I could see through your ingenious disguise of..." She looked him up and down for a pointed moment. "...long Reckoners coat and combat rifle on the back, with no mask." "Alright, I get it," David replied, putting his hands in the air. "To be fair I'm not trying to disguise myself. I'm just... not announcing myself everywhere." "Probably smart," she noted. "So are you claiming the free cupcakes or not? Obliteration is worth five, if you take commissions." "I'm paying," David said firmly. "You're a new business. You need actual patronage." "You'd think that, wouldn't you?" She smiled widely. "My plan was to sign up for a cafeteria and work my way up, but the moment I said I wanted to start a shop they practically threw money and an empty building at me." "The mayor wants to make the city a place of commerce again," Abraham said. "But not many are seizing the opportunities just yet. You arrived at just the right time, if you aren't afraid of being annihilated by a random Epic." In spite of Abraham's comment, David found himself smiling. The city's efforts were working. This bakery was proof of it. "So your plan went further along than you expected," he said. "What's the next step?" "Well... I didn't think I'd get this far," she admitted. "So for now the plan is to sell cupcakes, to get plump from the leftover frosting, and to die at the ripe old age of thirty-five. I'd count that as a win." "Don't be so pessimistic! Things are looking up!" "Go kill some more Epics and I'll think about it." She waved a hand at the empty street outside the bakery. "Now hurry up and place an order, 'Steelslayer'! You're holding up the line!" So soon his plan came to fruition. He sat across from Abraham at the only table in the building, a platter of cupcakes laid out in front of him. He wanted to give this new business as much of his support as possible, so he'd bought one of everything; at least, that was his excuse to himself for not being able to choose just one. A full platter was in front of him. He picked up a rainbow-sprinkled, glittery treasure of a cupcake, letting its amazingness soak into him. From behind the counter he felt the baker's eyes watching him like a hawk, no doubt ready to gauge his reaction. Well if that's what she wanted, he'd give her one. He took a big bite, and- ... Bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss. He chewed and he swallowed in stunned amazement, well aware of Abraham scarfing down his second already on the other end of the table. When he was done with the bite he turned to the baker with a smile. "That..." he said in awe, "...was like a unicorn commando." Her expectant face suddenly went blank with confusion. "...what." "It's like this," David explained. "A unicorn's something incredibly rare and amazing that you never thought you'd actually find. But then imagine finding one, and it's also a commando—it's more awesome than you'd ever even dreamed!" She stared at him, blinking slowly. "Uh... thanks! I guess." David didn't mind the questioning tone. He was already digging right back into the platter, which seemed to satisfy her more than his very eloquent praise had. He reveled in that afternoon of sugar and frosting. Occasionally chatting back and forth with Abraham, with Newcago's best baker adding her own remarks every now and again. Sparks, this was exactly the sort of afternoon the world had been missing. "One thing I'm still missing is a name," the woman remarked after a while, scrolling on a recently issued mobile. "Proper businesses have names." "You are currently the only functioning bakery on the overstreets," Abraham pointed out. "And I would not expect there to be any down underneath." "That won't always be the case," David said. "More will follow, and it won't be crazy to make yourself stand out from them." "That's what I'm thinking," she replied. "But coming up with names isn't easy. Thought about using mine, but if I call it Sam's Bakery people will think it's the hot dog guy." "He makes great hot dogs though," David said, ignoring Abraham's grimace. "Yeah, doesn't really help sell cupcakes," the woman—Sam—replied. "And 'Samantha's Bakery' sucks too. I want something with a little more pizzazz, but there aren't a ton of good names available that won't paint an even bigger target sign on you. Like if I called it Tasty Treats, I guarantee you some slontze with baking powers will show up because I violated his trademark." "It's not quite that bad," David said. "There was one called Treat-tastic, though." "See! Epics always pick the worst names. Except maybe-" She bit her lip, not carrying on. Abraham kept on wolfing down the cupcakes, but David found himself looking curiously at her. This was someone with stories. Maybe not stories she wanted to tell. But stories nonetheless. Every little thing she said or did made that clear. He started to open his mouth again, but was interrupted by his own mobile buzzing. He and Abraham checked them quickly, having learned not to delay with this sort of thing. Sam's eyes went wide. "Epic alert?" She was tense; as much bravado as she showed, like any sane human she was ready to get the Calamity out of dodge if an Epic was coming through. "It is very much worse," Abraham said with a grimace. "About a half hour from now the city council wants us to sit in on a meeting. Those are the worst." "And a long walk," David groaned. "We should get going." "Oh. I see." Sam had relaxed, but her shoulders had drooped. There was a fresh new anxiety on her face, and David had no clue what it might mean. "Here, let me just... get you a to-go box." "That'd be awesome. And you know, we'll be back sometime soon." "Pfft. You're Reckoners. You can't promise that." She set about dutifully pulling a box out for them, as the two Reckoners made themselves ready for travel. "Also I'm packing those free cupcakes in here. Don't care, so don't argue. You can feed them to the city council if you want. They're the ones who hooked me up with more flour than I know what to do with." "Business will start booming," David promised. "You'll do great." "Or I'll get burned alive or something. Either way it'll be a ride." She gave a crisp grin as the two turned to leave, thanking her for the food. But right when they were starting to open the door she interrupted. "Wait." They both paused, David turning all the way back around. "Aww, sparks." She was staring straight at the ground, looking awkward for the first time since they'd walked in. She tapped her fingers together, as though trying to figure out the words to what she wanted to say. "Look, I don't want to keep you, but..." What was this? A last minute expression of gratitude? David steeled himself. Those always made him uncomfortable, but maybe he could take this one in stride. "I... I need to tell you about what happened in Oregon." Oh. Oh. "...you don't have to," David assured her. "There aren't many accounts left, but... we can put together the details. You don't have to relive any painful memories for us." "It's not the painful ones I'm offering you." She bit her lip, before blurting out her next sentence as though worried she might stop herself. "There—there was a good Epic." David froze. So did Abraham. They shared a look with one another, unsure of what to say. Before the last few hectic months, it would have been a laughable claim. Maybe not to Abraham—after all this time he was still one of the Faithful. But to David, the mere idea would have been anathema. But then he'd found out he was working for one. And then, if that wasn't enough, he'd fallen in love with one. "Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds crazy," Sam went on, an irritable edge in her voice. She had no way of knowing what Prof was, let alone Megan. "But Oregon was crazy. Maybe there was something in the air, but nothing at all happened like you'd expect there." She took another deep breath. "This one... well... have you ever heard of Doctor Funtimes?" "Matter manipulator. Teleporter." David spoke without thinking, years of Epic studies rushing to the front of his mind. Though in this case, he had nothing but a mere quarter of a notebook page entirely filled up with weird tall tales. Her stories were obscure and usually discounted even in the most serious of scholarly circles. Sometimes especially in the most serious of scholarly circles. "She's in some of the Oregon accounts, but lorists aren't really sure if she was real or not. A lot of weird stories came out of those. Weird even for Epics." "She was real," Sam said flatly. "You can trust me on that. And whatever you've read about her, she was weirder. The first time I saw her she made it rain pancakes." "...what." "It's true." Her expression was fierce, and somehow even the idea of doubting her was ridiculous. "And then she kidnapped me and carted me around Oregon with her for a while. Me and a few others. I got a front row seat to way more of that whole... thing than I ever wanted." "...I'm sorry," David said, unsure. "Don't be. Everyone has an Epic sob story. I'm not trying to tell you mine." Sam folded her arms, before looking up to meet his eyes. "I'm trying to tell you that... she let me go. At the end of it all. She released me, and never actually hurt me." "Not every Epic kills for no reason," Abraham said. "You don't get it. She didn't just let me go... she apologized to me." David and Abraham both stared at her blankly. Weak explanations came bubbling up in David's brain, though he didn't get a chance to voice any of them. "I know what you're thinking. Weird Epic was just being weird, right? But you don't get it. When she kidnapped me she was all... bubbly, with scariness underneath. But when she apologized... when she told me I could go... that all melted away." With another shaky breath she continued. "She just seemed like... an ashamed woman. Like she'd just... snapped out of whatever it was that came over her." This was all impossible. Not because a good Epic wasn't possible. Prof was proof of that. So was Megan—he knew it. But all accounts said Doctor Funtimes used her powers basically non-stop. There couldn't be any possible way... "I know how it sounds," Sam repeated, firmly. "But it's true. And what's more, without her getting me out of Portland I would probably be dead." "This is a lot to take in," Abraham said matter of factly. "Yeah? Try being there." She rubbed her shoulder, eyes drifting. "I... I don't know what it means. I don't know why she changed. I don't know if it's even something that could ever happen again, or if it was all part and parcel with just how... weird everything got there. Maybe it was a once-in-a-million-years sort of deal. But it's a story, and it's true. It happened to me. And I don't go around telling people that story, because they won't believe me, but..." "I believe you," David said softly. She stopped, looking at him askance. "...you do? 'Cause you don't have to say that." "I don't know what exactly happened," David admitted, "But I believe you when you say something happened." A look of what could only be described as relief went across her face. "I... thank you. Really." She shook her head, looking for a moment as though she were somewhere else entirely. "I don't know if it'll be helpful to you. But if there's even a chance that this is something you're looking into, or if this is a clue you need, then... I figured this was my one chance to tell it to someone who could actually do something with it." A weak smile crossed her lips. "You know. So maybe what happened in Oregon could lead to one good thing." David nodded slowly. "I think I get it." "I hoped you would. Most Epics are still slontzes, don't get me wrong. Most of them back in Oregon are buried there under all the dust they made, and I wouldn't have them any other way. But if you ever run into Doctor Funtimes..." She gave an uncertain shrug. "...maybe do some research before you put a bullet in her head. Assuming she doesn't just turn your gun into a hamster anyway." David smiled at her. "Thank you. I think... this was actually what I needed to hear right now." "Glad to hear it." "You know, it's actually kind of like-" "Oh don't you dare." "No no, this one's actually pretty good," he went on. "It's like a garbage daffodil." "I hate you and I hate that that one almost makes sense," Sam informed him. "It does," David explained. "Because the world's so full of garbage right now, you root through it and you only expect to find garbage. But your story's like a daffodil, somehow growing in it. Something beautiful and hope-inspiring." Sam rubbed her forehead. "I'm starting to think you didn't actually kill Steelheart. I think you just made bad comparisons at him until he went and blew himself up." "That's, uh... more accurate than it has any right to be." David's mobile gave yet another buzz, as did Abraham's. "Oh, that. We should actually get going this time." "Probably, yeah. Get out of here, you lazy bureaucrats. Don't you know you've got meetings and stuff to get to?" She said it and watched them leave with a smile. Looking over his shoulder, David could see her through the window watching them, before suddenly seeming to have an idea, typing it up on her mobile before heading to the back room. He was glad they stopped there, and made a note to be back soon. Maybe next time with Cody. ----------------------- David Charleston never again made it back to Sam's bakery. It wasn't long after this chance meeting that he fought and killed the Epic Sourcefield, soon finding himself traveling across the Fractured States to the city of Babylon Restored. Many events of import happened there. Even more happened when he left; he found himself far too busy to stop at the bakery he'd been to in Newcago for some time. But he and Sam both were right about something. Good Epics were possible; even with their powers. The woman he loved proved that. And in time, as Calamity retreated, a new age came forth; an age of retreating villains and of blossoming heroes. And in this new age, in the reclaimed city of Newcago, there stood a bakery. It had business day in and day out, such that the woman in charge had to hire quite a few employees just to keep it running. ("And I have to rule them with an iron fist," she'd say. "Isn't that ironic?") It was a simple business, but a powerful idea; she was a human, and she pursued her happiness like anyone had a right to. And as time went by, you would often hear citizens of Newcago giving a simple recommendation to their visiting friends from elsewhere in the Reunited States. "Oh man. You've got to stop by Funtimes Bakery."

Great idea @insert_anagram_here! I love the Death Rattles, and the thread started by @Brgst13 is the most comprehensive and is my favorite death rattle analysis thread: The OP is great, the additional posts are awesome, and @Varion did some of my favorite high-level analysis of any post on the shard (absolutely brilliant): I'm incredibly fascinated by the cognitive realm, I love the fusion of interesting metaphysical philosophy with High Fantasy, and it doesn't get much better than a realm of pure ideas. I think the fact that the cognitive realm is basically a topographically modified 2-Dimensional plane (basically a continous topology existing in 3 dimensional space) is great, and how the areas of low cognitive density shrink in the CR to allow travel between subastrals is really nice. I have a theory about the nature of the Cognitive Realm, so far it's largely been visited by tumbleweeds and the occasional cricket, but here's to hoping for more discussion along the lines expressed in my thread. I really like @RShara thread about the dangers of seeing the future: @Jofwu 's Stormlight Timeline is amazing, and anyone with an interest in the precise sequence of events should check it out: Jofwu's thread on Shardic natures and their expression is very clearly laid out and very compelling and makes for some great reading: I love @Pagerunner's walk through of the impossible Physics of Allomancy too, truly remarkable thread: There are a couple more that I need to search for, but I'll just edit my post when I find them.

HERALD: THE LAST SURGEBINDER STORMBLESSED: THE LAST WINDRUNNER HONOR: THE LAST SHARDHOLDER CHAMPION: THE LAST VOIDBRINGER LIFT: THE LAST BREADWINNER

It would be possible, as they're really stone now--the soul or whatever is gone. But since it was once alive, and in the exact form of a person, it would be a lot easier than normal.

I want Maya to be revived (mostly at least), and would be disappointed if she isn't. I don't feel as strongly about Adolin. I was hesitant for this at the end of Words of Radiance, but I think I'd be okay with it now. Something I've noticed is that lots of main characters are VERY non-traditional Radiants. We've got a lot of oddballs in the mix. Lots of stuff that hasn't been seen before... First is Renarin, bonded to a spren corrupted by Sja-Anat. (maybe it's happened before, but at the very least it isn't normal) We've got Lift with a bizarre condition allowing her to get Investiture from food instead of Stormlight. We've got Dalinar who somehow managed this whole "Unity" thing, which Stormfather has never seen. We've got a few Heralds who seem like they'll be Radiants. Seems like at least one other major oddity that I'm forgetting. This Desolation is weird. So that said, what I'd like to see most of all is something weird between Maya and Adolin. They've certainly begun that way, considering a deadeye has never been revived. (so far as we know at least) Like maybe Maya is mostly revived by has some really unique quirks and/or limitations. Maybe Adolin only gets one Surge. Maybe he gets no Surges but he can hold Stormlight. You know what I mean. Just some kind of weird, broken state that's never been seen before. I will say that I think it would just be weird to have Maya bond with anyone besides Adolin. Narratively, that just feels awkward. I think we place way too much emphasis on the importance of someone "fitting in" to a given Order. There's no rule saying spren can only bond with someone who doesn't "fit" their order. They might face disapproval from other spren. The human might have a more difficult time advancing through the Ideals. There's certainly obstacles in this. But Maya can bond Moash if she feels so inclined. Even if she can be revived without needing a bond (which Adolin is the only one in a position to provide), I just can't see her latching on to anyone else. Particularly just because Adolin isn't some picture-perfect Edgedancer.

You can’t put non magic characters in combat situations in these types of books. The two that you noted were purely political. Another good example is Dox, and we know how being in a fight worked out for him. If Adolin is going to be involved in fights in the future, he will need access to some form of magic. Any other scenario ends with him dead imo.

I dont know that I would want him to just randomly become a Knight, but I would be very pleased with him being the first to successfully revive a Deadeye shardblade, proving it is possible and (I hope) paving the way for the Sibling to reawaken and give us a new Bondsmith. Then I want the Training Scenes: Adolin getting to be the awkward novice for once, Renarin getting to teach him Regrowth (which I'll say for the sake of comedy he struggles with more than any of his previous endeavors), and Lift just being no help whatsoever and being entirely content with that role.

Darn! I really wanted to jump in with an "obviously it's one of the seals on the Dark One's prison" and score some easy Memory of Light points, but this seems pretty open-and-shut...

Well, as things are, they need a lot more Radiants to stand a chance against Odium and his army. Things are only going to become harder and despite all their powers it wasn't exactly easy to turn things around in OB. I personally don't care much about most POV characters being Radiants. Things like that rarely bother me, and the books are about Radiants and magic and stuff after all. Kinda ^^

Okay, finally done with this. I decided to go with a Shakespearian Tragedy spin on things, and I'm afraid into turned into more of Galladon moping than spending time roasting his opponents, but I guess that fits Galladon. Edit: thanks to @Paranoid King for helping me with the fonts!

You can be even cooler, and name them all the same thing.

Whoever upvoted me, I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn't actually do anything, since I will only be using this account temporarily. I advise noting who you want to upvote and then doing so after the game, like I am doing.

I have always felt that Lift is an edgedancer "in progress". If she was everything an edgedancer is to be, then where is the progression? Why take any more oaths? So she will reach that point as she swears more oaths. Now having said that, I think Adolin is decently along as an edgedancer to revive Maya on the condition of an outside force (bondsmith or what have you), being the extra to restore her. I am of the opinion that the bond itself cannot heal what was already literally ripped out of her skull. So I chose other as I feel he will revive her, but will need help

It appears that we've got two teams forming. What's your opinion on their compositions? Well, they've rather strategically let their Ballintain players lead the offense. Of course, that means the Ballintain players are taking a heavy beating. Pete and Newt are going head to head. It's looking dicey for both of them. And Pete takes down Newt! What an impressive Line of Vigor. Wait, what's this? Looks like Newt managed to take down Pete as well. He ricocheted a Line of Vigor off of 2 Lines of Warding, hitting Pete in a weak spot. It's a shame that these talented players have been eliminated. Still, the field continues to get narrower. Only 6 people left. It's sure to be a nail-biter. This round ends on Tuesday January 15th at 4:00 PM EST. Player List:

OH MY KELSIER! I just had a fantastic idea. So I was listening to the Greatest Showman Soundtrack because it's awesome and I was getting a feel for what I had to work with and I had a Thought. What if we had someone do The Greatest Show (the very first song) about just the cosmere? The opening of the whole musical. Listen to it, it has potential if anyone's willing to tackle it. So tell me do you wanna go Where Radiants fly through the skies Where Hoid is anyone of those guys Impossible comes true (Though they might try to spike you)

Nothing wrong with being a tad predictable sometimes. Not everything has to be a massive plot twist and doing things just for the sake of subverting reader expectations can lead to a bad story. Brandon's talked in the past somewhere about resisting the temptations to add twists just for the heck of it. (Pst I think you posted that in the wrong topic by accident) Getting back on topic, I expect Adolin and Maya to have a unique Radiant-spren relationship even if the technical aspects of their bond are essentially normal and I'm interested to see it develop.

That was amazing Herowannabe! I loved the Hoed Choir, there lines are incredibly well written, they sound like a classical Greek chorus from Aesychlus. The meter of this line is phenomenal: And I love the ending, it's classic Grump.

Thats difficult to answer and depends on which book I am reading at the moment. But overall its Sazed.

Okay, that made me laugh out loud multiple times. And I'm putting the following quotes in the same category: That category being The Accuracy: It Burns.

Empires and Recreation Episode 1: The Cat Ear Incident Thie isn’t finished, so anyone who wants to continue it can. Shrug.

I don't think having magic makes a character not relatable. I relate to most of our Radiants to at least some degree, and when I don't it's because of personality clashes rather then because they have magic.

LOTR is a different kind of setting with a different kind of magic.It wouldn't make sense for there to be a lot of magic using characters in that setting because that's not the kind of setting it is. In some settings magic is rare, in other settings its common.

I think it interesting that Maya is the one who is broken, and Adolin is the one filling the cracks in her soul, sort of the opposite of how a Nahal bond usually works. So, even though I do want Adolin to resurrect her and become an Edgedancer, I voted "other", because I think it is possible for it to be something new and different instead. My big interest in Maya is that she was part of the Recreance, and if she gets her smarts back she can potentially explain what happened. I look forward to seeing Adolin and Maya's bond deepen. If at the end of it all Adolin gets to be an Edgedancer too, that's also cool.

The object in question is a bottle of the sand found on Taldain (from White Sand). The sand contains a microrganism that reacts to use of Investiture nearby, turning the usually dark sand white.

I feel like this song could fit somewhere in WoR. It fits really well for Shallan and how they have the countdown to worry about. Also, I admit to having made a Let it Go for Kelsier. The mists sweep wide through the city tonight Not a footfall to be heard A kingdom of broken memory And it looks like I'm the king The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside Couldn't keep it in, Mare knows I've tried Let them in, but don't let them see Be the Mistborn you always have to be Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know They'll never know Let it go, let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, let it go Anything to avenge her death! I don't care what they're going to say Let the storm rage on Hathsin couldn't break me anyway. It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small And the limits that once controlled me can't get to me at all It's time to see what I can do To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free! Let it go, let it go I am one with the mists at night Let it go, let it go You'll never see me cry Here I stand and here I'll stay Let the storm rage on My metals burn within me stirring up my wrath My knife is deadly spilling noble blood on the ground And one coin flies into a blackened noble heart I'm never going back, the past is in the past Let it go, let it go And I'll rise like the break of dawn Let it go, let it go That broken man is gone Here I stand in the light of day Let the storm rage on! The scars never bothered me anyway.

Just saw this animated visualization of the sin and cos of θ as θ sweeps out the full 360 degrees of a circle, and it's amazingly beautiful (spoilered below):

So I have a bunch of Reckoners themed memes on my phone, and thought it would be fun to post some of them here! Feel free to post any Reckoners memes you have too! A few of mine are posted in the spoiler section above. Spoilers for Steelheart and Calamity. I'll upload some non-spoiler ones later!

*Gets upvoted* siiiiiiiigh

I would argue that Lift is actually deceptively articulate when she wants to be. Being articulate is about getting your point across clearly more than using fancy words IMO. Which also applies to Adolin, for that matter.

Granted, you get the newest model of whichever company you please, but the only numbers it will dial or receive belong to telemarketers —————————————————— I wish to go diving down a huge waterfall into a cave in the rainforest. Nothing can go wrong here...

With regard to Adolin's fit with the Edgedancers and Maya So yeah, I think that's a good hint that he fits with them. Is he an obvious candidate at first glance? Perhaps not, but I think that makes a better story. And as for him being nothing like Lift, Well Lopen isn't much like Kaladin,and he's still bonded to an honorspren. Besides I feel like Adolin and Lift may be more similar than it appears, something about the way they interact with people feels similar.

I absolutely want Maya to be revived, and I suspect the only way that's going to happen is if she forms a Nahel bond with Adolin. I think that's cool though and Adolin would make a great Edgedancer. And I agree with @CosmicSieve's point about the Recreance, I definitely think there's more to what went down there then we know and Maya could shed some light on that situation as well. And, also, her revival could encourage more spren to take the risk of bonding which Team Unity definitely needs. Plus, I'm just a huge sucker for the power of friendship and love triumphing. PS: Thanks for making your own topic instead of derailing the other one.