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In an ideal conversation, the chances will already be there!

@Booknerd and @HemalurgicStickBreaker - Tay has said you are "boredbois" because you're stuck in a "quarantine-arino". @old aggie she likes your idea, but she wants everyone to know that she's the funny one - I'm just the boring one who has the account on the 17th Shard

@Goatbringer I have an idea - - You & your lovely wife should get through the first 3 SA books in the next 7 months, and then you should bring her to the Rhythm of War release party (please God let that still happen!! it's months away!). And the 2 of you should do like a standup comedy routine either before Brandon takes the stage, or to entertain the crowds waiting in line for him to sign their book, or something. This stuff is too hilarious to exist only inside the Shard - it needs to be set free to amuse all of mankind!

This is just an FYI, in case anyone is interested in the other group that I am a member of, but the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle has put out a charity anthology for which all proceeds (in other words pretty much everything) goes to three charities, two in Scotland and also Medicine Sans Frontiers. I missed the boat on contributing because I had not been on there for a few weeks what with work, and things going haywire, etc. I feel suitably rotten about that, so trying to poke some traffic in that direction. No pressure at all whatsoever though Take case everyone! http://flotationdevicebook.co.uk

Try and awkwardly shove cosmere words into ordinary conversations to see if you get a reaction. “So I’m really invested in this book series right now.” “I’ll put this food in the fridge for its preservation.” “That fire really burns bright, doesn’t it? It must be because of all those sticks.” “I wonder when this storm will pass. We have no power so we have to use candles for light.” “It’s great to see them showing such devotion to each other.” “Colours! ...are so pretty, aren’t they?” “Oh, rust! My bike is ruined by all this rust!” “Remember to get your correct iron intake so you’re strong enough to pull stuff around.” I have no idea how you would naturally integrate some of those into a conversation, but oh well.

So, to give a bit of backstory, I walked away from Oathbringer just kind of subconsciously assuming that the Aimians weren't native to Roshar. Strongly enough that it caught me off guard when I found out that some people hadn't been assuming that. So I've decided that laying out of my case might be beneficial. And then maybe somebody who believes they are native will lay out a case for the opposite position. But without further ado: 1. Aimia as a biome. So what is Aimia is, in essence, is a landmass far to the west of Roshar that's very isolated from the rest of the continent and as a bunch of animals that aren't seen anywhere else. Which is a description that reminds me a lot of the other far western Rosharan country. Now, this might be the totally natural consequence of the island being isolated- it might be the Australia of Roshar, but if there was a second sizeable wave of refugees, one from a world whose Biome was dramatically different from both Rosharan and Ashyn, surely that island would be where they'd set them up. And the special case study here are the Larkins. They seem to be a pretty hardy animal, with Chiri-chiri surviving just fine in both Thaylen city and the Reshi sea. But they're still heavily associated with Aimia- and rare enough outside of it that it's assumed that they went extinct with the Scouring. Not sure what's going on there- less likely Ashyn animals have spread to the rest of the Continent, but it's gonna be interesting to watch what happens as Chiri-chiri grow. And it's notable to me that Larkins don't seem to have any obvious relatives among Rosharan fauna- being able to use Stormlight as a food source is a pretty useful adaptation on Roshar; one you wouldn't think would be confined to a single species. Unless, of course, it's not a trait that evolved on Roshar. 2. Siah Aimians So I feel pretty confident about these guys not being native. At the very least, we can say with confidence that the writer of the Elia Stele wasn't aware of them, since they share may of the 'Alien' traits that seemed so strange in the humans. And nor do they feel Ashynite to me; for the record- I feel like the Natan people having Aimian blood would be less notable if they'd all just mixed together immediately after arriving on Roshar. And now's probably a good time to mention that Aimian is a distinct language family from the rest of Roshar, which is further supporting evidence. And, more vaguely and subjectively, they just don't feel like any other lifeform on Roshar. 3. The Sleepless Now, we know that the Sleepless are Cosmere-aware, and that there are Sleepless on other Planets, and Brandon's mentioned that Hordelings are bred to look like Cremlings so they can blend in on Roshar, which paint a pretty clear picture to me when taken together. But it's the last point I'd like to focus in on; the Hordelings are bred to look like Cremlings. This is project that doesn't appear to have been entirely successful; Hordelings are consistently described as being 'weird' or 'oddly-coloured'. Although Rosharans categorize them under the broad umbrella of 'Cremling', they're visibly an unusual species of Cremling. Despite thousands of years of trying to blend in, they still don't look entirely right. Which is odd; insects tend to be pretty good at pretending to be a different kind of insect. This implies to me that they're not relatives of 'true' cremlings in any way; that without the thousands of years selective breeding they wouldn't look even vaguely similar. I mean, the Sleepless don't immediately ping as non-Natives like the Siah do, but I feel reasonably confident that that's because they're making more of conscious effort to blend in with the natives- that they'd be just as if not more visibly alien if they weren't trying to hide. And, as final note, I'd like to point out that the magical effects we've seen on Roshar fall into two broad categories- interaction with Spren, and direct Shardic intervention. And, in fact, Jasnah would probably argue that those are basically the same thing; that Shards are effectively just the most powerful spren in existence. The only exception is when Aimia comes up; both sapient races and the Larkin are magical in ways that don't seem to fit into that paradigm. Aimia just feels like a place where the normal rules don't apply. Which, of course, is exactly how it would feel if it was full of alien magics.

Theory: Hoid is gathering up magic from all the Shards for some purpose. Odium is of the Shards. He will cut a deal with Rayse to get some of Odium’s magic. Hoid’s Mission He was in Elantris to try and become an Elantrian. He was on Scadrial to get a bead of Lerasium. He was on Roshar to become a Radiant which he has as of OB. There is one more Shard in this system whose magic he needs. Hoid will go to Braize Brandon said “has Hoid been to Braize” is one of the biggest RAFOs https://wob.coppermind.net/events/221/#e6196 In WoK Ch 57 Hoid tells Kaladin his purpose in Roshar was to “chase an old acquaintance, but I spend most of my time hiding from him instead” In WoR Ch. 67 he tells Dalinar he’s willing to “watch this world crumble and burn to get what I need.” He doesn’t want Odium to win, which is why he’s sending all those letters. But he is going to help Odium out in exchange for voidbinding powers to add to his collection. i predict the book 4 epilogue is Hoid on Braize talking to Rayse.

So one thing has been bugging me since I finished Warbreaker and it's that I don't understand how Susebron was suddenly behind Siri when they first met. I'm fairly certain there's a wall behind her and she says she has no idea how he got there. From what i understand about the powers gained at the 10th Heightening there's nothing we know about that would allow him to just appear like that. Did i miss something about the ability to turn invisible or was there a hidden passage in that wall? I feel like i've just missed something because i've seen no one mention it and it is brushed over in any summaries i've read. Any help solving this would be much appreciated, i think of it at least once a fortnight and it is getting upsetting now.

I want to pitch to Brandon a short story about Hoid, but to avoid spoilers for Dragonsteel, have it be from his new spren's perspective. As the spren gains sapience and acuity, its observations on Hoid's antics and comments and Truths would be amazing.

The bottom line is this: In order for a book to be good, there needs to be some sort of conflict in it. Perhaps Hoid discovers that everything he's been doing has been playing right into Odium/Autonomy/someone we haven't met yet's hands. He then has to change both his plans. In Dragonsteel, we will at least see Hoid develop into what he is today.

Yeah, but a great book would make you want to keep reading. When Hoid is the main character, we are going to see all of his internal struggles. If he has none, then he is a flat character, and as such wouldn't make a good protagonist.

Have you ever heard the saying "too much of a good thing?" So Hoid shouldn't think about his actions? I am not saying that he changes his mind completely, I'm saying that he thinks about whether his goal is worth it, or something similar.

I'm not sure what Karger is saying so I'll answer you as well. My impression was that Adien was never "cured" of autism. He had always had it since birth (as you do), and while his sanity was restored when the chasm line was added to the giant Aon, it had no effect on his condition. In fact, it's quite obvious that Adien's still an autistic savant since he was able to tell Raoden the precise number of steps to Teod's capital.

How can I choose? They are all amazing for different reasons. Szeth’s storyline and arc is so amazing. Wit is a fascinating character. Shallan is really relatable and interesting. Kaladin and Dalinar are absolutely epic. Adolin and Renarin are adorable and I love them and they are so cool. And Lift. I need not elaborate. Edit: I forgot Jasnah but I love her secrets and how she sees the world.

Hello all! Time for a multiquote, because even as a GM I can't help it. Correct. Unless Kynedath says differently (as they submitted the lynch mechanics rule), it'll be random. Again, Kynedath can have input on this, but I would rule no - if you're captured and lynched by plurality, you'll die as if you'd been lynched by majority. (edited to remove everything that isn't a question) Crystal Knights will be added to an elim doc as they're converted, and that doesn't need to be made into a rule by one of you. We will definitely make sure this game is balanced for both sides. Right now, that somewhat depends on the final roles and rules, but I think it's fairly likely that the Crystal Knights will not get a conversion every cycle (since conversions are twice as powerful than just kills). I'm going to rule that the Crystal Knights can convert captured players. Remember that role and alignment both will not be revealed upon capture, only upon death. You're correct. The Gossiper can have anyone in this group PM, whether they also have a personal PM with that person. Effectively the Gossiper role doesn't interact with the PM rule at all, which you can think of as only covering one-on-one cases. Faction action, last submission in the turn. I'm not sure about twice per game, though it depends on the eventual number of players we have. I'm assuming that this is not a public, announced action: do you want to be a turn in advance (so put in during the previous Day turn) or simultaneous? Though the last bit is somewhat unlikely, I'll nix it anyway - more than one night of no actions in a row is going to be annoying for everyone. Fifth? You're amazing.

Hi everybody! I'm wondering how interested people are in the yin and yan aspect of Szeth and Nightblood. Not only in their personalities, but in their aesthetics. Specifically, I'm wondering if any of the talented artists on this site would be interested in drawing Szeth and Nightblood AS the yin and yan, what with the flowing of the loose white clothes and the black smoke. It's how I imagine him when he bears Nightblood at the battle of Theylena; rising inevitably into the air, one arm in front of himself as if in prayer, the other outstretched, sweeping Nightblood in a flowing arc around himself, for one instant the white and black in perfect balance, separate, yet mibgled. Or however a willing artist pictures him . I can't draw well but I can see it so clearly. I think it's a powerful image and I'd like to be able to show it to others who are on the fence about reading! Thanks for the consideration, and if anyone else thinks this aspect of the bond is interesting, hit me up! I never get sick of talking about the Cosmere!

Bro I don't like Shallan ether but there are topics about 50 pages long debating what's good and what's bad about her and there are good points on both sides I would suggest skimming over them

I usually read articles from the Coppermind, so I decided to register.

Cycle 7: The Rarest Resource - Trust Down to only four people alive in the outpost, no one returned to their rooms anymore. The twisting hallways and misplaced rooms were no match for anyone who simply didn't leave the common area. When Ezira left for the bathroom, everyone assumed he was up to something nefarious. Shard was hard to keep track of. He was always in an out, but this was attributed more to bravery than evil. Elandera fell under deep suspicion when she spent more than four minutes in the kitchen grabbing food. Zillah, never left. This was perhaps most suspicious of all, but there was nothing to accuse her of. The hour grew late and somehow all knew the sacrifice would be soon. No one dared to get close to one another for fear of being ostracized, but they did fall into cautious conversation. After all, it was possible the last cultist had already frozen to death. As they conversed they mused at the possibility of any of them might still be a follower of mysteries. During the course of the evening, Elandera let slip that she had communicated with EheShao. Zillah remembered that Eheshao had even mentioned that he trusted Elandera. This would not do. They could not tolerate anyone who espoused the Jeskeri Mysteries. One of the trappers suggested they pay her in the way she certainly had their compatriots. Elandera defended herself in vain. They killed her and made "mock" symbols on the floor and walls in her blood. All the while guided by the true follower in their midst to be sure he would appease the Dor. Exhausted, one of the three murderers fell asleep on one of the benches. The other two created a message to mark the grisly scene, too full of adrenaline for sleep. --- Rulo Message: Luck is used for everything, From playing cards to making songs, To having the perfect dinner, We also use it for convincing others, That we are the crazy ones, When really they are crazier! 5th stanza of The Rulo's Ways --- Rulo Message: Luck is used for everything, From playing cards to making songs, To having the perfect dinner, We also use it for convincing others, That we are the crazy ones, When really they are crazier! 5th stanza of The Rulo's Ways ----- Elandera was lynched. She was a Trader Elandera was sacrificed. She was a Trader Votes: EXPERIENCE (2): Kynedath, Elandera Elandera (2): EXPERIENCE, Zillah Player List

Good! So, of course, the most notable thing about the Smedrys is their Talents, seemingly detrimental traits that are actually incredible useful in the correct situations. Ideally, each Smedry would have their own unique Talent that translated into some in-game ability. However, the other most notable thing about the Smedrys is their complete and utter unpredictability. To represent this in game, any action an Smedry takes has a chance to be moved to any random non-Smedry individual. Is this alright?

I understand those WOBs to be explaining what is going on, but there is nothing indicating that Hoid is explicitly aware of these phenomena or that he has incorporated that knowledge into his long-term plans. Hoid has plans, but they are playing out over millennia. Over the timeline of SA scenes, Hoid is improvising every bit as much as our other characters. He just does this with the benefit of all his extra experience.

Major spoilers for Frozen 2 So, here's the question. Did Anna do the right thing, or more importantly to this page, Would it be the right thing for the humans to give the world back the the singers? At first I think most of us want to say yes. We must right the ancient wrongs of our ancestors and such. But is that truly correct? Is it fair to punish a generation because of the misdeeds of their ancestors? I say no. No one can be held accountable for something that their ancestors did. Sometimes in these stories to right an ancient tragedy, you create a modern one. We haven't seen what they've proposed to make amends with the singers, so we can't analyze whether it's morally right or wrong. As a parralel though we can analyze what Anna did. If Elsa hadn't stopped the flood it would have destroyed their city. Now, this seemed to be the right thing to Anna, but what about the people of that city? What about the blacksmith who has his forge and all his toopls and materials swept away? What about the farmer who has painstakingly built his house form the ground up and toiled for years over his land to make it into good farmland? We could go on and on, but in the end you what Anna would have done would basically punish an entire country for something their king did before many of them were even born. I think this is completely unfair and I really hope sanderson doesn't do something similar.

*wins for the first time in something like eight months*

lets assume nightblood can devour the whole of the dor i doubt he coud pick up devotion and dominion if it works on simler mechanics to absorbing the mists he'd probably get all that power losing a bit in the process since he vents off some in the form of his black smoke hed just have a huge amount of power but without the capacity of those shardic intents if we use this wob as an example but the mists and the dor could behave completly diffeerntly when absorbed so who knows it does imply however nigtbloods feeding behaves differntly from simply drawing in the power so we might need to figure out that diffenrce to get a better idea Questioner If you held out Nightblood in the mists on Scadrial what would happen? Brandon Sanderson Nightblood would probably start feeding on the mists on Scadrial. Questioner Would it pick up the Shard? Brandon Sanderson No, that's not how that works. Barnes & Noble B-Fest 2016 (June 11, 2016)

That is the civilian term for what military people call an ambush or a surprise attack. If you are in range and the KR has Plate and Blade out, of course he will win. If. For the Mistborn to let this happen would be a mistake. So would he? Depends on the environment. In an open desert I would bet on the Radiant, in an abandoned modern city full of metal I bet on the Mistborn. The best you can do is give advantages: Armor, close distance attack, healing: Radiant is better Senses, stealth, endurance, agility: the Mistborn is better Mobility: undecided, depends on specifics

For an entire book? With no character development? With a main protagonist that doesn't grow or change? Brandon could make that conversation good because he writes good character arcs. He writes good characters, and Hoid is fine without a character arc because he doesn't need one. Not yet. For now, he's simply the mysterious character that pops in for an occasional Easter egg or cameo. When he has an entire book written about him, if he has no internal conflict, then he won't remain the compelling character he is.

Wow, today is spambot day

Literally just woke up from a dream where I came up with this very important hypothetical question. If enough Nicrosil Mistings affected one lerasium mistborn, flaring duraluminum and iron, could they rip out the core of the planet?????

Syl was searching for Kaladin, they were probably connected through the spiritual realm.

I'd like to think that he'd be able to manifest Bondsmith armor, since he manages to manifest the same geometric pattern that seemed to increase his strength that Jasnah did, but I'm not even confident that Plate will manifest the same way without Honor's influence being there.

Hi Everyone! I have been a fan of Brandon's for a long time now, but I never got around to making an account here. Just figured I should at some point and here I am. I have read all his major series', and Currently I think my favorite is the Skyward series, but Stormlight archives is a close second.

The Heralds went to Honor and proposed the Oathpact, Cultivation and Odium weren't a part of it. The Honorblades are basically Splinters of Honor, given to the Heralds to help in their fight against the Fused. They only proposed the Oathpact because they couldn't fight the Fused, so the Fused existing (and Odium's arrival) has to predate the formation of the Oathpact. The Oathpact was also based on the binding of Odium, so it had to post-date that binding. Which makes sense, since Odium doesn't Invest. He wouldn't have created the Fused and all if he hadn't already been bound. Also, Honor and Cultivation came to Roshar together, because they were a couple. Cultivation wasn't on Braize. Odium also wasn't "on" Ashyn. He arrived there long enough to get them to destroy themselves, and then moved on to Roshar.

Since we’ve got a release date for Stormlight 4, what are some things you hope will happen? What things do you want to see? Of course it’s good not to get our hopes up too much. We may get a book completely different than what we expected (as was the case for me with Oathbringer), but it’s fun to think about things that could happen. Personally, I really want Vasher and Nightblood to reunite. I guess it’s kind of inevitable (although Urithiru is a big place), but if it does happen, I hope it happens on screen (bonus points if Vivenna shows up). Another thing I’d like to see is more Ghostbloods, and more about Roshar’s secret societies in general. I’m pretty sure Mraize only showed up for about ten pages of Oathbringer, which kind of annoyed me at the time, because he’s one of my favourite characters.

Better late than never! Overall Some dragging in the middle with the super maniacal Ni of DHOOM but other than that this read smoothly. Excellent tension, great M lines! E was a bit out of character but I flagged that below. Very excited for the conclusion, since the stakes just rose AGAIN! I 100% agree with this Unsurprisingly, I agree with @Mandamon on these points as well. The motivation could use some tweaking. As I go - pg 2: ah I see we're starting out with penis imagery. Very well. Carry on. - pg 3: . He had What the… thing want? It could not possibly be good. <-- is there a typo in here? I don't understand the sentence - pg 6: before she threw herself at the <-- this seems very out of character for E. She's been emotionally reserved and self destructive this whole book. Here she's written more like T, barely able to contain her emotions - pg 8: I continue to adore M - pg 10: I giggled at E asking Q if he was naked - pg 11: I feel like Q should have more guilt. I know its a moment of panic but... this is his son and he got turned into a... thing. Where's the why didn't I stay? Oh god, why didn't I stay?? - pg 12: okay the villain rant is going on a bit long now I feel like. N is starting to grate and I'm losing empathy - pg 14: M shooting her new raptors friends is going to be ROUGH on her later. Oof - pg 16: so why did the disrupter thing not fry Ni the first time? Is it a proximity thing? - pg 16: She looked like the avenging angel of all guttersnipes. <-- I adore this line!

He probably feels dead inside.

Nice, that rhymes. (Just a gut reaction, sorry. ) Actually, there are two more. Yes, if he wants Odium's power, he would have to cut a deal with Rayse. That being said, he also needs the power of Cultivation. I think it's more likely that the Book 4 epilogue will show Hoid getting a boon/bane from the Nightwatcher. Hoid really despises Rayse, and I truly believe that it would take a life-threatening event to force him into a deal. However, with the presence of Nightblood on Roshar... well, that leaves room for some very interesting occurrences. If Odium gets his hands on Nightblood, then perhaps a deal isn't too far off. In my opinion, your idea of Hoid on Braize talking to Rayse sounds like a perfect, suspenseful epilogue for Book 5, closing out the first arc. I love the idea of it!

Hi people I am totally new to the shard and also I am a stick what are you. I've certainly come a long way... A long... Long... Way... Vinegar cipher, remember that. You know the drill, PM me once you've cracked this: Qchdfdivbzma. You've nearly won... And your ending where I started. All right! I'm done! Whoo Hoo!

There are so many posts about this that you didn't need to post it four times

Well, more than that though. the way it is discussed in the book, it sounds like Odium's champion would have a specific role related to teh Oathpact

Well, I'd like to see: A stoneward. We have all the other orders of radiants, assuming Venli is going to be a Willshaper, I want to see all the orders refounded. Even beyond that, I would like to see more action from a Dustbringer that's hopefully on the good guy's side, and more of Renarin's truthwatcher-ness. Are his visions a 'just him cause his spren's weird' thing, or is it something all truthwatchers could do? Mayalaran to be revived. I really hope this happens. It would mean that all the Kholins have weird bonds, which would be great, but it would also mean that Adolin would become an edgedancer, and I want to see Lift making fun of him for being so incompetent with the surge of abrasion. Kaladin being a protective older brother type character to Lift. We all know how Kaladin still wants to protect young kids and Lift is what? 13? I want to see him take Lift under his wing, or at the very least thinking how much she'd get along with Tien. Lift and Gawx friendship or romance. Those two are so cute, and I really can see them becoming a couple. Maybe. I just want some childlike interaction between the two at the least. After all, they're kids being thrust into an adult's world, and I can see them helping each other vent. More Shadolin. I love their relationship dynamic. And I can see them being all mushy-gushy and Kaladin, while completely straight-faced, saying 'get a room.'

Syl explains this. Spren create other spren out of investature. Only one parent. This does not preclude other romantic relationships between spren of course.

I want to see a fight against a bunch of the Skybreakers. We need to see Radiant v. Radiant combat!

I think a thread like this already exists. A Navani Venli team up Willshaper stuff(what is up with transportation?) Sibiling reveal Taravangain and his diagram's dastardly schemes. Ghoostblood's Shallan and Adolin's relationship Voidbinding Unmade This Kaladin's ideal 4(and maybe 5) moments A big Radiant team up with armies of radiants emerging to do battle! More Lift!

...I'm very glad I asked. Could I join the Knights Awkward? My Honorspren and I are already living the first oath, and I pretty certain I'm prepard to speak the second ideal: I will make Cosmere references for those who cannot make Cosmere references themselves.

You know you're a Sanderfan when your strategy for winning at checkers is titled "The Way of Kings".

Well sure it came out in October. If you're using the calendar that was invented by a conspiracy between the Vatican and the Illuminati!

That's probably not good for you.Though I can imagine how the doctors visit after that would go! Doc: It appears your stomach is full of tiny slivers of metal. Do you know how this happened You: I purposelessly swallowed the metal to see if I have mystical abilities that I could use to assassinate a immortal tyrant to free an oppressed lower class! Doc: *slowly backs away, reaching for the door*

When 'spiked punch' has a whole new meaning...

If they were the same thing, wouldn't all of the connections be the same? As you can see here: the middle two orders in the Not-Radiant chart aren't connected to a surge-thingy.

I've got something else- I made sure to copy lots of miscelaneous symbols, and I noticed another one that appears in a couple places. On the Kharbranth Map, in the corners, there's these little scarab things. They're also on the symbol page next to Shadesmar. Oh, and this one is a smaller detail, but the ring around the compass-symbol on the map is also the border for the Radiant page.