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On a lighter note than yesterday my shardivesary has arrived!! In the past year things have gotten pretty crazy on my end for reasons that will hopefully soon be revealed. As a result my time on the shard has been less in the past than in previous years. Life happens, but I'm still here and try to keep things interesting. All of my fellow sharders keep things interesting and thank you for a great year!! Here is to another awesome one!!

I went to Youth Conference on Friday and Saturday, and one of the this we did was a hike up to a view over the valley. On the way up I just chatted with some of my friends, about random things (including Stormlight) and didn’t think too much of it. When we got to the top, some other people who I didn’t (and still don’t) really know walked up to us and said, “We were right in front of you on the way up, and could hear you talking- you guys are totally the main characters in your story.” And then they walked away. So… achievement unlocked, I guess.

Finally. I have reached the top of the yearly board. I have surpassed Channelknight Fadran, Frustration, AonEne, Kingsdaughter613, Karger, and Honorless. I have become the number 1. All Time Leaderboard, here I come.

https://www.17thshard.com/news/shardcast/shardcast-shallans-past-r737/ 1.1 Steps Forward 1Step Back After the Shallan's Past Shardcast I've been thinking about Brandon's comment regarding how Shallan is progressing and the things she's able to do before she should be able to in WoK and WoR (Soulcasting, and seemingly summoning Pattern in the Chasm). https://wob.coppermind.net/events/452/#e14526 The only thing that makes sense to me is if she progressed to at least the third level as a child, broke her oaths, but Testament is still around and connected to her a bit which allows Shallan to temporarily get back to those same levels to do things she used to. To put it another way her bond is spiking back up to where it used to be but only briefly, it's doing this: Because she broke her Oaths she went back to near zero for a long time, but she's progressing again and once in a while her Bond will spike up to where it used to be and she can say summon what seems to be Pattern in the chasm before she's said enough Truths on the page unless we really contort to find Truths. She already reached those levels, her spiritweb was altered, Testament still exists and is bonded to her in some way, the bond is more deflated than broken. Think of how Dalinar sees the Oathpact as 9 thin golden lines and one robust line for Taln who did not break his Oath. Or think of it as a "groove" that a Cryptics investiture can still fill. I think both Testament and Pattern are filling up that deflated original bond / "groove" that makes it easier for her to spike back, I think Pattern is mostly filling it now, but Testament is also filling it a bit. I don't have much to go on beyond my gut, but to me it is the simplest answer that fits with what we've seen.

The staff shouted and started flocking over to where the vase had shattered. "Quick! Into the cart!" Katie tiptoed across the room then dove into the covered tray cart. The next person Ivian ran into was his mother. "Whoa. Mom." He grabbed her shoulders and steadied her. Looking up into his eyes drunkenly, Louis grinned. "'Appy birthday, m'boy..." "How much did you drink?" Ivian demanded, grabbing a chair and sitting her down in it. "You shouldn't be out right now; and especially not here. There are... crazy men. I've seen what they'll do if they can find a maid or even a visiting noblewoman." "Ain't... nuffin' those boys would want with an old lady like m'self." Louis hiccuped. "They aren't picky." "Listen, Ivian, baby." Her hand groped for his shoulder. "Y'know, the last time somebody took me to bed, the best thing in my life happened." She smiled. "You." Ivian was speechless. "Now, I'm not saying that you should go find and rape the next girl you see to give her a kid that'll grow up to be a good and honorable not just man but king, but..." Louis sniffed and wiped her face, despite the fact that there was nothing there, "but maybe sometimes the ends justify the means, y'know?" "I... you need to get some sleep." Ivian decided. "You're in no condition to be wandering the castle." Louis waved him off dismissively. "Who am I kidding... there ain't anything left for me to teach you. You're a big boy now; you can fend for yourself. Welp..." She stood up and stretched, wobbling slightly. "Maybe I'll take you up on that. Hopefully I can find my room..." With that, Ivian's mother walked off.

Yes you got it

Katie straightened out her apron, took it off, then threw it over Arabella and flipped it around backwards. "There! Now you have a cape. Let's go!"

I think we can safely assume she reached at least 3 Truths with Testament, given that she used Testament as a Blade to do The Deed. Yes, that Bond was damaged, but not "broken"; I, and many others, think it likely that the Blade she summons during WoR is in fact Testament. Later, with Pattern, more Truths were spoken. It's especially challenging to draw general conclusions about Radiants from Shallan, as she's such an unreliable narrator.

LG79/AN10 Night 3: Elrin Cried It was a long and hard debate, in Thane's eyes. He didn't say much other than to point out he had been in workform for a while now. But the others were determined to find out who had attempted to kill Kethri. Eventually, the subject of conversation came to Elrin. Elrin sat next to her mate, quiet. "If you're innocent, why didn't you take on mateform earlier?" Pavli said to the rhythm of skepticism. Elrin struggled to explain, trying to show how she had been asleep during the storm, until it had been too late. A child or two, as well as her mate, backed her up, but most did not believe her. Pavli took her, and dragged her away from her mate. "Moirin, may I?" Moirin nodded her head. Thane turned his face away from what was to happen next. --- Abaram grinned. This had been way too easy so far. It didn't appear that she would be able to turn them back, their leaders were still strong, and she hadn't found a good opportunity to kill of Moirin, the leader of the group yet. But honestly, she didn't want to kill her yet. This was kind of fun, the kind of fun Abaram had been craving. She watched as Elrin was slain, tears still on her red and black marbled face. Good riddance. Didn't even have the spine to properly stand up for herself. The other mateform started weeping, and Abaram was tempted to kill them on the spot. But she restrained herself. No reason to give herself away now. Her servants were also doing fairly well at blending in. It was only a matter of time... --- Chartreuse Penguin(6): Rhino, Vulture, Lion, Flamingo, Beagle, Scorpion Amber Vulture(3): Heron, Penguin, Falcon Mint Heron(1): Dragonfly Chartreuse Penguin was exed! They were a Mateform Rebel. Fuchsia Ostrich was killed for inactivity. They were a Dullform Rebel. Azure Mouse has a pinch hitter! Please note the account the pinch hitter was assigned to was determined by the impartial gods of Luck and Chance, or as I call them, the dice gods. Player List The night will end in about 23 hours, at 12:00 AM 7/28/21

Elhokar

I think there is one truth that Shallan spoke as a child that she has repeated to Testament as an adult: "I am terrified". Shallan repeating this restored the connection to Testament in a way that was stronger than before, thereby allowing her to Soulcast in that instant.

DatS 16 Sorry for the delay; I forgot to add this here.

I’m going to a Girl’s Camp thing for four days starting tomorrow, so I won’t be seeing any of you for a week! See you all next Monday!

Sometimes I have such a hard time remembering that I can only do that which I can. My role as a academic tutor whom others rely on is something that I take seriously. The expectations that fall on my shoulders both self imposed and those of others is quite heavy. I so badly want those who seek my help to do well. When they don't I always feel as though I'm somewhat to blame. A friend told me not to see it indicating that I am a failure. As hard as I try though It's just so difficult not to. This is especially true when the student digs in the knife when they get anything less than a magic pill. I sympathize with a student that I dealt with recently that the final paper that they are doing is important. I give it my all every time. How much more can I give though? She wanted me to give her specific things to write and accused me of not doing my job when I did not do so. I do not shy away from reexplaining things as necessary. I did so a number of times with this student and left time for the student to ask questions or demand clarification. Am I truly to blame for not telling her what to write? There was a lot of fundamental work to be done I just don't know how to feel. Thank you all for listening to my mini rant!

Well, I never made one of these, and as I like forums over staus updates for something like this I'm going to put it here. Hi, I'm Frustration, and this is my second Shardiversery, I first found Brandon Sanderson after my friend told me about Mistborn and Stormlight, I tried reading the Final Empire, but my first full Sanderson novel ended up being WoK. I found the Coppermind a little later because me and my friend who were both Cosmere aware, but increadibly uninformed, and were looking for answers. I didn't find the Shard itself until I found Shardcast while trying to find SA related Youtube videos. Two Years in review Now for the thanks @RShara was the first person I had any real interaction with on the shard, and we've crossed paths a few times since then, I have massive respect for her, and her sheer knowledge of WoB is what I aspire to have for myself one day. Fish then HemalurgicStickBreaker intoduced me to the community at large. During my second era here I met and greatly enjoyed the friendship of @Experience @Nameless @Mist @Vapor @Condensation @McWafy @Feruchemical Bowser @Ark1002 @The Awakened Salad @Channelknight Fadran @DancingQueen @Chinkoln @Danex @AonEne @Negative_Null and just so many more I can't even begin to list everyone but thank you ALLL! @LewsTherinTelescope also deserves a shoutout, I hope to one day be as good at theories as you I also have to thank the KotC, for dealing with my weird very new to RP self, I look back and cringe at my mistakes @Tesh @Blessing of Potency @phoenix2563 and everyone else thank you I'd also like a moment of silence for Freurcemical Bowser who is no longer with us. Current member statistics as of this post

Riva could hardly believe her eyes. Caden. Sobbing. She strode carefully - quietly - into the room, placing a hand on his shoulder to test his reaction. “Caden?” she whispered, mostly making sure he didn't snap up and kill her. The great boulder of a man shook beneath her wet fingers and Riva could only wonder at the oddness of a mountain-like man appearing so weak before her. Her luck couldn't have been better. Would killing him really be so easy?

Caden knelt on the floor of the Raveness's potion brewing chamber, having already cursed that infernal woman for stealing his private chamber. He kept his eyes clenched shut in fear of what he would see if he opened them again. The sharp memory of all of the Raveness's things pointing and accusing him causing his chest to tremble with every breath. He had tried to smash them already, but that only created more fingers, more knowing of his sins in the darkness that surrounded him. The general wrapped his arms around himself, and he grit his teeth as he tried to focus on the here and now, trying to ignore the warmth and love that he felt as he recalled the small things, her smile, or her light and fair laughter as he made a small mistake. He tried to push on, but the more he dwelt on the smaller things, the harder the memories pushed him. Soon he could hear her voice, ringing through the small bedroom as she sang to a soft lullaby, or the taste of her warm and calming tea. His breathing grew quicker while he could feel his gut tying up into all sorts of knots as he knew where this would lead. In an instant, the memory of the alarm that was raised rang in his ears, the adrenaline that surged through his veins as he flew down the hallways that seemed to go on without end as he desperately searched for her room, only to find the door hanging ajar. Without bothering to check for danger, Caden had charged in, only to find her on the floor, surrounded in a pool of her own blood. Caden trembled as he remembered her eyes, once so beautiful and full of love and light, staring blankly at the ceiling. He could feel himself being too shocked to move, before grabbing her in a desperate attempt to feel her life, her warmth again, only to feel nothing. He wrapped his arms around her trying to pull her close to protect her, but he could only feel pressure building in his chest as he didn't feel anything coming from her. He squeezed her as he heard a scream echo through the room. He didn't know who was screaming until he felt his throat become raw as he tried to pull her close to him as possible. He clenched his fists with all of his might as he refused to let Acalia go, to let her die alone, even though she was already gone. He screamed and begged with all of his might and voice to any divine power that watched over them to bring her back somehow, even if the cost was his own life. Better that she live, than he. When his voice finally gave out, and his eyes seemed to be dry, he realized that no one would answer, he felt as if he could only lay down and join her. He wanted to sob as he felt the world around him grow darker, and colder, but Caden only shivered not knowing where to turn. He trembled, curled up on the cold, stone floor. The whole world around him was as dark and cold as it had been since it had stolen her away because of his failure to protect her. He sobbed into his own arms, unable to stop even if he could want to.

Riva was going to kill that great oaf she was married to, oh yes indeed. She’d made up her mind; she’d poison the beast so he was powerless and then she’d kill him all up close and personal with a dagger after properly gloating. The fearsome general would know very well that his conqueror was a little old woman and the pain her potion would cause him would be a hundredfold worse than the torments he’d be facing in Mal. She must have tortured thousands of individuals over her illustrious career, but this time was different. It was personal, stars curse it. That bastard had had the nerve to make her think she loved him and then… Bah, what did it matter? You wanted him to kill me, didn’t you, Ivian? Riva thought to herself as she mounted a horse. Rain thundered outside the stable, but the torturess had little more than her cloak to keep her dry. She couldn’t bring herself to care. Well, I’m killing him! Your general will be dead in the morning, see how you like it then! No one defies the Raven and gets away with it. You’re fools! All of you! Her steed was mildly frightened of the rain and lightning, but Riva kicked it on anyway, her cape whipping behind her in the wicked windy rain. All told, the journey only took at most an hour - riding a galloping horse was significantly faster than going by carriage - but the hour was late when she arrived, even for the Raveness. She didn’t care; her anger could have kept her up all night. She stormed into the keep, growling at the guards who were startled by her entry, and walked, soping with rainwater, all the way to her new office where she could make her deadly potion. What she found there was enough to make her jump.

Hoid?

Actually, Zahel only says that they slowly become their intent. The distinction being that their intent is not limited to the shard whose investiture keeps them alive.

Riva heard him shout at the driver to move and watched helplessly as the carriage’s wheels began turning, leaving her behind. "No!” She forced herself to run as fast as she could, pulling up her ruined skirt. “Wait!!” She cried. “Caden! Caden, come back this instan-” At that moment - the carriage crossing over a particularly wet area - the Raveness was splattered with a great deal of mud. She gasped in shock, but ended up inhaling some of it. Riva screeched in anger, swearing right then and there that the moment she got home, she’d brew a suitably cruel potion for that horrid man. Stifled laughter came from behind her, the source of which Riva swiveled to find was a small group of nobles. She paled. They’d seen the whole thing. But… she could still salvage her reputation, couldn’t she? “What are you looking at?” Riva boomed. “Well, I’ve just never seen anything like this,” one young man chuckled. “I would have thought an old crone like you would have given up on dating by now. Must be a nightmare of a woman to be dumped on the street like that. What did you do, drop your dentures in his drink?” “How DARE you!” Riva’s eyes narrowed in fury. “I’ll have your head for such insolence, boy!” There was only more laughter. “Stars, you’re a feisty one. Who do you think you are, the Raveness?” What? Only then did Riva realize. Her mask. It was gone. Her face fell in horror, the world fading around her. Oh, how awful she must look. Her hair a frizzled mess, her dress torn and ruined, her dirty, wrinkled face exposed. Dear stars above, where was her mask??? She fell to her knees, searching the dirt road for the only symbol that afforded her protection. Eventually she found it. The black, feathered ornament was in pieces, evidently smashed by a certain carriage she’d seen only moments ago. It had to have fallen off when Caden had pushed her. Riva held the thing in shaking hands, awestruck. That mask was almost as old as she was and now… Anger couldn’t mask her fear. Those boys didn’t know who she was, but perhaps someone else might have seen her. First the pie and now this… She growled, a plan forming in her head. The king wouldn’t let this injustice pass.

Wonderful use of Voidish illumination or the Feruchemical use of steel, yes.

Nico lit up brighter than ever before, barely able to mumble the words, "See ya." His fingers traveled to where she'd kissed him and would stay glued to his face for the next several minutes while he thought on what had just occurred. The rest of the world seemed fuzzy, as though he'd been drinking, yet at the same time, things seemed clearer than ever before. It was, it was, it was... Oh, it was wonderful. "You've never danced with me like that before." All the brighteness in the room seemed to drain. Stars, not tonight, please. "'Livia..." "Well, yes, who else. I raised you, Nicolae, don't you think I'd want to be there for your first crush? A shame she has to die, since you didn't follow my orders." Nico glared. "You wouldn't lay a hand on her." The much older woman smiled, shoving him playfully but hard. "You and I both know you could never hurt me. You're too much of a coward." "Maybe so, but I know I'm not a whore; You are. Shoulda figured that a long time ago. Now go away. Doesn't you have work to do?" His new apparent backbone did not seem to impress Allivia. She cackled at him, beginning to back him into a corner. "You really like this girl, don't you, Nico? Defying me, cutting up your arms to go to sick bay and see her? Yes, I heard all about that and I'll admit, this new relationship is starting to really get on my nerves." She grabbed him by his tunic, pulling him in close enough to feel her breath on his face. "I'll make sure she suffers, Kimby. She'll wish the Raveness was working on her and it'll be weeks before I finally let her die. I hope you liked that little kiss she gave you, because it's the last time you'll ever see her again!" Nico flinched, bracing to be hit. And Allivia smiled. "Oh, good boy. Good boy, Nicolae. You know exactly what you're supposed to do. And you know, it's not all bad. I'm a better kisser anyway." She locked lips with him. Nicolae squirmed. No, he thought, desperate. His stomach churned, but something had changed in him since the last time she'd pushed him around like this. Hardly thinking, he stomped on her foot hard with the heel of his boot. She released him immediately to cry out and the moment she did, he shoved her into a cart of food. Nico didn't even look back to see the crash, but he heard it as he ran back to where Ivian was sitting. When he got to his post (almost having lost his hat in his flight) he was panting slightly and Allivia's lipstick was smeared on his face.

Standing up on tiptoe, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "You are too." Wendy replied, stepping back down, then left to do her job. "See you later, Nico."

It could be related to how most people can't see Radiant spren unless the spren chooses to reveal themselves. Most people can't see Syl unless she allows them to, but her radiant Kaladin always sees her (and Rock but that's different).

The assassin meets Aderet’s eyes with brown ones of his own, quietly taking in her words. Chaos still sounds off outside, but beneath the table it feels strangely silent. Again and again, the assassin’s gaze keeps switching from Aderet to the vial of cadmium in her hand, his posture tense. To his side, the metallic tool he holds begins to vibrate, Aons inscribed in its surface glowing. For a moment, the space beneath the table in bathed in subtle golden light. Then, his gaze flicks to the cadmium vial and then back to her. He curses, the golden glow fading. “Allomancers,” he spits. In his other hand, he clenches the ten-boxing coin in a fist and stuffs it back into his pocket. He tilts his his head as he hears the booming steps of bouncers nearby, and regards Aderet again with a cold stare. “What do you want, woman?” he asks. “Quickly.” There are many items the patrons leave behind in a rush; wallets, watches, or wads of cash left in abandoned coats. There’s even a red leather purse overturned on the floor. Nothing’s too fancy — this place is good, but it sure isn’t the type of high-establishment you’d find further down the city. A bouncer patrols the discarded tables, grabbing fallen chairs and righting them. “You!” he says to Cole, pointing with his index finger. The gesture morphs as the bouncer thumbs over his shoulder at the exit, where a crowd of people still try to shuffle frantically outside. “Bar closed, pickpocket. No stealin’ drinks you didn’t pay for.” Behind the bouncer, the body of the dead man still lies on the stage, blood pooling from beneath him. No one — not even the bouncers — seem to pay much attention to the corpse. Anyone who isn’t trying to leave is looking for the one responsible.

10lbs, weight can't vanish. Just like if you would add 10lbs of water. Yes, if the object is not resting on the pools floor, the water would distribute the additional weight and preassure equally across the whole pool. If it rested at the pools floor, the additional preassure would only affect the area it rests upon. But, this additional preassure would not exactly equal the one that would be caused by the objects weight, but would be lessend by the weight (and therefore preassure) of the water that the object would have pushed away. The more dense the object is, the higher the stress on the pool. The average density of a human is very close to the density of water, and I would guess, that these pools are built with a lot of safety strengh, even if someone would throw some lead weights in them. I still would not like to swim there...

She’s already run several not so pleasant ways this encounter might end through her head by the time he notices her and implies that her silence might be bought. Pride, though, edges the slightest bit above fear for a moment and Aderet regards the coin coolly, blue eyes flicking just briefly to the odd object in his other hand. At the same time, her left hand shifts through the contents of her safepouch and grasps a small vial of cadmium flakes. She hardly ever consumes any, yet never feels safe leaving home without. Her internal reserves currently stand empty, dashing a handful of wild fantasies of using Allomancy to slow time until the bouncers find them. She doubts she could swallow any without him having ample opportunity to stop her. Ordinary means will have to suffice unless things change drastically. Aderet retrieves a vial anyways, transferring it to her free, right hand, while she pins her gaze on him. “But you are here,” she says with the slightest tremor to her voice. Almost imperceptible. “And I don’t aid murderers for pocket change.” She intentionally leaves in the implication, despite having no desire to do so for any price. Aderet understands how precarious the present situation is, pragmatism now prevailing over her pride, and aims to keep open avenues of self-preservation. “Furthermore, before you waste precious time considering it--no, killing me to ensure silence won’t do you much good, either. It’ll only make it harder for you in the long run. Much harder,” she says quietly, but firmly. “So, I suggest you cooperate and maybe you’ll get out of here intact.”

I've been dwelling on this for a few days now and putting my thoughts together on it, but I personally tend to believe it's something along the lines of "4. Spiritweb impact of actually abandoning the oathpact." When the Stormfather describes the way that they put together the Oathpact, he phrases it like they died, Honor Invested them, and became Cognitive Shadows, and that first time was meant to be forever. RoW has a bunch of arcs dedicated to showing that nothing lasts, and why that's actually a good thing; Bridge Four, like the Heralds, is a "legendary team that has already faded into memory" or something to that effect. But even though Bridge Four was formed to survive a terrible circumstance, absolutely nobody, not even Kaladin, believed that would work forever. Something else had to be done to save them. The dissolution of Bridge Four is also framed as a good thing: now the members of it can go and live their own lives. Kaladin himself has an arc in RoW on why he can't live forever as Highmarshal Stormblessed; mentally, it is too much of a toll on him and he's gradually breaking. His conversation with Wit on Braize, "there will be sunshine again" highlights the necessity of change in maintaining his mental health; even earlier in the series, in WoR, Wit and Shallan have the conversation about how beauty would be the pain of existence changing from day to day. And back in RoW, there's lots to do with Investiture and Intent, and how Investiture can be given Intent, etc. Zahel even explains Cognitive Shadows on the page. I tend to think these days that perhaps Cognitive Shadows, like spren, have an Intent baked in to their creation, and that the Intent of the Heralds was to bear the burden of the Oathpact together. I think they probably believed that being able to share the pain would be enough, but obviously it was not, and maybe never could have been. It's an interesting take on the "failing seal placed on the ancient evil's prison" trope, in my opinion. It would add some level of grand tragedy to the Heralds' existence as well. This interpretation would mean that setting down the Oathpact is going against their Intent, which is said to have some sort of consequence. (In Taln's case, I argue that holding it up alone would still be going against his Intent, if the burden was intended to be shared, and so he would therefore still manifest some kind of magical insanity.) When the Desolation begins, and they make enough progress that the Radiants will be able to win the day, they're supposed to die and head back together--literally, they need to choose death, until, eventually, the pain becomes too much and they eventually choose life, which is being reborn on Roshar to fight again. I feel like this is mappable to Pattern's assertion in WoR that "spren change in the same ways, over and over." They can't seem to break out of that cycle. The reversal of their attributes might actually fit with this idea of going against an Intent that Honor gave them. The degree of their madness might vary based on the level of how very much against their Intent they are going? Ash, for example, put down the Oathpact, but her madness amounts to a compulsion to destroy depictions of herself. She doesn't descend into Ishar's or Nale's levels because perhaps her Intent is to remain honest in some way, and by acknowledging that she's doing something wrong, she retains a bit more of her sanity. Ishar, however, totally believes that he's sole bearer of the Oathpact, and that he's fighting against Odium's false Radiants ... Nale seems to be reliving some of the things he did in the past, too--he fought against Jezrien which was noted by Jezrien as being a particularly honorable thing to do ("an enemy who was correct all along"), and now he's repeating that character-defining moment again but in a twisted context. Taln repeats his introductory speech over again. I wonder if they are perpetuating their own personal cycles? Resetting the Oathpact could mean resetting their Intent so they can be freed of their madness--mechanically forcing a change? I also think it might have an application on the Fused, too, who function similarly ... imagine if Raboniel's Intent was to end the war, one way or another. She maintains her clarity up to the end, although her methods are pretty extreme. Leshwi might be fighting the war to her internal code. But other Fused might be sick of the war, and want to leave it behind like the Heralds left the Oathpact, and they might be reduced to madness. The Pursuer, I think, could be an example of a Fused who is gradually going against his Intent: suppose it was to fight the war, but more and more he changes his identity to that of someone who pursues vengeance over Odium's agenda. So each time he gets reborn, he suffers more magically induced madness, because he's choosing actively to pull further and further away from that initial Intent.

To those wondering, here's a link: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/472/#e14863 Assuming all of the names weren't made-up, a river in the land of Koloss named Human is a pretty nostalgic nod.

This is actually an interesting thing, because science and technological development don't need to happen in the same order as they did here on Earth. To me it makes the world feel more real with its history. This could be due to the fact that the Basin is so bountiful and providing of their needs. The have less of a need or interest to learn more as things are for the most part provided for them, but in comparison, material science needs are something they have to provide for themselves and thus more reason to put in the effort and resources to develop it

Obligators

The Ghostbloods are at war. You have to put it that starkly. In fact effectively the whole Cosmere is. They are mostly just ignorant of that fact. And ignoring veiled dangers is precisely the thing Kelsier has sworn to never ever let happen again. You are seeing Kelsier as a philanthropist or a villain. He is neither. The best comparison would be a general or even a tribal warlord. He will protect his people. Kelsier is a nationalist. And to an extent he is not happy about the rest of the Cosmere. They ran caravans while The Lord Ruler flooded city squares with Skaa blood. Kelsier is anti-Shard. You do not kill a god king just to submit to members of an ancient cabal who happen to steal superpowers. Kelsier does not believe in excuses. If you work for the enemy, you are the enemy. Hence I conclude that Kelsier sees the concept of the Knights Radiant as kind of selling out to the Shards. Regarding Lift, once you are a combatant, you are a combatant. Your age is irrelevant.

Odium is not Ruin. It is hatred, not destruction or even discord. Furthermore, why would Odium have a Surge, rather than "Void"? Odium's truest stuff is likely to be the mindless Unmade. The Thrill seems to be the best candidate.

Final Empire Well of Ascension

Doesn't seem like it: Since no non-Stormlight Cosmere books have been released since then, that should still hold up. As for proto-Ghostbloods, besides the obvious ones, I like the idea that Allomancer Jak is set up to become one. After all, Thaidakar seems to guide him in some way, judging from his short story.

any brandon book is one I want

I’m not seeing how that says that can you point it out I haven’t read Dawnshard yet but Ruining is ReMaking with just a detrimental connotation

This was a while ago and so I don't remember what the conclusion people ended up coming to was, but a relevant quote from Secret History I stumbled across today that makes me disbelieve the "Destroy" theory: Ruin, by far the Shard most focused on destruction imo, doesn't even believe in things being "destroyed" (and, indeed, things can't be, only changed and broken to smaller forms, as Ruin says). However, it does echo Rysn's Dawnshard, and even the description of Transformation that Sja-anat gives, just more focused on one form of Change rather than the concept overall. So it would definitely fit under Change, I do agree there.

I'm making the current version of Rithmatics simulator public! https://github.com/CrypticSpren/Rithmatics It's very much incomplete: there aren't any lines of making or bind points at all right now. But in the interest of making it easier for @smartycope and/or other programmers to access the code I'm just pushing the whole thing out. This project is made using Godot Mono. If anyone wants to look at the code, copy the main folder and put into res:// in a godot mono project. If anyone wants to contribute to the code, contact me for an GitHub API key. If anyone just wants to test it out for kicks, open the executable folder and run the .exe. Draw with the mouse to draw rithmatic lines. Space to pause. D to activate debug mode (line errors show in the top left corner). Things are quite messy behind the scenes, so y'all probably won't see any observable developments in the near future while I clean stuff up (sorry to whomever I promised bind points at the end of the month to). But progress is being made. Also mods I wasn't sure if this should go in the Rithmatist thread or in the fan works thread. I figured most people in Fan Works probably don't care about non-cosmere happenings so I posted here. Sorry in advance if that was the wrong choice.

Who’s Kell talking to?

... So, pretty insane then?

"The world ended, and Shallan was to blame." - Words of Radiance, Chapter 10. Great theory.

On page 1088 (Chapter 101) there is a huge Typo. Jasnah refers to the Bridge Four as "my aunt's flying machine" in reference to Navani's (her mother's) flying machine.

Ch21 Should landed be capitalized?

On page 563 Lift is following a red chicken and one time, on the third to last line, it calls it a bird. It's possible this is on purpose because the line is not anyone speaking, just describing the bird moving, but I think since the whole chapter is from Lifts pov it should still be called a chicken

A dozen actually is ten in Roshar, iirc - they don’t have the word so as not to kick readers out of the experience (though it seemed to go the other way for you ) King of Herdaz In the Stormlight books, the number ten is thematically and culturally very important. In The Way of Kings Prime, the word "tenset" is commonly used to refer to ten of something. So, when Rosharans in the published Stormlight books talk about "a dozen" of something, do they mean twelve? Or do they mean ten? Brandon Sanderson It's a great question. I've been using "tens" more often in Stormlight, because I've found that people will go with it. One of the problems I felt with Way of Kings Prime was that the worldbuilding, the learning curve was too steep. So when I wrote Way of Kings the new version, I scaled back a little on that. We mentioned weeks, but we don't talk about about the fact that on Roshar, a week is five days, right? We talk about hours, but we don't go into the length of time a day is. It gets all wibbly-wobbly, shall we say. And my explanation of this is: these are all in translation. The translator (who is me) who is interpreting it, most of the time, when they say "tens," I will write "a dozen," or something like that. But not always. Now, I am edging toward more "tens," because in-world they would use "tens." Peter is okay with this. Karen's like, "Eh, it makes continuity a little wonky." But I feel like, having gone as long as we have, people are okay dealing with more of that, so I'm leaning that direction. But understand, I am the translator presenting this to you. Pretend that, when Wit says something that's a pun in their language, I am finding a pun in English that is similar and writing it out, because he's not actually saying what the book is having him say. But this is all just something you have to put in to imagine to keep that sense of immersion for you. And whichever one works to help you. But, yeah, they would be using "tens." They'd say "tens of" this, instead of "dozens," more often. YouTube Livestream 13 (July 23, 2020)

'Tis the season to be jolly! It is that time of the year again, friends. The time when a kindly, pleasant man goes 'round the world, bringing joy to kids and adults alike. The time when many of us will wake up with a present waiting to be unwrapped, while many others still will need to go shopping and find one to give to their love one(s). I speak, of course, of Brandon Sanderson's new book release and the tour accompanying it. With more and more people joining our fandom with each book, I wanted to write down a few bullet points paragraphs about what a signing is, what you should expect, how you should (and shouldn't!) behave, and if you are in the minority of people who like to contribute audio to Arcanum, how you should do that. Brandon Book Signings: Do's and Don't's Some time ago Reddit user RosiYY started a thread on the /r/BrandonSanderson subreddit about some big Do's and Don't's when attending signings. I encourage you to read through all of it, but I'll copy Brandon's top reply here for convenience: Travelling the world to see Brandon! A different Reddit thread on /r/BrandonSanderson had a user from New Zealand (PewPewPokemon) ask about what goes in a signing. Here's Brandon's reply: Etiquette The threads above should cover the basics of what a signing is and how it goes - lecture, public Q&A, reading, signing/personalization line, and (sometimes) private Q&A. You can usually get as many signatures as you want, but the number of personalizations is likely to be limited - it used to be up to three, but recent events have had Brandon drop that to one in the interest of time. If you go through the line multiple times, you can get more. And if you hang out until the very end, you might get a few extra questions in (unless the venue kicks everyone out). Now, let's talk etiquette. And more specifically, signing line etiquette. We'll split these into a few categories based on what role you would be playing at the event. The Average Attendee If you are going to the signing just to get a few books (or other memorabilia) signed and/or personalized, there isn't much you can mess up. Be a decent human being, don't hoard Brandon's time too much (though I've literally never seen anyone take too much of his time). If you have a story you want to share with Brandon, take your time. Having listened to many hours of Brandon interacting with fans, I assure you that even if you don't have some convoluted question about how the Cosmere works, Brandon will value you and your time (though the Arcanists on this site might glare at you...). The Sharder Being a Cosmere aficionado comes with a little bit of extra responsibility. A lot of what makes our tiny corner of the Internet special is Brandon's good grace and willingness to indulge our obsessions - so it is our responsibility to be as polite, understanding, and accommodating as we can. Many of us will have questions we would like answered, and some of us will even go to signings with multiple pages of questions. It is on us to make sure that we don't ask too many and take too much of Brandon's time (or hold the line for too long). If you can stay until the end of the signing, you may be able to participate in a short Q&A dedicated to Sharders and other more hardcore fans - feel free to ask Brandon about whether he can answer a few questions, but be prepared to gracefully accept rejection. The man works way too hard, sometimes he just wants to go back to his hotel and crash, or go catch a flight, or go back to his family. The Recorder Being somebody who records events is much like being a Sharder, only with even more responsibility. If you fancy yourself being one, try to get to the venue where the event will take place a little early (or lots of early, it's your life). If you have professional-grade recording equipment, or plan on recording video, it is good to check in with the venue to make sure that's alright; generally speaking, simply leaving a recorder or a phone on Brandon's table doesn't require any additional prep or explanation, he is quite familiar with our shenanigans by now. If you can, try to hang out somewhat close to the signing table - not only to keep an eye on your recording device (though Brandon will do that for you, making sure it doesn't get knocked off the table, or buried, or anything like that), but to also make sure that you can pause the recording if Brandon asks you to. These days we have the ability to keep "secret WoBs" away from the general public, and Brandon has been mostly good at telling us when he doesn't want something online (he will often speak directly to the recording devices and leave instructions that this answer or that comment shouldn't be released). Still, it doesn't hurt to be close enough to your device, just in case. Miscellaneous Let's go over a few extra points that don't really fit in a common category too well. Recording Devices If you want to record an event but don't already have professional equipment you might be wondering what you can get on a budget. I myself use a Lyker VM-31 I got from Amazon a couple of years back, but it is no longer available. I link it so you can see the 3-star review, and so I can tell you that it's fine. During my earlier signings I was recording with my (Android) phone using Easy Voice Recorder. So if you want to use your phone, it should be okay (though then you won't have it with you when you are talking with other nerds, and you'll miss out on group selfies, so...), just make sure you turn airplane mode on (for battery reasons) and put the phone on silent (so your offline notifications don't vibrate it on the table). This being said, if you do want to purchase a recorder, my two pieces of advice are Do not get anything with analog output.The audio will be hell. USB cables are just fine. Amazon has a number of well-rated digital voice recorders, pick one that fits your budget; or pick one from your local tech store, it doesn't matter very much. Sharing Questions This topic comes up pretty much every tour, so I figured I'd address it here. We here, in the 17th Shard, tend to be a little bit on the obsessive side. We want to know more, we ask a lot of questions. Most of the time that's a good thing. Most of the time Brandon is happy his fans obsess over his books. Sometimes some of us go too far though. In our quest of getting more and more answers, some people inevitably arrive at the idea of... utilizing the attendees who don't have questions, kicking around the idea of printing questions and handing them out. Something like this is extremely bad form. Brandon already doesn't like it when people just grab questions from the Ultimate List; going to him with a question you were handed earlier is much worse. One of the reasons Brandon answers so many questions is because all, or at least most of them are things his fans are personally interested in. It's why some of us maintain our own lists these days. The moment it starts looking like attendees are treating him like a WoB vending machine, he'll clam up, maybe forever. Don't be that guy. Of course situations where you are asking a question on behalf of a friend or family member who couldn't make it to the event, that's completely fine. Private Q&As Some of you may have seen references to people hanging out with Brandon before or after some events, getting what amounts to a pretty private Q&A (I am a notorious offender here). It is very much worth noting that all of these are initiated by Brandon! It is sometimes okay to ask Brandon if he is going to have time for some extra questions after the signing line (that's what I do, by the way), but it has to be up to him to decide whether he is just going to sit at the table for a bit and answer questions, whether he is going to extend an invitation to some people to grill him while he is signing the venue's stock, or whether he'll just answer stuff as he walks to his car (or whether he just won't have time). As with everything else, accept his answer as is, don't beg, don't chase him around.