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  1. All y'all over here celebrating Old Dictator Gets Stabbity-Stabbed Day. I'm celebrating Everything You Think is Wrong Day. Universal Methodic Doubt and Cogito Ergo Sum, my friends: let's all be Skeptics for a day!
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  2. I just wanted to write this as a thank you to all the admins who created this site and all the mods who keep it so well. I can't speak for others but this site means a lot to me and I love all the discussions we have here and I love all my friends here. Thank you.
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  3. The novella is done and submitted to a prestigious magazine! Here's hoping for the best!
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  4. So Pi day also known as "go visit your middle school because they really had a thing for pi day and you broke their memorization record by two three years ago" day also my back just up and decided to declare war on me this morning
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  5. I watched two whole episodes of Attack on Titan and I'm already scudding hooked. Prospective anime writers, take notes.
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  6. Oh I don't know about that, I mean my first character was... *Looks at a literal god of the AV* Hm... Okay but I probably just enjoy a bit of power fantasy, I'm sure that continued on after all my my later characters were: *Looks at dog* Hm... Okay, you may have a point.
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  7. Hey guys! I have exactly 1.5 K content as @Voidspawn kindly pointed out to me! what should I do to celebrate?
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  8. Cycle 6 After a long day of dancing, Adoling Kholin was ready to make a decision. He sent two ladies home, and now five are left. It's time for the fantasy suites. - - - Ash was not given a rose (voted out)! They were a Honest participant! Illwei was not given a rose (killed)! They were a Honest participant! - - - Vote Count: Ash (4): Kasimir, Maillwi, Illwei, Orlok Orlok (3): Ash, Archer, Unknown Aon - - - Player list:
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  10. Lita knelt and set another log in the fireplace, watching the flames lick hungrily at the dry wood. She could have turned on the central heating, but there was something comforting about a real fire in the hearth. Perhaps it reminded her of home. She stood, brushing the ash from her hands. Nostalgia, Lita? How long had it been since Scadrial was “home”? It felt like ages, though it had only been three years. Something moved on her desk, and she turned from her musing. The little silver pen was twitching. Good. Hopefully Laurelai had something to report besides a well-dressed administrator. Lita crossed to the desk and picked up the pen, turning the end and making quick work of the translation. ‘A little info’ was not what she had hoped for, but then, Laurelai was not a trained spy. It was likely a small miracle that she managed to get any at all what with two other suspicious individuals also looking in the same place. Lita raised an eyebrow at Laurelai’s rather blithe suggestion of “ducking in and out of Alleys.” That was something even Lita avoided unless she was in a great hurry. Jumping in and out of multiple Alleys was asking for trouble. It was far too easy to miscalculate, step wrongly, or be wearing the incorrect color - any of which could lead to a messy end. “Ah well,” Lita said aloud, pocketing the pen and stepping to her door. “Wouldn’t want to lose a new agent so soon. I’d never hear the end of it from Acquisitions.” She stepped forward, the stiletto of her heel hitting the smooth tile of the Alley outside her office, then she bent reality, her Tin burning high, seeking out the presence of a novice. It wasn’t hard to find her. Immersed in the swirling matrix of the Alleys, Laurelai appeared as a dove amongst vultures. Lita reached out and snagged her wrist, pulling her out of the path of something vast and hungry, and brought them both to a safer, nondescript Alley close to the outer edges. Lita crossed her arms, both eyebrows lifting when she noticed that Laurelai had been sketching while wandering. ”Well if I knew you had a death wish, I’d have made you an R&D intern and saved myself the trouble.” @Voidus
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  11. hey guys! me and my co-writer are rewriting our book! as we were both beginners when we started it. it is going smoothly. we kept the prologue how it was because it was actually really good, though it needs polishing before I can show it to you. so far this incarnation of the book is better by far.
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  12. Beware the Ides of March…
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  13. "Perhaps we shall." Laurelai replied with a smile, drinking the man's appearance in one final time before turning and making for the door. She spared a glance for the other woman, 'Doctor Shanaran' and saw her pulling some of the files Laurelai had reshelved. Well that was to be expected, she'd as good as told Laurelai what she was working on so that wouldn't be a surprise. The real question was whether or not anyone else was also looking into this. Retrieved a little info. She sent to Lita. And managed to extract myself out without much issue. Doesn't seem like anybody is following but will duck in and out of the Alleys to be sure. She gave a few smiles to the other doctors, nurses and patients as she made her way out and was almost tempted to drop in on Vivica but what would be the point? Perhaps she should ask her father to check in at some point, the poor woman could probably do with a friendly face that wasn't trying to sedate her. She hesitated for a moment as she exited the hospital front doors and back onto the busy streets of the city, momentarily disoriented by the light change before she adjusted and her blue eyes locked onto a nearby alleyway. Making a beeline for it she tried to remember what Lita had talked to her about and felt a stab of throbbing pain that seemed to reverberate through her body. And then she felt a connection, a sense of some grand, infinite labyrinth that connected every place to every other place in a pattern so astoundingly chaotic and confusing that it made even Soulstamping feel like a child drawing stick figures. Shift. She thought, trying to nudge the pattern as she needed it and gratefully feeling an acceptance. The whole plan adjusted to fit her request into it, becoming ever more convoluted as she stepped into the darkness. A disorienting experience, somehow both familiar and vastly incomprehensible. But she had arrived in the Alleys again, for now she should try to find Lita again. But while we're walking... She pulled a sketchpad from her back and balanced it comfortably in one hand while the other pulled a pencil free and she began a loose outline. The oval of a face, sharp neck lines turning into well-squared shoulders. And of course that suit was unforgettable. If she showed this at West and Carson's she should be able to get a name for at least one of the two individuals who had briefly cohabited the records room with her. @ZincAboutIt
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  14. Woke up at @The Ward's Guard’s house this morning! Flew out yesterday.
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  15. "Hard not to like good craftsmanship." The doctor, or should he say Laurelai, noted, stepping a little closer and flicking the lapel. "Especially when paired with imported Nalthian silks, say what you will about the ethics of resurrecting the dead as a labour force the Nalthians sure do know their fabrics. And of course the rest of it..." Her eyes traveled up the suit, before she hazarded a guess at the tailors "West and Carson's?" He nodded and grinned, "I have them do most of my suits, and they haven't led me wrong yet." After a slight pause he continued, "I must say it is nice to find someone who appreciates a nice suit in this place. Despite all the money flowing around, few seem to appreciate the nicer things in life." Careful Ronny, he cautioned himself, She could be DA. We know what happens around DA folk. He thought back to a PSA that had crossed his desk several months ago regarding an insane acolyte with a hallucinatory octopus. The things that that lady did still kept him up at night. He coughed slightly, seemingly becoming a bit more aware of his surroundings. "That said I don't think I would wear one this nice if I worked with the patients constantly. And speaking of patients," He glanced down at his list, still in his hand, "I still have a number of files I need to locate, so if you'll excuse me, I must be about my business." He coughed lightly, "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dr. Laurelai? Was it? Perhaps we shall see each other again." He turned around glancing behind him at the other doctor that had nearly immediately walked over to the filing cabinets where Laurelai had dropped her files off. Interesting. Perhaps too interesting. She was excitedly flipping through a file, which again was odd. Having found several files in his life, Ronald was quite sure that they weren't exciting. Though he supposed that a doctor might see things differently. They tended to be better people then him. Carefully, he made his way down the row, gathering the files for those who weren't near the other Doctor, all the while carefully keeping an eye on her. If she moved to another place that Laurelai had been, it would certainly be cause for suspicion. After all, why wouldn't she simply ask to borrow them while they were out? @Voidus @Rushu42
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  16. Brow isn't quite right. Laurelai thought. She erased the line and tried to position it again, the well-dressed man she had managed to outline quickly but the woman was taking a little longer. Had the brow arched? Not too strongly but perhaps it was a little raised as well. The ground lurched underneath her as the Alleys shifted again, a little unexpected this time and she stumbled a little mid-stride. But if she could just finish these last few lines... ”Well if I knew you had a death wish, I’d have made you an R&D intern and saved myself the trouble.” Laurelai blinked, staring blankly at the page for just an instant longer as her hand smoothly sketched the final line, then looked up to meet a pair of angry green eyes. Lita, arms crossed and standing in the middle of the Alley. What? Laurelai reacted in a sudden moment of panic, wondering what she could have done. Then she paused, eyes drifting down to the sketchbook then up to the Alley floor and walls, and finally the briefest of glances upwards to the mass of writhing darkness. Oh. "Whoops?" She said, aiming for an apologetic tone. "Forgot where I was for a minute." Fantastic first impression Laurelai, wandering through an ancient and dangerous series of interdimensional alleyways while sketching. Immediately after you had to leave the hospital due to outside interference. Why did that chiding voice so often manage to sound like her mother? "Wanted to sketch the two people I saw earlier while the memory was still fresh." She apologized, tearing the two pages from her book. She was stuffing the pen back into a pocket when her hand bumped another folded sheet, with a momentary frown she pulled that out too, unfolding it and seeing one of Vivica's drawings. Had she given her one of those? She remembered they'd spoken briefly while Laurelai hid in her room but this drawing... She lifted a hand to her temple as another sharp pain pierced her temple. @ZincAboutIt
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  17. Kas then proceeded to be evil for seven straight years.
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  18. Hey y'all :D i fixed my about me page (lol). And beware the ides of march!
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  19. Happy assassination of Iulius Caesar day!
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  20. I'm at 16K posts! And here's the thread I made to commemorate it:
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  21. I wrote this in under two hours. It's no Brandon, but it's fast for me. Thanks to Grace for the idea and inspiration! I just wrote something unexpected Not for anyone but me and you The publishers and fans don't know it but it's beautiful - and it's mine What else can I do? (Fans:) let us read, let us read (new books, let us read, let us read) What else can I do? (we're hooked, let us read, let us read) (you troll, let us read, let us read) I write lines of literature Books earn smiles by the piles I write perfect practiced proses Not much hides behind my style What could I do if I just wrote what I was feeling in the moment? (Peter: Do you know where you're going? Whoa!) What could I do if I just knew it didn't need to be signed for I just needed to write; and they let me write A hurricane of words and paper Mishmash plots (not!), pages and lines (this is fine) This extra time frees up my mind, it is sublime I wrote this for you What else can I do? Can I deliver us a fourth story too? Don't worry about burnout, a little just won't do I want to move on to something new I'm not sick of the old, it's just time to be bold, so I choose It just seemed like you weren't doing okay, from that video yesterday (How long can this secret hold) All we know are the worlds that you show and it's awesome to see what's inside How much can I write - here's the proof, no more lies - let's go A hurricane of words and paper Mishmash plots (not!), pages and lines (shine!) This extra time frees up my mind, it is sublime I wrote this for you What else, what else? What can you write when you are deeply, madly, truly in the moment (Kickstarter numbers are growing) What can you write when you have nowhere else to be in the world I'm with my family today (everyone, it'll be okay) I'm coming through with a year of swag (with that big bag!) Making news, New York Times ("changing times") The way is brighter, days and nights're swell - we owe this all to you What else can I do? (Emily: show 'em what you can do) What else can I do? (Fandom: there's nothing you can't do) What else can I do!
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  22. Well there's the philosophical answer of 'always' since it retcons history.
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  23. Struggling to make out Lita's words through the sudden onset of pain, accompanied by what almost felt like an image of some kind, Laurelai was about to lean against one of the walls to steady herself when the ground lurched underfoot again. One of her knees crumpled and she barely managed to keep from tumbling to the floor at the sudden motion. From the looks of it Lita had brought them back to her office. "Here, drink that. Then give me your report." Laurelai gratefully took the cup from Lita, swirling the amber liquid before taking a steadying sip. The momentary burn as the whiskey hit her throat brought the room into a sharper focus, and after an initial flare up the pain in her temple began to die down again. "What the rust was that?" She wondered allowed before giving herself a gentle shake. "Sorry, never mind about that." She took a seat, smoothing her dress and readjusting herself into a straight-backed posture as she met Lita's eyes, saw a flicker of the same confused panic that she herself felt though it was quickly masked beneath a carefully controlled expression. But it wasn't Laurelai's job to try to comfort Lita, it was her job to report the information that she'd managed to find. "As expected no issues getting in, I had to see a patient quickly to avoid any suspicions but she may actually be related in some way. Difficult to say but she had similar symptoms to the other files, I thought it might be helpful to briefly interview someone directly in addition to what was in the files and then-" Laurelai's speech faltered for a moment. What had she done when she left Vivica's room. She could remember talking to her, remember being in the records room, but not the time between. "Um, then I entered into records and started pulling them. I had a few minutes to myself, long enough to confirm that this pattern is certainly growing worse. Three times the number of cases this month compared to last, most of them minor but a number of more severe cases." She continued her report, trying not to break the flow of information but still she internally puzzled over that gap in memory. It wasn't like what she'd experienced other flashes of, not old memories that appeared in flashes. Anterograde not retrograde? But even though it was different to the others it reminded her of something. Not that unsettling familiarity that she couldn't explain, but just a vague mental connection. It felt almost like the blank space that could appear in her memories when she forged herself, when the memories of the stamp didn't match her reality and her brain tried to reassert itself as best it could and so simply blanked out the incongruous memory. But that's ridiculous, I'm not carrying any of my soulstamps with me and I would have noticed the seal. She thought, dismissing the errant idea. "These two arrived later, the woman first who's either a thief or a Lightweaver if I had to guess, coat was either copied or stolen from another doctor. Not the best infiltrator I've ever seen, couldn't improvise a lie to save her life. She was looking for similar information and pulled a lot of the same files that I had. The other was less suspicious, might have been nothing and I checked and made sure he wasn't wearing any illusions. I picked up a few of the names he was pulling to be safe though, and I know his tailor so we can probably find a name there. But may have just been someone from legal."
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  24. ^ I'm in this picture and I don't care for that.
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  25. Newcomers to the forum, seeing old AV RPers: Ooh, the wise old ones who created one of the largest RPs. First era AV: Lol, what if I was a sentient rock this time?
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  26. Forgot where she was? Well, Laurelai did have a sort of natural grace about her Alleytravel, something that was very rare for a beginner. Lita forced herself to remain silent as Laurelai tore out her sketches. They actually weren't half bad, now that she looked at them. Might even be able to get some kind of lead off of them if she asked the right people -- Laurelai grimaced as if in pain, putting her hand up towards her temple while her other hand clutched another piece of paper. "What is it?" Lita asked, immediately trying to get a look at the paper and fighting down a very unreasonable level of panic. "Did you stare too long into the Void? Did something touch you? God Beyond is that one of he Eldritch Department's ink blot tests? I told them not to prank my agents, how many times do I have to hammer it home that not every denizen works better after a complete mental breakdown?" Lita drew in a deep breath - why was she so worried? Sure, Laurelai was promising, and she was certainly better company than about eighty percent of the Department, but it wasn't as though they were friends. A phantom peal of laughter. Crystal in her hands, the smell of smoke in the air, the taste of port on her tongue. Lita leaned against the wall of the Alley for a moment, struck by sudden vertigo. Was the Alley doing this to them? She was sure she'd marked it as safe, but they did have a way of changing. "Rust this," she muttered, taking Laurelai by the upper arm in a firm grip and Alleytravelling back to her office. She released the young woman and walked behind her desk, removing a slender decanter from the bar against the wall. Lita poured herself a glass of amber whiskey - it was too early for port, and she was too irritated - and mixed in a pinch of Tin powder. She looked at Laurelai for a moment, then slid her a glass across the desktop. "Here, drink that. Then give me your report." @Voidus
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  27. Not even the Stranger could Forge that kind of lie
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  28. Similar, but not exactly the same: sheer stubbornness. Life are hard, but I want to keep living, so I will. I will grind my teeth and do that thing I hate, because I have to do it. Also, random jokes that I believe that only I will find funny. Whenever I think of such things my mood improves greatly, though any sane person would probably tell me that those are horrible jokes. Usually they include obscure references to books I've read. As long as I can make myself giggle, the world isn't lost.
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  29. Yeahh 700 posts a day sounds like a stroke to me xD Might not have a free schedule in the summer either I second all the nominations though and would like to add Devo as well
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  30. He doesn't, very well. Which is part of what makes Nightblood so dangerous. (Besides being a supercharged Shardblade able to eat Investiture from anything...) Nightblood tries to 'test' people by their desire to misuse him, and gets guidance from his wielder, but still doesn't really know.
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  31. I hath recieved a letter! Deadline to choose our rep is April 24th!!! Accepted Nominations: Matrim Araris Striker Aman (low priority?) DrakeMarshall Pending Nominations: Declined Nominations: Archer Illwei TJ Stick Ashbringer Devo Kasimir Experience
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  32. Aln: I need to find out how and why the DA is causing these anomalies! Laurelai: I need to tell the DA everything I can learn about these anomalies because it’s not them and that’s worrying! Ronald: *perusing files* Ladies can’t get enough of these silk pocket squares.
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  33. 465. Believe that anyone could die at any moment. You never know who might be next. But still enjoy living in the fantasy world.
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  34. I'm going with option 1 here, the 5th Ideal, and then we'll see him either Ascend or die in the back half of the series. Why do I think this? Because depression is a tricky one, and I don't think Brandon will be trying to to provoke people's depression into overdrive. Kaladin's major mental health issue is that he has severe depression, and we've seen him struggling with the question, "What's the point?" multiple times over different books. For him to reach book 5, then die before swearing his 5th Ideal, is a literal slap in the face of those who do have depression, who also struggle with "What's the point?" because the "point" has just been swept out from under them. It would be both cruel and heartbreaking for them to see that the ultimate endpoint to Kaladin's story arc is, "Well, you were right all along, there was no point."
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  35. HAPPY SIXTEEN THOUSAND POSTS --uhh... me. Hrm. Anyhoo... welcome to my brand-new mini-story writing corner. Basically, this place is for anything on the shorter side that I happen to write. I have a number of short stories / novellas stuffed deep into my google drive that I'd honestly love to share with y'all, so I decided to make an entire scudding thread for them. I'm gonna kick things off with the story that got me into the TABC anthology: The Forest Guardian. It's a soft fantasy based on various cool spiritual thingses like Princess Mononoke. It clocks in at just under six thousand words, so it shouldn't take too long to read through. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zLET5x3ZxXrHHnGdxuwyAjAPMovdMhaQ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108238934762779874751&rtpof=true&sd=true
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  36. For first 5 Stormlight Archive titles to match the ketek poetic structure, the 5th book's title must be able to be abbreviated K. o. W. T. So what are some words that start with K, O, W, and T that you think are good potential title words? Not just any words, but words that you think might work well as words in a Stormlight Archive title. Here are a few of mine: Knight, Key, Keep, Keeper, Kill, Killing, Kiss, Kin, Keening Of, Out, Outward, Other, Outer, Over, On Wind, Winding, Withered, Wise, Wisdom, With, Whistling, Winter, Winged, Wishes, Walled, Wife, Wicker, Winking, Whips, Will, Willing, World Time, Trails, Tamed, Tear (as in, crying tears), Torn, Tare (meaning weed), Tired, Track, Traveler, Temper, Table, Teeth, Tap(ping), Travail, Taker, Taken, Tinder, Tether, Twice, Thrice Write your own words, and feel free to combine mine and others' words into whole titles that you think are cool and/or viable.
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  37. My friends, and all the memories I have with them is a pretty big thing. Prayer as well - It helps a lot to make time to spend with God, especially reading my Bible.
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  38. Nothing like a little shadow kelpie to achieve that silky smooth texture
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  39. At that point in time, I was younger so I hadn’t started it yet, several years ago, I didn’t know what I would like to you, so my mom told me to just put a little belt of everything. I also, don’t know what it was like, so I told my sister to ask my mom since I had no experience
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  41. What with the various references to salt, I can't help but be reminded of this... https://coppermind.net/wiki/Uscri Could this be an easter egg for SP#1?
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  43. There's a hardcover copy of Elantris that my family has had for as long as I can remember. At a time when there weren't many new books that I was interested in coming into our house, I started to read Elantris. My older sister told me I couldn't skip the "boring" chapters until I read it the second time. She also said they were important and got more interesting. So I didn't skip them. It was beautiful. Elantris immediately joined the ranks of my favorite books, never to be overthrown. At this point I remembered only the book title, not the author's name. A few years later my oldest sister got a book for her birthday. The cover looked fun and the back looked fun, and the name was interesting. It was called The Way of Kings. So I (with permission) read it. The thickness of books wasn't something to scare me off, it was something to be glad of. If the book's thicker, you can read more story before having to wait for or get the next one. After that I didn't forget who wrote Elantris anymore.
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  44. Pigs or Goats, I could see doing OK, though not necessarily thriving.
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  45. ...a drug addict. Odium taking away his pain is his drug. It numbs his feeling. Without that drug, Moash actually might start changing for the better. This really helped me have more compassion for Moash. He is like Teft, but still in the grips of his addiction. Thoughts?
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  46. I suspect, after reading this, that the Third Ideal is less about hatred, per se, and more about not letting yourself get in the way of protecting others--or perhaps, rather, to not let your personal desires stop you from protecting others. As such, selflessness is the key principle of the Third Ideal. I think. "I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right." - Kaladin had to let go of his hatred of others and not allow it to determine his willingness to protect others, even those who arguably didn't deserve his protection, like Elhokar. "I will protect even those I hate, even if the one I hate most is myself." - Teft had to let go of his self-hatred, which was spiraling him downwards into self-pity, self-rejection, and self-torment. He had to be able to look outwards and focus on protecting those who need protection, notwithstanding his own failings. "I will protect those who hurt me." - Huio had to look past the way in which his cousin aggravates him. We get a small sense of how annoyed he gets by Lopen in this story. Can you imagine having to live with Lopen? For your whole life? There's probably a lot of hurt there that Lopen didn't necessarily mean, but it sounds like it was enough to be an obstacle for Huio to overcome to reject his emotional wounds in order to protect. "I will protect others from myself." - Again, it's the self that's getting in the way. Lopen wants to protect but his own personality, the one he's chosen, is getting between him and that ideal. In each of these, the primary element is not hatred, or some interpretation of hatred, but an interpretation of the character's focus on the self, and the need to set aside that self-centeredness in order to fulfill the Ideal. That Kaladin and Teft's interpretations of it deal with hatred is not endemic to the Third Ideal itself, but are instead manifestations of their strongly hateful character arcs at that point in time. The point is to give up the self.
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  47. It turns out that Adonalsium was the name of a Yolish law firm that eventually was split up due to the trust-busting of Hoid Senior. These battles are actually massive lawsuits aimed at reestablishing a single mega-law-firm. Also, we find out that Hoid Junior has been gathering objects of power in order to gain the knowledge needed to pass the Bar exam.
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